The Apostolic Fathers · AD 70–130
Persis
fl. c. 57 (death unrecorded) · “The beloved, who laboured much in the Lord” · Rome
The Apostolic Fathers
Who Persis was
“Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord” — the strongest commendation in the chapter’s women: not “my” beloved (as for the men Ampliatus and Stachys) but simply “the beloved,” the whole church’s, and her labor graded polla, “much.” The name (“Persian woman”) is servile; the honor is not. On such single verses rests most of what can be known about the church Paul had never yet visited.
Common questions
When was Persis active?
Persis is dated fl. c. 57 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Persis in the Apostolic Fathers (AD 70–130). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Persis?
Persis is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Paul, Origen of Alexandria and John Chrysostom. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Persis from?
The archive associates Persis with Rome.
Who were Persis’ contemporaries?
The archive links Persis to 3 other figures, including Mary of Rome, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Scripture record
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Origen, Commentary on Romans X (on 'the beloved Persis')
c. AD 246Homilies on Romans XXXI (her labour ranked above the rest)
c. AD 391But Persis he calls beloved too, to show that she is greater than these. For he says, “Salute my beloved Persis.” And of her great laborings he likewise bears testimony, and says, “which labored much in the Lord.”John Chrysostom · Homilies on Romans XXXI · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 30 · Crucifixion, Resurrection and Pentecost, AD 30–33
- AD 44 · Persecution under Herod Agrippa I, AD 44
- AD 49 · The Council of Jerusalem, AD 49
- AD 57 · Paul writes Romans, AD 57
- AD 62 · James the Just stoned, AD 62
- AD 64 · The Great Fire and Nero’s persecution, AD 64
- AD 70 · The fall of Jerusalem, AD 70
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Persis.
- 1Rome