Deacon and Patron of the Church
Phoebe
A woman Paul calls a deacon of the church in Cenchreae and a patron to many, including Paul himself — entrusted to carry his letter to the Romans, and the only named female "deacon" in the New Testament.
Life and work
Paul opens the closing chapter of Romans by commending "our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae," asking the Roman believers to receive her and help her with whatever she needs, "for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well" (Romans 16:1-2). Phoebe is widely understood to have been the one who physically carried the letter to the Romans from Corinth — a position of real trust, since she would likely have been the one to read it aloud and field questions about it.
- Occupation
- Deacon (or servant) of the church in Cenchreae
- Places
- Cenchreae, the eastern port town of Corinth
Questions and debates
Phoebe is the only person in the New Testament explicitly called a "deacon" (Greek diakonos) of a specific local church by name, which makes her a frequently cited figure in scholarly and denominational debates over women's roles and offices in the early church — some read diakonos here as a formal office comparable to later church deacons, others as a more general description of service.
Scripture references
- Romans 16:1-2 — Commended as a deacon of Cenchreae and a patron of many
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