The Erastus pavement at Corinth
A city official named Erastus held office in Corinth in exactly the period Paul was writing from there and greeting a city official named Erastus.
DisputedInscription1st century AD
Letters cut into a paving block record that Erastus, in return for his aedileship, laid the pavement at his own expense. Paul, writing from Corinth, sends greetings from "Erastus the treasurer of the city".
ERASTVS PRO AEDILIT[AT]E S P STRAVIT — "Erastus, in return for his aedileship, laid this pavement at his own expense."
- Found
- Pavement near the theatre, Corinth, Greece, 1929 — American School of Classical Studies excavations
- Now held at
- In place at Corinth
- Language
- Latin
- How it reached us
- Dug up, or still standing where it was built.
What it shows
The inscription is genuine and securely placed. Whether this Erastus is Paul's Erastus is disputed — the name was common, and the Greek title Paul uses does not map neatly onto aedile.
How historians use it
A standard exhibit in the archaeology of Roman Corinth; its identification with the biblical figure is treated as possible, not proven.
In Scripture
Connects to
Sources
- Kent, Corinth VIII.3: The Inscriptions 1926–1950 (1966), no. 232
- Erastus of Corinth — overview and bibliography
These summaries are written in English for now. Translations follow.