Hermes (2)
A Brief Greeting with Lasting Significance
In Romans 16:14, Paul writes: "Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the other brothers and sisters with them." This Hermes is distinct from the Greek god of the same name and from the Hermes mentioned in Acts 14:12. He was a real person, a member of the Christian community in Rome, whom Paul considered worthy of personal recognition.
A Common Name Among Slaves
The name Hermes was extraordinarily common in the Roman Empire, particularly among slaves and freedmen. The biblical scholar J.B. Lightfoot noted that in the imperial household alone, inscriptions record approximately twenty individuals named Hermes who lived around the time Paul wrote his letter. The prevalence of this name among the slave class suggests that the Hermes of Romans 16 may well have been a slave or a freed slave who had come to faith in Christ.
The Social World of the Roman Church
The list of names in Romans 16 provides a fascinating window into the social diversity of the early Roman church. Alongside Hermes, Paul greets people with Greek, Latin, and Jewish names, representing a cross-section of Roman society. The grouping of Hermes with Asyncritus, Phlegon, Patrobas, and Hermas, along with "the brothers and sisters with them," suggests these individuals may have formed a distinct house church within the larger Roman Christian community.
The Gospel's Power to Unite
That Paul personally knew and greeted a man who may have been a slave speaks volumes about the radical social leveling that the gospel produced. In Christ, the distinctions between slave and free, Jew and Greek, were transcended (Galatians 3:28). The church at Rome brought together people from vastly different social stations into a single fellowship of believers, united by their common faith in Jesus.
A Witness to Early Christianity in Rome
Paul wrote Romans around AD 57, before he had personally visited the church in Rome. Yet his extensive list of personal greetings in chapter 16 shows that he had already developed relationships with many Roman Christians, likely encountering them during his travels. Hermes, though mentioned only once and otherwise unknown, stands as a representative of the countless ordinary believers whose faithful lives formed the foundation of the early church.
Biblical Context
Hermes appears only in Romans 16:14, where Paul sends greetings to him along with several other believers in the Roman church. He is grouped with four other men and 'the brothers and sisters with them,' suggesting a house church gathering.
Theological Significance
Hermes represents the inclusive nature of the early church, which embraced people of every social class. His likely slave background illustrates Paul's teaching that in Christ there is neither slave nor free (Galatians 3:28), and that every member of the body of Christ matters.
Historical Background
The name Hermes was derived from the Greek god and was extremely common among slaves in the Roman Empire. Inscriptions from the imperial household record numerous individuals with this name from the first century AD. The Roman church likely consisted of multiple house churches spread across the city, each with its own small community of believers.