The
Apostle Paul’s glowing witness to the Deacon Phoebe in Romans 16:1-2 reflects a
hard-working church leader who might have been surprised to discover that she
is the first person in the history of the church, male or female, to be
formally designated “deacon” by name in scripture.
The
example of Phoebe represents one of the ways authority was exercised in the
life of the Church during the earliest generations of believers confessing that
Christ, the source of authority, is Lord. In the collaborative ministry of Paul
and Phoebe, we see an example of “the Lord Himself working through the life of
the Holy Spirit in the Church.” And after all, “There is no authority except
from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.” (Rom.
13:1) 1
As
was the case with many of the earliest Christians, Phoebe may have travelled
extensively. It is possible that Paul chose her as courier for his Letter to
the Romans, which has illumined the light and faith of uncounted Christians
over many centuries.
Paul
expressed his gratitude for Phoebe’s generosity. She is remembered by the
Apostle as a sister, as a benefactor, as a deacon. It would seem that Phoebe
was a local church leader at a time when a prominent role in the early Church
could lead to imprisonment, torture or death. Pliny the Younger mentioned the
fate of two female deacons in a letter to emperor Trajan dated c.112. “I
believed it was necessary to find out from two female slaves (ex
duabus ancillis) who were called deacons (ministrae), what was true – and to
find out through torture (per tormenta).” 2
Phoebe was acknowledged by Paul as
deacon of the church in Cenchreae, a busy port which was a popular stop for
people travelling from Syria or Asia Minor. 3
It is possible that Phoeve served as
Paul’s personal representative in reading and expanding on the letter to the
Romans to the various perhaps inter-quarreling groupings in Rome. 4
The Apostle calls Phoebe “our sister”
because she is a member of the Christian community which is familiar to Paul:
she is “family” among believers.
Paul refers to Phoebe as a diakonos,
which phrase may have designated a definite local office. In Corinthians the
Apostle notes that both he and Apollos are diakonoi; they carry God’s message
and mediate God’s Word
(1 Cor. 3:5)
The letter of recommendation given to
Phoebe by Paul resonates throughout our world today. This brave deacon paved
the way for Christians to deepen their spirituality by her witness to Jesus
Christ, the Son of God. The zeal of Phoebe as she carried out deaconate duties with
authority was a shining light. No wonder, then, that her
name means “pure”, “radiant” or “bright”.
St Phoebe, pray for us
1. VK
McCarty. Phoebe as an example of female
ministry exercised in the Early Church. Academia: The Sophia Institute.
Accessed May 2019
2.
Madigan, Keven. Ordained women in the
Early Church. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press. Page 26. ISBN
0-8018-7932-9
3.
Khoury, Maria. About St Phoebe the
Deaconess. S Nina Quarterly.
Htps://orthodoxdeaconess.org/about-st-phoebe-the-deaconess
Accessed
28/1/2019
4.
VK McCarty. Phoebe as an example of
female ministry exercised in the Early Church. Academia: The Sophia
Institute. Accessed May 2019
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