Commendations and Greetings!

Paul, our hero, has come almost to the end of his letter to the Roman church. Now is the time to say farewell, extend greetings and also recommendations for his fellow-workers in Christ. That is what Paul does in chapter 16, which we will consider today.

The first name Paul mentions in his series of commendations and greetings is Phoebe. He actually commends Phoebe to the church of Rome, as a sister from the church in Cenchrea. Phoebe could have been from a pagan background as her name stands for a goddess. Now she is a sister in Christ, of the household of faith. Cenchrea was the port in Corinth, some 6 miles from the city centre.

Paul also calls her a servant of the church; in Greek, servant meant both a helper and a deaconess. She might have been a wealthy person, who helped Paul in his ministry.

Phoebe might have carried the letter of Paul to Rome, as he commends her as a saint worthy of help and hospitality from Romans church. It is an attestation of her character and helpful nature, not only to Paul but to many in the church. That a woman was prominent enough in the church through whom Paul would entrust his letters to Romans, indicate women held positions of esteem in the early church.

The next in Paul’s list of greetings are Priscilla and Aquila, the well-known Jewish-Christian couple in the New Testament. They were expelled from Rome, along with the other Jews, by the Emperor Claudius in 52 AD. Acts 18:2-3. Once the edict expired they went back to Rome and stayed there.

Aquila, the husband was from Pontus, in Asia Minor.  and they were tent-makers like Paul. Every Jew had to learn a trade to earn their livelihood. This couple and Paul made tents, which were bought by the Roman army to house the soldiers on camp.

The couple had gone to Corinth from Italy and invited Paul to live with them. They traveled with Paul to Ephesus, and there they stayed. They helped believers, including Apollos to whom they gave the correct interpretation of God’s way. Acts 18:18-28; 2 Timothy 4:19.

They kept an open heart and an open door. They ran a local church in their house. The couple were first in Rome, then moved to Corinth, then to Ephesus, then again to Rome and then to Ephesus. They led quite a nomadic life. But wherever they stayed, their home became a centre of Christian worship and service. When Paul had trouble in Ephesus, a year or two earlier, they had helped him risking their life and Paul was grateful enough to mention that.

Paul sends his greetings next to Epenetus, whom he calls as his friend and the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Each name Paul mentions has a history behind him or her, which was important in the early church and each one served as a pillar of the local church.

Next, Paul greets Mary, who had worked hard for them all. We do not know much about this Mary, excepting that as a woman in the early church she was important in the service of the Lord.

Andronicus and Junias, Paul’s relatives come next in the list of people who are being greeted. This husband and wife team had come to accept Christ earlier to Paul and had been in the prisons with Paul. They were undoubtedly Hellenistic Jews as they bear Graeco-Latin names. Paul calls them apostles. Though the term Apostle was applied only to the twelve disciples of Jesus, it came to be applied to the other leaders of the church too, including Paul and Barnabas. Acts 14:14.

Paul greets Amphiatus next, addressing him as one whom Paul loved in the Lord. It could have been a slave, for it is a common name, but who arose to high rank in the church.

Next Paul greets Urbanus, a fellow-worker in Christ and friend Stachys. Next comes Apelles, whom Paul considers reliable, as someone tested and found approved of by Christ.

The household of Aristobulus come next in the list of greetings. It is possible that Aristobulus was the grandson of Herod the Great and a close friend of Claudius. He must have had a large number of slaves and servants and all were addressed as the household of Aristobulus, as was the custom those days. Sure, there were many followers of Christ in this household.

Paul sends his greetings to Herodion, his relative.

Next Paul greets the household of Narcissus, who had become the followers of the Lord. He is identified as Tiberius Claudius Narcissus, a close friend of Emperor Claudius, but was put to death by Nero, when he became the Emperor. Narcissus’ whole household, consisting of his family, servants and slaves would have changed hands to the Emperor. Many in his house hold were Christians.

Tryphena and Tryphosa are mentioned next, as women who worked very hard in the Lord. These two could have been sisters. Persis is mentioned as another woman who worked hard in the Lord. So many women’s names Paul mentions and, yet we doubt that Paul was anti-women in the Bible!

Rufus and his mother are named next. Mark 15:21 mentions that Simon, the man from Cyrene, who was forced by the soldiers to carry Jesus’ cross was the father of Alexander and Rufus. It is possible that this Rufus is the son of this Simon, the Cyrene and had settled in Rome and was living with his mother. It is also possible that Simon accepted Christ at the foot of the cross. Mark had the Roman church in mind when he wrote the Gospel of Mark. Rufus’ mother was kind to Paul, so he fondly recalls that she was like his own mother.

Paul next greets Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them. Another list comes immediately thereafter, Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, Olympas and all the saints with them.

History tells us that in AD 95, two important people were condemned for being Christians, Flavius Clemens, the Consul of Rome and his wife Domatilla of royal blood, the niece of Domitian, the reigning Emperor. Flavius was executed and Domatilla was banished to the island of Pontia. Nereus was the slave of Flavius and Domatilla.

Paul ends his long list of greetings with a request that they must greet one another with a holy kiss. Similarly, he advises all brothers to greet one another with a holy kiss in 1 Thessalonians 5:26. I suppose we still practice this tradition in our churches today.

He further mentions that all churches of Christ are sending greeting to the people in Roman church through him. These could be the churches which Paul helped to plant, like in the provinces of Galatia, Asia, Macedonia and Achaia.

With this we have come almost to the very end of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Just one more is left. We will see that in the next blog! Till then, God keep you all in His love and mercy.