Romans
Chapter 16
Final Greetings
I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church of Cenchreae.
Please receive her, in the name of the Lord, as you would among brothers and sisters in faith, and help her with whatever is needed, because she has helped many, including myself.
Greetings to Prisca and Aquilas, my helpers in Christ Jesus.
To save my life, they risked theirs; I am very grateful to them, as are all the churches of the pagan nations.
Greetings also to the church meeting in their house. Greetings to my dear Epaenetus, the first in the province of Asia to believe in Christ.
Greet Mary, who has worked so hard for you.
Greetings to Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and comrades in prison; they are well-known apostles and served Christ before I did.
Send my greetings to Ampliatus, whom I love dearly in the Lord.
Greetings to Urbanus, our coworker, and to my dear Stachys.
Greetings to Apelles, who endured for Christ, and to the family of Aristobulus.
Greetings to my relative Herodion and those in the household of Narcissus who serve in the Lord’s work.
Greetings to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor for the Lord’s sake. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord.
Greetings to Rufus, chosen by the Lord, and his mother, who was like a mother to me.
Greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters with them.
Greetings to Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, Olympas, and all the holy ones in Christ Jesus with them.
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send their greetings.
Brothers and sisters, I urge you to be cautious of those who cause divisions and spread different teachings from what you initially learned. Stay away from them,
because those individuals do not serve Christ our Lord, but their own interests, deceiving the naive with their smooth and entertaining words.
Everyone knows you are very obedient, and because of that, I am happy. However, I want you to be sensible in doing good and firm against evil.
The God of peace will soon defeat Satan and bring him under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Timothy, who is with me, sends you greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipatros, my relatives.
I, Tertius, the writer of this letter, send you greetings in the Lord.
Greetings from Gaius, who has hosted me and in whose house the church gathers. Greetings from Erastus, the city treasurer, and from our brother Quartus. [[
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.]]
Glory be to God! He can give you strength in accordance with the Good News I proclaim, announcing Christ Jesus. The mysterious plan that was hidden for ages is now revealed.
By the will of the eternal God, it is revealed through the prophetic books, and all nations shall come to believe the faith proclaimed to them.
Glory to God, who is the only wise, through Christ Jesus, forever! Amen.
Commentaries
Final Greetings.
The list of men and women is long and detailed. This list provides valuable insights into the Christian communities of that time. For example, it is surprising to see the high number of women holding positions of responsibility in the Church. He begins by greeting Phoebe, a “deaconess.” Was she a woman who had received “holy orders,” or did she perform charitable functions? We do not know, but she certainly held significant authority in the community. Another name mentioned, “Junia” (7), has long intrigued scholars. Is it ‘Junia’ (a masculine name) as shown in the most recent manuscripts, or “Julia” (a feminine name) as transcribed in the oldest manuscripts? It seems likely that it is indeed “Julia,” the wife of Andronicus. Paul states that both of them “stand out among the apostles” (7). A woman with the status of an apostle? That must have seemed impossible, and the scribe thought years later, who “masculinized” Julia’s name by changing just one letter. By then, women had been silenced in many Christian communities. Other cherished names are Prisca and Aquila, Paul’s married friends. Prisca’s name is mentioned first, as Luke does in Acts 18:2ff, not out of courtesy, but because Prisca must have been the one truly responsible for the Christian community that met in her home. Thus, Paul lists the names of collaborators, friends, and Christian leaders who kept the Church’s vitality and enthusiasm alive, not only in Rome.
He ends this letter with a hymn of praise to “God, the only wise one” for revealing, in Jesus Christ, the secret that had been kept silent for centuries, now “made manifest to all the Gentiles” so they might embrace the faith.