Richard Fellows suggests with many that in the Corinthian Church Gaius and Titius Justus are to be identified as the same person. He goes a step further and suggests the man with this good proud Roman name is also to be known by a Greek nickname and identified with Stephanas.
The name “Stephanas” means “crowned” or such like, and it was common for those who funded synagogue buildings to be crowned (metaphorically or physically). It is therefore very likely that “Stephanas” was a conversion name/agnomen that Paul gave to Gaius Titius Justus, who had made his house available for Paul to use as a (rival) synagogue.
I would say that 1 Corinthians 1:14-16 makes that inherently unlikely.
I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
It seems to me that by far the most natural reading is to see Gaius and Stephanas as different people. It would be odd, I think, for Paul to use (what is a conjectural) praenomen for him as an individual and a nickname for him as the paterfamilias of a household.
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Thanks, Doug, for getting me thinking.
You are right that “Stephanas” was not an informal “nickname”. This name was, I think, given to Gaius Titius Justus to honor him for providing his house for Paul’s preaching. Paul’s use of this name in 1 Corinthians reminds the hearers, of this benefaction, which had led to their own conversion. By calling him “Stephanas” and by writing that this household was the “firstfruits of Achaia”, Paul persuades the Corinthians to put themselves at their service. The church in Corinth is divided and Paul is trying to re-unite it under Stephanas roof, where it had been born.
It is not surprising that Paul calls him “Gaius” at 1 Cor 1:14, since this is referring to a time before he had received the name/epithet “Stephanas”.
I will blog about this in more detail shortly.
If “Gaius” refers to a time before his conversion, then what do you do with Rom 16:23?
On a related matter, even when speaking of himself prior to conversion, Paul never calls himself Saul.
I will look forward to reading your next post: I shall be surprised if you persuade me on the identity of Stephanas.
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