Phoebe

Saint Phoebe was a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae, the port of Corinth, in the first century. Her name is kept in the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Romans, where she is commended to the believers in Rome and entrusted with carrying the letter. The Church celebrates her on 3 September.

Phoebe in the New Testament Saint Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans at Corinth, between the years 56 and 58, to prepare a missionary journey to Spain. Since he had not yet come to Rome, he sent the letter there by Phoebe, whom he introduces to the Christians there, who did not know her, as a sister in the Lord and a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae. He asks them to receive her as is fitting for the saints and to help her in whatever she might need, for she herself had been a support to many, and to Paul. It is the only place in the New Testament where a woman is called at once deaconess (Greek diakonos) and helper or patroness (prostatis).

The name Phoebe means radiant or pure. The word prostatis shows that she was a woman of means, who supported the apostolic work from her own resources and, it appears, hosted the church in her house and gave hospitality to Paul when he passed through Cenchreae. Some scholars think that her ministry may have reached beyond works of mercy to preaching. It is believed that Phoebe was converted by Paul himself, who praises her character and courage on the long journey to Rome.

Veneration Nothing else is known with certainty about her life. She is regarded as the first deaconess numbered among the saints. The Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church and the Episcopal Church in the United States commemorate her on 3 September.