Revision #11683
Narcissus
Localized for English-speaking readers
Status: approved
Changes from the previous English revision
= ## Biblical Record
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- Narcissus (Greek *Narkissos*) appears only once in the Bible, in Romans 16:11. At the close of his letter, Paul greets a number of people in the church at Rome, and in this verse he writes, "Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord" (KJV). The Korean Revised Version uses the word *gwonsok* ("household"), which the New Korean Revised Version renders as *gajok* ("family"). *Gwonsok* denotes those who belong to a single household. In Roman society of the time, a household included not only blood relatives but also the slaves and freedmen attached to it.
+ Narcissus (Greek *Narkissos*) appears only once in the Bible, in Romans 16:11. At the close of his letter, Paul greets a number of people in the church at Rome, and in this verse he writes, "Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord" (Romans 16:11, KJV). The term "household" refers to those who belonged to a single house. In Roman society of the time, it included not only blood relatives but also the slaves and freedmen attached to the house.
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= The text says nothing about the faith or life of Narcissus himself.
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= ## Significance Within the Bible
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- Paul greets not Narcissus himself but those of his household who are "in the Lord," that is, those who had become Christians. Interpretations of this expression differ. Some hold that Narcissus himself was not a believer, while others suggest that he had already died or was not in Rome. Together with the greeting in the preceding verse to "them which are of Aristobulus' household" (Romans 16:10), this verse is often cited as an example of how the early church spread along household lines, particularly among slaves and the lower classes.
+ Paul greets not Narcissus himself but those of his household who are "in the Lord," that is, those who had become Christians. Interpreters differ over this expression. Some hold that Narcissus himself was not a believer, while others suggest that he had already died or was not in Rome. Together with the greeting in the preceding verse to "them which are of Aristobulus' household" (Romans 16:10), this verse is often cited as an example of how the early church spread along household lines, particularly among slaves and the lower classes.
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= ## Interpretations and Issues
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= - **Identification with a historical figure**: The nineteenth-century English scholar J. B. Lightfoot and others identified this Narcissus with the freedman Narcissus, a close aide of the Roman emperor Claudius. This Narcissus is known to have been executed or to have taken his own life around AD 54, after the emperor's death. On this view, his slaves may have continued to be known by their former master's name even after they became imperial property. This, however, is a conjecture based on the shared name, not an established fact.
- - **Church tradition**: Eastern Orthodox tradition counts Narcissus among the Seventy disciples sent out by Jesus and holds that he became bishop of Athens. This account is not based on the biblical text but is a later tradition.
+ - **Church tradition**: Eastern Orthodox tradition counts Narcissus among the Seventy disciples sent out by Jesus and holds that he became bishop of Athens. This account rests not on the biblical text but on later tradition.
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= ## In the Korean Church
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- Sermons or Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Narcissus are rare. His name usually comes up in sermons on the greetings of Romans 16 as a whole, including Romans 16:1–7. In such contexts he is sometimes cited to illustrate the faith of believers whose names have not been remembered or the spread of the gospel within households.
+ In Korean Protestant churches, sermons or Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Narcissus are rare. His name usually comes up in sermons on the greetings of Romans 16 as a whole, including Romans 16:1–7. In such contexts he is sometimes cited to illustrate the faith of believers whose names have not been remembered or the spread of the gospel within households.
Narcissus is a person mentioned in Romans 16:11, in the list of Paul's greetings. Paul greets not Narcissus himself but the members of his household who believed in the Lord.
Narcissus is a person mentioned by Paul in the greetings of Romans 16:11. Paul sends greetings not to Narcissus himself but to those of his household who believed in the Lord.
Full revision
Narcissus is a person mentioned by Paul in the greetings of Romans 16:11. Paul sends greetings not to Narcissus himself but to those of his household who believed in the Lord.
Biblical Record
Narcissus (Greek Narkissos) appears only once in the Bible, in Romans 16:11. At the close of his letter, Paul greets a number of people in the church at Rome, and in this verse he writes, "Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord" (Romans 16:11, KJV). The term "household" refers to those who belonged to a single house. In Roman society of the time, it included not only blood relatives but also the slaves and freedmen attached to the house.
The text says nothing about the faith or life of Narcissus himself.
Significance Within the Bible
Paul greets not Narcissus himself but those of his household who are "in the Lord," that is, those who had become Christians. Interpreters differ over this expression. Some hold that Narcissus himself was not a believer, while others suggest that he had already died or was not in Rome. Together with the greeting in the preceding verse to "them which are of Aristobulus' household" (Romans 16:10), this verse is often cited as an example of how the early church spread along household lines, particularly among slaves and the lower classes.
Interpretations and Issues
- Identification with a historical figure: The nineteenth-century English scholar J. B. Lightfoot and others identified this Narcissus with the freedman Narcissus, a close aide of the Roman emperor Claudius. This Narcissus is known to have been executed or to have taken his own life around AD 54, after the emperor's death. On this view, his slaves may have continued to be known by their former master's name even after they became imperial property. This, however, is a conjecture based on the shared name, not an established fact.
- Church tradition: Eastern Orthodox tradition counts Narcissus among the Seventy disciples sent out by Jesus and holds that he became bishop of Athens. This account rests not on the biblical text but on later tradition.
In the Korean Church
In Korean Protestant churches, sermons or Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Narcissus are rare. His name usually comes up in sermons on the greetings of Romans 16 as a whole, including Romans 16:1–7. In such contexts he is sometimes cited to illustrate the faith of believers whose names have not been remembered or the spread of the gospel within households.