Woman living at the time of the New Testament
Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae, whom Paul commended to the believers in Rome.
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Also known as Phebe
Phoebe was a prominent woman in the early Christian church, mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Romans (Rom.16.1-2). She was a deacon (or servant) of the church in Cenchreae, a port city near Corinth. Paul described her as a "sister" and a "patron" or "benefactor" of many, including Paul himself. This suggests that Phoebe was a woman of means who used her resources to support the ministry of the church and traveling missionaries like Paul.
It is likely that Phoebe was the one who delivered Paul's letter to the Romans, as Paul commended her to the believers in Rome and asked them to receive her in a manner worthy of the saints and to assist her in whatever she needed. This demonstrates the trust Paul had in Phoebe and her role in the early church.
As a deacon, Phoebe would have been responsible for various forms of service and ministry within the church, possibly including charitable work, hospitality, and spiritual guidance. Her example highlights the significant contributions of women in the early spread of Christianity and their active roles in the life of the church.
Part of: Paul's Circle
Paul commends Phoebe, a servant (diakonos) of the church at Cenchreae, and a prostatis (patron) of many including Paul. Since Romans ends with her commendation, she is often thought to have carried the letter to Rome.
Sources: Scripture
More background: search Wikipedia ↗
(radiant) the first and one of the most important of the Christian persons the detailed mention of whom nearly all the last chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. (A.D.55.) What is said of her, (Romans 16:1,2) is worthy of special notice because of its bearing on the question of the deaconesses of the apostolic Church.
PHOE'BE, a distinguished member of the church at Cenchraea, a city of Corinth. Rom 16:1. She is called a "servant of the church" (see Deaconess); and the strong commendation of the apostle shows her to have been prominent in works of faith and labors of love.
PHOE'BE, a distinguished member of the church at Cenchraea, a city of Corinth. Rom 16:1. She is called a "servant of the church" (see Deaconess); and the strong commendation of the apostle shows her to have been prominent in works of faith and labors of love.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
2 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G5402
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.
to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.