Euodia

Euo’dia. See Euodias.

EUODIA.—This is clearly the correct form of the name, not Euodias as AV [Note: Authorized Version.] (Php 4:2 f.), for a woman is intended. St. Paul beseeches her and Syntyche to be reconciled; perhaps they were deaconesses at Philippi.

A. J. Maclean.

ū̇-ō´di-a (Εὐοδία, Euodı́a, literally, “prosperous journey.”

1. Women Prominent in Church at Philippi

The Textus Receptus of the New Testament of Stephen reads Εὐωδία, Euōdı́a, which means “fragrant,” Php 4:2. King James Version has transformed Euodia into Euodias, which is a man’s name. The mistake is rectified in the Revised Version (British and American)): A Christian woman, one of the members of the church in Philippi. She and Syntyche, who is named in the same verse, were evidently persons of note, prominent in the work of the church there. At Philippi the gospel was first preached to women (Act 16:13), and the church was first formed among women - evidently in the house of Lydia (Act 16:15, Act 16:40). Paul here makes a request of Euodia and Syntyche. He requests - the word is never used of prayer from us to God - he asks, he beseeches. Euodia, and then he repeats the word, he beseeches Syntyche, to be of the same mind in the Lord. Possibly, as Lightfoot suggests, they may have been deaconesses in the Philippian church, but whatever their position in this respect may have been, differences had arisen between them on some subject, we know not what.

2. The Difference Which Arose

But whatever the subject in dispute was, it had become so serious that, instead of the breach being healed, matters had become chronic; and news regarding this lack of forbearance between Euodia and Syntyche had been carried to Paul in his captivity in Rome.

3. Paul Entreats Them

The state of Christian life in the church at Philippi gave Paul almost unmingled satisfaction. He regarded with joy their faith and steadfastness and liberality. There was no false teaching, no division; among them. The only thing which could cause him any uneasiness was the want of harmony between Euodia and Syntyche. He beseeches them to give up their differences, and to live at peace in the Lord. Such is the motive which he puts before them with a view to bring about their reconciliation; to live in dispute and enmity is not worthy of those who are “in the Lord,” who have been redeemed by the Lord, and whose whole life should be an endeavor to please Him.

4. The True Yokefellow

Paul proceeds to ask a certain person, unnamed, but whom he terms “true yokefellow” to assist them, that is, to assist Euodia and Syntyche; for each of them, he says, “labored with me in the gospel.” It is uncertain what is meant by “true yokefellow.” He may refer to Epaphroditus, who carried the epistle from Rome to Philippi. Other names have been suggested - Luke, Silas, Timothy. It has been thought by some that Paul here refers to his own wife, or to Lydia. But such a suggestion is untenable, inasmuch as we know from his own words (1Co 7:8) that he was either unmarried or a widower. And the idea that the “true yokefellow” is Lydia, is equally wrong, because the word “true” is in the Greek masculine Another suggestion is that “yokefellow” is really a proper name - Syzygus. If so, then the apostle addresses Syzygus; or if this is not so, then he speaks to the unnamed “true yokefellow”; and what he says is that he asks him to help Euodia and Syntyche, inasmuch as their work in the gospel was no new thing. Far from this, when Paul brought the gospel to Philippi at the first, these two Christian women had been his loyal and earnest helpers in spreading the knowledge of Christ.

5. The Plea for Reconciliation

How very sad then that any difference should exist between them; how sad that it should last so long! He asks Clement also, and all the other Christians at Philippi, his fellow-laborers, whose names, though not mentioned by the apostle, are nevertheless in the book of life, to assist Euodia and Syntyche; he asks them all to aid in this work of reconciliation. Doubtless he did not plead in vain. See SYNTYCHE; YOKE-FELLOW.

(Åὐïäßá)

The Authorized Version reads Euodias. The word in the Greek text occurs in the accusative case, Åὐïäßáí, and the translators mistakenly regarded this as the accusative of ft masculine form Åὐïäßáò, and supposed the bearer of the name to be a man. But the word is the name of a woman corresponding to the male form Åὐüäéïò, which is also found in Greek literature, several early Christian bishops being so called.

Euodia was a woman, prominent in the Church of Philippi, who had a difference of opinion with Syntyche (q.v. [Note: quod vide, which see.] ). The Apostle exhorts them to be ‘of the same mind in the Lord’ (Php_4:2). We have no means of ascertaining the nature of the controversy between the two women, who may have been deaconesses, but were more probably prominent female members of the Church, of the type of Lydia of Act_16:14-15. In fact, it has been suggested that one of the two may have been Lydia (q.v. [Note: quod vide, which see.] ) herself, as the term ‘Lydia’ may not be a personal name at all, but may mean simply ‘the Lydian,’ or the native of the province of Lydia in which Thyatira, the home of the woman, was situated. This, however, cannot possibly be verified. The difference between the two was more probably of the nature of a religious controversy than of a personal quarrel. The Apostle in the following verse refers to their previous services on behalf of the gospel as a reason why they should be given every assistance to come to a better state of mind. The Synzygus (Authorized Version ‘true yoke-fellow,’ but probably a proper name), whom the Apostle exhorts to help the women towards reconciliation and who is reminded of their previous assistance to the Apostle, may have been the husband of one or other of the women (see Synzygus). The theory of Baur and the Tübingen school that Euodia and Syntyche are symbolical names for the Jewish and Gentile tendencies in the early Church is untenable, and has fallen into disrepute. It is inconsistent with the simple tenor of the Epistle as a whole, and such a mysterious reference would certainly not have been understood by the first readers.

W. E. Boyd.