Saint Apostle Tertius
of the Seventy.

Saint Tertius was called by the Lord Jesus Christ to be one of the Seventy Apostles, a select group of disciples commissioned to preach the kingdom of God. He and his fellow apostles all lived during the first century. Nothing is known of his family or childhood, but his name—Latin for "third"—suggests he may have been of Roman origin or at least familiar with Greco-Roman culture. His formation as a Christian came through direct contact with the apostolic community and the teaching of the Apostle Paul.

His skills as a trained scribe and his reliability as a believer commended him to the Apostle Paul, who engaged him to transcribe his correspondence. In his capacity as secretary, Tertius rendered invaluable service to the Church by assisting in the composition and recording of one of Scripture's most important epistles.

Terence, also known as Tertius or Terentios, was the second bishop in succession after Saint Sosipater in Iconium, where he converted many pagans to Christ through his words and deeds done in the power of the Holy Spirit, also baptizing those converted by Saint Sosipater. As bishop, he stood in the apostolic succession, inheriting the episcopal office from his predecessor and the spiritual authority to govern the Church in that city.

Saint Tertius undertook the difficult missionary work of confirming and expanding the Christian community in Iconium, which was then a pagan-majority city in Anatolia. Terence was also a Wonderworker, a Martyr and one of the Seventy Apostles, gifts and callings that equipped him for his pastoral ministry and enabled him to work miracles in the name of Christ for the conversion and healing of his flock.

According to the Synaxarion of Constantinople, he died after being pricked with thorns, perhaps by being dragged over thorns till his flesh was torn off, or beaten with a thorny branch till he bled to death. The manner of his death reflects the persecution visited upon the early Christian bishops by pagan authorities who sought to suppress the faith. Saint Tertius faced his martyrdom with the courage of a true shepherd willing to lay down his life for his flock.

His repose in Iconium, the city where he had labored as bishop, marked the culmination of his earthly service to Christ. Through his martyrdom, Saint Tertius bore final testimony to the resurrection and eternal life promised by the Lord Jesus, joining the great company of the martyrs who purchased the faith with their blood.

Saint Tertius is venerated throughout the Orthodox Church as a faithful servant of the Apostle Paul and a stalwart bishop and martyr of Iconium. The Church remembers St. Tertius on October 30 and November 10. An additional commemoration occurs on November 10 in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, where Tertius is venerated collectively with fellow apostles of the Seventy, including Erastus of Paneas, Olympas of Rome, Herodion of Patras, Sosipater of Iconium, and Quartus of Berytus.

The legacy of Saint Tertius endures in the Church's reverence for the apostolic office and the martyrs' crown. His work as scribe made him a humble instrument in the hand of God for the preservation and transmission of Sacred Scripture. His episcopate demonstrates the apostolic succession and the continuation of pastoral authority from Paul through Sosipater to Tertius himself. His martyrdom witnesses to the faith once delivered to the saints and the willingness of the early bishops to suffer unto death rather than deny Christ.

Early Life and Calling

Saint Tertius is numbered among the Seventy Apostles sent out by the Lord Jesus. He acted as an amanuensis for Paul the Apostle, writing down his Epistle to the Romans. Saint Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, "I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord" (Rom 16:22). This sole biblical reference provides testimony to his faithful service as Paul's scribe in the composition of this foundational apostolic epistle.

Epistle to the Romans

Romans was likely written while Paul was staying in the house of Gaius in Corinth, and the epistle was probably transcribed by Paul's amanuensis Tertius and is dated AD late 55 to early 57. This letter was written in Corinth during the winter of 57 or 58 A.D., and is the longest of his letters. Paul apparently liked to dictate his letters, allowing the spirit to move him freely while someone else transcribed what was spoken. Near the conclusion he would normally pen a small greeting in his own handwriting which served as a token of the letter's authenticity; but here he allows Tertius to speak for himself and record his own greeting for posterity.

Episcopal Ministry in Iconium

Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died. He converted many pagans to Christ through his words and deeds done in the power of the Holy Spirit, also baptizing those converted by Saint Sosipater. As a hierarch, Saint Tertius labored diligently to establish and strengthen the Church in Iconium, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Sosipater and continuing the apostolic mission entrusted to him by the Apostle Paul.

Martyrdom

Saint Tertius was the second bishop (after Saint Sosipater) in Iconium, where he converted many pagans to Christ, and ended his life as a martyr. According to the Synaxarion of Constantinople, he died after being pricked with thorns, perhaps by being dragged over thorns till his flesh was torn off, or beaten with a thorny branch till he bled to death. By his martyrdom, Saint Tertius sealed his witness to Christ and joined the cloud of witnesses who purchased the faith with their blood.