“Where Romans Lands” Summer Intensive with N.T. Wright was organized by Admirato.org.
Romans 16 is a bit of a mystery as manuscript p46 does not have all of it included. There are other manuscripts that don’t include Romans 15-16. Finally other manuscripts have parts of Romans 15 and Romans 16 switched. This should not bother us. Our Bibles are not less reliable. Most ancient manuscripts have just a very few copies hundreds or even thousands of years later than its original. The Bible is incredibly reliable!
One theory may be that the scribes decided that Romans 16 was no longer relevant as no one knew the people mentioned by the time they were making copies a few decades later.
Romans 16 is the longest list of greetings in Paul’s letters. Colossians has a list of people with Paul when he was writing. It makes sense though as he is trying to make as many connections as possible before he arrives in Rome.
Commending Phoebe, greeting friends
16 Let me introduce you to our sister Phoebe. She is a deacon in the church at Cenchreae. 2 I want you to welcome her in the Lord, as is proper for one of God’s people. Please give her whatever practical assistance she may need from you. She has been a benefactor to many people, myself included.
3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Messiah Jesus. 4 They put their lives on the line for me. It isn’t only me, but all the Gentile churches, that owe them a debt of gratitude. 5 Greet the church in their house as well.
Greet my dear Epainetus; he was the first fruits of the Messiah’s harvest in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and fellow prisoners, who are well known among the apostles, and who were in the Messiah before I was. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in the Messiah, and my dear Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who has proved his worth in the Messiah. Greet the people from the Aristobulus household.
11 Greet my relative Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the household of Narcissus. 12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet dear Persis, who has done a great deal of work in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, one of the Lord’s chosen, and also his mother—my mother too, in effect! 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the family with them.
15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, Olympas too, and all God’s people who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the Messiah’s churches send you greetings.
Warnings and greetings
17 I urge you, my dear family, to watch out for those who cause divisions and problems, contrary to the teaching you learned. Avoid them. 18 People like that are serving their own appetites instead of our Lord the Messiah. They deceive the hearts of simple-minded people with their smooth and flattering speech. 19 Your obedience, you see, is well known to all, and so I am rejoicing over you. But I want you to be wise when it comes to good, and innocent when it comes to evil. 20 The God of peace will quickly crush the satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21 Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you greetings, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives. 22 I, Tertius, the scribe for this letter, greet you in the Lord. 23 Gaius, who is host to me and the whole church, sends you greetings. Erastus the city treasurer sends you greetings, as does another brother, Quartus.
Final blessing
25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel, the proclamation of Jesus the Messiah, in accordance with the unveiling of the mystery kept hidden for long ages 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings, according to the command of the eternal God, for the obedience of faith among all the nations— 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus the Messiah, to whom be glory to the coming ages! Amen.
Some have a trouble with the idea of Paul sending his letter with a traveling independent business woman named Phoebe. However, in Paul’s world women were actively involved and leading. It’s probable that Phoebe was the one to read the letter from Paul to the church in Rome and would have been the one to answer any questions that emerged from the group. Phoebe was around when Paul was writing the letter. More than likely, Phoebe was the first to expound on the letter to the Romans. We don’t know her business, but we know she was a deacon in her church and she was a benefactor. Paul wants Phoebe to have the respect she deserves so he introduces her to the Romans church.
The Roman world was all about honor and distinction mapped onto social status. Paul does not fall into that trap. The church of Jesus is counter cultural. Many of these names represented slaves and women who had no social status in the Roman world. By mentioning so many people who had done so much for the Kingdom, Paul is doing the equivalent of the emperor putting a medal on the chest of a warrior. We need many unsung heroes who serve faithfully without any acclaim to keep the Kingdom going!
Priscila and Aquila were Paul’s fellow workers and coincidentally they would be reunited in Rome after being together in Ephesus.
“Junia was well known among the apostles” is not a problem at all for Paul. Mary Magdalene was the first to proclaim Jesus was alive! In Jesus’ Kingdom there were no distinctions between men and women, slave and free, etc..
If Mark’s Gospel was written to the Church in Rome, the mention of Rufus may very well be a clue of how the Roman church was started as Rufus could have been the son of Simon of Cyrene, the one who helped Jesus carry the cross to Golgotha.
“Agape” = the overflowing generous love of God.
Paul uses the word “dear” over and over. The word “dear” is from the word “agapetos” which literally means “beloved” or “ones that I love.”
We see there may be 5 house churches in Rome as 5 households are mentioned in Romans 16.
One of those hosts was the house of Narcissus. Was the Narcissus mentioned the same man who had been a counselor to the emperor? “Tiberius Claudius Narcissus was one of the most powerful freedmen and chief secretaries in the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Claudius (41–54 AD). He essentially ran the imperial administration, amassing immense wealth and political influence, but was executed shortly after Claudius’s death” (from Wikipedia)
Paul does not want labels! He wants love! He wants the church to be a family!
The name that comes up over and over again in Romans 16 is the name “Jesus.”
The Messiah is who brings them all together and is working in them and through them!
Romans 12 is being lived out hence Romans 16. In spite of the broken people and problems they cause, in these people, Paul can see Jesus.
Paul is not overly optimistic. He is living in the real world. That’s why he includes warnings such as “watch out for those who cause divisions and problems.” He also echoes Romans 12 when he writes once again: “I want you to be wise when it comes to good, and innocent when it comes to evil.” This may also be an echo of Jesus when he said to “be wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove.” This is supported by the fact in the next phrase he writes: “The God of peace will quickly crush the satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” This is also an echo of the “snake crusher” mentioned in Genesis 3:15.
“Tertius” the scribe breaks through the fourth wall to say hello as well.
We also discover that Gaius is hosting Paul and hosts a church in his home.
Erastus may be the same man whose name is etched on rock in Corinth as the city treasurer and the same accountant that Paul mentions in Acts 19:22.
More than likely, all of Romans 16 was part of the original manuscript. Once you get to the heart of one letter written by Paul, we can easily get to the heart of all of his letters. Romans 16:25-27 is remarkably similar to Romans 1:1-5. It all fits together beautifully!
Paul was communicating the God would give them strength! He was teaching them how to wait on the Lord and how to gaze on His beauty and experience His love.
Romans 16:25-27 can be summarized as “to God be the glory,” but the God referenced is Jesus, the Lord and Messiah!
Paul’s Gospel is not just about something that happens to me (justification by faith)!
Justification by faith is beautiful and important, but it’s not the entire story!
Paul’s Gospel is the revelation of God in the Messiah redeeming all of mankind and bringing heaven to earth!
Paul is looking from creation to consummation!
We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know Who holds the future!
