TERTIUS (Tertius, Tertius). - A Christian of Corinth, a disciple of St Paul and his amanuensis for the Epistle to the Romans (Rom. 16:22).
Probably converted by the Apostle when he was in Corinth between 51 and 53, T. may at first have been a pagan. His Latin name (Tertius) tells us nothing about his origin or social status; nor does his greeting to the faithful of Rome decide whether he knew them directly, since it could indicate only the affection that united all Christians “in the Lord.” Some Catholics identified him with Silas (v.), Paul’s collaborator at Corinth and later amanuensis of St Peter, but perhaps only because of the assonance of the ending *fetti* (*terzo*) with *Silas*. Tertius lent his services for about a hundred hours in writing the Epistle to the Romans. For his collaboration in this inspired writing he received a special divine assistance for his executive faculties; yet the preservative assistance from error exercised by St Paul himself (v. INSPIRATION, II. *Nature*) would have sufficed. The greeting to the Romans which Tertius added on his own (*Rom.* 16:22— the only such case in the entire Pauline corpus)—perhaps at Paul’s invitation or with his permission, and belonging to the authentic and canonical text—is certainly inspired.
As for the rest of his life, nothing is known. The Roman Martyrology does not mention him; the Greeks commemorate him on 10 November as bishop of Iconium; other isolated traditions say he was the second bishop of Iconium after a Sospiatorio or confuse him with a Terentius, bishop of Iconium (as does Paris, B.N. cod. min. 7, of the 12th century).