Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PHOEBE

(Gk. Phoíbē)

A leading woman and deacon of the church at Cenchreae, the eastern port of Corinth. She carried Paul’s letter to the Roman church (Rom. 16:1-2). Phoebe appears first in a long list, indicating her importance to Paul. The formulaic opening of Rom. 16 suggests it may be a letter of commendation for her as she travels. Mentioned without male associate, her freedom to travel suggests Phoebe was single or a widow, would have been in danger traveling alone, and provides evidence that women served the Church in itinerant capacities. Three important terms describe Phoebe. She is “our sister” (Gk. adephḗ), a fellow Christian. She is a “deacon” (diákonon, not “deaconess”; no distinction is made between female and male activity), a technical term of office whose duties are not self-evidently clear (cf. 1 Tim. 3:8-13). She was a “benefactor” (prostátis) or patron, used only here in the NT but a common legal term for technical patronage, indicating her responsibility for a church which probably met in her home (the masculine form appears three times in 1 Clement for Jesus as “patron” of Christians). In this role she helped the church in Cenchreae and Paul himself. A Gentile Christian, highly recommended and approved of by Paul, Phoebe was a prominent deacon who served, worked in, supported, and traveled for an apostolic church.

Bibliography. W. D. Thomas, “Phoebe: A Helper of Many,” ExpT 95 (1984): 336-37.

Bonnie Thurston

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PHOEBE

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)