Unlimited: Dear Friends in the Lord
Jan 2, 2024 326
Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys (Romans 16:8–9).
Friendship in the Lord is the closest and dearest kind of friendship. Paul here greets three people, of whom Ampliatus and Stachys are named as dear friends, and Urbanus is named as Paul’s co-worker in Christ.
Ampliatus was a common Roman name and associated with the Emperor’s household. There is a first or early-second century tomb in the catacomb of Domitilla that bears the name of Ampliatus. The singular name suggests that Ampliatus had been a slave, while the decorations on the tomb suggest that he had been an important person in the church of Rome. All of these things together suggest that Ampliatus was from an important Roman household. We don’t know if this is the same Ampliatus that Paul greeted in his epistle to the Roman church.
Friendship in the Lord is the closest and dearest kind of friendship.
The names of Urbanus and Stachys also indicate that their bearers may have been slaves. Perhaps up to 40% of the population of Rome were slaves, a group among which Christianity was disproportionately represented.
Christian tradition tells us that Stachys was the first bishop of the great city of Constantinople. It may also be significant that in Christian tradition, Stachys is always associated with five others whom Paul greets: Ampliatus, Urban, Apelles, Aristobulus and Narcissus, suggesting that they worked together as a united team for the cause of the Gospel.
Spiritual Application
Who are your dearest friends in the Lord? Spiritually, what makes them so special? Don’t take them for granted. Spend some time with them soon.
OKURUT MARTIN
Jan 5, 2024
Thanks for reaching out and bearing the truth always as we preach the gospel all Nations. Wishing you a happy New year.