Stephanas
Stephanas
Info
- #coworker #benefactor
- Home:: Corinthian Church
- Other Locales:: Ephesian Church
- References:: 1 Corinthians 16#16:15-16, 1 Corinthians 16#16:17
Notes
- Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus are mentioned together in 1 Corinthians 16#16:17. They visited Paul in Ephesian Church.
- His household was the "firstfruits of Achaia" (1 Corinthians 16#16:15)
Summary
Stephanas's household was "the firstfruits of Achaia" (1 Corinthians 16#16:15), the first converts in the entire province of southern Greece. Paul personally baptized his household (1 Corinthians 1#1:16), one of only a few baptisms Paul performed in Corinth.
Paul commends the household of Stephanas because "they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints" (1 Corinthians 16#16:15). The verb "devoted" means they saw a need and stepped into it voluntarily. Paul urges the Corinthians to "be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer" (1 Corinthians 16#16:16), a statement that grants Stephanas's household authority based on their service rather than formal appointment.
Stephanas traveled to Paul in Ephesus with Fortunatus and Achaicus. Their coming "refreshed my spirit as well as yours" (1 Corinthians 16#16:17-18). This delegation likely carried the Corinthians' letter of questions and may have carried 1 Corinthians back to Corinth. Paul asks the Corinthians to "give recognition to such people" (1 Corinthians 16#16:18).
Stephanas represents lay leadership that emerged naturally in Pauline churches: wealthy householders whose conversion brought their household into the faith, who devoted their resources to serving the community, and who gained authority through service.