Redemptive Peace Households

From my Everyday Bible Study on Romans, with questions by Becky Castle Miller.

Romans 16:1-16

16:1   I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 2 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.

3                 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus.
4                 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
5                 Greet also the church that meets at their house.
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
6                 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
7                 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
8                 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9                 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
10               Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
11               Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.
Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
12               Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
13               Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
14               Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.
15               Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.
16      Greet one another with a holy kiss.  All the churches of Christ send greetings.

         In no other letter Paul wrote does he mention so many names. Romans 16 stands taller than others in introducing to its readers and hearers the people involved. Because we know where at least some of the Jewish synagogues were, and because we know the Christians in this last chapter were on the lower end of the social scale, we also have more than a good idea where these Christians were living. Running north to south through Rome is the Tiber River. Rome’s power heart was the Forum, and west of the Forum is an area beyond the Tiber called (today) Trastevere (trast-EH-ver-eh). In the Trastevere many of Rome’s poor, including Christians, lived in difficult conditions with constant foul odors. Also snaking through Rome is the Appian Way, and along this road – southeast of the Forum – was another location for Christians. It is likely, too, that some Christians lived in the Aventine (south of the Forum) and off Mars Field (northwest from the Forum) on the Via Lata/Flamina.        

The benefactor

         Always pay attention to who is mentioned first in a list of names. Coming first in Romans 16 is a gentile believer named Phoebe, from the port area near Corinth called Cenchreae. She’s a “deacon,” and it is inaccurate and diminishing to translate it “deaconess,” a term that often refers to women who clean up church kitchens after communion. She’s a deacon because she is a leading servant in the church. We need to connect her to Acts 6’s original choice of deacons and to the list of character traits of deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8-10, as well as to Philippians 1:1. Phoebe is a leader in her church, which may well meet in her home as she is wealthy enough to be a “benefactor” for Paul and his mission (16:1-2).

This spot in a letter, again at the top of the list of names, is reserved for the courier of a letter. Paul gave Phoebe the letter to deliver to the house churches in Rome. She also probably read the letter aloud to each of the house churches in Rome. Ever read Romans aloud? In front of people? In front of people who could ask questions? Even questions about Romans 7 and 9-11?! Phoebe would have been prepped by Paul on how to read each line, which words to emphasize, and when to slow down and when to speed up as well as which gestures to use. Plus, what to say when they ask about this or that. She’s highly respected, and Paul instructs the Romans to “receive her in the Lord” that is not only welcoming but “worthy of his people.” Also, they are to provide what she needs in her stay there and return trip.

         Just to make this letter real, imagine, as you are reading it, listening to a woman’s voice. Imagine when she would pause and what words she would emphasize and soften on. You have to do this aloud, so go somewhere alone and just try it. It opens a door on this most important letter in earliest Christianity.

The house churches

         In Romans 16’s list of names, five different households are named: (1) Prisca (NIV has Priscilla) and Aquila (16:3-5), (2) Aristobulus (16:10), (3) Narcissus (16:11), (4) Asyncritus and others (16:14), and (5) Philologus, Julia, and others (16:15). There may be other house churches, but the way each of these is mentioned suggests a separate residence. We don’t know if the other names mentioned dwell in one of these households nor if they have their own house churches, but five house churches is a safe conclusion.

It is not uncommon at this point in a discussion to estimate the number of believers living in Rome, perhaps something like 100-200. The size of a church does not its character determine. Ambition breaks through in small house churches and in massive megachurches. Small churches also don’t guarantee unity. One can guess that the Powerful gathered in some of these houses and the Powerless in the others. No doubt, there would have been differences in the size and accoutrements of each house. In which case, Paul instructs the Powerful to write up some invitations to the Powerless to come to dinner.

The demographics

         Now some fun. The names mentioned combine those whom Paul knows and those who are leaders, though distinguishing one from the other is not possible from what Paul tells us here. Every name that can be found in ancient Rome has been examined – on inscriptions, and monuments, and letters. Here are some basics from what we find in this list of names:

Jewish names: Mary, Andronicus, Junia, Aquila, probably Prisca/Priscilla, Herodion, Rufus and his mom (cf. Mark 15:21).

Latin names: Ampliatus, Julia, Urbanus.

The Jewish names could be converts from the synagogues and the Latin names for gentile believers from Rome itself. It is quite possible that, on the basis of name alone, both Aristobulus and Narcissus were slaves, and others think Ampliatus, Asyncritus, Julia, Nereus, and his sister were also slaves.

         Noticeably, women are prominent in Paul’s listing. Here are those with female names: Prisca, Mary, Junia, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus’ mom, Julia, Nereus’ sister, as well as the sisters in Asyncritus’ household. It is a fact in the church, not to ignore human history itself, that women are ignored and even silenced. Two recent historians have sorted through and catalogued the stories of hundreds of (almost) silenced female Bible interpreters (Schroeder and Taylor, Voices Long Silenced). Most readers of Romans 16 don’t even recognize some (or most) of these names as women. Translations would do well to call attention to their names somehow (as I have done in my forthcoming translation of the New Testament called The Second Testament). Why not underline the names of women in your Bible.

         Prisca and her husband … notice the order …  a woman named first probably indicates that she’s got higher status in society or in the church or probably both. They are Paul’s mission-sent friends (cf. Acts 18:1-3, 24-26). Junia was later changed from a woman’s name to a man’s name, Junias, and this non-existent Junias became the name in most Bible. One can only hope the reason was not because she was a woman with influence and leadership. But that’s hope against hope because her name was changed to a man’s name because many were uncomfortable because the term “apostle” was connected to her (McKnight, Blue Parakeet, 289-305). An early father said she was an “outstanding” apostle and not simply a woman held in high regard by apostles (16:7).

         Paul’s descriptions of what these women were doing in Rome include deacon-ing and providing (16:1-2); one was a co-worker who risked her life for Paul (16:3), another worked hard for the believers in Rome (16:6), another was imprisoned and an apostle (16:7), some others were hard workers (16:12), and one had mothered Paul (16:13). The women in the Pauline mission that extended to Rome were industrious gospel agents. We must envision these named women as leaders in the house churches.

         If you’re looking for diversity, this list can guide you to some churches in the City of Rome marked by that diversity. No wonder ambition was set loose, and tensions were at work between the groups. It’s one thing for Paul to say we are one in Christ (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). It’s entirely another matter to achieve unity. Paul wrote this letter to offer a vision of peace in the churches setting up shop in the empire’s major city, Rome.

Peace begins at an inclusive table. We turn back now to the beginning of this letter with this messy situation among Roman believers in mind. Remember this: when these Romans heard Phoebe read the letter, they were listening in house churches that very well may have been in serious tension with one another.

Questions for Reflection and Application

1. What can historical and cultural context teach us about Phoebe?

2. What surprises you most about the demographic and background information for the Roman house churches?

3. What is notable about the inclusion of so many women in the list of names?

4. Try reading a portion of Romans aloud and imagine how Phoebe might have done it. What insights do you gain from this experience?

5. After having looked at Romans 14-16, what is your understanding of the situation Paul is responding to in the rest of his letter?

Scot McKnight, The Blue Parakeet (2d ed.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018).

Joy A. Schroeder, Marion Ann Taylor, Voices Long Silenced (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2022).