Romans 16:5

Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.

Greet also the church that meets at their house: Churches normally met in houses at this time (cp v 23, and possibly vv 14,15; see also 1Cor 16:19; Col 4:15; Philemon 1:2). One such church met at the house of Aquila and Priscilla (Rom 16:4), and here Paul greets them especially.

It is quite possible that even large ecclesial groups at this time met in private houses also. Joseph Lightfoot writes,

There is no clear example of a separate building set apart for Christian worship within the limits of the Roman Empire before the third century, though apartments in private houses might have been specially devoted to this purpose.

Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, p. 243

There may be a very good reason why, in the early centuries of the Christian faith, a building was not set apart for Christian worship. Such a "church building" would have been advertised and known for what it was, and once its presence was known in a city or community, it would have provided a great temptation for rogues and vandals of every sort, not to mention an easy target for city authorities who were determined to silence the public witness of believers.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus: His name signifies "praiseworthy". It is understandable that Paul should speak of him as "my dear friend" (literally, "my beloved"), since this man was the first convert to Christ in connection with the preaching in the province of Asia, of which Ephesus was the leading city. Actually Paul calls him the firstfruits of that area, which hints that many more were expected to follow as the full harvest, and this indeed came to pass. This individual, however, naturally held a special place in the heart of the apostle.

Who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia: "Who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ" (KJV). "Firstfruits" (KJV, ASV) or "first convert" (NET, NEB, RSV, NIV) translates the Greek "aparche", which literally means the first of any crop or flocks or herds offered to God before the rest is used. Paul uses this word in several ways:

  • Of Christ the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1Cor 15:20,23);
  • Of "the household of Stephanas [who were] the first converts in Achaia" (1Cor 16:15);
  • Of "the firstfruits of the Spirit" (Rom 8:23); and
  • Of Israel in general, being the "firstfruits" of those offered to God (Rom 11:16, notes).

Under the Law of Moses, worshippers offered the firstfruits of their produce to the Lord God (Exod 23:16,19; 34:22,26; Lev 2:12,14; 23:17,20; Deut 18:4; 26:2,10). Paul saw himself and other preachers as "priests" according to the Melchizedek priesthood of Jesus Christ. Symbolically, these priests showed their devotion by accepting and then offering to God the "firstfruits", that is, the first converts, of a city or region (cp 1Cor 15:20,23; James 1:18; Rev 14:4).

Paul expressed the same thought in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, but there it is translated differently: "From the beginning God chose you [the Thessalonians] to be saved." There, "aparche" is translated by the three words "from the beginning". In other words, Paul sees the Thessalonian believers as the "firstfruits" of the area which have been offered to God.

The province of Asia: The KJV has "Achaia". "So many of the oldest manuscripts and versions, however, read 'Asia', instead of 'Achaia', in this verse, that the great majority of editors have adopted that reading" (Hodge).

In the New Testament [Asia] always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words "the province of" are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

NET Notes

Mentioning the first convert, or those who were among the first converts, of "Asia" suggests that Aquila and Priscilla may have converted and baptized Epenetus while they were in Ephesus, and that later he may have accompanied them or followed them to Rome.

Romans 16:6

Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.

Mary (Miriam) is the Hebrew name of several women in the New Testament, although some scholars say it is possible that this refers to a woman with the Latin name Maria, and thus a Roman. The name is common enough in the New Testament that it is impossible to tell if this particular Mary is only mentioned here, or is actually one of the other women called Mary in the Bible.

Either way, Paul knew of this Mary, testifying to her hard work for the saints, but without any hint as to the nature of the work. He simply emphasizes her willingness to grow weary in serving them.

The Greek words translated "worked very hard" ("ekopiasen" and "polla") indicates work sufficiently heavy to produce weariness and fatigue.

The word translated "labor" ["worked": NIV] ("kopian") is a favorite of [Paul's] for describing Christian service, whether his own or that of others (see Rom 16:6,12; 1Cor 4:12; 15:10; 16:16; Gal 4:11; Col 1:29; 1Thes 5:12); its implication of resulting weariness is conveyed in John 4:6, where Jesus at noonday sits down by Jacob's well because he is "tired" ("kekopiakos") by his journey.

New International Bible Commentary

This is also the same word used by Jesus when he says:

"Come to me, all you who are weary ['kopiao'] and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt 11:28).

For you: The KJV has "us" instead of "you". Opinion is equally divided as to whether "you" or "us" is correct. The ASV and KJV have "us", while the NIV, RSV, NEB and NET have "you". It is more reasonable that Paul would mention Mary's service to "us" (including Paul and his companions) rather than to "you" (the Roman Christians).

Romans 16:7

Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me.

Greet Andronicus and Junias: These are Latin and Greek names respectively. The second name may be either Junias (masculine) or Junia (feminine). Based on the pairing of the two believers, it is most likely that the proper name is Junia, and that she was the wife of Andronicus. There appear to be several husband-wife couples in this chapter (see vv 3,15).

My relatives: The Greek word is "syggenes", literally: "having the same birth, or the same ancestors". It is sometimes translated "relatives" and sometimes "kinsmen" (cp vv 11,21). It could mean one of three things:

  • very close blood relatives of Paul, i.e., from his same immediate family;
  • members of the same tribe, i.e., Benjamites (Phil 3:5); or
  • simply Jews, since every descendant of Abraham through Isaac and then Jacob might easily think of all other descendants as "relatives" (cp Rom 9:3).

Who have been in prison with me: The term is "synaichmalotos", meaning to share in captivity. When listing his labors in 2 Corinthians 11:23, Paul says he was "in prison more frequently… flogged more severely, and… exposed to death again and again." Being so often incarcerated, Paul would have had many fellow-prisoners. Elsewhere, Paul calls Aristarchus a fellow prisoner (the same word) in Colossians 4:10, and Epaphras the same in Philemon 1:23.

It has been estimated that Paul may have spent as much as 25% of his time as a preacher and missionary in prison. We know of his brief lock-up in Philippi (Acts 16:22-40), two years' imprisonment in Caesarea (Acts 24), and at least another two years in Rome (Acts 28:30). Paul says he had been "in prison more frequently" than his critics. To understand Paul, we need to understand where he spent so much time.

Roman imprisonment was preceded by being stripped naked and then flogged. It was a humiliating, painful and bloody ordeal. The bleeding wounds went untreated. Prisoners sat in painful leg or wrist chains. Torn and blood-stained clothing was not replaced, even in the cold of winter. In his final imprisonment, Paul asked for a cloak, presumably because of the cold (2Tim 4:13).

Most cells were dark, especially the inner cells of a prison, like the one where Paul and Silas spent some time in Philippi. Unbearable cold, lack of water, cramped quarters, and sickening stench from toilets made sleeping difficult and waking hours miserable.

Male and female prisoners were sometimes locked up together, which could lead to sexual immorality and abuse. Prison food, when available, was scarcely edible. Most prisoners had to provide their own food from outside sources. When Paul was in prison in Caesarea, the procurator Felix gave orders to the centurion to "permit his friends to take care of his needs" (Acts 24:23).

Because of the miserable conditions, many prisoners begged for a speedy death. Others simply grasped any chance to commit suicide.

They are outstanding among the apostles: "Outstanding" is "episemos", which means prominent or well-known; the KJV has "of note".

What is meant by "the apostles"?

There are two possible answers to this deceptively simple question:

  • In the Gospels, the Twelve early disciples — who are listed in Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:14-18; and Luke 6:13-16 — are called "apostles" about nine times. Eleven of the Twelve are also listed in Acts 1:13, minus Judas Iscariot, who had committed suicide. They were meeting together, with other believers, to select a replacement for Judas. Two candidates were put forward, chosen from among those men who had been with the Lord Jesus from the time of John's baptism to Jesus' ascension, since they would have been witnesses to his resurrection (vv 21,22). (This requirement would limit the candidates for the position, and thus the number of such apostles.)

Of the two put forward, "the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles" (v 26). The only other mention of "twelve apostles" is in Revelation 21:14, corresponding to the "twelve foundations" in the wall surrounding the Holy City, Jerusalem (vv 10-13).

Finally, Paul seems to have been commissioned by the Lord himself as another very special "apostle", with a status similar to the Twelve. However, in Paul's case, he was a special "apostle" sent, not to the Jews especially, but to the Gentiles in particular (Gal 2:8).

  • Secondly, this very same term "apostles" (literally, "ones who are sent") is used often in the Letters to describe a whole range of representatives, messengers or missionaries. As time went by, the number of these apostles increased dramatically, to meet the needs of the ecclesias.

These "apostles" were sent out (Greek "apostello") as traveling preachers or emissaries of Christ. Examples of this type of apostle would be the 72 (or 70) "others" (Luke 10:1, NIV or KJV) sent out "two by two" (perhaps sometimes as husband and wife?) by Jesus, to prepare people for his arrival.

And so Paul himself speaks of the faithful Epaphroditus, sent by the Philippians as their personal "messenger" ("apostolos") to see to Paul's needs (Phil 2:25). This seems to be the category of "apostles" with whom Andronicus and Junia (his wife?) were numbered (Rom 16:7).

Among: Since "among" is the Greek "en", this might mean that Andronicus and Junia were notable in ("en") the estimation of the apostles. That is, the apostles held them in great esteem or high opinion. The NET, as an example, renders this phrase: "They are well known to the apostles." Nevertheless, the most common usage of the Greek "en" makes it much more likely that the couple were actually numbered "among" the apostles, as part of that group. But which group, (a) the original, relatively small group or (b) the more general, much larger group?

And they were in Christ before I was: If the couple were held in high repute by the apostles in Jerusalem, or even considered part of a group which included the original apostles, then they may have been among the 70 or 72 disciples sent out by Jesus (Luke 10:1).

The fact that Adronicus and Junia were in Christ before Paul also suggests that they would have first known him as Saul of Tarsus, the relentless enemy of the earliest Christians, before they ever knew him as Paul the great apostle. If not personally, they would surely have known him by reputation, and yet they still helped, supported and cared for him during their shared imprisonment.

Surprisingly, this verse, Romans 16:7, has attracted a great deal of attention in scholarly circles, due to the question: Was Junia a woman and an apostle, that is, a woman of equal rank with the original apostles of the Lord? However, in order to make the case that Junia was the wife of Andronicus and thus also a member of the relatively small group — which included Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Paul — one must prove at least three things:

  • that Junia was a woman;
  • that the preposition "en" truly means "among" (as in being one of a group), and does not mean "in" as "in the opinion of" (see note above); and
  • that "apostles" here means only those who had seen the Lord and were explicitly appointed to the office by him, that is, the Twelve as well as Paul, and perhaps one or two others.

If any of these three propositions is uncertain, then the contention that a woman was a member of the most special apostolic group fails also. How do we evaluate the evidence?

  • Almost certainly but not definitely, Junia was a woman and the wife of Andronicus.
  • Quite probably, "en" means "among" rather than "in the estimation of".
  • But it is much less likely that "apostles" here means (a) those with a special and official position which was conferred directly by Christ (a very small and exclusive group — scarcely more than a dozen disciples), instead of (b) those who were messengers, representatives, or preachers of Christ (a much larger group, of perhaps hundreds of disciples).

Putting all the probabilities together, we may conclude:

  • that the sister named Junia and her husband Andronicus were almost certainly not apostles in the more exclusive sense (definition a above), but also
  • that they were almost certainly apostles in the broader sense (definition b above).