by Walter A. Boyd (South Africa)
Paper 25
(D) Salutations from Corinth (Romans 16.21-24)
In the earlier verses of this chapter, Paul conveyed his greetings to various saints in the assemblies at Rome, v3-16. In the verses before us now, it is the privilege of eight brethren in Corinth to join with Paul in his greetings. Of these eight, Timothy is the one who is well known from other parts of the New Testament; but some of the other names are completely unknown to us. Timothy played a significant part in helping Paul in the gospel and caring for the saints, and he probably was his longest standing helper; hence he is mentioned first in the list. It is very difficult to identify some of the other men, or to evaluate their service in assisting Paul. Whatever little we may know of their labours, it is clear that Paul valued them, and recorded his appreciation: "my workfellow; my kinsman; mine host; a brother." Paul’s inclusion of these men at the end of this epistle is a clear illustration of what he has been teaching in its earlier chapters — that we should show appreciation for each other whether Jew or Gentile, weak or strong.
We will divide the subject matter of these verses into two sections: The Friends Described, and The Greetings Conveyed.
1. The Friends Described. It is remarkable throughout the chapter how Paul identifies and commends them in just a few words, but the brevity of his description adds to its eloquence. The challenge is: what kind of sentence would it take to describe our lives?
(A) Timothy, Paul’s Fellow-worker, v21. First in the list, he is Paul’s closest associate. Timothy was commended to the grace of God during Paul’s second missionary journey, Acts 16, and from there he was his constant helper and support. Acts 19.22 tells us that he ‘ministered unto’ Paul. It is likely that Timothy filled this role for a longer time than any other, except possibly Luke. The word for ‘workfellow’ is the same as ‘helper’ in vs3 and 9 of this chapter.
(B) Lucius, Jason, Sosipater, Paul’s Kinsmen (v21). In vs7 and 11, Paul identifies others as his ‘kinsmen’, but these three may have been his fellow-country men. It is difficult to identify them positively in other passages of the New Testament. To say that this is the same Lucius of Cyrene mentioned in Acts13.1, is no less ambiguous than to say that it was Luke the Physician. The most important lesson in the chapter is not their positive identification, but to learn from their steadfastness, and the Apostle’s humility in naming them at all. Paul valued men like these, and he wanted that appreciation to be made known among the believers in Rome. When Gentile Christians in Rome received warm greetings from Jewish converts who were highly valued by Paul, it would emphasize the cordiality of the relationship between Christians, just as he had taught earlier in chs.13 and 14.
(C) Tertius, the Writer (v22). Tertius was Paul’s amanuensis on this occasion: Paul dictated the epistle, and Tertius wrote it down. While Tertius could not himself compose a mighty treatise like the Epistle to the Romans, both the human and the Divine authors acknowledged his humble service in the accuracy of his writing. The fact that Paul trusted someone to write for him demonstrates the largeness of his mind. Writing a letter for oneself, is much easier than dictating it to another. It demands greater powers of mind and memory, to ensure that it is coherent and lucid. In allowing Tertius to append his own greeting, Paul again demonstrates the largeness of his heart. He does not disguise the fact that he needed and appreciated the help of others in his service. In the work of the Lord, we can complement each other. This is yet another illustration of what Paul had taught earlier.
(D) Gaius, the Host, v23. Gaius seems to have been a common name, for it appears on five occasions in our New Testament. This Gaius is likely the same brother mentioned in 1Cor.1.14. It is plain that he was an hospitable man who loved his fellow believers, for he opened his home to the apostle Paul, and allowed the assembly at Corinth to meet there. Gaius loved the believers in Corinth, and sends his greetings to the believers in Rome. Here is a living example of what Paul taught regarding hospitality in Rom.12.
(E) Erastus, the City Treasurer, v23. Josephus describes the Chamberlain as one of the civic rulers in a city. His office was like that of a treasurer, and he worked closely with the Town Clerk. The word ‘chamberlain’ has the combined ideas of stewardship and government. Even though the name ‘Erastus’ appears in Acts 19.22 and 2Tim.4.20, there has been disagreement as to whether it is the same man in both instances. We cannot be wise beyond what is written, and there is very little biographical information in other passages to corroborate his identity. Whoever he was, the inclusion of his name here serves as another example of Paul’s teaching in the earlier chapters of this epistle. More than anyone, Erastus would know the rigorous demands of subjection to ‘higher authorities,’ ch.13, for they were his immediate superiors. In addition, believers who paid tribute or custom would meet him as the city’s treasurer, and according to ch.13, they were to show respect for his office.
(F) Quartus, the Brother, v23. The scarcity of information on Quartus renders futile any speculation as to his identity. Obviously, he was well known among the assemblies in Rome, for there was no need to do anything more than mention his name. For some worthy reason, he was well known by name and as ‘a brother.’ In an epistle that lays a great emphasis on the responsibilities of brethren in Christ, it is significant that Quartus is known as such. In ch.14, the foundation of their responsibilities to each other as Christians is that they were brethren.
2. The Greetings Conveyed. There are two distinct features about the greetings that Paul extends: they were to the saints and in the Lord.
(A) To The Saints. Earlier in the chapter we noted that there were likely to have been a number of assemblies of saints in Rome (16.5, 10, 11, 14, 15). Throughout this epistle, as Paul addresses these assemblies, he uses the titles ‘saints and brethren’. Both titles have positional and practical aspects. As saints, they have been sanctified and ought, therefore, to be holy. As brothers, they are in the family of God and ought to behave toward each other in love.
(B) In the Lord (v22). Tertius greets them as fellow-believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. This expression appears in this epistle only in ch.16. Perhaps, as Tertius repeatedly wrote it down for Paul throughout the closing verses, it made an impression on his mind. Thus, he joins in the sentiment of Paul’s letter as he identifies himself with them in the Lord. He is not saying that he wrote the epistle ‘in the Lord,’ though he was undoubtedly governed by the Lord as he was writing it. In v24, Paul gathers the various greetings together with his own salutation, and makes a statement almost like the one in v20. Even though the Revisers omit v24, I prefer to follow The New Translation (JND), where it is retained. After the section that conveys greetings to various individuals at Rome, Paul adds a little salutation of grace in v.20. It is addressed to ‘you’, and is a reference to the brethren and sisters mentioned up to that stage in the chapter. Then he adds eight more names of those who have joined him from Corinth, and appends another salutation of grace in v24. He marks the end of the epistle with suitable finality and completeness: ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.’ Paul, together with all his helpers in Corinth, sends greetings to all in Rome. They are all included — Jew and Gentile, high and low, rich and poor, weak and strong.
This section of the epistle corroborates the record of Paul’s service in the Acts of the Apostles, and authenticates the Epistle to the Romans. There is no statement in the epistle as to where it was written from, or when. In Acts, there is no evidence that Paul wrote an epistle to the assemblies at Rome. However, in Acts 20, we find mention of Sosipater and Timothy being present with Paul then. We also learn that they were preparing to travel to Jerusalem with financial help from Gentile assemblies. This corresponds with the information in Rom.15.25-29. Both records are independent in terms of authorship and date of writing, yet they combine to tell us that:
1. Paul was in Corinth, Greece;
2. While in Corinth, he wrote an epistle;
3. That epistle was written after the collection in Macedonia and Achaia for the poor Christians in Jerusalem;
4. And it was written before Paul delivered that gift to Jerusalem.
It can be none other, then, than the Epistle to the Romans.
— to be continued (D.V.)