Bible Dictionary
Tertius
Tertius was Paul’s amanuensis, or secretary, who wrote the Epistle to the Romans at Paul’s dictation. He added his own greeting to the Roman believers.
Definition
Tertius was the amanuensis, or secretary, who wrote the Epistle to the Romans at Paul’s dictation. He added his own greeting to the Christians in Rome.
Biblical Usage
Tertius appears in Paul’s closing greetings, identifying himself as the one who wrote the letter and saluting the Roman believers in the Lord.
Historical Background
The sources describe Tertius as probably a Roman or a Roman Christian, but that identification is conjectural. Paul appears to have used amanuenses for his letters.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The third, a Roman Christian whom Paul employed as his amanuensis in writing his epistle to the Romans (16:22).
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(third), probably a Roman, was the amanuensis of Paul in writing the Epistle to the Romans. (Romans 16:22) (A.D. 55.)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>tur'-shi-us (Tertios): The amanuensis of Paul who wrote at his dictation the Epistle to the Romans. In the midst of Paul's greetings to the Christians in Rome he interpolated his own, "I Tertius, who write the epistle, salute you in the Lord" (Ro 16:22). "It is as a Christian, not in virtue of any other relation he has to the Romans, that Tertius salutes them" (Denney). Some identify him with Silas, owing to the fact that shalish is the Hebrew for "third (officer)," as tertius is the Latin Others think he was a Roman Christian residing in Corinth. This is, however, merely conjecture. Paul seems to have dictated his letters to an amanuensis, adding by his own hand merely the concluding sentences as "the token in every epistle" (2Th 3:17; Col 4:18; 1Co 16:21). How far this may have influenced the style of his letters is discussed in Sanday-Headlam, Romans, Introduction, LX.</p><p>S. F. Hunter</p>