Stachys

Biblical Record

Stachys appears once, in Romans 16. At the close of the letter, Paul sends greetings to many believers in Rome, writing, "Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved" (Romans 16:9). The text says nothing about his origin, office, or work. Because Paul calls him "my beloved," however, he is thought to have been personally close to Paul. His name means "ear of grain" in Greek.

Significance Within the Bible

Romans 16 lists nearly thirty names. As one of them, Stachys shows that even in the Roman church, which Paul had not yet visited, there were believers with whom he was personally acquainted. His name is read as evidence that the early church was held together by a network of relationships among many believers.

Interpretation and Debate

Later Eastern church tradition counts Stachys among the seventy disciples of Luke 10 and relates that the apostle Andrew appointed him the first bishop of Byzantium (later Constantinople). These accounts belong to church tradition and have no basis in the biblical text. Protestants generally accept only what Romans records as factual information about him.

In the Korean Church

Sermons or Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Stachys are rare. He is usually mentioned only when Romans 16 is preached, as one of the many believers named in the greetings of the Pauline Epistles.