When I come to passages in the Bible with long lists of names or genealogies, I usually skip over them. I think we can all agree that these sections of the Bible can be pretty boring. Yet, they are in the Bible for a reason. One of the reasons I think we have the long list of greetings in Romans is for us to see the vital role that many women played in the early church. Twenty-nine people are mentioned in Romans 16:1-16; ten of these are women. This is over one-third women! More than the proportion of women in the Canadian House of Commons[1]. It is remarkable that so many women deserved special mention in this letter. The first woman mentioned, Phoebe, deserves special attention. As a deacon of the church at Cenchrea, she was commended by Paul so that the church in Rome would welcome her and assist her in her endeavors.
“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.”
(Rm 16:1-2, ESV)
Her commendation
In this last chapter of the letter to the Romans, Paul greets many people. We can understand by this that these people were in Rome when he wrote this letter. What Paul says about Phoebe, then, stands in contrast to what he says about all the others mentioned in the letter. Paul commends Phoebe, and he asks the church of Rome to welcome her. We can deduce by this that Paul sent Phoebe to deliver the letter[2][3].
It is unlikely that Phoebe traveled alone; a woman traveling alone would be subject to abuse along the way. Most likely, at least one man would have accompanied her, yet Paul did not commend a man to the church in Rome; he commended a woman. If there had been someone more commendable than Phoebe going along with her, we can assume Paul would have mentioned that said person.
We should compare this commendation to that of Timothy in 1 Co 16:10-11 and other likely letter carriers (Tychicus in Ep 6:21-21 and Onesimus Phil 12). We know Timothy had a significant ministry; we can assume that Phoebe also did, as Paul’s commendation suggests.
Paul wants the church in Rome to welcome Phoebe, indicating that she was with Paul around the time he wrote the letter, delivered the letter, and most likely read the letter to the churches that were in Rome when she arrived there[4]. She would have asked Paul questions to understand the letter well to answer the questions the recipients in Rome would inevitably have had. She probably rehearsed the letter with Paul to get the right tone, inflection, and gestures to communicate Paul’s intentions properly. She would have eventually returned to Corinth to report all that had happened to Paul[5].
Would you be up to the task of explaining the Roman letter? At this point in my life, I most certainly would not. Phoebe was able to teach her brothers and sisters in Rome what this letter meant, as Paul’s commendation indicates. Many say this is the greatest letter ever written. What an honor that this woman was tasked with delivering it to the church in Rome.
Her title
Phoebe is called a diakonos/deacon of the church in Cenchrea. This word can mean minister or servant. We must understand that deacons in the first century were not precisely like current deacons in the catholic or protestant churches. The Catholic office of deacon only appeared in the 4th century AD[6]. Our modern understandings can undermine the significance of deacons in the first century.
Paul uses the term diakonos extensively to describe a person working for the Lord. Indeed, he uses this term to describe himself and other prominent early church leaders (1 Co 3:5; 2 Co 3:6; 2 Co 6:4; Ep 3:7; Ep 6:21; Col 1:7; Col 1:23.25). Therefore, when this word applies to someone with a church ministry, it is rightfully translated as “minister.”
We must understand that for Jesus and Paul, a leader is one who serves; as we can note from their use of the term diakonos to describe leaders or ministers in the church (Mt 23:11; Mk 9:35; Mk 10:43-45; Lk 22:26-27; 1 Co 3:5; 2 Co 6:4). Even if these people are to be seen as model servants of the church, their mention in the Bible denotes their leadership and prominence amongst the early Christians.
Additionally, Phoebe was a diakonos (minister) of a specific church, the church in Cenchrea. It is most natural to understand that she ministered to this church, to both men and women, most likely proclaiming the word of God and caring for these people. Being a deacon (minister) is indeed associated with communicating the gospel (Acts 6:4; 20:24; 1 Co 3:5; Col 1:24-29; 2 Tim 4:5)[7].
Unfortunately, translation history reveals a bias against this woman simply because she was a woman. In the KJV, every time Paul used the word diakonos to describe a specific person, it was translated as minister except for one instance, this passage in Romains 16:1 about Phoebe[8]. In this one location, they decided to diverge from their preferred translation and described her as a servant. I must stress that there is no biblical warrant to treat Phoebe as a different type of deacon than the men. This translation decision in the KJV demonstrates a clear bias against women. Other English translations have done the same (ASV, CEB, ESV).
In sum, when we look at who were named as deacons in the early church, we are left with the sense that these were leaders burdened with the need to preach God’s Word. These people are mentioned in the Bible for their work in the Lord and for the Lord. Phoebe is no exception.
Her patronage
Paul tells us of Phoebe that she was a patron of many, including himself. This is the only new testament use of the noun prostatis. This word’s primary meaning is “one who stands before,” but it is used to denote leadership, protection, guardianship, or patronage[9].
The noun “prostatis” is related to the verb proistēmi in usage. This verb is used nine times in the Bible and means to manage, lead, or rule[10]. For example, in 1 Tim 5:17, we see that elders are to lead well[11]. Some argue that Phoebe was a patron, providing assistance to many Christians, including Paul[12].
A Roman patron was usually a wealthy high-class individual offering financial support, land, protection, or advocacy to freedmen or lower working-class people in exchange for political support, loyalty, assistance, and honor[13][14][15]. Patronage was a system based on an honor/shame culture, in which gifts given required acts of gratitude from the recipient who was, in a sense, indebted[16]. A patron’s clients could not usually return in kind the charity received. Instead, they would publicly praise their patron for their generosity and were expected to politically and socially support their patron[17].
Paul told the church in Rome to assist Phoebe in anything she may need from them. Paul seems to imply that because of Phoebe’s generosity towards her many brothers and sisters in Christ, the Romans should likewise assist Phoebe in her needs and endeavors during her stay in Rome. She would have likely needed hospitality, and perhaps she would have needed to hire a scribe to copy the letter so that every church in Rome could conserve a copy. The logical implication of this is that the Roman church should accept her as a leader. They were to listen to her and do as she instructed them related to any need she had.
Conclusion
Paul’s commendation of Phoebe gives us a concrete example of Paul’s view on women in ministry. Paul upheld women’s leadership in the church as he upheld Phoebe’s ministry in her church as a deacon. He viewed women as capable of understanding and explaining God’s word before a gathering of believers as he appointed Phoebe to deliver and likely read the letter before the brothers and sisters in Rome. Paul names Phoebe as a patron of many, not shying to honor this woman’s leadership and generosity. Paul’s commendation of Phoebe is a testament to his great regard for women in ministry.
Footnotes
[1] LOPRESPUB. “Women in the Parliament of Canada.” HillNotes from Library of Parliament. January 23, 2020. https://hillnotes.ca/2020/01/23/women-in-the-parliament-of-canada/
[2] Branch, Robin Gallaher. “Female leadership as demonstrated by Phoebe: An interpretation of Paul’s words introducing Phoebe to the saints in Rome.” In die Skriflig 53(2), a2443. 22 Nov. 2019.
[3] Many argue this same point. Moo, Douglas. Romans. Zondervan. Aug 19, 2009. ISBN: 9780310559214. p.796 Scribd Edition
[4] Miller, J. David. “What Can We Say about Phoebe?” Priscilla Papers. Vol. 25, No. 2. Spring 2011. P.16-21
[5] Miller, J. David. “What Can We Say about Phoebe?” Priscilla Papers. Vol. 25, No. 2. Spring 2011. P.16-21
[6] Branch, Robin Gallaher. “Female leadership as demonstrated by Phoebe: An interpretation of Paul’s words introducing Phoebe to the saints in Rome.” In die Skriflig 53(2), a2443. 22 Nov. 2019. https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v53i2.2443
[7] Hutson, Christopher Roy. “Laborers in the Lord: Romans 16 and the Women in Pauline Churches.” Leaven, Vol. 4 [2012], Iss. 2, Art. 9
[8] See a list of passages with the word diakonos in them as translated by the KJV here https://stepbible.org/?q=version=KJVA|strong=G1249
[9] See LSG definition of prostates https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=prosta%2Fths&la=greek&can=prosta%2Fths0&prior=prosta/tis#lexicon
[10] See list here https://stepbible.org/?q=strong=G4291|version=ESV&options=VHNUG&qFilter=G4291
[11] See text at https://stepbible.org/?q=reference=1Tim.5.17&options=VHNUG
[12] Many argue this same point. Moo, Douglas. Romans. Zondervan. Aug 19, 2009. ISBN: 9780310559214. p.796 Scribd Edition
[13] “Roman society also involved a system of patronage. Members of the upper classes – the patroni – offered protection to freedmen or plebeians, who became their “cliens.” Patronage might consist of money, food, or legal help. Traditionally, any freed slaves became the cliens of their former owner. In return, patroni received respect and political favors. During the empire, cliens were required to offer daily greetings to their patroni, and the number of these greeters helped determine social status. On the frontiers of the empire, Roman generals served as patroni for the people they conquered, while Roman provinces or cities often sought out an influential senator to act as patroni and oversee their interests in Rome.” See PBS. The Roman Empire in the First Century: Social Order. https://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/order.html
[14] https://sites.psu.edu/romanpatronagegroupdcams101/societal-patronage/
[15] https://sites.psu.edu/romanpatronagegroupdcams101/what-is-patronage/
[16] deSilva, David A. “Honor, Patronage, kinship & purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture”, IVP ACademic
[17] See also Osiek, Carolyn. “Diakonos and prostatis: Women’s patronage in Early Christianity.” HTS 61(1&2) 2005, p.347-370
Image credit
Larry Kamphausen, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Very well presented
Thank you!