Our challenge
While not quite as alliterative as the old-timey Sunday School hymn, “Dare to be a Daniel,” the title of this article, challenges all sisters, you and me, to a high standard of active faith! Paul’s description of Phoebe yields some remarkable lessons. So, let’s dig in to understand in depth what Paul is saying about this exceptional sister.Phoebe resided in Cenchrea, a port city near Corinth, where it appears there was an Ecclesia as well. Her name means “radiant, shining one” and is associated in Greek mythology with the goddess of the moon. She most likely met Paul when he was stationed in Corinth. As we read in Acts 18:18, it was here that Paul took a vow and shaved his head. Paul alluded to having had a health problem, and it may have been Phoebe who nursed him back to health in her home. At the end of his Corinthian stay, he sailed from Cenchrea to go to Ephesus.
It’s usually assumed that she was chosen by Paul to deliver the letter to the Romans. She most likely had business dealings in Rome. The brethren there were asked to assist her in any manner they could. This unnamed business may even have been in the Emperor’s household, where it is known there were believers (Phil 4:22). In any event, Paul grabbed the opportunity for her to be his courier. This was no small responsibility: She was not just to drop the letter off, but was most likely asked to read it to the Roman Ecclesia, maybe on several occasions.
She would have had to be prepared to answer questions about Paul’s writings, and she may have also had a personal verbal message from Paul. Here is an example of Tychicus and Onesimus fulfilling these same duties: “As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here” (Col 4:7-9 NASB).
An early Christian writer, Clemens, described the qualifications of a letter carrier: “… who from youth to old age have lived blameless lives among us, who will be a trustworthy witness between you and me.” So at the very least, she must have been an educated woman and conversant with the Truth.
Paul and Phoebe
Phoebe is described as a sister. Beyond showing she was a baptized believer, Paul’s use of the possessive “our” suggests a family relationship. Anthropologists call this “fictive kinship,” where individuals are regarded as family even though they are not actually related by blood or marriage. It is “chosen kin,” an emotional connection rather than blood connection. We strengthen the bonds of our own community in this way by regarding all baptized members as part of the family. It’s carried further by our custom of having our children call the brothers and sisters, aunt and uncle. This is the closeness that Paul felt for Phoebe.Furthermore, Paul urged that she be treated in a “manner worthy of the saints.” The word saints, “hagios,” as used in the Bible, describes followers of Christ, not a special class of extra-holy miracle-doers. We sometimes avoid calling ourselves saints, because of how other churches distort this concept. But the New Testament writers use this term quite often. The believers in Rome were to treat Phoebe as worthy of honor and with hospitality. They were saints, and she was one too.
Deacon
There has been much ink spent on the question of whether or not Phoebe was a deacon. The Greek is “diakonos,” a gender-neutral word that is variously translated as “servant,” “minister,” or “deacon.” The context of the term is usually in connection with work serving the brotherhood. Paul is consistent in his use of the word to describe a position of influence, not that of an ordinary servant or slave. He calls himself a “diakonos” (Rom 15:25, 1Cor 3:5. Eph 3:7). And he does so for others: Timothy (1Tim 4:6), Epaphras (Col 1:7), Tychicus (Eph 6:21-22), Apollos (1Cor 3:5) and even Jesus (Rom 15:8). However, Phoebe is the only person in the Bible described as being a deacon of a specific Ecclesia, Cenchrea. All these other examples use the word as a general title in the wider Christian community.Was Phoebe’s role any less than these men? When English translations call her a “servant,” it somehow gives license to diminish the importance of her position, because she was a woman. Commentators assign her solely the womanly roles of nursing the sick and being hospitable. Paul valued her as a co-worker and partner in his mission. She could not have been an ordinary servant.
We traditionally go to 1st Timothy to find more about the formal position of deacon. The passage mostly focuses on character qualifications of deacons but is scant on details of the duties: “Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. 11 Women (gynaikas) must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” (1Tim 3:8-13 NASB)
It’s most likely that verse 11 describes women deacons and not deacons’ wives. Where the King James Version reads “their wives,” scholars generally agree that the better translation of “gynaikas” is “women” and note that the word “their” is not in the original Greek. “Wife” and “woman” are both uses of the word, which appears 92 times as “wife” and 129 times as “woman” in the KJV. Verse 11 is unique in that there is no such requirement for Elders in 1Tim 3:1-7. It is reasonable, therefore, to draw the conclusion that verses 8-10 are about male deacons, verse 11 about female deacons, and 12-13 about males again. It can also suggest there were no female elders.
As for duties, deacons are not specifically required to be “able to teach,” as are the Elders (1Tim 3:2), but are expected to “hold the mystery of the faith” ( v. 9). Acts 6:1-6 may be an early example of the mechanics of appointing deacons to take care of the feeding and welfare of church members. This included making especially sure the Greek widows were receiving a share of the common funds, and given the opportunity to worship.
Perhaps another helpful way to think about the position of deacon comes to us from the Old Testament, patterned after the duties of Eleazar, the son of Aaron: “The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil — the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings” (Num 4:16 NASB). If in modern worship, the “oil” represents the word of God, the “incense” is symbolic of prayer, the “grain offering” equates with the memorial table and “anointing” suggests holiness, then the responsibilities of a deacon are considerable and encompass all aspects of ecclesial life.
Helper?
There’s another interesting Greek word that Paul used to describe Phoebe: “prostatis,” a female benefactor, patroness, guardian caring for the affairs of others, aiding them with her resources. When translators call her the more mundane word “helper”, they again diminish the prestige that Phoebe would have naturally deserved in the Greco-Roman society of the time. It was quite common for a woman of wealth, probably a widow or unmarried, to adopt causes or people and commit her resources to their welfare. Paul called her his patroness. She supported his mission and perhaps, like Stephanas (1Cor 16:15) or Aquila and Prisca (1Cor 16:19) or Lydia (Acts 16:14-15), Phoebe was the host and leader in her home of the Ecclesia in Cenchrea.Travel in the first century was dangerous. A woman would not have traveled alone and thus Phoebe must have been able to finance her own servants to accompany her. The source of her wealth may even have been that she owned her own fleet of ships, seeing that she was living in the very active port of Cenchrea. An intriguing suggestion made in a commentary on Romans 16 by Theodoret of Cyrrhus (393-460 AD), is that when Paul went on his fourth missionary journey to Spain (Rom 15:23-24), he was accompanied by Phoebe and it was her funds that enabled the trip to happen. This is early church history and not inspired, but it’s not out-of-the-question speculation.
There is also evidence that the reputation of Phoebe lived on long after her death. Attesting to her status is a funeral stone on the Mount of Olives with the inscription “Here lies the slave and bride of Christ, Sophia the deacon, the second Phoebe, who fell asleep in peace…” The dating of this is 4th century, but what is interesting is that to be a “Phoebe” had become a “thing,” and to be commemorated as such was an honor.
What Happened?
What happened then? The description of the worship at the time of Paul allots equal participation to men and women: “What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up” (1Cor 14:26 NIV). There is no shortage of examples of influential first century Christian women: Phoebe, Prisca, Mary, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, Persis, Lydia, Euodia, Syntyche, Julia, Junia, Eunice, Lois, and the Elect Lady and her sister of 2 John. Paul valued women and he regarded them as partners in his work. While there were women who were active leaders in the early church, it seems that gradually over time the leading positions in the church became exclusively assigned to men. Women were excluded from taking on important roles in the Ecclesia.By the year 1000 AD, deaconesses (note there is now a female word for the job) were relegated to cloisters and nunneries, principally devoted to the role of feeding the poor and caring for the sick. But when the Reformation finally came and the power of the priesthood was broken, and false doctrines rejected, the practice of male hierarchy was not shed and to some extent exists today. Does this still play out in the current Christadelphian infrastructure? In Paul’s day, equal numbers of men and women served in similar ministries with similar titles. Is this history that we can continue to ignore?
Her Example
Why should we care about who and what Phoebe was? As we’ve seen, there are so many lessons sisters can glean from the two short verses in Romans about this associate of the Apostle Paul. While not universal in all places, sisters are often discouraged from taking an active role in the Ecclesia. The roles that are permitted traditionally to women are really important and not to be lightly dismissed. There is, however, so much more sisters can contribute. When God created Eve out of Adam’s side, she was to be a “help meet.” This old English phrase has been morphed into “helpmate,” not at all the meaning of the original Hebrew: “ezer kenegdo.” It’s a watering down of the role similar to Phoebe’s being called a mere “helper.” There is no indication of inferiority in its meaning, and the expression is used to describe one who surrounds, protects, and supports the opposite person, a mirror image.Eve is called the “Mother of All Living” because it was through her that man was to be saved, but that’s another whole study! So the bottom line is the roles of homemaking, child-rearing, feeding, nursing are not to be denigrated. At the same time, the possibility of expanding to other roles to support and protect family and Ecclesia should be considered. Sisters, let’s use the skills and brains that God has given us. Phoebe nursed others and dispensed hospitality. She was also a businesswoman, patron, deacon, courageous traveler, ready to explain the book of Romans. (Something I’m unable to do!)
Here’s a challenge: Educate yourself ! Educate your girls! In some circles, higher education is not encouraged for young women. However, education forms thinking minds and develops skills and careers. Women are prominent in fields like writer, editor, proofreader, linguist, missionary, graphic artist, accountant, bookkeeper, engineer, architect, interior designer, nurse, teacher, businesswoman, chef, musician, to name only a few. Even if a sister never practices these careers in the workplace, she can support the Ecclesia with these proficiencies in so many areas. Out of fear of usurping a male role, should a sister hold back from contributing to the Ecclesia when she clearly has a talent that’s commendable? Why should she be nervous about making a comment or asking a question in Bible class? It’s time for us sisters to become intellectually curious and cultivate strong Bible knowledge, not for its own sake but for the edification of our fellow believers.
Let’s all make ourselves worthy of emulation by the generation of girls following us. Opportunities abound to display wisdom and courage, to serve in whatever capacity arises. In short, it’s up to each of us to become that “radiant shining one,” to become a Phoebe!
