Saints celebrated on the 27th of July
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| A page of one of Fortunatus Hueber's Saints' books, "Stammenbuch..." (1693) |
Erastus (S. Pauli Apost. Discip.). The name Erastus is derived from the Greek, meaning loved, lovely.
According to Romans 16:23, Saint Erastus was a city official in Corinth, was converted to Christianity by Saint Paul during the latter's stay there (Acts 18), and soon afterwards became his assistant in the apostolic office.
He went with Paul to Ephesus, and then, by order of his teacher (Acts 19:22), with Timothy to Macedonia, returning again to Corinth, where he was quite certainly present when Paul wrote his letter to the Romans. Erastus was also in Rome during Saint Paul's second captivity, when he composed the second epistle to Timothy shortly before his death (Tim. 4:20). Erastus is thought to have undertaken other missionary journeys, albeit the Scriptures do not specifically mention these.
The Latins say that, because of his ardent zeal for the name of Jesus, Saint Paul made Erastus bishop of Philippi, in which capacity he led innumerable people to the faith and was finally worthy of the crown of martyrdom. These circumstances are related in the Roman Martyrology*. Greek sources, on the other hand, claim that Erastus was treasurer of the church in Jerusalem, and then bishop of Paneas in Palestine, where he at length died a natural death. Since there are currently no other sources of proof available which could provide clarity, we can accept as fact only what the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Epistles attest to about the saint. (V. 297)
(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 2, Augsburg, 1861, p. 78-79)
*A hagiography source used by the authors
Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations
PRAYER:
Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Erastus may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org
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