Romans 16:1-2 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a minister of the church at Cenchreae,2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.
Paul now begins a long list of greetings. Some interpreters question the authenticity of this part of the letter, but there is no valid reason to say that it is not part of the original letter. There are several things impressive about this list. One are all the names of people Paul knew in Rome. Over the years of his ministry, he had made many connections and had many colleagues in ministry. A second is related to this. It is noteworthy that some many believers had migrated to Rome, the capital of the Empire. I am not sure why, but perhaps they had a vision of going West like Paul or had the desire to evangelize at the center of activities. Perhaps there were economic reasons as well. Whatever the case, there already were many people Paul knew in Rome, so he sends them greetings. We also learn interesting things about many of these early believers.
The first on the list is Phoebe, a lady from Cenchreae, which was close to Corinth. She is described here as a deacon, which was one of the types of leaders in a local church. How much the church by this point had developed categories for leaders is difficult to determine, whether “deacon” was a certain class or designated group of leaders. Paul will list qualifications of deacons in 1 Timothy 3. This woman was evidently a key leader in that church. Why was she in Rome? There is no way to know, but it appears that she is on her way to Rome. Paul wants the believers there to welcome her in the Lord and help her. She may have been a lady of some means, some wealth, since she is called a “patron of many.” A patron provided something for others. The patron/client relationship was significant in the Greco-Roman culture of the time. This woman had been of service in the church and had helped other people, possibly in material ways. She is a great model to us in several ways. One is her willingness to serve the church. Another is how she took leadership as a woman. Many women in the early church were leaders, even though the culture was heavily leaning on the patriarchal side. Certain women were able to over come such cultural barriers. It is significant that Paul begins his list with her. It is not beyond possibility that Paul sent this letter with her on her way to Rome.
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