Unlimited: Hard-Working Women
Jan 5, 2024 374
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 (Romans 16:12).
Paul continues to emphasise his female co-workers in the Gospel. Here in Romans 16:12 he greets three women; Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis, who have worked hard for the Lord. One gets the impression, from the sheer number of women whom he greets in the letter to the Romans, and from his mentions of women elsewhere, that women were especially prominent in the early spread of Christianity.
This impression would be correct, even from its very start. Consider that the women were there at the Cross, but his disciples, except for John, were cowering in fear. Consider that women were the first to see the risen Lord, and appointed to be his first messengers.
Women were especially prominent in the early spread of Christianity.
There is also a great deal of external evidence for the prominence of women in the spread of Christianity in its first generations. Rodney Stark, a sociologist, estimates that women made up two-thirds of the Christian communities during the second century. This was despite the reality that Christianity was viewed as a despised movement for outsiders.
Christianity’s critics condemned this new religion as lacking the virtues of masculinity which the Roman world so highly prized. That’s the reason why the second century philosopher Celsus attacked Christianity on the basis that,
[Christians]… are able to convince only the foolish, dishonorable, and stupid, only slaves, women, and little children.
Spiritual Application
Take some time to reflect on who have been the key women in your life who had nurtured and guided your faith. Think carefully, even beyond your own family. Are you able to do something to acknowledge and thank them?
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