G. Personal Greetings

16 [G. Personal greetings Joanna instead of Junia - certainly NOT Junias (male) is from a suggestion by Bauckham. The phrases in Christ and in the Lord though often repeated here do not seem to be rhetorically significant.]

1: I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae, 2: that you may receive her in the Lord as befits the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a helper of many and of myself as well.
3: Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4: who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I but also all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks;
5: greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ.
6: Greet Mary, who has worked hard among you.
7: Greet Andronicus and Joanna, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners; they are people of note among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.
8: Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.
9: Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.
10: Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.
11: Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus.
12: Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord.
13: Greet Rufus, eminent in the Lord, also his mother and mine.
14: Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brethren who are with them.
15: Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.
16: Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

17: [an aside] I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them. 18: For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by fair and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. 19: For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I would have you wise as to what is good and guileless as to what is evil; 20: then the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

21: Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you;
so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
22: I Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23: Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you.
Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.

25: Now to him who is able to strengthen 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 26: but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith -- 27: to the only wise God be glory for evermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

This series on Romans begins here
see also Essays on Romans (2002)