Romans 16:21 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Timotheus my work-fellow Or fellow labourer, and Lucius, &c ., salute you Desire that their sincere love and Christian friendship may be testified to you. As Timothy had never been at Rome, he is not named in the beginning of the epistle. Of Paul's first acquaintance with Timothy, see on Acts 16:1-3. We find a person of the name of Lucius, spoken of Acts 13:1, as one of the prophets of the church at Antioch; but that Lucius, being nowhere mentioned as Paul's companion in travel, Origen was of opinion that the Lucius here mentioned was Luke the evangelist, whom the apostle called Lucius after the Roman manner, as he called Silas, Silvanus. But we have no proof that Luke was with the apostle at Corinth when he wrote this epistle. Jason is probably the person so called, with whom Paul lodged at Thessalonica, Acts 17:7; and who, on that account, was accused to the magistrates of harbouring seditious persons. Sosipater is the person called Sopater of Berea, Acts 20:4: he and Jason are probably called the apostle's kinsmen, merely because they were Jews.