Phoebe, a Host of Christian Travelers: The Meaning of Προστάτις in Romans 16:2

In Rom 16:2, Paul refers to Phoebe in Cenchreae as “a patron [προστάτις] of many and of myself.” After considering the various proposals regarding the nature of Phoebe’s “patronage” toward Paul, I advance a hypothesis mentioned by Origen and some modern commentators in passing—that Phoebe was a προστάτις in that she provided hospitality services, such as accommodation and advocacy, to Paul and other Christian travelers. To support this interpretation, I bring to bear two types of evidence: epigraphic data regarding προστάτις and Paul’s sociorhetorical purposes in Rom 16:2. Epigraphic evidence establishes that hospitality was a common aspect of being a προστάτης, as the term commonly defined πρόξɛνοι (“public friend-hosts”). In terms of rhetoric, Paul refers to Phoebe as a προστάτις in his commendation of her to the recipients in Rome (Rom 16:1–2), indicating that Phoebe’s past hospitality as a προστάτις makes her deserving of the Romans’ future hospitality.