There are two more parts to the structure of the letter:

• Rom 16:1-23 Greetings (extended)
  • 16:1-16(to the church in Rome)
  • 16:17-23(from Paul and coworkers)
• Rom 16:25-27 Gospel: Reconciliation (secret)

Personal greetings

Paul greets a particularly large number of people in Rome. Although he had never been to Rome (Rom 1:9-13), it is obvious from these last greetings that he was acquainted with many in the church. We don’t know much about all people. But some are mentioned repeatedly in the New Testament. This article deals with the passage Romans 16:1-16.

When Paul greets people, this reveals something important. He was connected to people. His preaching was not merely theoretical, even though he himself was a theologian (rabbi). He lived with people, spoke to people, had experiences with people and shared his faith with them. These are not social media friends that you click together quickly. These are people with whom the apostle had to deal in everyday life. He was in prison with some of them. He was traveling with others. He calls some “coworkers” or “lovers”. Paul is not superficial or aloof. He writes to real people and describes real situations. What he says has hands and feet, and he knows some of these hands and feet personally.

Phoebe

“But I recommend Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the assembly in Kenchreä.”
Rom 16:1

Phoebe was a “servant of the assembly in Kenchraea”. Kenchraea (Acts 18:18) was a harbor town about 9 km from Corinth in modern-day Greece. The port city was important for the eastern Mediterranean region and a church there could be a sister church of the church in Corinth. Paul does not greet Phoebe, but “recommends” Phoebe. The apostle does this first, before any people are named in Rome. She is introduced as a “sister” and part of the assembly in Kenchraea. It seems that she was entrusted with the delivery of the letter. Phoebe would therefore have been traveling from Greece, possibly from Corinth, as Paul’s letter carrier to Rome.

We don’t know much more about Phoebe. What is remarkable, however, is that she is mentioned alone as a woman. She may have been a widow. Not only did she work for the church in Kenchraea, but Paul also speaks highly of her:

“That you may receive her in the Lord, worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever matter she has need of you, for she has also been a help to many, including myself.”
Rom 16:2

Priska and Aquila

“Greet Priska and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, (who have given their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the assemblies of the nations) and the assembly in their house.”
Rom 16:3-5

Priska and Aquila describe Paul as “co-workers in Christ Jesus”. Paul got to know both of them in Corinth:

“And after this he departed from Athens and came to Corinth. And when he found a certain Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy, and Priscilla his wife (because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome), he went to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers at their trade.”
Acts 18:1-3

They work in faith towards the same goal as Paul and at times accompanied Paul on his travels (Acts 18:18). From the account of the first meeting, we learn that Aquila and Priska (Priscilla = diminutive of Priska) had just arrived from Italy. You obviously had business there or were connected to Italy in some other way. It is therefore not surprising that they are in Rome and that Paul greets them.

Aquila and Priska are mentioned repeatedly. Acts 18 reports this, but we also find references in the letters:

“Greetings from the assemblies of Asia. Aquila and Priscilla greet you many times in the Lord, together with the assembly in their house.”
1Cor 16,19

Paul also mentions them in his second letter to Timothy (which is probably in Ephesus). They appear to be diligent travelers and were together with Paul in Ephesus (Acts 18:18-19). Since Priska and Aquila are not mentioned again later in the journey, I think it is possible that they stayed in Ephesus while Paul continued on to Jerusalem.

“Say hello to Priska and Aquila and the House of Onesiphorus.”
2Tim 4,19

Epenetus

“Greet Epänetus, my beloved, who is the firstfruits of Asia for Christ.”
Rom 16:5

Paul mentions Epänetus, with whom he has a common history. The apostle grew fond of him. The name Epänetus means “praise”. Paul calls him “my beloved”, which speaks of his high esteem for him. He was “the firstborn of Asia for Christ”, i.e. the first to come to faith in Christ in what was then Asia Minor (today’s Turkey). Imagine that Paul was traveling alone or with others and, as an evangelist, he told people everywhere about the good news in Christ. This message was not accepted everywhere. Epänetus, however, was the first to respond to this message with his life. This must have been a great encouragement for Paul.

Mary

“Say hello to Maria, who has worked hard for you.”
Rom 16:6

Various women in the New Testament are called Mary. The Hebrew name suggests that this woman may have been of Jewish descent. There were believers of Jewish descent in many churches and Paul also repeatedly addressed this group of believers in the church in Rome, which can be traced throughout the entire letter to the Romans.

This Mary was obviously very committed to the church in Rome, which even came to the attention of Paul, who had never been to Rome (Romans 1:10-11).

Andronicus and Junia(s)

“Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives and my fellow prisoners, who are distinguished among the apostles who were also in Christ before me.”
Rom 16:7

Neither person is mentioned further. The name Junias can be masculine or feminine (Junia). Paul describes them as “relatives” and “fellow prisoners”. The term “relatives” can indicate that you belong to the Jewish people in general (cf. Rom 9:3) or more direct relatives of your own family (cf. John 18:26). In these greetings, Paul mentions relatives several times, for example in Rom 16:7, Rom 16:11, Rom 16:21.

Paul mentions these two quite early in his greetings, which is perhaps why they are of greater significance. Paul not only recognized that they were “relatives”, but they were also “fellow prisoners”. He himself was often imprisoned (2 Corinthians 11:23). Several times he mentions names of people who were imprisoned with him (Phm 1:23, Col 4:10). It must have been the same with Andronicus and Junia(s). They share a common history.

The esteem of the apostle is there, but Paul mentions the esteem of others and writes: “Who are distinguished among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me”. They are distinguished among the apostles, which can mean two things: a) They were valued by the apostles in Jerusalem. This is possible because Paul describes that they were in Christ before him and the twelve apostles remained in Jerusalem. b) Andronicus and Junias were apostles themselves, namely “envoys”. There are the special apostles, like the Twelve and Paul, but many others were apostles in the general sense, as messengers with a message. Andronicus and Junias would have a special place among these general ambassadors. Consider Phoebe (Rom 16:1), for example, who is recommended to the Romans by Paul and was therefore presumably the bearer (apostle) of his letter.

Amplias

“Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord.”
Rom 16:8

Amplias (or: Ampliatus) was a “beloved in the Lord”. This heartfelt expression needs to be understood. The addition “in the Lord” points to the way of life (cf. Eph 4:1). In these greetings, Paul repeats the expression in various places: Rom 16:11, Rom 16:12, Rom 16:13, Rom 16:22. In those days, only slaves had a master. Paul saw himself as a “slave of Jesus Christ” (Rom 1:1) and therefore did not belong to himself, but to his Lord (2 Cor 5:15, cf. 1 Cor 6:19-20).

Elsewhere Paul writes:

“For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but he that commendeth the Lord.”
2Cor 10:18

The expression “beloved in the Lord” refers to the same attitude to life that recognizes itself as dependent on Christ.

Urbanus, Stachys, Appelles and those of Aristobulus

“Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. Greet Appelles, the tried and tested in Christ. Say hello to those from Aristobulus’ house.”
Rom 16:9-10

This is followed by personal greetings to various people, other coworkers (Urbanus), beloved believers (Stachys) and those whom Paul describes as “tried and tested in Christ”. He also greets the entire Aristobulus household.

From these various greetings we can see that although Paul was never in Rome, he knew many in the church. Rome was, of course, the capital of the Roman Empire at the time. Therefore, the city has an important function and travelers visited the city. This is probably how various messages came from and to Rome. However, when Paul speaks of coworkers and loved ones, he probably knew these people personally.

Paul already testified in the first verses of the letter:

“First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ, that your faith is proclaimed in all the world.”
Rom 1:8

The faith of the people from the church in Rome was known far and wide. They were in a particularly delicate situation in Rome. There, the emperor was worshipped as a god. The Roman community was the closest to this. This first period is also known as the time of the early Christians. The emperor initially regarded Christians as an internal Jewish sect. Christians therefore enjoyed limited freedoms in the Roman Empire. However, this is increasingly changing. Those who lived out their faith credibly and in the attitude of Christ in these times needed wisdom and perseverance.

The Jewish religion was first banned under Claudius in the year 38. Afterwards, Claudius and a little later Nero made various statements against followers of “Chrestus”. If this refers to Christ, we are talking about the persecution of Christians. They are trying to adapt to the difficult situation. Paul, for example, wrote the following in his letter to the Romans:

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
Rom 12:14

Such statements take on particular significance in the context of the time.

“Repay no one evil for evil; be provident for what is honorable before all men. If possible, as much as is in you, live in peace with all men. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord. If your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink; for if you do this, you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Rom 12:17-21

So when Paul speaks of “those proven in Christ”, this has a strong meaning in the context of the time.

Other believers are mentioned

“Greet Rufus, the chosen one in the Lord, and his mother and mine. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them. Greet Philologus and Julias, Nereus and his sister and Olympas and all the saints with them.”
Rom 16:13-15

The apostle now mentions many more names. Of Rufus, the chosen one in the Lord, he mentions “his mother and mine”. He is acquainted and familiar with the family and regards the woman as his own mother. Rufus (“red”) was a common name for a slave. The other names only appear in these verses. However, Paul also mentions “the brothers with them”, which refers to a small assembly or community of faith.

In the last verse, some names are mentioned again, some of them common names of slaves, “and all the saints with them”. It is clear from this that the people Paul mentions have something to do with each other and that other believers (“saints”) are in fellowship with each other.

In this passage, Paul personally greeted believers in Rome. It shows that his work is not simply theological in nature. The apostle does not entrench himself in scholarship, but cultivates extensive relationships. It also shows which people are being addressed by his letter. They are not other theologians, not other scholars, but often simple people, slaves. His life is linked to these people.

The letter to the Romans is meant for ordinary people. Today, Paul is regarded as a theologian. He certainly is. However, it does not exist in a vacuum. His ideas had to prove themselves in practice. As an apostle, he took concrete care of people. He was in conversation with them, was sometimes in prison with these people. Paul knew their situations and lived with them. What Paul wrote was for the building up of the church. Gospel proclamation and practical life support were both taken into account in this letter.

What appears to be “difficult or incomprehensible” today is probably also because our time is very different. However, we cannot and must not draw conclusions about the Bible from ourselves. This Bible was never written for our time, but for another time. We can therefore only approach, read carefully and discover that there are whole stories behind simple greetings. We can approach these and then better understand the issue.

Let’s do what Paul did and get personal. In this way, we can learn to read the Bible with new eyes.