Romans 16

SUMMARY.--The Bearer of the Letter Commended. The Church Asked to Give Her Aid in the Work that Calls Her to Rome. Greetings for Old Friends and Fellow-Laborers. A Household Church. Warned Against Divisions. Farewell Benediction.

      1, 2. I commend unto you Phoebe. Evidently the bearer of the letter, a sister in Christ. In this list of persons greeted, a number are women, and the greetings show how highly Paul esteemed woman's work in the church. A servant. The word is deacon in the Greek. The word also means "servant," as rendered, but we know that there were deaconesses in the church of the first century, and Paul, in giving her a recommendation, no doubt mentions her office. To say that she was a servant of the church, would convey no special distinction. In the East, where women were so much secluded, deaconesses would be a necessity. Paul evidently refers to them. 1 Timothy 5:9 1 Timothy 5:10 , evidently refers to them; Ignatius, a companion of the apostles, mentions them in one of his epistles, and Pliny does also, in his famous letter to Trajan, early in the second century. Which is at Cenchreæ. Paul wrote this letter at Corinth; Cenchreæ was its seaport, on the Ægean Sea, about nine miles from the city. A small town with the old name still marks its site. 2. That ye receive her in the Lord. Give her a Christian welcome. And that ye assist her. The term used in the Greek is a legal one; hence it is supposed that some kind of legal business called her to Rome. She hath been a succorer of many. This would result from her office as a deaconess. Among those ministered to was the apostle himself.

      3-5. Greet Priscilla and Aquila. These active fellow-workers had first aided Paul at Corinth ( Acts 18:2 ); then they went to Ephesus, and prepared the way for his work there ( Acts 18:26 ); they had now returned to Rome, their former home. Some have argued that this greeting could not have been sent to Rome, from the fact that Paul had left them at Ephesus. It was the natural thing for them to go back home, when they could safely do so, and Godet says that from two or three years had passed since Paul left them at Ephesus, which gives ample time for a change of residence. The fact that the name of the wife comes first here, and in Acts 18:2 , seems to imply that she was the more efficient. They are also named in 1 Corinthians 16:19 1 Corinthians 16:2 and in 2 Tim. 4:19 . 4. Who have for my life laid down, etc. It is evident that at some time they had endured great peril for Paul's sake. We know from 2 Cor. 11:23-27 , that only a small part of his perils have been recorded. Also all the churches of the Gentiles. Are under a debt of gratitude to Priscilla and Aquila. 5. Likewise greet the church that is in their house. As the early Christians had no houses of worship, they met in the homes of prominent brethren. In the large cities there would be several such groups. One of these in Rome met in the house of Priscilla and Aquila. Salute Epænetus. He is not mentioned elsewhere. The first fruits of Achaia. "Asia," as in the Revision, is the true reading. The family of Stephanas were the first converts of Achaia ( 1 Cor. 16:15 ).