Epaphroditus

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Tribune^[1] Claudius Tiberius Epaphroditus (circa 11 - 95) is a saint of the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, first Bishop of Philippi, and of Andriacia in Asia Minor, and first Bishop of Terracina, Italy. There is little evidence that these were all the same man. His Roman name was Erastus.

[edit] Biography

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A fellow Christian missionary of St. Paul's, Epaphroditus was founder of churches at Colossae, Lodicea, Hierapolis and Andriacia, Asia Minor.

An Imperial Freedman^[2] of Emperor Claudius, he was appointed Secretary a libellus^[3] for Emperor Nero by First Minister^[4]. Seneca the Younger and promoted by Nero to the rank of Tribune for discovering Piso's Plot^[5] to assassinate Nero.

He was aedile or treasurer of Corinth while Nero was there. During this period, Nero was sentenced to death by flogging by the Senate. To avoid this sentence, Nero committed suicide with assistance from Epaphroditus (his scribe at the time).

Epaphroditus was owner, educator, and perhaps father of Epictetus of Hierapolis, a Stoic philosopher (see Stoicism) taught by Musonius Rufus.

Epaphroditus was sponsor and publisher of Josephus in writing Jewish History and the Jewish War.

Epaphroditus was appointed Secretary a libellis by the Emperor Domitian who executed him 14 years later, likely for heresy against Roman religion.

He also appears as a character in the Cambridge Latin Course

[edit] Main Sources

• James the Brother of Jesus by Robert Eisenmann,
• Josephus, Seneca, Musonius Rufus, Tacitus, Claudius and Vespasian (selected research by Levick)
• Agrippina by Barrett
• Domitian by Southern
• Catholic Encyclopedia

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e-paf-ro-di'-tus (Epaphroditos, "lovely"):

Mentioned only in Philippians 2:25; 4:18. The name corresponds to the Latin Venustus (= handsome), and was very common in the Roman period. "The name occurs very frequently in inscriptions both Greek and Latin, whether at full length Epaphroditus, or in its contracted form Epaphras" (J. B. Lightfoot, Philippians, 123). His name was a pagan one, meaning loved by Aphrodite. Epaphroditus was the delegate of the Christian community at Philippi, sent with their gift to Paul during his first Roman imprisonment. Paul calls him "my brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier." "The three words are arranged in an ascending scale: common sympathy, common work, common danger and toil and suffering" (Lightfoot, l. c.). On his arrival at Rome, Epaphroditus devoted himself to "the work of Christ," both as Paul's attendant and as his assistant in missionary work. So assiduously did he labor that he lost his health, and "was sick nigh unto death." He recovered, however, and Paul sent him back to Philippi with this letter to quiet the alarm of his friends, who had heard of his serious illness. Paul besought for him that the church should receive him with joy and hold him in honor.