By calling Phoebe a servant of Cenchrea’s church Paul probably means that she occupied a stable position, performed a definite and important function, in and for that church. She is accordingly called a diakonos of that congregation. In Rom. 15:8 Christ was described as having become a diakonos, that is, a servant, of the circumcised. To them he ministered. However, the word diakonos can also be used in a more specialized or technical sense. In Phil. 1:1 and 1 Tim. 3:8 it refers, in the plural, to deacons.
If that technical sense pertains to the word as used here in Rom. 16:1, then Paul is calling Phoebe a deaconess. Now it must be granted that in a later century the ecclesiastical office of deaconess was not unknown. The question, however, is “Does the New Testament either here (Rom. 16:1) or anywhere else, refer to such an ecclesiastical office, namely, that of deaconess?” On this subject there is a division of opinion. For details see footnote 424.
The absence of any mention of deaconesses in the rest of the New Testament is a fact. For 1 Tim. 3:11 see N.T.C. on Timothy, pp. 133, 134; and for Titus 2:3–5 see N.T.C. on Titus, pp. 364–366.
In order to discover what kind of specific function Paul has in mind when he calls Phoebe a diakonos of the church at Cenchrea, we should pay close attention to what he says; namely, “Extend to her a welcome in the Lord that is worthy of the saints,” meaning, such a welcome as would be fitting for saints to give. He adds, “Give her any help she may need … for she has been a helper to many people and to me personally:”
This may well be the key to the solution of the problem we are discussing. In light of the facts reported in 16:1, 2, what kind of help would Phoebe need when she arrived in Rome, which was clearly not the place of her residence? Would it not be protection and especially hospitality? And what kind of help did those travelers need who were passing through, and stopping over at, the seaport Cenchrea, Phoebe’s home-town, proceeding from west to east or from east to west? Is it not a fact that even today such very busy junctions make strangers feel somewhat uneasy? Was not what they needed a cordial word of greeting, good advice, protection against danger, and frequently even a friendly home in which to pass the night, or even the days and nights until the next ship would leave harbor on the way to their destination?
In a word it was hospitality that was needed at very busy Cenchrea. And it was hospitality Phoebe knew how to offer. Is it not probable that, like Lydia (Acts 16:11–15, 40), Phoebe was a well-to-do Christian lady, blessed with an alert mind and with a heart overflowing with the spirit of kindness and helpfulness? Perhaps, also like Lydia, Phoebe was a businesswoman.
We can well understand that Paul must have referred many a “case” to Phoebe. For that reason, and probably also for other reasons, Paul is able to say, “For she has been a great help to many people and to me personally.”
For a list of worthy women, including Phoebe, mentioned in Scripture, see N.T.C. on 1 Timothy, pp. 133, 134. The lesson is clear. Two extremes should be avoided: (a) that of ordaining women to an ecclesiastical office when there is no warrant for doing so in Scripture; and (b) that of ignoring the very important and valuable services devout and alert women are able to render to the church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, vol. 12–13, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 499–501.
