Erastus of Corinth (, ''Erastos''), also known as Erastus of Paneas, held the political office of steward (, ''oikonomos''), in

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

, according to the

Epistle to the Romans The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that Salvation (Christianity), salvation is offered ...

16:23 of the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

. The office is defined as "the manager of household or of household affairs" or, in this context, "treasurer". The

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...

uses the translation "chamberlain", while the

New International Version The New International Version (NIV) is a translation of the Bible into contemporary English. Published by Biblica, the complete NIV was released on October 27, 1978, with a minor revision in 1984 and a major revision in 2011. The NIV relies ...

uses "director of public works". A person named Erastus mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:20 and Acts 19:22 is often taken to be the same person. According to the tradition of the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

, Erastus is numbered among the

Seventy Disciples The seventy disciples (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα μαθητές, ''hebdomikonta mathetes''), known in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκον� ...

. He served as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

and steward of the Church at Jerusalem and later of Paneas in Palestine. The Church remembers St. Erastus on January 4 among the Seventy, on July 26 and on November 10. However, researchers have also questioned whether it is even possible to conclude from the mention in the New Testament that Erastus was a Christian. According to this theory, he could also have been a wealthy patron of the church without being a believer himself.

Relevant verses

Erastus inscription

In 1928/1929 and 1947, parts of an inscription mentioning an Erastus were found near a paved area northeast of the theater of Corinth. Its dating is disputed, but it is possible that the inscription dates from the middle of the 1st century. The text reads "Erastus in return for his

aedile Aedile ( , , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public orde ...

ship paved it at his own expense." ( abbreviated for ''ERASTUS PRO AEDILITATE SUA PECUNIA STRAVIT''.) Following its excavator, T. Leslie Shear, some New Testament scholars have identified this aedile Erastus with the Erastus mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, but this is disputed by others. This debate has implications relating to the social status of the members of the Pauline churches.

Hymns

Troparion A troparion (Greek , plural: , ; Georgian: , ; Church Slavonic: , ) in Byzantine music and in the religious music of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a short hymn of one stanza, or organised in more complex forms as series of stanzas. The wi ...

( Tone 3)Apostle Erastus of the Seventy
/ref> :Holy Apostles, Erastus, Olympas, Herodion, Sosipater, Quartus and Tertius, :entreat the merciful God, :to grant our souls forgiveness of transgressions.

Kontakion A kontakion (Greek , ''kondákion'', plural κοντάκια, ''kondákia'') is a form of hymn in the Byzantine liturgical tradition. The kontakion form originated in Syriac hymnography and gained prominence in Byzantium during the 6th century, ...

(Tone 2) :Illumined by divine light, O holy apostles, :you wisely destroyed the works of

idolatry Idolatry is the worship of an idol as though it were a deity. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic ...

. :When you caught all the

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

s you brought them to the Master :and taught them to glorify the

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

. Source: St. Nikolai Velimirovic, ''The Prologue of Ohrid''

References

External links

Apostle Erastus of the Seventy
November 10 ( OCA)
Apostle Erastus of the Seventy
January 4 (OCA)
Erastos, Olympas, Herodion, Sosipatros, Quartus, Tertios, Apostles of the 70
( GOARCH) {{authority control People in Acts of the Apostles People in the Pauline epistles Latin inscriptions in Greece Early Christianity-related inscriptions Epistle to the Romans Seventy disciples Christian saints from the New Testament 1st-century bishops in Roman Achaea Saints of Roman Corinth 1st-century Greek people