Romans 16:1-27

Paul’s letter to the *Romans

Romans

Hilda Bright and Keith Simons

Chapter 16

Personal Greetings

Sometimes a church leader may seem very strict when he *preaches. There are some very serious matters in the *scriptures. And Paul’s letters might also seem very severe if we did not know about his character.

Paul really cared about people. Especially, he cared about the Christians whom he worked with (2 Corinthians 11:28-29). He genuinely loved them (2 Corinthians 11:11). We can see this at the end of his letters. He asks the person who receives each letter to greet certain people on his behalf. He remembers people who have been kind to him in the past. He recommends church leaders whom he approves of. He gives advice to some people. He asks the Christians to encourage some other people. Occasionally he has to warn the church about someone.

Many of these greetings are very personal. They show us much about Paul’s attitudes. They refer to events that we would otherwise know nothing about. They inform us about the problems in the first Christian churches.

These greetings are still valuable for us to read. They remind us today about the love that Christians should have for each other. And the words of advice that they contain are still helpful today.

Paul recommends Phoebe 16:1-2

v1 I recommend to you our *sister called Phoebe. She serves God at the church in Cenchreae. v2 Because of the *Lord, give her the honour that a Christian deserves. Accept her into your company. Give her any help that she needs. She has been a great helper to many people, including me.

Verses 1-2 Letters of introduction were common in *Roman society. Paul introduces Phoebe to the Christians in Rome. Probably she was going to Rome on business for herself. It is very likely that she was delivering Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome. Cenchreae was the east port of Corinth. The *Greek word for ‘servant’ is ‘diakonos’. This word may mean that Phoebe had official responsibility as a leader in the church. This woman had used her wealth to support the work of the Christian church. She also encouraged Paul. So Paul asked the Christians in Rome to give her a warm welcome. They should assist her in any way that she needed.

Paul’s greetings to his friends 16:3-16

v3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, who have worked with me on behalf of *Christ Jesus. v4 They risked their lives to save me. I am grateful to them. All the *Gentile churches are grateful too. v5 Greet also the church that meets in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person to become a Christian in the region called Asia. v6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard on your behalf. v7 Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives. They have been in prison with me. They are leaders among the *apostles. They became Christians before I did. v8 Greet Ampliatus, who is my dear friend because of our *relationship with the *Lord. v9 Greet Urbanus, who works with us to serve *Christ. And greet my dear friend Stachys. v10 Greet Apelles. God tested him. Apelles proved that he was loyal to *Christ. Greet the people who belong to the *household of Aristobulus. v11 Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet those who are Christians in the *household of Narcissus. v12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa. These women work hard for the *Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis. She is another woman who has worked very hard for the *Lord. v13 Greet Rufus. He is a splendid Christian. And greet his mother. She has been like a mother to me too. v14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the Christians with them. v15 Greet Philologus and Julia. And greet Nereus and his sister. And greet Olympas and all God’s people with them. v16 Greet each other with a *holy kiss. All the churches of *Christ send greetings.

Some people say that this list of 26 names is too long. Paul could not have known all these Christians in a city that he had never visited. He even calls some of them his ‘dear friend’. But Paul had worked in Ephesus for more than two years. It is possible that Paul sent a copy of this letter to Ephesus. If so, he may have attached chapter 16 with its greetings. Aquila and Priscilla (verses 3-5) were in Ephesus when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. Christians met in their house (1 Corinthians 16:19). Paul also sent them his greetings when they were still in Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:19). Epenetus (verse 5) probably became a Christian in Ephesus, which was the capital of the region called Asia. Perhaps it was by the work of Aquila and Priscilla. He is next to them on Paul’s list of greetings.

Other people disagree. They are confident that all these Christians were living in Rome. They mention these facts and possibilities:

1. Paul did not send many personal greetings to churches that he knew well. If he was greeting Christians in Ephesus, he would have known more than 26 people. He would not want to upset anyone whom he forgot to name.

2. Aquila and Priscilla had lived in Rome until Claudius ordered the *Jews to leave in 49 *A.D.. They had moved to Corinth, where Paul had worked with them. Then they went on to Ephesus. They may have risked their lives to protect Paul there. Claudius died in 54 *A.D.. So it is likely that Aquila and Priscilla were then able to return to Rome. Other *Jews may have gone back to Rome from the cities where they had met Paul. Christians would also travel to Rome on business.

3. Rufus (verse 13) may have been the son of Simon from Cyrene. Mark mentions him as a well-known person (Mark 15:21). And many people think that Mark wrote his *gospel for the church in Rome.

4. The words on graves in Rome show that there were other Christian *households in Rome.

5. Rome was not an ordinary city. We know that many people, including *Jews and Christians, travelled to Rome. And they lived and worked there. So Paul might have known all these people before they lived in Rome.

6. Parchment (the type of paper that people used for letters) was expensive. Paul would not want to waste it. He had completed his explanation of the subjects that were the main reasons for his letter. But perhaps some parchment still remained. And Paul really cared about his Christian *brothers and sisters. So he wanted to greet each of them by name.