Romans 16:1-2 “Phoebe”

At the Tuesday afternoon bible study, Cora Sue commented after the class that she was amazed at how much could be pulled from these two little verses at the start of Romans 16. She said that she had read this part of the bible so many times but had really just skipped over this part with all the names. This is natural. If someone starts talking about people you do not know or have never even heard of, then you tend to lose interest in the conversation. But, if you KNOW the people in the conversation, then your ears prick up! We ALL want to hear about the people we know about! “Are you talking about so-and-so? Wow, tell me more, tell me more!”

So, it is my job this morning to get you up to speed and onboard with Phoebe. I want you all to get to know her. Let us call her “Saint Phoebe” because our bible passage this morning already gives her the official title of “saint.” She is also called “sister,” “deacon,” and “benefactor.” We can add one more title: “apostle.” The title of apostle comes about as we understand that she was sent by Paul to Rome to deliver his letter to them. Because Phoebe is “sent,” and that is what apostle means, we can name her as an apostle as well.

The text begins with Paul commending Phoebe to the church in Rome. What is super interesting about this is that the commendation comes at the end of the letter. Who is reading the letter to the church in Rome? Phoebe! If you look on the cover of the bulletin, you will see Saint Phoebe with a scroll being handed to her. This you will see in all of her iconography. Saint Phoebe is called by Paul to leave Greece, go to Rome with his letter in hand, and to deliver it to them.

In those days, delivering a letter was not like it is today. Today we put a stamp on it and send it off, having faith that the person receiving the letter will be able to read it. Less than ten percent of the population could read back then! To deliver a letter was very much the same as delivering a speech, or delivering a sermon in the church. The understanding then is that Saint Phoebe is sent to Rome to speak these words on Paul’s behalf. As we know, the Book of Romans is the cornerstone of modern Christian theology. Saint Phoebe is the first one to articulate publicly what is today our shared understanding of the faith of Jesus Christ in the systematic theology of Paul.

The idea of “commending” someone at the end of the delivery of Paul’s theology, is to say “I am standing in the same space with you through our sister Phoebe.” This is a more accurate translation of the Greek word συνίστημι. This word literally means to stand in the same space together. This is the way ancient peoples could do Zoom meetings. “Phoebe is standing in my place together with you as she delivers my words” (Paul might say.) At the end of the letter Paul affirms that these are his words spoken through Phoebe.

In that same line, Saint Phoebe is called a “sister.” Now for sure, Paul and Phoebe are not technical siblings. However, throughout the Book of Romans you can see that Saint Paul uses the term “brothers and sisters” to refer to the members of the Roman Church. We are still today considered a family within the church. We are the family of God. Is that not right brothers and sisters? Now, I know in pidgin da kine spoken here everyone is your “bruddah.” But, this is even in the Greek original text that we are responsible to one another as a family would be to one another. We are not just consumers of the same brand of faith in Christ. We have obligations and responsibilities to one another. We are going to take care of one another as families do.

Some of the things in Paul’s letter to Rome might be considered rather strong in language or even a bit harsh. Look at chapter 2, for instance: “You have no excuse for judging one another and in passing judgment on others you are condemning yourself. . . .” Ouch! Burn! “By the way, just do not throw Phoebe under the bus! Treat her like a sister!” That is why this comes at the end! We must also realize that Paul sent Phoebe specifically because she could convey some harsh truths to the brothers and sisters in Rome without Paul making everyone upset and anxious again as he had done over and over again up to this point.

Next Phoebe is recognized by Paul as being a deacon. We can look at the Book of Acts to discover what a “deacon” is. It says in Chapter 6 that the deacons were handpicked because of their exceptional character to serve the tables where the Lord’s Supper was being shared as well as helping by giving goods to the impoverished. The utmost trust was conferred on the early deacons of the church.

What is fascinating to Greek scholars is that we know that Phoebe is a woman. Yet, the term that is used to call her a deacon is specifically a male term in gender. There is an omicron sigma ending for a woman. This is truly unheard of! Paul’s point would seem to be to say that Phoebe is not some subclass of Deacon–that is to say a “deaconess.” No, she is a fully qualified and honored deacon of the church. She would have had a laying on of hands ceremony as is described in the bible. She would have been regarded as a full deacon of the church.

To be sure, the Catholic church ordained women deacons up until the 11th Century AD. That is to say that women were recognized as full deacons for over a thousand years in the Christian Church. Then, right in the heart of the dark ages, the rule became that only men could be ordained to be deacons. That is the way it stands in the Catholic Church today. However, Pope Francis commissioned a study with the recommendation that women be allowed to be deacons again–as it was before. The ‘Study Commission on the Women’s Diaconate’ finished its work in August of 2016. The world is still waiting to read the results as it was never printed but rather locked away in the Vatican Archives. At least Pope Francis tried!

The orthodox church tradition says that Phoebe was in fact the head of the church in Cenchreae. The understanding also in the orthodox tradition is that the church was so blessed by Phoebe’s leadership that Paul never found any cause to chastise or correct the church there. That is why we have no letter to the church at Cenchreae in the Bible.

The actual term “deacon” means “servant.” Some bibles here actually use the term servant right off. So, Phoebe was the very model of what today is known as the “servant leader.” She would give up everything when called by Paul to deliver a letter for him in a foreign country.

The bible says that she was a “benefactor” for Paul as well. Phoebe had a lot of money that was useful to her ministry and the ministry of the broader church. Interestingly, the term here in the Greek is once more in the masculine form. Some Bibles do not use the term “benefactor” but rather “patron.” That is a very definite reference to a male! She is not called matron; she is called patron!

You may recall that Paul was not getting any support from the Church in Corinth, the place where he is writing the letter to the Romans. He is forced to become bi-vocational and takes up tent making in order to have enough money to eat while he does his mission work. So, the big wealthy church in Corinth is not helping him, but the little church in Philippi led by Lydia and the little church in Cenchrea led by Phoebe are helping to sustain his ministry and even come up with offerings to help the church in Jerusalem. See what little churches can do! Little female-led churches following the Spirit of God! Amen! Big wealthy male-run churches failing the call! Shame! That is really what we see happening in the church right after Christ’s resurrection and in the spreading of the Gospel in the First Century.

Phoebe goes to Rome with Paul’s letter and delivers the new theology outloud, going from house church to house church. We then know that Phoebe is eventually martyred. She gives her very life for the faith in Jesus Christ. There are many references to female deacons being martyred in this time. Pliny the Younger in 112 AD, the governor of the Roman Province of Bithynia wrote a letter to Emperor Trajan in Rome in which he describes how he personally tortured and killed Chrsitians, mentioning specifically two female deacons.

This is such an incredible story of Saint Phoebe! It tells us that we need to do as Saint Paul did with Phoebe and commend ministry in the church–that is, stand with the women who make ministry possible. There are saints among us who have received the Holy Spirit and are being called to servant ministry. It does not matter what gender you are! Let us stand in the same place with our sister Phoebe.

Amen