Lexical Summary Kouartos: Quartus Original Word: Κούαρτος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Quartus. Of Latin origin (fourth); Quartus, a Christian -- Quartus. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof Latin origin Definition Quartus, a Christian at Rome NASB Translation Quartus (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2890: ΚούαρτοςΚούαρτος, Κουαρτου, ὁ (a Latin name), Quartus, an unknown Christian: Romans 16:23. Topical Lexicon Name in Scripture Quartus (Greek form transliterated as Koo-ar-tos) appears once in the New Testament, in Paul’s closing greetings to the believers in Rome (Romans 16:23). Biblical Occurrence and Immediate Context Romans 16:23: “Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and our brother Quartus greets you.” Paul is dictating the epistle from Corinth (cf. Romans 16:1, 1 Corinthians 1:14), lodging with Gaius. In this setting he adds salutations from fellow workers and local believers. Quartus, called “our brother,” therefore belonged to the Corinthian congregation and was sufficiently known to the Roman Christians to warrant individual mention. Historical and Cultural Background 1. Roman naming convention: Quartus is a Latin numeral meaning “Fourth.” It was common in Roman society to use ordinal numbers (Primus, Secundus, Tertius, Quartus) as given names or surnames, sometimes assigned to slaves or freedmen. Tertius, Paul’s amanuensis (Romans 16:22), and Quartus may have been related socially or biologically, perhaps even literal brothers, though Scripture is silent on that point. Early Church Tradition Later Christian writers identify Quartus as one of the Seventy whom Jesus sent out (Luke 10:1), and as the first bishop of Berytus (modern Beirut). These traditions are not canonical but show how the early Church esteemed him as a foundational missionary leader. Theological Significance 1. Unity across regions: Quartus’s greeting symbolizes the fellowship uniting Corinth and Rome. Paul’s epistle itself is an appeal for mutual acceptance (Romans 15:7); including Quartus models that impulse. Ministry Lessons and Applications • Value every believer. Quartus receives a place in God-breathed Scripture though no deeds of his are recorded. Ministry should honor quiet faithfulness. Summary Quartus’s single appearance offers a snapshot of first-century Christian community life in which ordinary yet faithful believers were knit together across cities for the advance of the gospel. His brief greeting in Romans 16 stands as a perpetual testimony that the Lord memorializes every act of brotherly love within the household of faith. Forms and Transliterations Κουαρτος Κούαρτος Kouartos KoúartosLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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