What if a name mentioned by the Apostle Paul was found carved in stone in the very city where Paul lived and worked?
In this episode of WhatTheFact, we investigate the Erastus Inscription of ancient Corinth — a real Roman inscription recording a man named Erastus who was involved in Corinth's civic administration and funded a major public paving project.
The New Testament also mentions an Erastus in Corinth.
In Romans 16:23, Paul writes:
“Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you.”
So are these two men the same person?
The evidence is fascinating — but the answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no.
We examine:
• The actual Erastus Inscription from Roman Corinth
• The archaeological evidence behind the inscription
• What the Latin inscription tells us about Erastus
• Paul's reference to Erastus in Romans 16:23
• The meaning of the Greek title oikonomos tes poleos
• The proposed connection between the inscription and Paul's Erastus
• The rarity of the name Erastus in ancient Greece
• The dating controversy surrounding the inscription
• The competing views of modern scholars
• The possibility that multiple men named Erastus existed in Corinth
• What the evidence demonstrates — and what it cannot currently verify
The inscription does not contain a Christian symbol or explicitly identify its Erastus as Paul's associate.
But the convergence of name, city, chronology, civic involvement, and social status makes the identification an important historical hypothesis.
This is not about forcing archaeology to prove the Bible.
It is about examining what the stone actually tells us.
The question is simple: What does the evidence say?
#WhatTheFact #Erastus #BibleArchaeology #BiblicalArchaeology #PaulTheApostle #AncientCorinth #Archaeology #BibleHistory #NewTestament #ChristianHistory
