Tertius

Biblical Record

Tertius appears only once in the Bible, in Romans 16:22: "I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord" (KJV). As Paul dictated the letter, Tertius wrote it down, and near its close he added a greeting to the Roman believers in his own name. Apart from this verse, Scripture records nothing about his origins, life, or Christian background.

Significance within Scripture

The verse shows that Paul sometimes dictated his letters rather than writing them himself. In other letters Paul notes that he wrote only the closing greeting "with mine own hand" (1 Corinthians 16:21; Galatians 6:11; Colossians 4:18; 2 Thessalonians 3:17). This verse is generally regarded as the only place in the Pauline Epistles where an amanuensis is named in the text. Because Gaius and Erastus are mentioned in the next verse (Romans 16:23), scholars generally hold that Romans was written in Corinth. If so, Tertius was probably in Corinth at that time as well.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Name: Tertius is a Latin name meaning "third." This has led to speculation that he was of Roman background, or that he may have been a slave or a freedman. Some have also suggested that he was the brother of Quartus ("fourth"), who is mentioned in the same passage, but the text offers no basis for this hypothesis.
• Placement of "in the Lord": Interpreters differ over whether this phrase in the original text modifies "salute" or "wrote this epistle."
• Role of the amanuensis: Scholars disagree about whether Tertius took down Paul's words verbatim or also helped shape their wording. Evangelicals, who emphasize the authority of Scripture, hold that the use of an amanuensis undermines neither Paul's authorship of Romans nor its inspiration.
• Later tradition: Eastern Orthodox tradition counts Tertius among the seventy disciples sent out by Jesus and holds that he became bishop of Iconium. This tradition arose later, and the biblical text does not state it.

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches, sermons and Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Tertius are rare. When he is discussed, he is presented as an example of someone who assisted gospel ministry in a role where his name was scarcely visible. He sometimes appears in sermons on church service or on unsung workers.