LiTERATDRB. — R. Hercher, Epistolographi Grceci, Paris, 1873 (a collection of Greek letters) ; H. Peter, Der Brief in der romisclien Litteratur, Leipzig, 1901 ; E. Norden, Die antike Kunstjjrosa^, do. 1909 ; G. A. Deissmann, Bibelstudien, Marburg, 1895, pp. 187-225 (Eng. tr., 1901, pp. 1-59) ; C. F. G. Heinrici, Der litte.rarische Character der neutest. Schriften, Leipzig, 1908, p. 56 S. ; J. Weiss, ' Literaturgesch. des NT,' in RGG iii. [1912] 2175-2215 ; H. Jordan, Gesch. der altchristlichen Literatur, Leipzig, 1911, p. 123 8. (containing alsoa history of the Christian Epistle till a.d. 600) ; P. Wendland, Die hclienistisch- rbmische Kultur in ihren Beziehungen zn Judentinn und Christe7itum, 'Die urchristliche Literaturformen,' Tubingen, 1912, pp. 342-381. H. JORDAN.
ERASTUS ("Epao-Tos).— 1. In Ro 16-3 Erastus is 'the treasurer of the city' (6 oiKovdfios ttjs TroXeus, arcarius civitatis) of Corinth, who sends saluta- tions with ' Quartus the brother.' His office was an important one. He stands almost alone in the NT as a convert of position and influence.
2. In Ac 19-' the name is given to one of two — Timothy being the other — who ' ministered ' to St. Paul in Ephesus, and Avho were sent by him on some errand into Macedonia.
3. In 2 Ti 4^'' Erastus is a companion of St. Paul, said to have remained in Corinth, i.e. during the interval between the first and second imprison- ments.
Are these three to be identified ? It is possible
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that 2 and 3 are the same man, but on account of the nature of the othce held by 1 it seems un- likely that he could have been a missionary com- panion and messenger of the Apostle. To meet this difficulty, it might be suggested that he had resigned the treasurership on becoming a Christian. Again, if 1 and 3 are identical, there would seem to be little point in St. Paul's informing Timothy that an important citj^ official ' abode at Corinth.' It is held by some scholars that these salutations from Corinthian Christians in the postscript of the ' Roman ' Epistle point to an Ephesian destination of the passage. It is easier to believe that the members of tbe Church at Corinth had friends at Ephesus than at Rome ; but, as Lightfoot reminds us, personal acquaintance was not necessary in the Apostolic Church to create Christian sympathy. Also, 'the descriptive addition "tlie steward of the city " is much more appropriate if addressed to those to whom his name was unknown or scarcely known, than to those with whom he was personally acquainted' (Lightfoot, Biblical Essays, 1893, p. 305). If we could accept the theory of the Ephesian destination, Ave should be more inclined to identify all three names. T. B. Allavoethy.
ESAU CHo-aO).— (1) St. Paul (Ro O^O'i^) uses the pre-natal oracle regarding Esau and his brother (Gn 25--- *•*) as an illustration of the princijjle of Divine election. Before they were born, when neither had any merit or demerit, the elder was destined to serve the younger. As the prophet Malachi (l'-^) has it, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.' In both of the OT passages quoted there was a reference not merely to the children but to their descendants. The hrst part of the oracle runs, ' Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels ' (Gn 25-'^) ; and the Prophet's words are, * Was (or 'is,' RVm) not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord : yet I (have) loved Jacob ; but Esau (have) I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and gave (given) his heritage to the jackals of the wilder- ness. Whereas Edom saith,' etc. (Mai P-^).
St. Paul is engaged in proving that the Divine promise has not failed though the majority of the children of Abraham have been excluded (or have excluded themselves by unbelief) from a share in its fulhlment in Christ. His pur^wse is to sweep away a narrow, particularistic doctrine of election, according to which God's action ends in Israel, and to replace it by a grand universalistic conception, according to which the world, or all humanity, is the end of the Divine action, and election itself is controlled by an all-embracing purpose of love. He accomplishes his purpose partly by a very ettective argumentum ad homincm. The Jews so little understood the humbling principle of election, which ascribes all the merit of salvation to God, that they ])rided themselves on having been chosen, while their neighbours, Ishmael and Edom, had been rejected. Since Jacob — in the prophetic words M-hich were so dear to them — had been loved and Esau hated, it was clear to them that they were the objects of a peculiar Divine favour. To turn the edge of this argument, St. Paul had only to remind them that many of the rejected — e.g. Esau and all his descendants — were children of Abraham. If God could make a distinction in the cliosen family in former times, without being un- true to His covenant. He might do so again. A whole nation might lose its birthright like Esau.
(2) The writer of Hebrews (12"*) instances Esau as a profane person, wjio for a single meal {dvTi /3pu)(rews fuds) sold hisbirthright. ' Profane ' (^ejirjXos), when applied to things, means 'unconsecrated,' ' secular.^ The word occurs in the LXX of Lv lU^", 'ye sh.all put diflerence between the holy and the