As we saw yesterday the names that Paul chooses to address here are really important and can tell us a lot about the churches in Rome and what Paul is trying to say to them. What's shocking to a first century audience about this list is the number of women that Paul mentions. This certainly would have been uncommon in the Roman world but Paul seems to have no qualms about it. He doesn't just address his letter to them, he speaks very highly of them. Without me stumbling through all the names again, let's take a look a few of them.
Romans 16:1–16
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon, of the church in Cenchreae. 2 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.
3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.
15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.
First is Phoebe. He writes the most about her and she is the one who carried the letter to them and delivered the contents of the letter to the churches. She likely read this aloud in the church and answered any clarifying questions the people would have certainly had to its contents. That means Paul likely communicated with her at length about its contents and how he would want her to say everything. Phoebe was a wealthy benefactor who likely held the office of deacon in the church of Cenchreae. The word for deacon could also be translated as a servant but since it occurs with the church name it is likely an official title. Paul speaks very highly of her and entrusts her with the very important task of carrying and delivering this letter.
Prisca, which is a shorter form of Priscilla, and most certainly the same person. She and her husband Aquila show up in multiple places in the NT. In Acts 18:2 we learn that they had been expelled from Rome under Claudius and ended up in Corinth where they met Paul. Their loyalty is unquestioned as they risked their life even for Paul. It is interesting that she is mentioned first every time as well. This is likely because she was wealthy herself or of a higher social status in Rome. In fact archeological evidence from this period in Rome has uncovered a large property attributed to a Priscilla. With no way of determining this for sure, it is possible that this is the Priscilla Paul mentions here.
Another important woman in the ministry of the church is Junia in verse 7. She has been the topic of much discussion over the centuries. The name in Greek could be either masculine or feminine. The weight of evidence suggests that this name is feminine however since it is attested to by the earlier manuscripts and was the majority opinion of the church until at least the 13th century. Most likely Andronicus and Junia and were husband and wife.
The conflict here largely revolves around the phrase "outstanding among the apostles". Some take this phrase to mean that they are outstanding in the eyes of the apostles or they are well known to the apostles. The meaning however is almost certainly the way the NIV translates it here with the implication being that they were included among the apostles. This translation creates some tensions however because a woman would then be considered by Paul to be an apostle and some see a contradiction between this and what he says in 1 Tim. 2 and 1 Cor. 14. However, the tension here can be easily remedied.
The term "apostle" in the Greek generally means "sent one" but it is most often used in the NT to refer to the group of 12 disciples of Jesus. Yet there are 3 different categories of apostles in the NT. First it is used to refer to the 12 apostles of Jesus as an office of sorts. Then Paul was considered to be an apostle as well along with Barnabbas and James the brother of Jesus, albeit in a secondary sense because he didn't follow Jesus in his earthly ministry. The term can also be used generally to simply mean a messenger or one who is sent at the behest of another. Paul certainly doesn't mean that they were included in the first category of 12 (1 Cor. 15) but he could be including them in the same category that he considered himself to be in or in the third category of simply one who is sent. In that case they would have been what we today would call missionaries. Either of the latter 2 categories is possible.
Even if Paul is considering her to be in the second category of apostles, this should not surprise us. The NT mentions women as deacons (see Phoebe above), prophets (Acts 21:9), and here as an apostle. All of the spiritual gifts are available to women and they should be exercised in the church. The large influence of women in the church of Rome is obvious in these greetings and should not be overlooked.
The conversation of women in ministry is a very large conversation and way beyond the scope of what we are able to cover her. Check out our tough topics conversation on this with Kristen Pedilla if you'd like to begin exploring this further. But what we see here and I think the NT teaches quite clearly is that women play a vital role in the ministry of the church.
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Reflection
For reflection today consider how we have perhaps undervalued the work of women in the ministry of the church. I understand there are wide ranges of opinions on this topic and I'm not asking you to betray your convictions. But within those convictions, men have you undervalued the work of women in the ministry of the gospel of Jesus? Women, have you undervalued the gifts that God has given you and the work that he is calling you to do for him and his church?