I commend unto you, &c.— This chapter consists chiefly of salutations. Throughout the whole Epistle the Apostle has demonstrated his affectionate regards to the whole society of Christians at Rome. But it was still more engaging to take a friendly notice of the principal persons by name, adding to several of them the honourable character whichthey deserved, or some special mark of his esteem. In the midst of these expressions of his love, the great design of writing the Epistle, and establishing their happiness, recurs to his thoughts. The Jewish converts were exceeding zealous to reduce all professors of Christianity to a submission to the law of Moses; and on this account not only propagated bad principles of religion, but almost every where broke in upon the peace and unity of the Gentile churches. This was the case of the churches in Galatia; but was not yet the unhappy case of the church at Rome. But the Apostle fearing it might, after all that he has done in this Epistle to settle them upon the principles of pure Gospel, throws in here a very pathetic caution against such authors and fomenters of divisions, Romans 16:17-20. He concludes, after repeated benedictions, (like one who with his whole soul wished their highest felicity,) with a doxology to the only-wise God.
I commend Phebe—which is a servant, &c.— It might be translated, who is a deaconess of the church at Cenchrea, a port belonging to the city of Corinth, whence St. Paul wrote this letter. It is agreed that the deacons were officers employed in distributing the church's stock among the necessitous. They were to be persons of an eminent character, 1 Timothy 3:8-11 and therefore their service in the church might not consist only in relieving the poor, but in visiting the sick, in exhorting, comforting, and teaching, as occasion required. Corinth was a city of Greece, and, according to the customs of that country, men could not well be allowed to perform those good offices to the women: for men to have visited and conversed with women, would have been counted a very great indecency, and must have brought a scandal upon the Christian profession; as in Greece the women were treated in a manner very different from the usages of the western parts of Europe. This appears from Cornelius Nepos, who observes in his preface, "A great many things in our customs are decent, which are thought scandalous among them: for which of the Romans thinks it a shame to take his spouse to a feast? Or whose wife keeps not in the first room of the house, and converses with company? Which is quite otherwise in Greece, where she is never admitted to a feast, unless of relations, and always keeps in a retired part of the house, which is called the woman's apartment, whither nobody comes, unless allied to her bynear relation." This being the case, it is not improbable that some women of probity and good understanding might be chosen to attend as deaconesses upon their own sex. And this custom of keeping the women in a state of separation might occasion, in Greece, other allowable peculiarities in religious affairs. It is certain that they sometimes exercised their devotions apart from their husbands (1 Corinthians 7:5.); and that they had separate assemblies for religious worship will appear probable, if we consider that the Apostle, when he is giving rules about prophesying, absolutely enjoins silence to the women in the church, or public assembly; 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. They were not allowed to speak or prophesy there, by the commandment of the Lord, 1 Corinthians 14:37 or so much as to ask any question in the public assembly about what was taught, but directed to consult their husbands at home: much less were they allowed to teach or usurp authority over the men, but are expressly ordered to learn in silence, with all subjection, 1 Timothy 2:11-12. And yet the Apostle supposes, 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 without any mark of disapprobation, that the woman might pray and prophesy, that is, speak unto others to edification, exhortation, and comfort; for that is here the meaning of prophesying, as the Apostle informs us, 1 Corinthians 14:3 therefore prophesying is an address to others, or to a company of persons. Here then the Apostle gives directions about the woman's praying and prophesying in an assembly, or where others were present, and yet, in the above-quoted places, he expressly enjoins silence, and forbids her speaking, and consequently prophesying, in the churches.—How shall we bring these things to a consistency?—Thus: the prohibitions and injunctions, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, 1 Timothy 2:11-12 expressly relate to those assemblies, in which the whole church, men and women, met for the worship of God. In such assemblies the women were to be in silence; consequently (unless the Apostle contradicted himself in the same Epistle, and in a matter upon which he discourses largely and expressly) those assemblies in which women are supposed and allowed to pray and prophesy, were separate meetings, which consisted of none but women. Of the decent appearance of women at such meetings, he discourses, 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 where we may observe there is not one word of the church;—of praying or prophesying in the church;—for he did not consider those assemblies of women as proper churches. Then at 1 Corinthians 11:17 he begins to correct disorders in their proper assemblies, when they came together in the church, men and women (1 Corinthians 11:28); and discourses upon this subject to the end of ch. 14. In favour of this opinion, Grotius, on the verse before us, remarks, "that in Greece there were Πρεσβυτιδες, female presbyters, as well as deacons, for the instruction of their own sex; which female presbyters were ordained by the laying on of hands; till the council of Laodicea;" and for this he appeals to the eleventh canon of that council. This order of priestesses must grow out of the custom of women's holding separate assemblies for their mutual instruction and edification. In those assemblies theysupposed that they might lay aside the veil, the token of inferiority and subjection, and perform their religious exercises uncovered, as if they were upon a par with the men. This the Apostle opposes, and gives his reasons, 1 Corinthians 11:3-9. "But,—the women might object,—we have no men among us; why should we wear the badge of subjection, when we are among ourselves, and therefore are to be considered only in relation to ourselves?" The Apostle answers, Romans 16:10. You ought to have power (that is, a veil, the sign of the man's power or authority upon your head, because or on account of the MESSENGERS; for so the word Αγγελους, which we translate Angels, most naturally and properly signifies; and so it is rendered, Matthew 11:10, Luke 7:24; Luke 7:27; Luke 9:52; James 2:25. This furnishes a hint of what the reason of the case plainly suggests, that the men, upon sundry occasions, especially to inspect their conduct, sent messengers to those female assemblies. If we duly reflect upon the general custom of confining and restraining the women, even at home, in their own houses, we need not doubt but those meetings were under particular regulations; and that care would be taken to send proper persons to see how they behaved in them; not to mention that a woman might be wanted at home, and a messenger might be sent to require her attendance. However, it is very probable, that access to messengers was one of the conditions upon which the women held these religious assemblies; and these messengers, coming in the name of their husbands, brought, in a sense, their authority along with them; on which account the women ought to observe a just decorum, as if their husbands were present, seeing that they were in effect still under their eye:—The woman ought to have power upon her head, on account of the messengers. Mr. Locke, in his note on 1 Corinthians 11:3 supposes women were allowed to prophesy in public assemblies, where men were present; not indeed as ordinary doctors and teachers, but when their "prophesying was a spiritual gift, performed by the immediate and extraordinary motion and impulse of the Holy Ghost." But this great commentator did not observe, that women are expressly and absolutely enjoined silence in the churches, by the commandment of the Lord, among the rules relative to speaking in this very kind of prophesying, by revelation. See 1 Corinthians 14:29-37. Whence, particularly from 1 Corinthians 14:32-33 we may conclude, that a revelation given by the Spirit of God was not, at least in general, attended with any such extraordinary motion or impulse, as constrained the person to speak to whom it was given. With regard to the time of speaking, he might use his discretion;—when he thought proper, he might begin to speak; and when he pleased, he might hold his speech, as decency and good order should require. Therefore, though the Spirit of prophesy might be poured out upon a Christian woman in the church; or though some truth might be revealed to her, yet she might keep it to herself, and was obliged to keep it to herself, among the Christian men, and to confer only with her husband about it, who, it seems likely, might communicate it to the church, if he thought fit.