We seldom see Paul alone. He is always surrounded by his fellow workers and experienced partners in the Lord’s commission, like Barnabas and Silas, for perfecting him, giving advice to him, and watching him by the other prophets. Sometimes, other believers, from different towns, participated in the process of Christ’s triumph, to which Paul found himself a slave led triumphantly, bound to the chariot of its greatness; as if he had to burn incense for the greatness of Christ, and whoever inhaled that incense would be saved, but whoever rejected it would perish (Romans 2:14-16).
Paul wrote his Epistle to the Romans in 59 A.D. during his settlement in Corinth, where a number of Christ’s followers accompanied him, who added their greetings at the end of this epistle. These greetings signify that Paul did not write alone, as a philosopher, but was surrounded by a party, which kept him advised of all the details about the believers in Rome. Therefore, the fellowship of the saints was apparent in his epistles.
Timothy was brought up at the hands of his Jewish-Christian mother, who committed herself to Christ, and his grandmother, who was characterized by faith and godliness. His father was a Greek, unknown in detail. Paul saw in this gentleman, who loved Christ, a useful partner in the commission of God, having borne both Semitic and Jewish inheritances in himself. However, Paul circumcised him, because his mother was a Jew, in order that he might be a lawful Jew to the Jews, and a lawful Greek to the Greeks. They both worked in full harmony, and Timothy was like a son to Paul.
Timothy did not seek his own, but lived to glorify the Lord Jesus, and sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Paul sent him several times during his journeys to cities to arrange for the dwelling and ministry of Paul and his companions. Sometimes Paul was obliged to leave him alone, because of his expulsion as a result of the persecution. Timothy was responsible for the edification of the new converts (Acts 16:1-3; 19:22; Philippians 2:19-22).
After the greeting of Timothy, three men of the tribe of Paul are mentioned, namely his relatives Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater. Jason was the man who hosted Paul during his stay in Thessalonica, during the uproar organized by the Jews, after Paul’s argument with them for three Sabbaths, and the success of Paul and Silas in gaining new converts, with whom they established a new church for Christ. The mob assaulted Jason’s house, and not finding Paul and Silas, dragged Jason before the ruler, and accused him of following a new faith, considering Jesus as the King of kings, who prevents the people from offering their allegiance to Caesar. But the ruler sent the angry Jews away and released Jason on security (Acts 17:6).
Sosipater was a believer from Berea, where the Jews gently received the word of Paul, and searched the books of the Old Testament every day to know if the Crucified who was raised from the dead was certainly the Messiah. The Jews organized an uproar when they heard the preaching of Paul in Berea, while the people of Berea accompanied Paul with all respect to Athens, and Silas and Timothy remained in Berea to establish the converts in the faith in perfect truth. Then we read that a man called Sosipater accompanied Paul to Jerusalem to offer generous contributions to the needy there.
The third relative of Paul is probably Lucius of Cyren (Acts 13:1), who was an elder in the Church of Antioch, and accompanied Paul in his prayers.
Tertius was a Roman man who was fluent in Greek, and his name is mentioned at the end of this epistle as the scribe or secretary to whom Paul dictated this letter to the Romans. Paul dictated the letter to him word for word, and he had enough time to perform this great work, because this scribe used for this purpose his pen in writing on papyrus. This service was performed in full, mutual harmony. Tertius had to understand the meaning from Paul in order to write it faithfully to the church of Rome. Paul considered Tertius as one of the elect, who was established in the Lord Jesus, and who prepared the church in Rome, which knew him and trusted him.
Gaius was a believer from Thessaloniki, who entertained Paul at his own house during the persecution, and opened his doors to the church meetings. Gaius cared for the individuals who came to him with their problems, and was one of the few people whom Paul himself baptized at Corinth, according to his statement: “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius… For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 1:14-17).
Erastus was the city treasurer who served his job with faithfulness and credibility. This shows that the church of Corinth included not only poor and simple people, but also people in the upper classes who had direct influence on their society. Quartus was a brother in Christ. He was not Greek, but a Roman known by the church at that time.