What's In a List of Names - Part Two (Romans 16: 1-16)

Continued:

🧠 Key Themes Explored:

• The Significance of a Seemingly Mundane List:
  Romans 16 is not a formality—it is theology in action, embodied in people.
• Phoebe, the Deacon and Benefactor:
  A woman of means and service who likely delivered the very letter of Romans.
• Prisca and Aquila – A Model Christian Home:
  Their home was a church. Their lives were mobile, yet always rooted in Christ.
• Diverse, Early Church Leadership:
  Jews and Gentiles, men and women, slaves and free, all recognized for their service.
• Women in Leadership:
  Junia is likely referred to as "outstanding among the apostles"—a remarkable statement about the role of women in the early church.
• Slaves in Prominent Church Roles:
  Names like Ampliatus reflect a radical reversal of societal hierarchy in the body of Christ.
• The Household of Faith:
  Mentions of the households of Aristobulus and Narcissus point to early church groups even within the imperial household.

📜 Notable Individuals Highlighted:

• Phoebe – Commended as a deacon and patron.
• Prisca & Aquila – Risked their lives, hosted churches, mentored leaders.
• Andronicus & Junia – Possibly a husband-wife apostolic team.
• Epenetus – The first convert in Asia.
• Mary – Honored for her tireless labor.
• Ampliatus – A likely slave honored with a bold Christian epitaph.

Paul’s greetings are more than acknowledgments; they reflect the truth that every member of the body of Christ matters. In a world that often overlooks the ordinary or marginal, God remembers every act of service.

There are no second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. Whether Jew or Gentile, man or woman, slave or free—each has a name, a story, and a calling.

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• 9:20 (Cont.) What's In a List of Names - Part Two (Romans 16: 1-16)

Transcript

Transcript Continued:

 ....Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among[d] the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 

In this chapter there are twenty-four individual names and there are two interesting things to note.

Of the twenty-four, six are women. That is worth remembering, for often Paul is accused of belittling the status of women in the Church. If we really wish to see Paul's attitude, it is a passage like this that we should read, where his appreciation of the work that women were doing in the Church shines through.

Of the twenty-four names, thirteen occur in inscriptions or documents which have to do with the Emperor's palace in Rome. Although many are very common names, this fact is nonetheless suggestive that there had been a bit of a Christian revival there.

In Philippians 4:22 Paul speaks of the saints of Caesar's household. It may be that they were for the most part slaves, but it is still important that Christianity seems to have penetrated even thus early into the imperial palace.

Other Notable Individuals listed here include:

Epaenetus (v. 5b): the first convert in Achaia. Mary (v. 6): "Who laboured much for us" – worked to the point of physical weariness.

Andronicus and Junias form an interesting pair, because it is most likely that Junias is a female name. That would mean that in the early Church a woman could be ranked as among the apostle, I know some disagree with this perspective, but those who have studied NT Greek say that suggestion is clear here. I’m not going to be dogmatic or rule on this matter. But what we do know is that the apostles in this sense were people whom the Church sent out to tell the story of Jesus at large. 

Paul says that Andronicus and Junias were Christians before he was. That means that they must go right back to the time of Stephen; they must have been a direct link with the earliest Church at Jerusalem.

Ampliatus (v. 8), Urbanus (v. 9), Stachys (v. 9) are next to be mentioned.

Behind the name of Ampliatus may well lie an interesting story. It is a quite common slave name. Today in the cemetery of Domatilla, which is the earliest of the Christian catacombs, there is a decorated tomb with the single name Ampliatus carved on it in bold and decorative lettering. 

The fact that the single name Ampliatus alone is carved on the tomb--Romans who were citizens would have three names, what were referred to as their, nomen, a praenomen, and a cognomen. So this single name would indicate that this Ampliatus was a slave; but the elaborate tomb and the bold lettering would indicate that he was a man of high rank in the Church. 

From that it is plain to see that in the early days of the Church the distinctions of rank were so completely wiped out that it was possible for a man at one and the same time to be a slave and hold a high rank in the Church.

Households of Aristobulus (v. 10) and Narcissus (v. 11) are next.

The household of Aristobulus may also be a phrase with an interesting history.

In Rome household did not describe only a man's family and personal relations; it included also his servants and slaves. 

In Rome for long there had lived a grandson of Herod the Great whose name was Aristobulus. He had lived always as a private individual and had inherited none of Herod's regions or domains; but he was a close friend of the Emperor Claudius. When he died his servants and slaves would become the property of the Emperor, but they would form a section of his establishment known as the household of Aristobulus. 

So, this particular phrase used here by Paul may well describe Jewish servants and slaves who had once belonged to Aristobulus, Herod's grandson, and had now become the property of the Emperor. 

This is made the more probable by the name mentioned on each side of the phrase. Apelles may quite well be the Greek name that a Jew called Abel would take, and Herodion is a name which would obviously suit one who had some connection with the family of Herod.

The household of Narcissus may have still yet another interesting story behind it.

Narcissus was a common name; but the most famous Narcissus was a freedman who had been secretary to the Emperor Claudius and had exercised a notorious influence over him. He was said to have amassed a private fortune.

His power had lain in the fact that all correspondence addressed to the Emperor had to pass through his hands and never reached him unless he allowed it to do so. 

He was said to have made his fortune from the fact that people paid him large bribes to make sure that their petitions did reach the Emperor. 

When Claudius was murdered and Nero came to the throne, Narcissus survived for a short time, but in the end, he was compelled to commit suicide, and all his fortune and all his household of slaves passed into Nero's possession. It may well be his one-time slaves which are referred to here. 

It seems the influence of Christianity had reached and stayed within the highest circles in the Empire.

12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.

(Rom 18:12-16)

No doubt behind all these names lies a story; but it is only about a few of them that we can guess and reconstruct.

Tryphena and Tryphosa (v. 12): Their names mean "delicate" or "dainty," yet they "labored in the Lord."

It is as if he were saying: "You two may be called dainty and delicate; but you belie your names by working like Trojans for the sake of Christ." We can well imagine a twinkle in Paul's eye as he dictated that greeting.

Persis (v. 12): Another woman, "beloved," who "laboured much in the Lord."

Rufus (v. 13): "Chosen in the Lord" – perhaps a remarkable example of God's choice, or an outstanding believer. Paul also greets Rufus's mother, calling her "his mother and mine," suggesting she had shown motherly care to Paul.

One of the great hidden mystery’s of the New Testament lies behind the name of Rufus and his mother, who was also a mother figure to Paul.

It is obvious that Rufus is a man well-known for saintliness in the Church at Rome; and it is equally obvious that Paul felt that he owed a deep debt of gratitude to the mother of Rufus for the kindness he had received from her. 

But, wWho was this Rufus?

In Mark 15:21 we read of one Simon a Cyrenian who was compelled to carry the Cross of Jesus on the road to Calvary; and he is described as the father of Alexander and Rufus. 

Now if a man is identified by the names of his sons, it means that, although he himself may not be personally known to the community to whom the story is being told, his sons are. 

To what Church, then, did Mark write his gospel? He wrote it to the Church of Rome, and he knew that the Christians there would know who Alexander and Rufus were. So almost certainly here we find Rufus again, this being the son of that Simon of Cyrenia who carried the Cross of Jesus.

That must have been a terrible day for Simon. He was a Jew, from far-off Cyrene in North Africa. No doubt he had scraped and saved for half a lifetime to celebrate one Passover in Jerusalem. As he entered the city on that day, excited at attending the Feast when suddenly at the point of a Roman spear he was compelled to carry a criminal's cross. 

How angry and bitter he must have been at this terrible indignity! All the way from Cyrene to end up doing this this! To have come so far to participate in the Passover and to have had this dreadful and shameful thing happen! 

No doubt he initially thought, as soon as he reached Calvary, I’ll drop the cross and stride away to enjoy the Passover.

But something must have happened. On the way to Calvary the attitude of the broken figure of Jesus must have laid its tendrils round his heart. 

He must have stayed to watch, and that figure on the Cross drew Simon to himself for ever. 

That chance encounter on the road to Calvary changed Simon's life. 

He came to sit at the Jewish Passover and he went away the slave of Christ. He must have gone home and brought his wife and sons into the same experience as he had himself.

And as for Rufus’s mother-- in some hour of need must have brought to Paul the help and the comfort and the love Paul needed at that time. 

Two more clusters of names are greeted along with "the brethren" or "saints who are with them," possibly indicating other house churches.

Within which there remains one other name which may have a perhaps even more amazing story behind it--that of Nereus. 

In A.D. 95 an event occurred which shocked Rome. Two of the most distinguished people in the city were condemned for being Christians. They were Flavius Clemens, who had been consul of Rome, and his wife Domatilla, who was of royal blood. She was the grand-daughter of Vespasian, a former Emperor, and the niece of Domitian the reigning Emperor. 

In fact, the two sons of Flavius Clemens and Domatilla had been designated Domitian's successors in the imperial power. Flavius was executed and Domatilla was banished to the island of Pontia.

The point is this--the name of the chamberlain of Flavius and Domatilla was Nereus. Is it possible that Nereus the slave had something to do with the making into Christians of Flavius Clemens the ex-consul and Domatilla the princess of the royal blood? 

It may be a speculation, for Nereus was a relatively common name, but, on the other hand, it may be true.

There is one other point of interest to add to this story. Flavius Clemens was the son of Flavius Sabinus, who had been Nero's city prefect when Nero sadistically persecuted the Christians after charging them with being responsible for the appalling fire which devastated Rome in A.D. 64. 

As city prefect Flavius Sabinus must have been Nero's executive officer in that persecution. It was then that Nero ordered the Christians to be rolled in pitch and set alight to form living torches for his gardens, to be sewn into the skins of wild beasts and flung to savage hunting dogs, to be shackled in in ships which were sunk in the Tiber.

Is it possible that thirty years before he died for Christ, the young Flavius Clemens had seen the dauntless courage of the martyrs and wondered what made men able to die like that?

Five verses of full names and of greetings--but they open vistas which thrill the heart!

Paul concludes this section: "Greet one another with a holy kiss." This was a common greeting practice, men kissing men and women kissing women on the cheek, done in holiness. 

Finally, "The churches of Christ greet you," showing the interconnectedness of believers across the Roman Empire.

Why did God inspire this long list in His eternal Word? Beyond the obvious applications—to receive, assist, and greet fellow believers—I believe there's a deeper lesson. 

This list is meant to be an illustration. 

Remember, God has a book in heaven, an eternal book with names in it.

Is Your Name in God's Book?

There are 26 specific names in this section. God's book in heaven, the Book of Life, also contains names. Is yours there? 

This NL list embodies Isaiah's words: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." 

These were people Christ found, from diverse backgrounds—Jewish, Latin, Greek. He lifted them, cleansed them, and said, "You're mine." If you've trusted Jesus Christ, your name is in that eternal Book of Life.

If Your Name is There, What's Written Beside It?

Of these 26 names, for the majority (16 of them), all that's recorded here is their name and that they were to be greeted. They were saved, in the book, but that’s the extent of the comment in this list.

Five individuals are specifically said to have "laboured in the Lord" or are called "workers."

For two women, Mary and Persis, it's emphasized they "labored much." It’s often true that women often carry a heavy load in the Lord's work. Jesus spoke of bearing fruit thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold. When God opens His books, will it simply say your name? Or will it say "worker," "labored for Christ," or even "labored much for Christ"? 

We often pour our lives into temporary things. What will truly count is what we did for Jesus Christ. One day, we might wish, perhaps to the point of tears, that we had labored much more for Him.

The Beloved: Four individuals are called "beloved." Are you so beloved that God would note it? It's possible to work hard, even labor long, but be somewhat obnoxious or lacking in grace. Some bring a blessing when they come; others are a blessing when they leave! Are you a refreshing presence, or do rough edges remain?

Willingness for Ultimate Sacrifice: Of Priscilla and Aquila, it’s said they "risked their own necks" for Paul's life. 

As 1 John 3:16 says, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

So, in this list, some are known by their labour, some by their love and sacrifice.

What Will Be Said of You?

This list might seem like a graduation roster, many names read until they get to the one you care about. 

There's a day coming when we'll all stand before the Lord. I don't know exactly what it will be like, but is it possible there will be a reading of names? On that day, I'll only be interested in one name: mine. And when my name is called, what will be said about me

If God is keeping a record, and my name is in His book—and it is if I'm in Christ—what's beside it? Does it say I laboured for the Lord? I hope so.

Does it say I was filled with love as well as labour? I hope so.

What church doesn't need workers and lovers? People to work, people to love, people who are both.

What epitaphs! How much greater than the stone monuments emperors built to preserve their memory! Yet these names in Romans 16, ordinary people, are preserved in God's eternal Word.

So, the question remains for each of us: Is your name in the Book of Life? And if so, what will be the testimony written beside it? 

But when all those stones have turned to sand, and when the elements melt in  fervent heat, and Rome, supposedly eternal, is seen to be the essence of what is temporal, these humble people, beloved, hard workers  and saints, will burst forth in the brilliance of a truly  eternal city, which foundation and whose builder and maker is  God, will name and remember then.

I trust, you shall be one of them.