Pudens is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Pudens was a Christian mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy, and he was likely a member of the early Roman church. He appears only once in the King James Bible, in the closing greetings of that letter. Paul, writing from prison near the end of his life, sends word to Timothy and includes Pudens among a small group of believers who were with him or known to him in Rome.
The setting of the passage is deeply personal. Paul urges Timothy, “Do thy diligence to come before winter,” and then relays greetings from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren. Pudens is named alongside these individuals as part of a circle of faithful Christians connected to Paul during a difficult season of his ministry. The text presents him simply as one who was present in that community and whose greeting was worth passing along.
Scripture says nothing further about Pudens—no words, no actions, no personal history. What we know is limited to his name in a list of greetings. Yet that list places him among the brethren in Rome who stood with Paul, and the fact that he is named at all suggests he was known and valued by both Paul and Timothy. His appearance in Scripture is brief, but it identifies him as a real participant in the early church.
The Name
The name Pudens is Latin rather than Hebrew or Greek, and its meaning is well established. It comes from the Latin word *pudens*, meaning “modest,” “bashful,” or “shamefaced”—a participle of the verb *pudere*, “to be ashamed.” In Roman usage it functioned as a personal name or cognomen, and it carried the sense of one who is modest, decent, or honorable. The name is not drawn from the biblical languages, so its significance rests in its Latin origin rather than in any Hebrew or Greek root.
A Closing Thought
Pudens is remembered for almost nothing except that he was there. He left no sermon, no journey, no recorded act of courage. He is simply one of the brethren who sent greetings through Paul to Timothy. Yet that quiet presence matters. The early church was sustained not only by its prominent leaders but by ordinary believers whose names we barely know. Pudens reminds us that faithfulness does not require fame. To be counted among the brethren, to stand with God’s people in hard seasons, and to be named as one who belonged—that is a life worth living.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: New
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 2 Timothy 4:21 — Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.