Romans 16:21-24

Romans 16:21-24

[21] Timotheus  workfellow,  and  Lucius,  and  Jason,  and  Sosipater,  kinsmen,  salute  [22] Tertius,  who wrote  this epistle,  salute  in  the Lord.  [23] Gaius  host,  and  of the whole  church,  saluteth  Erastus  the chamberlain  of the city  saluteth  and  Quartus  a brother.  [24] The grace  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be with  all.  Amen. 

What does Romans 16:21-24 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The men whom Paul mentioned in Romans 16:21 all seem to have been his fellow missionaries who were working with him in Corinth when he wrote this epistle. Lucius may have been Luke , the writer of Luke and Acts. [1] Jason ( Romans 16:21) may have been Paul"s host in Thessalonica (cf. Acts 17:5-9). Sosipater ( Romans 16:21) was probably Sopater of Berea who accompanied Paul when he left Greece toward the end of his third missionary journey ( Acts 20:4). Tertius ( Romans 16:22) was his amanuensis who wrote down this epistle for Paul.
"A crucial and debated question is the degree of freedom that a letter writer might give to his or her scribe in the choice of wording. A reasonable conclusion is that the freedom given to an amanuensis would have differed depending on the skill of the amanuensis and the nature of the relationship between the writer and the amanuensis It may be, for instance, that when Paul used a close and trusted companion for his amanuensis, he gave that person some degree of freedom to choose the exact wording of the letter-always, we can assume, checking the letter over and attesting to its accurate representation of his thoughts with his closing greeting. Many scholars think that the influence of various amanuenses may explain the differences in Greek style among the Pauline letters, rendering it difficult, if not impossible, to draw conclusions about authorship based on such criteria." [2]
The men in Romans 16:23 were evidently all Corinthian believers.
Erastus, the city treasurer "has been identified with the civic official of that name mentioned in a Latin inscription on a marble paving-block discovered at Corinth in1929 by members of the American School at Athens: "ERASTVS. PRO. AED. S. P. STRAVIT" ("Erastus, in return for his aedileship, laid this pavement at his own expense"). The aedile ("commissioner for public works") was a responsible magistrate in a Roman city. The office of oikonomos, perhaps "clerk of works" rather than "city treasurer", was a much humbler one (Lat. arcarius). Since the pavement seems to belong to a later part of the first century, it might be inferred that Erastus acquitted himself so satisfactorily in the inferior office that he was promoted to the higher magistracy, and showed his appreciation of the honour thus done him by presenting the city with a marble pavement. He need not be identified with the Erastus of Acts 19:22 or 2 Timothy 4:20; the name was common enough." [3]