Hieromartyr Terence Bishop of Iconium

Identity and Apostolic Connection

Orthodox tradition numbers Terence among the Seventy Apostles and commonly identifies him with the Tertius named in the Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:22), the scribe who set down the apostle Paul's letter and added his own greeting. Several sources, including OrthodoxWiki and Wikipedia, describe him as the amanuensis of that epistle and place him in the circle of Paul's co-workers.

The sources connect him with other Apostles of the Seventy associated with Iconium and the surrounding region, including Sosipater, Erastus, Olympas, Herodion, and Quartus, who are remembered together for their preaching against idolatry. A further speculative tradition, noted but not asserted by the sources, would identify Tertius with Silas; this remains uncertain.

Episcopate at Iconium

Terence is venerated as a bishop of Iconium in Lycaonia. The anchor synaxarion records him as a first bishop of the city, ordained by the apostles; other Orthodox sources place him in succession after the Apostle Sosipater. In either telling his ministry centered on Iconium, where he is said to have brought many pagans to the Christian faith.

He is venerated both in the Eastern Orthodox Church and, as a pre-schism saint, in the Roman Catholic Church.

Martyrdom

Terence died as a martyr for the faith. The anchor account records that he was tortured and beheaded. A separate tradition, drawn from the Synaxarion of Constantinople and repeated in later sources, describes his death as occurring through being pierced or torn with thorns. Specific dates for his birth and death are not preserved; he belongs to the first century.

Miracles & Traditions

Historically Documented: The earliest secure record of Terence is the greeting of Tertius in Romans 16:22; his episcopate and martyrdom are known through synaxarial tradition rather than independent first-century documentation.

Traditional Accounts: The synaxaria describe him as a wonderworker and recount his martyrdom by thorns. The identification of the bishop of Iconium with the scribe of Romans, and the further suggestion that he is the same as Silas, are transmitted as tradition and are treated cautiously by the sources.