Theater of Corinth
Paul writing to Timothy: “Erastus remained at Corinth and I left Trophies, who was ill, at Miletus. Do your best to come before winter….The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.” 2 Timothy 4:19-22
“Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.” Romans 16:23
“..and having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.” Acts 19:22
Erastus, an official in Corinth, paid for paving near the theater area of Corinth around 50 AD. It was a common practice to inscribe an honorary mention of a patron who contributed to or funded a public work. This inscription, which you can still see in remains of paving outside the theater, reads “Erastus in return for his aedileship laid the pavement at his own expense”. A couple of factors suggest that this Erastus is highly likely to be the Erastus spoken of by Paul: 1. This was an uncommon name 2. The location of Corinth matches what Paul says in 2 Timothy 3. The public position of Erastus is stated in the inscription and in the Biblical reference. The inscription is more legible than the video is able to demonstrate. The degree to which the weeds have been kept mowed around the area also makes a big difference!
Paul visited Corinth three times that we know of from the scriptures. During Paul’s second missionary journey, Paul stayed 18 months. He worked with Pricilla and Aquilla as a tentmaker and established a Christian church at Corinth. The remains of the theater at Corinth that are visible today are from rebuilding of a theater that dates to the 5th century BC. It was built into a natural hill in the manner of Greek theaters. In the 1st century AD a large stage structure was added. In the second century AD it underwent a complete renovation. We’ve seen Corinth a couple of times, and some years it is difficult to visualize the theater due to overgrowth of weeds and grass. This year was very dry and the outlines of the theater stood out much more clearly.
The Erastus inscription attests to the fact that the early spread of the good new of Salvation by the death and resurrection of Jesus was not just a strange cultish movement for the poor and lowly. This news impacted people of all social positions and races. Praise God for the work of the apostles and the early followers of Christ!
