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Rom 16:5. Κατʼ οἷκον, in the house) When any Christian was the possessor of a spacious mansion, he gave it as a place for meeting together. Hitherto the believers at Rome had neither bishops nor ministers. Therefore they had nothing at that time resembling the papacy. It does not appear that there were more of these house-churches then at Rome; otherwise Paul would have mentioned them also [as he does those in this ch.] Aquila therefore was at Rome, what Gaius was at Corinth, ch. Rom 16:23; although the persecution had particularly pressed upon him, Act 18:2.-Ἐπαίνετον, Epaenetus) Paul had not hitherto been at Rome, and yet he had many intimate acquaintances there from Asia, or even from Greece, Palestine, Cilicia, Syria. There is no mention here of Linus or Clement, whence we may conclude, that they came to Rome afterwards.-ἀπαρχὴ, first fruits) This is evidently a title of approbation, 1Co 16:15.-Ἀχαΐας) others have Ἀσίας,[166] and Grotius, along with the British writers quoted by Wolfius approves of it, with whom he says, how far he is correct I know not, that Whitby agrees. D. Hauberus in particular supports Ἀχαΐας, and somewhat too liberally ascribes to the transcribers the same skill in reasoning, for which he himself is remarkable. Bibl. Betracht., Part 3, page 93. See Appendix. crit. Ed. ii., on this passage.
[166] Ἀσίας is the reading of ABCD (corrected later) G Vulg. Memph. fg. Versions. Αχαΐας is only supported by the two Syr. Versions, of very ancient authorities.-ED.