Phoebe

*This is not an image of Phoebe, but a 6th century Ravenna mosaic of the Empress Theodora and her entourage. The Empress offers the communion cup. I would highly encourage you to click this link to learn more about her.

Image source: Shala Graham, Visual Museum of Women in Christianity

Phoebe

Paul chose Phoebe, a woman, to carry, deliver, and explain his letter to the Roman church. In Romans 16, Paul begins by recommending her to the Romans with two verses: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, so that you may welcome her in the Lord, as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well” (Romans 16:1-2).[1]

We will take each of Paul’s descriptors for Phoebe and consider them, beginning with her name.

What’s in a Name?

Phoebe, meaning “shining,” shared her name with a Greek Titan, so it’s improbable she was Jewish. Though her name was not common at the time, records exist of female slaves named Phoebe, so it’s possible she was a freedwoman (an emancipated former slave).[2] If indeed she was formerly a slave, by the time Paul writes Romans she is an autonomous woman capable of traveling on her own. Paul does not associate her with any male relatives, so Phoebe might have been a widow.

“Our Sister”

 Paul commends “our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church…”, which signals the status of the woman delivering the letter. In designating Phoebe as “our sister,” Paul communicates to the Romans that she is a Christ follower,[3] a member of their family. Joan Campbell notes that Romans 16 follows the format for a classic letter of introduction where Paul indicates his approval of Phoebe, inviting his audience to accept her as well.[4] He asks that they welcome her as a saint, a member of their Christ-following community, and he requests that the Roman church help her. While Paul does not specifically mention why Phoebe needs their help, he did expect her to communicate her needs to the church. Some scholars suggest that Paul sent Phoebe ahead of him to prepare for the Spanish mission which he mentions in Romans 15.[5]

“A Deacon”

Paul also specifies that Phoebe is a deacon of her church, sparking much debate over what Paul meant by diakonos (the Greek word Paul uses). In other instances, Paul uses this term in reference to:

• government authority (Romans 13:4)

• Christ (Romans 15:8, Galatians 2:17)

• Himself (seven times)[6]

• Paul’s fellow co-workers or ambassadors (2 Corinthians 6:4), including Timothy (Philippians 1:1, 1 Thessalonians 3:2), Apollos (1 Corinthians 3:5), Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21, Colossians 4:7), Epaphras (Colossians 1:7), and Phoebe (Romans 16:1).

Often, in these contexts, translators render diakonos as “minister” or “servant.” As we can see, Paul most often uses the word to refer to himself, usually in the context of his calling as a preacher or minister of the gospel, or in reference to other known teachers and leaders of the church such as Timothy and Apollos. We can safely say that Phoebe is in good company among her fellow ministers.

In 1 Timothy 3 and Philippians 1:1, Paul appears to use diakonos as an official position in a church setting, though he provides few clues as to the tasks given to deacons in the first century. Deacons certainly held positions of leadership in the church, working alongside overseers. However, deacons in the first century did not perform the same duties as modern deacons. Dating back to the third century, female deacons worked in the Orthodox church; bishops ordained them alongside men.[7] Female deacons in the third century mostly served women, especially through baptism, teaching doctrine, keeping church order, administering communion to the sick, being hospitable, distributing alms, and, in some cases, forming monastic communities to serve the poor.[8] Church fathers Origin and John Chrysostom assumed Phoebe was a deacon, with Chrysostom remarking that she’s a woman of rank in her church.[9] Regardless of the exact tasks Phoebe performed, she’s clearly a woman in leadership at her church,[10] perhaps even an ambassador to other churches, working hard alongside Paul to spread the gospel for Christ.

“Of the Church at Cenchreae”

Since Phoebe’s church at Cenchreae existed a mere 9km from Corinth, Phoebe almost certainly knew Paul personally.[11] Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church were undoubtedly circulated in Cenchreae as well. In fact, Paul addresses 2 Corinthians to “the church of God that is in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia” (2 Corinthians 1:1). Given that the region of Achaia includes Cenchreae, Phoebe would have been familiar with the letter.[12] Since Paul spends considerable time in Corinth, visits Cenchreae (Acts 18:18), and speaks with familiarity of Phoebe, the pair clearly knew and worked alongside one another in ministry.

“A Benefactor of Many and of Myself as Well”

Paul also refers to Phoebe as a “benefactor of many and of myself as well,” indicating Phoebe’s prestige and probable wealth. In the Roman Empire, patron-client relationships were common. In this arrangement, patrons provided resources to their clients, and clients provided honor to their patrons. The term Paul uses for Phoebe, prostatis (translated “benefactor” in the NRSVUE), means “patron.” However, it’s unlikely that Paul and Phoebe were in a classic patron-client relationship given the redefined relationships Paul frequently encourages in his churches. Rather, Phoebe probably provided for the needs of Paul and her church using her wealth.

Letter Carrier

Finally, as letter carrier, Phoebe played a pivotal role in the interpretation of Romans. In his study of letter delivery in the first century, Peter Head concludes that letter carriers often helped communicate the message of the letter.[13] Sometimes the letter carrier acted as a representative on behalf of the sender. So, Phoebe was probably, as Beverly Gaventa points out, the first interpreter of Paul’s letter to the Romans; Paul probably discussed its contents with her to make sure she could effectively communicate his meaning.[14] Given that Romans is an infamously complicated letter, this clearly demonstrates Paul’s trust in Phoebe.

Concluding Thoughts

With just two verses, we learn that Paul commends a woman, Phoebe, as a leader of her church. Paul trusts her to represent him well to the Roman church, most of whom he has not met. Romans was an important letter for Paul, one he would not entrust to anyone he did not know well and think capable. Paul calls Phoebe a patron of himself and many others. He likely taught her about his letter that she might authoritatively teach it to the Roman church. From this, we can deduce that Paul believed women could be church leaders and teachers. It is doubtful he expected Phoebe to deliver the letter in silence or only teach its contents to the women.

References

[1] Unless otherwise noted, all Bible references are from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition.

[2] Paula M. Gooder, Phoebe: A Story (Downers Grove: IL: IVP Academic, 2018), 230.

[3] Beverly Roberts Gaventa, When in Romans (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2016), 9.

[4] Joan Cecelia Campbell, Phoebe: Patron and Emissary (Collegeville, MN: Order of Saint Benedict, 2009), 19.

[5] Gooder, Phoebe, 267.

[6] 1 Corinthians 3:5, 2 Corinthians 6:4, 2 Corinthians 11:23, Ephesians 3:7, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:23, Colossians 1:25.

[7] Campbell, Phoebe, 49.

[8] Campbell, Phoebe, 50.

[9] Campbell, Phoebe, 60-64.

[10] Gaventa, Romans, 10.

[11] Campbell, Phoebe, 36-46.

[12] Campbell, Phoebe, 45-46.

[13] Peter M. Head, “Named Letter-Carriers among the Oxyrhynchus Papyri,” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 31.3 (2009): 279-299, accessed December 12, 2022. http://JSNT.sagepub.com.

[14] Gaventa, Romans, 14.