Chapter XVI.
(Vers. 1, 2.)
(Verse 1, 2.) But I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a minister of the church in Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help, for she has been a helper of many, including myself. He commends to them the coming sister Phoebe, that is, one from the Law, saying that she is a minister of the church in Cenchreae; and because she has been helpful to many, he says that she should be assisted in a worthy manner for the sake of her journey. But in order to persuade himself to keep receiving her without interruption and to assist her in her time of need, if she were to arrive, he testifies that he himself had also been present; in order to show that the more exalted her person is than the others, the more obligated he is to show this service to her out of charity.
(Vers. 3-6.)
(Verses 3-6.) Greet Aquila and Priscilla, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. The eagle is a man named Aquila, and it is evident that he and Priscilla did not come to Rome in vain; for they were more inclined towards devotion to God. For all of them, whom he greets, are understood to have been from among these. Hence he says that he not only thanks God Himself, but also all the Churches of the Gentiles, touching upon the Romans as well, so that they may obey those whom they hear are working for the advancement of the Gentiles and for the exhortation of faith in Christ. He praises them so greatly that they would not refuse to suffer dangers for his sake; they did not scorn to undergo hostilities from both the Jews and false brothers, as long as they helped the Apostle with obedience and charity. They were false brothers who believed in Christ; However, they said that it was not enough to observe the Law in order to fully achieve the effect of salvation, thinking that Christ destroyed this. Therefore, they endured persecutions from them. He also greets their domestic and native servants, whom he calls the Church; because they were disciples of holy men in relation to faith.
Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. Even Epaenetus himself does not remain silent about his present dignity, in order to show that even men of dignity believe, and to invite the first among the Romans to faith, or at least to grow in humility.
Greetings to Mary, who has worked hard among you. Commend them in the name of Mary, whom we understand to have labored more diligently for their encouragement, so that they may give thanks to her.
(Vers. 7.)
(Verse 7) Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and fellow prisoners, who are noteworthy among the apostles and who were in Christ before me. They are my relatives both by blood and by spirit, just as the angel said to Mary: 'Behold, Elizabeth, your relative, etc.' (Luke 1:36). He also attests that they served the earlier apostles and endured captivity for the sake of the faith. Therefore, they should be honored even more.
(Vers. 8.)
(Verse 8.) Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in Christ. He is greeted as a friend, but in the Lord as a friend; not, however, one who has shared in his labor or imprisonment.
(Vers. 9.)
(Verse 9) Greet Urbanus, my helper in Christ. It is not only he who is called his helper, but also a fellow worker for the encouragement of faith among the others. Greet Stachys, my beloved as well. Although he is called beloved, he is also subordinated to Urbanus as a fellow participant in the work of the gospel.
(Vers. 10.)
(Ver. 10.) Greet Appellem, who is approved in Christ. He is not just a friend or fellow worker, but because he has been tested by trials and found faithful in Christ.
(Vers. 11.)
(Verse 11.) Greet those who are from the household of Aristobulus. It is understood that this Aristobulus was a fellow believer in Christ, whose conduct is commended in such a way that he designates those he gathers as worthy of his greeting.
Greetings to our relative Herodion. He who is called only a relative, shows himself devoted in the love of rebirth; however, he did not designate his vigilance.
Greetings to those who are from the house of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. Narcissus is said to have been a presbyter at that time, as it is read in other manuscripts. And because he was not present, you see the reason why he greets them in the Lord as saints, who were from his house. Now, Narcissus the presbyter was performing the duty of a foreigner, strengthening the believers with his exhortations; and since the Apostle did not know the merits of those who were with him, he said this: Greet those who are from the house of Narcissus in the Lord; that is, greet those whom you know to be worthy of my greeting, those who have placed their hope in the Lord, greet them in my name.
(Vers. 12.)
(Verse 12) Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who are laboring in the Lord. They are worthy of commendation in Christ.
Greet Persida, who has worked hard in the Lord and is very dear to me. She has surpassed others in her efforts because she has worked hard in the Lord. Her labor is in exhortation, in ministering to the saints, in hardship, and in poverty for the sake of Christ. For they were forced to flee their homes and were treated with contempt by the unfaithful.
(Vers. 13.)
(Verse 13.) Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. Therefore, Rufus was appointed to his mother due to the election of the administration of God's grace, in which a woman does not have a place; for he was chosen, that is, promoted by the Lord to carry out his tasks. However, he had such a holy mother that the Apostle also called her his own mother.
(Vers. 14.)
(Verse 14.) Greet Asyncletus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers with them. Greet all of them, as they were known to be united in Christ, that is, joined in Christian friendship. Also greet the brothers who were with them, whose names are not mentioned.
(Vers. 15.)
(Verse 15.) Greet Philologus, and Julia, and Nereus, and his sister Olympias, and all those who are with them, the saints. All of these are understood to have been united, whom he greets together for this reason, and their worth is recognized from those who were with them together; for he calls them saints, so that it may appear fitting to greet them with respect.
(Vers. 16.)
(Verse 16) Greet one another with a holy kiss. He commands all to whom he writes, and those he mentions, to greet one another with a holy kiss, that is, in the peace of Christ, not in the desire of the flesh, but in the Holy Spirit; so that the kisses may be religious, not carnal.
Greetings to all the Churches of Christ. By this it is understood to be called the Church, which is not of Christ. Hence David calls the conspiracy of the wicked the Church of the malignants (Psalm XXV, 5). Therefore he says that he greets all those Churches of those places, so that they may grow in faith. Therefore he referred this to a higher sense; to show that Christ is the one in whom salvation is, and that he is the one whose faithful people are, and by whose will all creatures live. For here is the author of life, as Peter the apostle says (Acts 3:15), not the law in which some of them thought they ought to hope.
(Vers. 17-19)
(Vers. 17-19) . I pray, however, that you observe those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the innocent. For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore, I rejoice over you; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil. But I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. For they were compelling the believing ones to Judaize, so that they might make void the grace of God around themselves, as I mentioned above; for, by arranging genealogical words, they were adapting treatises to commend their tradition, through which they would deceive the hearts of the simple.
For, he says, your obedience has been made known to all. This is what he says at the beginning of the letter (Rom. 1:8), because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world, which signifies that he is confident in their obedience. For it was incredible that they would submit themselves after having known the truth of foolish things as if they were wise.
Therefore, I rejoice in you. And this is the meaning of the upper part of the letter; for he rejoices that the Romans, who seemed to have a kingdom, have subjected themselves to the Christian faith.
I want you to make progress, so that you may be educated for good, but ignorant for evil. A person is educated for good here, who does good works; but those who are ignorant for evil are those who do not know evil deeds, that is, they do not know the use of wickedness.
(Vers. 20.)
(Verse 20) But the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. This is to say, quickly. He says this about his coming, because his coming would crush the devil, due to the fact that these were going to receive spiritual grace; which Satan envies, because he wants people to remain in error; the rest, although they are of the same profession, may differ.
By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with you. He desires the grace that he promised to be with them in his coming; if they are deserving to receive, it is already with them in hope.
(Vers. 21.)
(Verse 21) Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, as well as Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives. Timothy, who is a fellow worker, is like a co-bishop, and he diligently governs the Church, being subject to the envy of the Jews to such an extent that he was circumcised at the beginning because of the Jews' scandal. Since his mother was Jewish, he could not be a teacher without being circumcised. He calls them relatives, partly because of their lineage and partly because of their faith.
(Vers. 22.)
(Verse 22.) I, Tertius, greet you, who wrote this letter in the Lord. Tertius by name, not by number: here is the scribe of the letter, to whom it was granted to greet the Roman people in his own name, to whom he writes; so that they may greet others whom he names. For there were still only a few leaders in the churches at that time.
(Vers. 23)
(Verse 23) Gaius, my host, greets you; as well as the whole Church. This is Gaius, I believe, to whom John the Apostle writes (3 John 1), rejoicing in his love, which he shows to the brethren by providing necessary support for them. And although earlier he says, 'All the Churches of Christ greet you,' now he repeats it, saying, 'The whole Church greets you,' which I do not think was repeated in vain; for such a great and accommodating man did not do anything superfluous. But because all the Churches of Christ, that is, all the saints, salute you, as He says elsewhere: But they that are Christ's have crucified their flesh (Gal. V, 24); now He adds also these, who are the followers, to signify the blessed people of the Church, because in every Church there are two classes of people. He may also designate the Churches of two provinces, as if He had said: all the Churches of one place and then of another; or certainly of Jews and Gentiles.
(Vers. 24.)
(Verse 24.) Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, as does Quartus, the brother. A city treasurer is like a curator who, guided by justice, governed the city, especially in regulating prices. He specifically names these individuals in the greeting to the Romans, so they would know who and how important those rejoicing in their good undertaking were.
(Vers. 25-27.)
(Verse 25-27.) But to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. To the God and Father from whom all things come, be glory forever and ever. Amen. For the sacrament that was always hidden in God, was revealed in the times of Christ; for God is not singular, for the Holy Spirit is with Him from eternity, and in that truth, He decreed that all creatures should be saved through knowledge. The truth of this sacrament had indeed been indicated by certain figures through the prophets, known only to God the wise; and He desired the nations to be sharers in His grace, a hidden thing for the human race. Therefore, he alone is wise; because all wisdom is from him, as Solomon says: All wisdom is from the Lord God, and it was always with him (Ecclesiastes 1:1). This wisdom is Christ, because it is from him, and it was always with him, through whom glory is to him forever and ever. Amen. Therefore, nothing is complete without Christ; because through him, all things: when he is recognized, praise is given to God the Father through him; because he is understood through Christ, as through his wisdom, in which he has made believers whole. Glory therefore to the Father through the Son, that is, glory to both in the Holy Spirit; because each is in one glory.
(Vers. 28.)
(Verse 28) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. In conclusion, he places Christ, through whom we have been made and again reformed by his grace, so that he may remain in our minds; for if we remember his benefits, he will always protect us, as he said: And behold, he said (Matthew 28:20), I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. Amen.