Who is…
Sosipater

also known as: Sopater

His names appear briefly in the New Testament, specifically in the letter to the Romans, written by the Apostle Paul.

Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. —Romans 16:21

What is a “kinsman” in this context?

In Romans 16, the term appears selectively. Paul does not apply it to every Jewish believer mentioned (e.g., not to Aquila and Priscilla, who were Jews). Commentators debate whether it means:

• Blood relatives (actual family members or cousins from Paul's tribe of Benjamin)—possible, given the rarity of the designation and Paul's known relatives (e.g., his nephew in Acts 23:16).

• Fellow Jews (ethnic “countrymen”)—the more common scholarly view, drawing on the Romans 9:3 parallel and Jewish usage of the term for national solidarity. It highlights shared heritage amid a diverse Roman church. Most modern scholars favor this view, noting that blood-relative claims would require more evidence and that Paul uses the term broadly in Romans 9.

The context of Romans 16 (a long list of greetings in a cosmopolitan church) favors a sense of ethnic kinship that also carries spiritual warmth, but the primary force is shared Jewish identity.

More information

• Who is Sopater?
• Who is Paul? and what is his significance?
• What is the Epistle to the Romans?
• Who is Lucius?
• Who is Jason?
• Answers about men of the Bible