Was the author of the Book of Romans Paul or Tertius?

Romans 16:22 

“I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.”

ANSWER:
The opening verse of Romans clearly tells us who the author is: Paul. In the original greeting, Paul identifies himself as the one sent to share the gospel and writes to the believers in Rome:

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God… To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:1, 7, ESV)

Paul’s name and authority start the letter, and the whole theological argument of the book reflects his teaching.

You might wonder why someone else’s name appears near the end of the letter. In Romans 16:22, Tertius writes:

“I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.” (Romans 16:22, ESV/NRSV)

Here, Tertius is not claiming to be the author of the message. He is identifying himself as the scribe or amanuensis—the person who physically wrote the letter as Paul dictated it. That was a normal practice in the first century; authors would speak or dictate their letters, and trained scribes would write them down on papyrus.

This explains how Paul could still be the real author even though Tertius wrote the words on the page. The content, theology, and authority all come from Paul, and Tertius simply transcribed or assisted in producing the text.

In other places Paul mentions writing parts of his letters “with my own hand” (for example, 2 Thessalonians 3:17), which scholars often interpret as a personal signature added after the main body was written by a scribe.

So the best explanation is:

• Paul is the author of Romans—he composed its message and theological content.
• Tertius was Paul’s scribe who wrote the letter under Paul’s direction and added his own greeting at the end.

This shows that even in Bible times, believers worked together to accomplish God’s work. Paul provided the message, and Tertius helped put it into writing. May the Lord bless your study!

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