The Roman church should heartily welcome this generous, committed, and sacrificial woman into their community. What’s the significance of Paul commending Phoebe to the Romans by noting her status as a benefactor? Perhaps it testified to her character. Edwin Judge has remarked, ‘Christianity was a movement sponsored by local patrons to their social dependents’.” Theologian Marg Mowczko writes, “As well as being an important part of Roman society at all levels, patronage was also important in the church. As a benefactor, Phoebe was a woman of some means who was generous with her support of others, Paul in particular.
Second, Paul refers to Phoebe as a “benefactor.” In the Greco-Roman world, benefactors, or patrons, funded various social enterprises. Perhaps knowing her leadership credentials would make the Romans listen more closely as she unrolled the scroll to begin her reading of the letter.
Phoebe the deacon is a leader, and Paul wants the Romans to know it. In other words, when Paul commends Phoebe to the Romans, he chooses to illuminate her specific leadership role within the Christian community in Cenchreae. He writes, “Phoebe’s description as diakonos includes the qualifying phrase ‘of the congregation in Cenchreae.’ This localization of Phoebe’s position strongly suggests Paul had in mind a specific status rather than general comportment.” David Miller argues that Paul’s usage of diakonos in Romans 12 carries with it the notion of leadership. First, Paul calls her a “deacon.” The Greek word for “deacon” is diakonos, and it is elsewhere translated as “servant” or “minister.” In his essay “What Can We Say About Phoebe?,” J. As one scholar has noted, “Phoebe carried under the folds of her robe the whole future of Christian theology.” Digging Deeper: Phoebe as a Deacon and Benefactorīeyond this introduction, these two verses offer some key details regarding Phoebe’s life and vocation. Indeed, a number of theologians believe that not only was Phoebe the letter-carrier, she also likely explained the letter to its first hearers. Why would Paul feel the need to commend Phoebe to the Romans? One possible answer is that Phoebe carried the letter to Rome on Paul’s behalf.
Third, the passage starts with Paul “commending” Phoebe to the Roman Christians, the letter’s original recipients. From Paul’s words in Romans 16, we know that there was a Christian church in Cenchreae, and that Phoebe had some sort of significant role in the life of the church at Cenchreae. Next, the text tells us that Phoebe’s home base is Cenchreae, a coastal town about five miles southeast of the city of Corinth. Sometimes Paul gets labeled as being “anti-women,” but Phoebe and her sisters would surely testify otherwise. What do we know about the biblical figure of Phoebe, both from this short text and from the larger New Testament context?įirst, Phoebe was part of a larger cohort of women who partnered closely with the Apostle Paul, women such as Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11), Nympha (Colossians 4:15), Apphia (Philemon 2), Euodia and Syntyche (Philippians 4:2-3), and Junia (Romans 16:7). I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.” Who Was Phoebe in the Bible? “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. We find Phoebe’s story recounted in just two Bible verses: Romans 16:1-2 (NIV): In particular, ask God to inspire you through Phoebe’s example of leadership and generosity. As you start the study, invite the Lord to meet you, to open your heart to get to know a new Bible hero.
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