The Women of Romans 16*

72 The Women of Romans 16* t the conclusion of his lengthiest and most theologically expansive named without reference to any male relative. In verse 2, Paul urges Aletter, Paul greeted members of the Christian congregations in the Roman Christians to receive Phoebe with honor and to offer her Rome (Rom. 16:3-16). Paul makes it clear that he had never visited help in a worthy manner.1 It is likely that her trip to Rome was what the Roman house-churches (15:22-30), but, due to close networks had enabled Paul to write the letter and be assured of its safe deliv- of association between the early churches, it is evident that Paul was ery. There is good reason to speculate that Phoebe was charged with closely acquainted with many Roman Christians. After commending carrying the letter to the Roman Christians and to read it aloud (as Phoebe to them (16:1-2), he sent greetings to 28 individuals. Of the was the custom of the time), representing Paul to the gatherings of 28 associates on that list, nine of them are women (seven named believers in Rome; thus, her commendation needed to be inscribed and two identified by relationship). in the letter itself. The Greek term that describes Phoebe’s role in the church in Paul’s Female Ministry Partners Cenchrae requires further discussion. The term from which our English term “deacon” is derived is diakonos. Across Paul’s letters, Paul wrote his letter to the Romans with some pragmatic purpos- the term diakonos appears 21 times. The NIV translates this one es in mind: He planned trips to Jerusalem and Spain, and he hoped term in several different ways, most commonly as “servant” (e.g., the robust Christian congregations in Rome would raise support for Rom. 13:4; 15:8; 1 Cor. 3:5), then “minister” (2 Cor. 3:6; Col. 4:7; him to make these journeys (see 15:23-26, 32). We should assume 1:7; 1 Tim. 4:6), and “deacon” (here; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8, 12). The that Paul was reinforcing relationships, but he was also “name-drop- term is used to convey one who is in service representing a greater ping,” so to speak, by listing the Christian leaders he knew whose authority. It is not a lowly term; when Paul had lowly service in mind, reputation would serve to secure his own. Surprisingly to many of us he utilized the term for “slave” (Greek, doulos), even when speaking today, we find that nearly one-third of these leaders are women! of himself (e.g., Rom. 1:1). In contrast, Paul used diakonos and other In the wider Greco-Roman society, where men were the authori- words from the diakon-root to indicate Christian ministry proper, ties, power brokers, and persons of perceived historical importance, not a lesser form of service. Thus, when Paul commended Phoebe there was little need to name women at all. In a personal letter, to the saints in Rome, this term indicates that her authority was as a referencing female family members might have been polite, but Christian minister--nothing less. even that would not have been expected. For example, we know that The very next person mentioned, and the first Roman Christian Jesus had brothers and sisters, but the Gospels--which are much to whom greetings were given, is Prisca, or Priscilla (16:3). Paul lengthier than Paul’s letters and thus provide even more space for greets his “co-workers,” Priscilla and Aquila. This wife and husband such information--have only passed on to us the names of Jesus’ duo were tentmakers by trade (like Paul) and Jewish Christians; brothers [e.g., Mark 6:3].) Paul’s naming of women in a collective Paul first met them after they were forced to leave Rome under letter written to circulate around several congregations in the pre- Emperor Claudius’s command (see Acts 18:2-3). They had partnered cincts of Rome exposes an astonishing counter-witness to prevailing in ministry with Paul in Corinth and Ephesus (vv. 18-19), taking a cultural practices. It demonstrates that many early Christian women crucial role in the theological education of Apollos in Ephesus (vv. held positions of influence and recognition among Roman believers, 24-28). Paul mentions the pair three times in his letters, making as well as having gained Paul’s respect. clear that their ministry partnership continued even from a distance (here, 1 Cor. 16:19; 2 Tim. 4:19). In fact, Paul’s praise for Priscilla The Women and Aquila highlights not only his personal indebtedness, but also, The first person named in Romans 16 is a woman, and it must in a sweeping statement, the gratitude of “all the churches of the be noted that she is not one of the nine Roman women who are Gentiles” (Rom. 16:4). named later. Phoebe was “a deacon of the church in Cenchreae” (v. Of the six times Priscilla and Aquila are named in the New 1). Cenchreae or Cenchrea [SEN-kree-uh] was the port city east of Testament, two things are noteworthy: (1) This husband and wife in Corinth on the isthmus linking the southern Greek Peloponnesus to this ministry partnership are always listed together; and (2) most of the mainland. Phoebe’s journey to Rome was a significant one, and the time, Priscilla’s name is listed prior to her husband’s (four of six Paul commends her. The Greek term behind the English word “com- times). Both of these factors indicate Priscilla’s prominence in the mend” has the literal sense of “standing with”; that is, Paul united early Christian movement. Ancient convention gave priority (or even his reputation with hers. She was likely a wealthy woman, based on exclusive place) to the male in a married couple--even more so than her ability to travel (from Cenchreae to Rome) and the fact that she is is common today, when “Mr. and Mrs.” remains standard. In light 73 of that ancient custom, it is likely that Priscilla was the better-known used of Mary in verse 6. Paul also greets Persis and calls her “be- minister in the couple. loved.” Her description is much like Tryphaena’s and Tryphosa’s, but The next woman in this list, in verse 6, is Mary; Paul notes her amplified: Persis worked “very” hard in the Lord. Her name indicates hard work among the Romans. The verb for her labor is kopiaō, the Persian lineage, perhaps; it is likely, then, that her presence in Rome term Paul used often of himself in his struggle for the gospel (see 1 was due to enslavement. Cor. 4:12; 15:10; Gal. 4:11; Phil. 2:6; Col. 1:29). So, the work Mary Even less information is available about the final three women undertook was that of Christian ministry, and it warranted the same mentioned in Paul’s greetings. Rufus’s mother, whose name we do term for intense and costly labor as Paul used of his own ministry. not know, Paul termed his own mother as well (v. 13). These We know no further specifics of Mary’s identity, but can say, based familial terms show high levels of mutual affection. In verse 15, on her name, that she was a Jewish-Christian woman. As the Gospel Julia and Nereus’s [NEE-ree-yoos’ehs] sister also receive greetings. accounts illustrate (and other historical records support) in Judea Alongside them, Paul greeted “all the Lord’s people [lit., saints] who and Galilee at the time, Mary was the most common female name are with them.” This is not the only time that collective greetings (as a form of “Miriam”). accompanied Paul’s individualized ones; the church in Priscilla and Junia receives Paul’s next greeting, along with her husband, Aquila’s house (v. 5), the family of Aristobulus [air-is-TOB-yuh-luhs] Andronicus (Rom. 16:7). Scholars have written much about Junia (v. 10), Narcissus’s family (v. 11), the “other brothers and sisters in the last decade. For years, Junia’s name was considered to be a with” Asyncritus [uh-SIN-krih-tuhs] as well as the others listed in man’s name; in many older translations of the Bible, it was translit- verse 14 along with him. Many other women would have been erated as “Junias.” Further study has nearly unanimously concluded, represented in each of these collective groups--unnamed but no less however, that reading it as a man’s name is highly improbable.2 This embedded into collections of Christian believers. fact would have been unremarkable, except for the information Paul Much has been made of two statements by Paul that seem, to provides about her. Most crucially, Paul called Andronicus and Junia some readers, to restrict women’s leadership among early Christians “outstanding among the apostles.” This is the only known instance (see 1 Cor. 14:34-35; 1 Tim. 2:12). There is not room here to delin- of a woman being named as an apostle (the foremost title held in eate the very complicated features of each of those statements within the earliest generation of Christians; see Acts 1:20-22). Furthermore, their contexts. Nevertheless, in Romans 16, we see clear evidence of Paul cited their status as “fellow Jews” or “kinfolk”† and sharers in Paul upholding actual women in ministry--hard work, partnership, imprisonment. Paul acknowledged further that Andronicus and Junia motherhood, and even, in one instance, apostleship! To put it even preceded him in coming to Christ.

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