Phoebe Series

Phoebe

Biblical Figure

A Few Facts

Birthplace: Kechries, Greece

Death place: Rome, Italy

Romance: Cronos · Hyperion · Coeus . · Cronos · Phoebe · Hyperion

Children: Asteria (Daughter) · Melinoe (Daughter) · Eos Titan (Daughter) · Leto - - Latona (Daughter)

Parents: Armin van Buuren (Father) · Ouranos - - Uranos Caelus (Father)

Phoebe was one of the first women leaders in the early church. In fact, she may have been the first woman deacon. The term “ diakonos ” used here to describe Phoebe is the same term given to Paul, Apollos, Timothy, and many others.

Who was Phoebe in the Bible?

ANSWER: Phoebe is mentioned only once in the Bible, in Romans 16:1–2, where Paul writes, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 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 of many people, including me.”

Letters of introduction to strangers were common in Bible times. The mention of Phoebe in this way means that she was probably either the bearer of the letter or accompanied those who took it to Rome. Phoebe means “bright and radiant.” From Paul’s comments about her, those words seemed to characterize her personality and Christian life.

Paul’s reference to Phoebe as “our sister” indicates that she was a Christian church member and his sister in Christ. Her designation as “deacon” (or “servant” in the ESV) could mean that she held an official position within the church as a deaconess or simply that she was someone who was known to serve the church faithfully (the Greek diakonos means “servant”), which most Bible’s translate as “deacon.” However, this term, at least during the first century C.E, most probably referred to a “minister” or leader of a congregation. Whether or not Phoebe had the title “deaconess,” it is clear that she was a trusted member of the body of believers in Cenchreae, a seaport about eight or nine miles from Corinth.

Paul commends Phoebe to the Roman believers and asks that they receive her in a gracious and friendly manner into their homes and hearts with love and affection. She was to be welcome in their church fellowship. Asking for her to be received “in a way worthy of [God’s] people” means that the church should treat Phoebe with the particular respect and Christian love that should characterize all believers’ interactions. Even those believers we have never met before should be welcomed with love, for we share a bond in the Lord (John 13:35). Phoebe was to be aided in whatever business she would be conducting in Rome.

Paul adds that Phoebe was a helper of many. Phoebe may have shown great kindness in various ways to other Christians, perhaps receiving them into her house like Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38–40). Perhaps she ministered to the sick, helped the poor, and aided widows and orphans like Tabitha (Acts 9:36). Maybe she ministered to strangers and travelers like John’s “elect lady” (2 John 1). Paul himself was a beneficiary of Phoebe’s kind servant’s heart. Whatever Phoebe’s precise role in the church, including her name in Romans 16, is a testimony to her character and ensures that she will never be forgotten.

A closer look at Paul’s trusted patron and emissary

This first-century leader of the early Christian community makes a cameo appearance in Romans 16:1–2. Paul graciously introduces her to fellow believers in Rome. Paul’s words establish Phoebe’s high standing in Cenchrea, her home city near Corinth. They assure a ready welcome among like-minded followers of Jesus. Warm, personalized greetings to more than two dozen men and women follow, ending his epistle.

A study of Romans 16:1–2 reveals a fantastic woman; one Paul treats as a fellow minister, one he forthrightly and with humor acknowledges as having money.

Paul describes Phoebe by employing three accolades, nouns translated in the King James Version (K.J.V.) as “sister,” “servant,” and “succorer.” The New International Version (N.I.V.) changes the last two to “deacon” and “benefactor.”

However, Phoebe seems under-recognized today as a full minister. Paul’s introduction equates her with other leaders in the early movement, men who traveled, evangelized and planted, and led churches. However, translations indicate a gender bias and diminish this woman’s influence.

First, the K.J.V.: “I commend to you Phebe, our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succorer of many, and myself also.”

Now, the more contemporary N.I.V.: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a church deacon in Cenchreae. 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 of many people, including me.”