Tertius is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Tertius appears only once in Scripture, in the closing greetings of Paul’s letter to the Romans: “I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Romans 16:22). From this single verse we learn that Tertius served as the scribe who physically wrote down the letter as Paul dictated it. In the first century, letters were commonly composed through an amanuensis, a trained writer who transcribed the author’s words and often added his own greeting at the end. Tertius was that person for the letter to the Romans.
The setting is the conclusion of one of the most doctrinally rich letters in the New Testament. After Paul finished his lengthy argument concerning sin, salvation, Israel, and the Christian life, and after a long list of personal greetings to believers in Rome, Tertius inserted his own salutation. His words are brief but personal: he identifies himself by name, states plainly what he did—”who wrote this epistle”—and greets the Roman believers “in the Lord.”
Scripture says nothing else about Tertius: not his background, his hometown, his trade, or his later life. What it does record is that he was a believer, since he greets the church “in the Lord,” and that he played a quiet but essential role in delivering Paul’s message. Without his hand, the letter to the Romans would not have reached its readers in written form. He is a reminder that behind every inspired text stood ordinary servants whose names are largely forgotten but whose labor carried the Word of God to others.
The Name
“Tertius” is a Latin name, not Hebrew or Greek, and it is well established in meaning: it derives from the Latin *tertius*, meaning “third.” It was a common Roman name, typically given to a third child or a third son, and its use here reflects how thoroughly Roman culture and naming customs had spread through the empire, even among those associated with the early church. Unlike many Hebrew names in Scripture, the meaning of Tertius is not in doubt; it simply means “third.” Whether the name carried any special significance for him personally, Scripture does not say.
A Closing Thought
Tertius never preached, planted a church, or wrote a word of his own doctrine, yet he is forever remembered in Romans 16:22 for faithfully writing down what Paul gave him. Most of us will never be the voice that everyone hears; we will be the hands that quietly serve behind the scenes. Tertius reminds us that God’s work depends on such servants too. A letter that has shaped the church for two thousand years passed through the pen of a man named “Third.” Faithfulness in a small, unseen task is never small in the purposes of God.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: New
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Romans 16:22 — I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.