Commentary on Romans 16.1–16.26

“I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a minister of the church at Cenchreae; so that you may receive her in the Lord as befits the saints, and help her in whatever she may need of you; for she too has helped many, and me.” He commends Phoebe on her arrival as a common sister, that is, from the law; and to commend her deservedly he says she is a minister of the church at Cenchreae; and since she was a help to many, he says she rightly deserves to be helped because of her travelling. And to persuade them to receive her without delay and assist her in need when she arrived, he testifies that she helped him too; so as to show that the more exalted his person is than the rest, the more the obedience owed her should be rendered through love. (Verses 3–6.) “Greet Aquila and Priscilla, my helpers in Christ Jesus, who laid down their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but also all the churches of the gentiles; and the church in their house.” These were from the Jews, who, having become believers, became partners in the apostle’s labour; who had believed so rightly that they too exhorted others to the right faith. Indeed Apollos, though he was trained in the Scriptures, was instructed more accurately in the way of the Lord by them; therefore he calls them partners in his labour, but in Christ Jesus; for they were his co-workers in the gospel of God. Aquila is the husband of Priscilla; it is plain that they did not come to Rome idly, for they were more inclined in devotion to God; for all whom he greets are understood to have been among these, for the confirmation of the Romans. Hence he says that not only he but also all the churches of the gentiles give thanks to them, touching the Romans as well, that they should obey those whom they hear labour for the advance of the gentiles in exhorting faith in Christ. He praises them so much that they did not refuse to suffer dangers for him; for they did not scorn to incur the enmity both of the Jews and of false brothers, provided they helped the apostle with services and love. The false brothers were those who believed in Christ but said the law must be kept, thinking Christ insufficient for the full effect of salvation; which the apostle destroyed. Hence he suffered persecutions from them too. He also greets their household and home-born slaves, whom he calls a church, because they were disciples of holy men concerning the faith. “Greet Epaenetus my beloved, who is the firstfruits of Asia in Christ.” Of this Epaenetus he does not pass over in silence his present dignity, so as to show that men of rank too believe, and to invite the leading Romans to the faith, or certainly so that the humble might grow. “Greet Mary, who has laboured much among you.” He reminds them by the name of Mary, who we understand laboured more earnestly to exhort them, so that they may thank her.

“Greet Andronicus and Julia, my kinsmen and fellow prisoners, who are distinguished among the apostles, who were in Christ Jesus before me.” He calls them kinsmen both according to the flesh and according to the spirit, as the angel too said to Mary: “Behold, Elizabeth your kinswoman,” and so on (Luke 1:36); and he declares, with his own testimony, that they followed the earlier apostles and suffered the same captivity as he for the sake of the faith; and therefore they are to be honoured more fully.

“Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in Christ.” He greets him as a friend, but a friend in the Lord; yet not one who shared his labour or captivity.

“Greet Urbanus, my helper in Christ.” He says that this one was not only his helper but also a partner of the others in exhorting to belief. “And Stachys my beloved.” Though he calls this Stachys beloved, he nevertheless places him after Urbanus, a sharer in the work of the gospel.

“Greet Apelles, approved in Christ.” He greets this Apelles not as his friend or a sharer in his work, but because he was proved by temptations and found faithful in Christ. (Verse 11.) “Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.” This Aristobulus is understood to have been a gatherer of brothers in Christ; whose deed he so approves that he marks those whom he gathered as worthy of his greeting. “Greet Herodion my kinsman.” This one whom he only calls kinsman he shows to be devoted in the love of rebirth; yet he did not mark his vigilance. “Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.” This Narcissus is said to have been a presbyter at that time, as is read in other manuscripts. And since he was not present, you see why he greets as saints those in the Lord who were of his household. This Narcissus the presbyter was performing the office of a traveller, strengthening believers by exhortations; and since the apostle did not know the merits of those who were with him, he said thus: “Greet those of the household of Narcissus in the Lord”; that is, those of them whom you know to be worthy of my greeting, who have placed their hope in the Lord, greet them in my name.

“Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord.” He declares them worthy of one honour in Christ. “Greet Persis, the dearest, who has laboured much in the Lord.” She seems to be placed before those mentioned above, because she laboured much in the Lord. Their labour is in exhortation, and in the ministry of the saints, and in distress and poverty for Christ’s sake; because, driven out, they left their homes and were a reproach to the faithless.

“Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.” He placed this Rufus before his mother because of his election to the administration of the grace of God, in which a woman has no place; for he was chosen, that is, promoted by the Lord to do his business. Yet he had so holy a mother that the apostle called her his own mother too.

“Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brothers who are with them.” He greets these together because he knew that they were of one accord in Christ, that is, joined in Christian friendship. At the same time he greets also the brothers who were with them, whose names he passed over.

“Greet Philologus and Julia and Nereus, and his sister Olympias, and all the saints who are with them.” All these are understood to have been of one mind, whom for this reason he greets together, whose merit is recognized from those who were with them; for he calls them saints, so that he may be seen to greet them deservedly.

“Greet one another with a holy kiss.” He commands all to whom he writes, and whom he names, to greet one another with a holy kiss, that is, in the peace of Christ, not in the desire of the flesh but in the Holy Spirit, so that the kisses may be religious, not carnal. “All the churches of Christ greet you.” By this it is understood that a church is spoken of which is not Christ’s. Hence David too calls the conspiracy of the wicked the church of the malicious (Ps 26:5). He says, then, that the churches of all those places greet them, so that they may grow in faith. He referred this, then, to the sense above, to show that Christ is the one in whom is salvation, and that he is the one whose people the faithful are, and by whose nod the whole creation lives. For he is the author of life, as the apostle Peter says (Acts 3:15), not the law, in which some of them wavered, thinking they ought to hope.

“I beg you, brothers, to watch those who cause dissensions and stumbling blocks contrary to the teaching which you have learned; and turn away from them. For such do not serve Christ the Lord Jesus, but their own belly; and by enticements and flatteries of words they deprave the hearts of the innocent. For your obedience has been made known in every place.” In this place he has broken out about the persons of the false apostles, whom throughout the letter he warned must be avoided, as now; but without naming them he has repressed their tradition. For these compelled believers to live as Jews, so as to make void God’s benefit toward them, as I mentioned above; for by composing words of genealogy they fitted treatises to themselves for the commendation of their tradition, by which they deceived the hearts of the simple. “For your obedience,” he says, “has been made known in every place.” This is what he says at the beginning of the letter (Rom 1:8), that your faith is proclaimed in the whole world; he signifies by this that he is secure about their obedience. For it was incredible that, after the truth had been known, as prudent people they would subject themselves to a foolish thing. “I rejoice, then, in you.” This sense too is from the earlier part of the letter; for he rejoices because the Romans, who seem to hold the empire, have subjected themselves to the Christian faith. “I want you to be learned in good, but simple toward evil.” He is learned in good who does good works; and they are simple toward evil who are ignorant of evil works, that is, do not know the practice of malice.

“And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet swiftly,” that is, shortly. He says this of his own coming, because his coming would crush the devil, on account of this, that they were to receive spiritual grace; which Satan envies, because he wants people to remain in error, so that they disagree on other matters though they are of one profession. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” The grace which he promised them at his coming he now wishes to be with them; for if they deserve to receive it, it is already with them in hope. (Verse 21.) “Timothy, the partner of my labours, greets you, and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.” Timothy, the partner of his labours, is as it were a fellow bishop, who governed the Church with great care, placed in the envy of the Jews to such a degree that at the beginning he was circumcised because of the scandal of the Jews; so that, because his mother was a Jew, he could not be a teacher uncircumcised. The others he calls kinsmen, partly by race, partly by faith.

“I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.” Tertius is his name, not a number: he is the scribe of the letter, whom he allowed to greet in his own name the Roman people to whom he writes; so that the others might greet those whom he named. For as yet there were rulers in the churches in few places.

“Gaius, my host, greets you, and all the churches.” This, I think, is the Gaius to whom the apostle John writes (3 John 1), rejoicing in the love which he showed to the brotherhood, providing them with the expenses they needed. And while above he says, “All the churches of Christ greet you,” now he repeats, saying, “All the churches greet you,” which I do not think was repeated idly; for so great and so careful a man set down nothing superfluous. But since “all the churches of Christ greet you” means all the saints, as he says in another place, “Those who are Christ’s have crucified their flesh” (Gal 5:24), now he adds that these too greet, who are followers; so as to signify the blessed people of the Church, because in every church there are two peoples. He can also have named the churches of two provinces, first of one, then of the other, … or certainly of the Jews and of the gentiles.

“Erastus, the steward of the city, greets you, and Quartus the brother.” The steward of the city is a kind of curator who governed the city as justice prescribed, especially in regulating prices. He lists all these by name in the greeting of the Romans so that they might know what sort of people, and how great, rejoiced with them in their good beginning.

“Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept in silence in eternal times, but is now made manifest through the prophetic Scriptures according to the command of the eternal God, for the obedience of faith among all nations, known to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ages of ages. Amen.” He gives glory to God the Father, from whom are all things; that, since he is able, he may deign to complete the beginning of the Romans by confirming their minds in faith for the advance of the gospel and the revelation of the mystery hidden from the ages but made manifest through Christ, or in Christ (Eph 3:9). For the sacrament which was always hidden in God was declared in the times of Christ: that God is not singular, because with him from eternity are the Son and the Paraclete, in which truth he decreed that the whole creation be saved through acknowledgment. The truth of this sacrament had been marked out through the prophets in certain figures, known to the only wise God; and what he wished, that the gentiles should be partakers of his grace, was hidden from the human race. He alone, then, is wise, because from him is all wisdom, as Solomon says: “All wisdom is from the Lord God, and has been with him always” (Sir 1:1). This wisdom is Christ, because he is from him and was with him always; through whom to him be glory for ages of ages. Amen. Therefore nothing is complete without Christ, because all things are through him; and when he is acknowledged, praise is given to God the Father through him; because he is understood through Christ, as through his wisdom, in which he saved believers. Glory, then, to the Father through the Son, that is, glory to both in the Holy Spirit; because both are in one glory.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” In the conclusion he places Christ, through whom we were made and again remade by his grace, so that he may cling to our minds; because if we are mindful of his benefits, he will always protect us, as he said: “And behold,” he says, “I am with you all days until the consummation of the age” (Matt 28:20). Amen.