Sunday School Notes: Romans 16:1-2

¹ Now I recommend to you Phoebe our sister, being a servant of the church in Cenchreae, ² so that you may receive her in the Lord, worthily of the saints, and stand by her in whatever matter she might have need of you; for she also has been a benefactor of many, even me myself.

After nearly three years of study, we come to the final chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Romans! We began by reading the entire chapter, and making a few observations. For example, there seem to be an unusually large number of greetings, as well as a warning and a benediction. We find such things in Paul’s other letters, but some have questioned whether Paul wrote this chapter because (among other things):

• It seems odd that Paul would have so many people to greet given that he didn’t plant the church, and has never visited the church.
• The issue at Rome was not false teachers, but church unity. Why would Paul warn against false teachers, especially this late into the letter, when we’ve had no hint that this was even an issue?

I think these points can be explained. First, if we recall the historical situation (Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome in the late 40s AD, those Jews returned after Claudius died in 54 AD), it’s possible Paul met believers from the Roman church while he was elsewhere. For example, Prisca and Aquila appear to be in Rome (16:3), but Paul originally met them in Corinth (Acts 18). Maybe the people he greets are all people he met in other churches where they had fled as a result of Claudius’ edict, and have now returned to their home church in Rome. As for the warning against false teachers, as we will see, Paul’s concern is over those who cause dissension in the church, which is certainly in line with the message of Romans. Further, Paul knows what happens if the situation in Rome is left unchecked. The church in Galatia came under attack from the false teaching of Judaizers, and he doesn’t want to see that happen in Rome. Given these points, I see no reason to doubt that Paul wrote Romans 16.

Paul begins by recommending Phoebe to the Romans. Such recommendations were not uncommon, especially at a time when communication was relatively slow, and it was important that those receiving the guest had some assurance of the person’s character. Remember, the first century church was not officially recognized. They may not have been formally persecuted at this point, but they had no special protection from the authorities either. Anyone could show up claiming to be a believer, and cause who-knows-what kind of trouble for the brethren. A word of commendation from an Apostle of Christ would carry a lot of weight, and assure the church that Phoebe’s worthy of their acceptance. It’s even possible that Phoebe carried the letter to Rome for Paul.

The amount that Paul tells us about Phoebe gives us an idea of how important she was. We know she was from Cenchreae, which was about eight miles outside of Corinth. This suggests Paul got to know while in Corinth (which is where, we presume, he is writing this letter). Paul describes her as a “servant of the church in Cenchreae,” so it’s possible he visited that church while in Corinth, or people from that church came down to Corinth to see Paul. She is worthy of being received as an equal among the saints, and she has been a “benefactor”–even to Paul himself.

The term “servant of the church” raises some controversy, since Paul uses the word diakonos, which is also the technical term for the office of deacon. Was Phoebe a deaconess–that is, did she actually hold office? If so, this would be an unusual example of a woman explicitly holding office within the church. The traditional understanding is that only men were supposed to hold church offices (elder and deacon), which is why this question has been at the heart of a lot of debate.

The Greek doesn’t really help us with the question. The word diakonos is not gender-specific, and is used in a variety of contexts. The office of diakonos is spoken of in 1 Timothy 3:8. The state is referred to as a “servant” using diakonos in Romans 13:4. Christ is called a diakonos in Romans 15:8. Then there’s Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21), Apollos (1 Corinthians 3:5), Epaphras (Colossians 1:7), and even Paul himself (1 Corinthians 3:5, and Philippians 1:1). The only help we can get with understanding this term as Paul uses it in Romans 16:1 is to look at the context, and Paul’s understanding of the diaconate.

On the pro-deaconess side, one could make the argument that since part of Paul’s recommendation of Phoebe is based on the fact she is a “diakonos” of the Cenchreaean church, the best way to understand the weight of this commendation would be if she held office. In other words, Paul is saying the Romans should receive Phoebe because she holds the office of deacon in another church. Also, Paul describes Phoebe as a prostatis, which can be translated “leader” (i.e., one who stands before others), which would, again, support the idea of church leadership.

On the contra-deaconess side, one might point out that Phoebe’s standing as a “diakonos” of the church is not her only commendation, so it can’t have been as significant as her holding office in the church. Further, the term prostatis can also be translated “benefactor” or “patron,” and this meaning was, in fact, quite common at this time. She may have been a person of means, and able to give financial help to the brethren. Notice that Paul says that she has been a prostatis “of many, even me myself.” Is it more likely that Phoebe was a leader of Paul, or a benefactor of Paul? That she held authority over Paul, or that she provided financial assistance to Paul? Finally, one ought to consider the qualifications for the office of deacon in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. In verse 12, he says that deacons must be “the husband of one wife,” a qualification that a woman cannot fulfill. And while verse 11 does mention “women,” this same Greek word could equally mean “wives,” such that this verse refers to the character of the deacon’s wife. Since verse 12 follows immediately after, this seems a reasonable interpretation.

I, personally, side with the contra-deaconess position. But this is a secondary issue, and good men differ. I think a better question to explore within a church where women are seeking church office is why? Why do women within the church want to hold office? Is it because they feel the men are not doing their God-ordained job? As we discussed, sadly this is often the case, not only in the church, but in many marriages. When husbands fail to live up to their biblically-mandated role as head of household, their wives take up the slack and try to do the job. Likewise within the church: when men fail to do what Christ has ordained them to do, the women will often step up–not because they are biblically qualified, but because there’s no-one else willing. If Scripture says they should not be serving in this capacity, then it is an act of disobedience, and the failure of the men doesn’t let them off the hook for this. However, men bear as much of the blame for letting the situation arise.

In a healthy church, women shouldn’t feel the need to take office to be recognized, and to be empowered to exercise their God-given gifts and talents within the church. Women certainly do have a valuable perspective on issues the deacons have to deal with, but this doesn’t mean they need to serve as deacons for their voices to be heard. Wise deacons will consult their wives, and get the counsel of all concerned within the church, including the women. Paul certainly recognized the powerful and important ministry women often play in the church, as we see in what he says about Phoebe, and the others he speaks of in this chapter.

Paul says that the church needs to “receive” Phoebe, and I take this in the same way he spoke of the church “welcoming” in 14:1 and 15:7–that is, with open arms, as an equal, a fellow-believer, a co-heir with Christ. To further emphasize this, he says she should be treated as one of their own, “in the Lord.” He indicates that Phoebe needs help, and gives no indication of what the “matter” (Greek, pragma) is with which she needs help. Uses of the word elsewhere would suggest it’s some kind of legal help. If she was a woman of means, then it probably wasn’t financial. Beyond this, we are guessing. The idea that she has financial resources comes from the fact Paul calls her a “benefactor,” even of Paul himself. The most obvious way to understand this is that she gave helped support Paul as a missionary, paying for his travels, or giving him money for food and lodging.

This may be only a sketchy picture of Phoebe, but for someone who isn’t mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament, it’s an important sketch. It shows us in broad terms how much Paul depended on others within the church, even women. And it also shows the important ministry women played within the early church. God’s blessings fall upon those whom he chooses to bless, both male and female. Regardless of gender, if you have been given a way to serve the church, then it is incumbent upon you to find a way to minister, within the bounds of biblical propriety. And in the context of a healthy church, that shouldn’t be a problem.

We’ll begin looking at Paul’s list of greetings (vv. 3-16) next time.