Bible Commentaries
Romans 16

Verses 1-4

COMMENDATIONS AND GREETINGS

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

All of us have the secret desire to see our names preserved. We like to see our names in print even if we have to carve them ourselves on a tree or write them graffiti style on a rock. Here in the sixteenth chapter a number of names are preserved for eternity. They are literally "written down in glory."

The first of these names and undoubtedly one of the most important is a woman by the name of Phoebe. Her name means "bright" or "radiant" and she hailed from Cenchrea, the port city which was about 9 miles (14.4 km.) from Corinth. Phoebe was a "servant" (Gk. diakonos) in her church and in the past this special woman had helped even the Apostle Paul. Some gather from her description of prostatis (protectress) in the next verse that she was a woman of some means and influence.^(F1) This seems to be borne out when we consider her ability to travel to Rome and live there.

When we realize her great contribution, we will have to join Paul in commending her. The whole church should be grateful for this woman because she apparently delivered the newly written manuscript of Romans from Corinth where it was composed to its destination in Rome. What an accomplishment this must have been, to carry and protect the priceless parchment through the hazardous sea journey to Rome. These were the days before parcel post and most letters and documents had to be carried by individuals.

There has been a great deal of discussion about Phoebe's title of "servant." Several commentators see this designation as a church office of "deaconess."^{diakonos… a word that could be used in either the masculine or feminine genders. Our words 'deacon' and 'deaconess' are derived from it." Barnes also remarks, "They [deaconesses] appear to have been commonly aged and experienced widows, sustaining a fair reputation, and fitted to guide and instruct those who were young and inexperienced. Comp. 1 Timothy 5:3,9-11; Titus 2:4." (Barnes, v. 16:1).">(F2)} Such women were commonly older widows with a good reputation for holiness and service. From what we can gather, there was such an office in the primitive church and it continued in the west until around the end of the first millennium.^(F3) These holy women cared for all the church needs that could not be served by the men.

"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 to many people, including me" (16:2). Paul is asking the Roman church to receive her in a technical sense which was equivalent to church membership today.^(F4) An older woman in a strange and large city like Rome would need much fellowship and support.

Next, Paul greets a dear couple who must have been very close to his heart. He says, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them" (16:3-4). Obviously, these two people had distinguished themselves to many in the Gentile church. We first hear of them in Acts 18:2, as they had recently arrived in Corinth from Italy. We are informed in the text that they had fled from Rome. This was no doubt due to Emperor Claudius banning all Jews from living in the city (c. AD 50). The famous duo seemed to have lived a rather nomadic lifestyle making tents for a living and starting churches in their home.

We see Paul apparently living with them and making tents with them at Corinth (Acts 18:3). Then we see Paul dropping them off at Ephesus where they later had a very influential ministry to an important upcoming Jewish evangelist by the name of Apollos (Acts 18:26). Now we see that they have returned to Rome. According to Paul they had risked their lives on his behalf. In the Greek it reads that they had "laid down their necks" for him. Some think this was in regard to the dangerous riot that broke out at Ephesus and is mentioned in Acts 19:28-31.^(F5)

In the ancient world it was customary for the husband to be mentioned first unless the wife had a higher status.^(F6) However, of the seven times they are mentioned in scripture Priscilla is mentioned first on five of these occasions. Obviously is some way she was the most outstanding.

Paul says, "Greet also the church that meets at their house" (16:5). This couple also provides us with much information on the structure of the earliest church. The early church met in private homes and this couple hosted a church in Corinth, in Ephesus, and in Rome (16:5). There were no church buildings at this early date so the practice of meeting in homes continued for the first three centuries of the church's existence. In Rome, Jewish meetings in groups larger than synagogues were forbidden and, of course, many Christians were Jewish, including Priscilla and Acquila.^(F7) We have evidences of other possible house churches in 16:10,11,15; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; and Philemon 1:2.

Verses 5-15

GREETING MANY DEAR FRIENDS

Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Romans 16:5

Some scholars are troubled that Paul would seem to know so many people in a place where he had never lived or even visited. Others have speculated that this list of greetings might have originally been for Ephesus rather than Rome and yet when we consider that Paul lived some three years in Ephesus this list might actually be too short instead of being too long.^(F8)

When we think of Paul's vast travels all over the world of his day and when we consider that he had no doubt ministered to thousands and thousands of people, both Jews and Gentiles, it is not unthinkable that he would have known many in Rome. Even from what we see in scripture it appears that many people from all over the empire ultimately ended up in Rome.

It is also probably a mistake to consider that a long list of personal greetings is out of place in an epistle like Romans. After all, this is what the church is all about – fellowship in the Spirit and precious friendships between the saints of God. We certainly could use more of that in our impersonal age when more and more we seem to be talking only to machines.

In this chapter we have a long list of names but we do not have information on most of them. Some writers have gone overboard in their speculations about these unknown people. We will try not to do that but rather focus more on what we know for sure about them. In passing we may mention some of the speculations that seem to have the most weight.

Epenetus is mentioned in this verse and we know a little about him.^{Stephanas was the first fruits, but his house or family" (Clarke, v.16:5).">(F9)} He was apparently the first convert in the area of Achaia or the region around Corinth, from where this letter was written. That would make him the first convert in the Roman province of Asia. He was obviously very dear to Paul since the apostle would not use that term loosely.

"Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you" (16:6). We do not know much about Mary. Her works like her name are recorded in the Book of Life. Since some manuscripts show her name as Miriam (the Hebrew form of Mary), it is possible that she was a Jewish believer.^(F10)

"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" (16:7). Andronicus and Junia may have been blood relatives of Paul. It may be more likely though that they were fellow Hebrews or even fellow-members of the tribe of Benjamin.

The name "Junia" in the Greek is feminine. There has been much discussion about this and the case seems far from being resolved. Should the name actually be feminine then this would be a very unusual situation where a husband and wife would make up a team of apostles, and outstanding ones at that. We might mention that they were not apostles in the sense of being among the twelve but apostles as in the case of Barnabas, Silas and others.^{Junia), which would make the pair husband and wife (or perhaps brother and sister)."">(F11)} Like so many faithful Christians these two had a prison record and they had shared that prison with Paul.

Guzik states concerning the mystery of Andronicus and Junia, "If there ever were women recognized as apostles – in the sense of being special emissaries of God, not in the sense of being of the twelve – this is the strongest scriptural evidence." But he goes on to add that "it isn't very strong."^(F12)

"Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys" (16:8-9). We do not know much about these dear people either, except two of them have common slave names in the Roman Empire. Keener remarks, "…perhaps as much as 80 percent of the inhabitants of imperial Rome were descendants of freed slaves from the East."^(F13)

Barclay notes the following possibility regarding Ampliatus, "It is a quite common slave name. Now, in the cemetery of Domatilla, which is the earliest of the Christian catacombs, there is a decorated tomb with the single name Ampliatus carved on it in bold and decorative lettering…the elaborate tomb and the bold lettering would indicate that he was a man of high rank in the church."^(F14) If this tomb has any connection with our Ampliatus, we can see how the Christian faith truly broke down the barriers that had been constructed in human society.

"Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus" (16:10). Who would not like to have "tested and approved" in his record before Christ? Obviously Apelles had gone through the fires of persecution and had come out victorious. Regarding the "household of Aristobulus," Barclay thinks that these may have been Jewish servants and slaves who once belonged to Aristobulus and who had now become the property of the emperor.^(F15) Either this person had died or else he was not a Christian since he himself was not saluted.

"Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord" (16:11). Again, while it is possible that Herodion was a blood relative of Paul, it is more likely that he was a tribal relative.^(F16) The household of Narcissus may have represented a similar situation as that of Aristobulus above, where these believers were slaves of a non-believing owner.

"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" (16:12). Tryphena and Tryphosa are thought to be sisters and possibly twins. They both have common slave names and although they were very hard workers, the root of their names comes from the word "delicate."^(F17) All we know about Persis is that she was a dear friend of Paul and that her name probably indicates that she was of Persian origin

"Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too" (16:13). While it does not seem likely that the mother of Rufus was also the mother of Paul, she was obviously very close to Paul. This has caused many commentators to identify this Rufus with the person mentioned in Mark 15:21. This Rufus was a son of Simon of Cyrene, the North African who helped carry the cross of Jesus. When Mark wrote his gospel, this Rufus was well-known and must have been a Christian. Edwards thinks that there is a "better than even" chance of a match here.^(F18) Obviously there was some reason that Paul had become so close and endeared to the mother of Rufus.

"Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord's people who are with them" (16:14-15). Again we have a group of people mentioned together and they were common names that could have belonged to former slaves. Some think that they may have belonged to another house church or perhaps a couple of house churches.

Verse 16

THE HOLY KISS

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings. Romans 16:16

Here we see something that was apparently very common in the early church. It was the greeting of a "holy kiss" (Gk. phil"mati hagiōi). This sounds a little strange in our western culture. However, Denney remarks about it, saying, "The custom of combining greeting and kiss was oriental, and especially Jewish, and in this way became Christian."^(F19) The kiss was common in Jesus' day and we read of him rebuking his Pharisee host because he failed to give Jesus the expected kiss of greeting (Luke 7:45). We also read of the kiss of greeting that Judas gave Jesus at his betrayal.

The custom of giving the holy kiss of greeting continued in sub-apostolic times. Justin Martyr (c. AD 160) remarks about it, "Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss."^(F20) Apparently, as time passed the holy kiss was abused by some. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195) complains, "There are those who do nothing but make the churches resound with a kiss, not having love itself within."^(F21) Keener remarks about it also, "Due to abuses, in subsequent centuries the church limited the practice of the liturgical kiss of fellowship to men kissing men and women kissing women, although this was not the initial practice."^(F22)

We might wonder if this practice is still in vogue particularly among the Jewish people. In Israel, the kiss as a greeting is probably more popular than a handshake. It is very common to see Jews of both sexes giving a greeting kiss, but the kiss is quite unlike our Hollywood style of kissing. When two people meet, the greeting kiss and light embrace is given gently and simultaneously by both parties and both sides of the face are kissed. Each person is actually kissed three times, to one side and then the other and finally returning to kiss the side that one began on. There is nothing sensual about this kiss even when it is done between a man and a woman. We might hasten to add that such a kiss while practiced commonly with Arab men would never be given by a strange man to an Arab woman. The same is true in regard to Orthodox Jewish women. In these cases even a handshake is usually out of order. There should in fact be no handshake unless the woman initiates it.

Regarding the holy kiss and its place in the church practice Pfeiffer and Harrison add:

The command to greet one another with a holy kiss (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26) or with a kiss of love (1 Peter 5:14) shows that warm Christian fellowship was characteristic of the early church. Whatever in modern cultures is symbolic of the deep affection Christians ought to feel toward each other – a kiss on the cheek, a warm handshake, a grasping of both hands, etc. – is the equivalent of the apostolic command.^(F23)

Verses 17-19

WATCH OUT FOR TROUBLEMAKERS

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. Romans 16:17

Paul is no doubt thinking here of the Judaizers who had dogged his trail in many of his journeys (cf. Philippians 3:17-21). These false Christians tempted believers to return to the law, thus causing great offense (Gk. skandalon) and placing obstacles before many. His advice to the church is that they just keep away from such as these.

"For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people" (16:18). Barnes says of such deceivers, "Men who cause divisions commonly make great pretensions to peculiar love of truth and orthodoxy; and put on the appearance of great sincerity, sanctity, and humility. …Flattery is one of the most powerful means of forming parties in the church."^(F24)

Paul says of the Roman Christians, "Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil" (16:19). When Paul began this epistle he commended the Romans with these words, "Your faith is being reported all over the world" (1:8). So they were obviously setting a sterling example for Christians everywhere. But the Christian can never be satisfied with his spiritual progress and neither can an apostle. Paul desires that they gain more wisdom about good things and also at the same time maintain their innocence about evil things. This reminds us of the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:16, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Too many Christians today have taken just one glance at pornography or other evil things and have found themselves "hooked" on evil. We can take the Lord's word on evil. We do not have to taste of its fruit to know how bad it is.

Verse 20

A WORD OF HOPE

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20

It appears that Paul is again trying to close the epistle. Barclay remarks that "Romans was a letter which Paul found very difficult to bring to an end."^(F25) The apostle seems to remember another great truth that he wishes to emphasize. This truth is likely based on Genesis 3:15.

Christians will not always have to be the underdogs. They will ultimately gain the victory over Satan and his evil regime with the help of God. In fact, God will soon crush or trample (Gk. suntribō) the devil under the foot of believers.

This passage reminds us of Joshua 10:24, where after his victory the great commander ordered his leaders to come and place their feet on the necks of the defeated Canaanite kings. There is a victory coming and it will be played out partly here on earth and partly in heaven. We see in Revelation that the overcoming Christians will be able to assist the angels in casting Satan out of heaven altogether (Revelation 12:9-11). They will do so by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony concerning the Lamb.

Since Paul could not bring himself to end the epistle after his benediction, he goes on.

Verses 21-26

FINAL NOTES

Timothy, my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Jews. Romans 16:21

Now we have even more names. Paul decides to send greetings from all those people who were with him in Corinth. The first is Timothy, who was Paul's understudy and often his companion. This young man had lived up to his name, for "Timothy" is made up with a combination of two Greek words timaō "which means to honor" and theos which is "God." Thus his name meant "one who honors God."^(F26)

Along with Timothy were Lucius, Jason and Sosipater. Paul lists these as his "relatives" but again scholars generally feel that this is not a blood relationship but a tribal one. There has been a great deal of speculation about Lucius and Jason as to who they are. This is generally a fruitless adventure since we have so little information about them. However, Sosipater may very well be the same as the Sopater we see in Acts 20:4.^(F27)

"I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord" (16:22). Now something unusual happens. Paul's scribe, who must have been a believer, adds his own greeting. This is the only time in Paul's epistles where we have such a thing and where we know the name of the scribe. This just illustrates one more time that Christianity is all about people and their relationships with each other. Even the scribe gets to have his say.

"Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, who is the city's director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings" (16:23-24). Several people by the name of Gaius are mentioned in the New Testament. Evidently this Gaius can be identified. Since Paul was writing from Corinth, this is most likely the Gaius who was an early convert and is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:14. Obviously this Gaius had a spacious house and Paul was presently enjoying his hospitality as he wintered at Corinth. His facilities must have been large enough to accommodate a house church because believers seemed to have met there too.^(F28)

The next name Paul mentions is Erastus. Paul identifies this man as the city treasurer of Corinth. This identification seems to be corroborated by an inscription discovered some years back. The inscription was turned up near the plaza of the theatre in Corinth and was dated around AD 50. The inscription reads, "Erastus in return for his aedileship laid (the pavement) at his expense." The term "aedileship" seems to describe the role of "business manager" of the city.^(F29) This appears to be one of those rare occasions where a public figure or an "important" person joined the ranks of the Christians. We have noted so far how many common folks and even slaves were listed among them. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 Paul says:

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

Paul comes to a close of his long list of people, the longest in any of his epistles. He closes his list with Quartus of whom we know nothing. As this long list of people comes to an end we might also note how many women were saluted in this chapter by Paul. In the ancient world, and especially in the Greek world, women held a rather lowly status. Yet in this epistle we see Paul saluting many women whom he considered special and even his helpers in spreading the gospel. Some have sought to label Paul as a misogynist because of such passages as 1 Corinthians 14:34 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15, but obviously such was not the case.^(F30) Edwards comments on this, "Paul mentions 29 persons, 27 of them by name, a full third of whom are women…This motley list is evidence of a veritable social revolution! Where but in the church could there be found such social and ethnic diversity?"^(F31)

We note that there is no commentary on verse 24. This verse is not included in the NIV but is rather placed in the margin. It makes up a short benediction which is a repeat of the one in verse 20 and is obviously out of place with the longer benediction Paul is writing. This short benediction is not found in a number of major Greek manuscripts and is therefore not considered genuine.^(F32)

Now at last Paul begins what will finally be his doxology and close of the epistle. He starts by saying, "Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith – " (16:25-26). Paul's purpose is always to make the church strong and to establish it. The word for establish is the Greek st"rizō and means "to make stable, place firmly, set fast, to strengthen, make firm." Paul speaks of his gospel here and he probably means that it was not borrowed from someone else and not received from man as he affirms in Galatians 1:11.^(F33)

Here Paul speaks of a mystery that has been revealed. In his ministry Paul had revealed several great spiritual mysteries that had been hidden from the ages. In fact, we see that even the Old Testament prophets were puzzled over these same mysteries (cf. 1 Peter 1:10-12). These great mysteries include the hardening of Israel and the coming in of the Gentiles (Romans 11:25-26); the mystery of Christ in us (Colossians 1:27); the mystery of godliness and of Christ's incarnation (1 Timothy 3:16); and particularly the great mystery of Jew and Gentile believers coming together in the last days into a "new man" or "new creation" (Ephesians 3:2-6). Wiersbe feels that it is this last great mystery which Paul is dealing with here.^(F34) It is likely this final mystery that will ultimately cause the nations to at last believe in Christ and obey him.

Now Paul's magnificent epistle actually draws to a close with the ending of his benediction (16:27), "to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen" To this final benediction we can all surely give our hearty "Amen!"