Silas

For the character in The Da Vinci Code, see Silas (The Da Vinci Code).

Silas or Silvanus (flourished 1st century) was an early Christian who was a companion of Paul and Peter.

Silas is listed as a co-author or co-sender of Paul's First and Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, a part of the canon of the New Testament. According to 1 Pet. 5:12, Silas was the bearer of the First Epistle of Peter too.

The name Silas is a Greek nickname for the Latin Silvanus. Although a Roman in the Bible, the name "Silas" may be derived from pre-Roman Italian languages (see, e.g., the character "Asilas", an Etruscan leader and warrior-prophet who plays a prominent role in assisting Aeneas in Virgil's epic poem, The Aeneid).