Paul gives a long list of greetings in Romans 16:1-16. Wright suggests the reasons for such a list is because Paul doesn’t want to create new divisions — so he mentions all the house churches he knows.
He begins with Phoebe. She’s a “deacon,” not a “deaconness” or just a “servant.” She’s a leader; she’s a “sister.” And she’s a “benefactor.” Which means she was a significant woman leader of the church outside Corinth, in Cenchreae. She’s got the letter, according to Wright.
Since we’ve been doing some posts on women in ministry, we might have some who have some thoughts about Phoebe.