What a great honor to have your name mentioned in one of the apostle Paul’s letters! Through the centuries, your name is read by followers of Jesus and the mention of you causes them to wonder. And yet, how frustrating that all Paul tells us about you is your name—Claudia. Who exactly is Claudia in the Bible?
Where Is Claudia Mentioned in Scripture?
All we can truly know for certain about Claudia is that she was known to Paul and to Timothy. There is only one mention of her name in Scripture. Paul’s final letter, written to Timothy, probably while Paul awaited his second trial in Rome amidst rising tensions for the early church concludes with this passage, a list of greetings, as was Paul’s style.
“Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers” (2 Timothy 4:19-21 ESV).
This closing is very like Paul. He provides brief personal updates and instructions. But this is the only mention of this woman and, while there is much scholarly speculation about her, truly there are sparse details we can glean from Paul’s mention:
- Claudia’s name is known to the apostle Paul and to God since it appears here in Paul’s Holy Spirit inspired letter.
- Claudia is in Rome, likely a follower of Jesus, included in good company with the likes of the faithful Onesiphorus, Prisca and Aquila.
- We may assume that despite Paul’s tribulation and arrest, she has remained a friend or companion, unlike others who have abandoned Paul. Persecution of Christians under Nero was intense, and it appears from this message that Claudia has remained steadfast as of the writing of this letter.
Sparse details, indeed. And yet, God wanted her name recorded, listed, remembered. God knows He made us endlessly curious. So, we still speculate. Who was Claudia in the Bible?
Could Claudia Have Been a Roman Noblewoman?
According to Women in the Scriptures, the name Claudia was reserved for women in aristocratic Roman families of nobility. It indicates a woman who was “high born.” “It would have been very unlikely for a woman to have been named Claudia if she had not belonged to this aristocratic family line. Perhaps her high social standing made it easier for her to stand by Paul while he was in prison and offer him support.”
According to church tradition, Linus (also mentioned by Paul) succeeded Peter as the second bishop of the church and often in tradition, Claudia is named as Linus’s mother. This tradition comes from ancient writers such as Irenaeus and Eusebius. According to Hope Bolinger, “Some historians believe Claudia, mentioned alongside Linus in 2 Timothy 4:21, was his mother.” Other sources name Linus as Claudia’s brother and still others detailed below state that Claudia was married to Pudens. Perhaps they were a family unit providing support to Paul.
Of course, this is all speculation by scholars based on understanding of her name and the names with whom she’s listed compared to extra-biblical writings.
Was Claudia the Mysterious Wife of Pontius Pilate?
Another interesting line of speculation (again, not evidenced in Scripture but derived from scholarly searches of historical writings) is that perhaps Claudia was the woman married to Pontius Pilate. Pilate’s wife isn’t mentioned by name in the Bible but we read in Matthew 27:15-19 ESV that a dream she had played a part in influencing Pilate’s handling of Jesus’s case.
“Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, ‘Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.’”
This passage raises more questions than answers. Did this dream indicate that Pilate’s wife became a believer in Jesus? Was it a one-time event that she dismissed once she communicated the dream to her husband? We honestly don’t know. But academics have researched and there are denominations that connect Pilate’s wife with the name Claudia.
Again, these Christian traditions draw on extra-biblical writings such as “Homilies on Matthew” by Origen that indicate Pilate's wife did become a Christian following her dream. Some traditions call Pilates’ wife, Claudia Procula, and she’s even recognized as a saint in the Greek Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox traditions. These traditions believe that not only was Pilate’s wife, Claudia, a convert to faith in Jesus, but she was martyred for that faith. This would be consistent with her presence in Rome during Nero’s reign where many believers met their death.
Again, an interesting theory but one we derive not directly from the Bible but from historical sources and scholarly conjecture.
Was Claudia a Briton?
A third theory that has some traction with biblical historians is that this Claudia is the same mentioned among Celtic Saints, as noted by celticsaints.org: “It was likely that this same Claudia married a young Roman Senator named Pudens, whose full name was Rufus Pudens Pudentia. His family owned a large home in the centre of Rome.”
A parallel theory mentioned on the same site is that Claudia was the mother of Saint Linus and the daughter of British king Caractacus. This king was sent to Rome in chains after his defeat by the Romans. There, his daughter was baptized and is the same Claudia mentioned by Paul.
In those ancient times when Rome ruled the known world, the new church was spreading like holy fire, and the histories of many nations casually intersected and overlapped, stories mixed with history, and it’s often challenging to pin the final truth to the bulletin board. But the speculation is enchanting. Roman roads had made travel easier than ever before in history, and Roman rule, while oppressive, contributed to a kind of peace that made trade and commerce flourish, as well as providing a passageway for messengers of the gospel of Jesus.
Any of these three theories is possible but they remain theories. What we know from God’s Word is that Paul sent greetings from Claudia (and others) to Timothy in his final letter.
Why Should Modern Christians Care about Someone Mentioned So Briefly?
So, what do we do with this mention of a woman named Claudia in Rome who sent her greetings? What possible meaning can this have for us today?
First, these final personal notes and greetings demonstrate that Paul, Timothy and Claudia were people like you and me. Their holy assignments were carried out alongside day-to-day relationships, physical/emotional/mental needs, and the challenges of separations, loneliness, and severe stresses. Paul’s final letter shows signs of a man weary of the severe trials of his ministry. Just prior to mentioning Claudia, Paul writes, “Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry” (2 Timothy 4:9-11).
Paul had faced persecution, another arrest, the frustration of being confined to Rome surrounded by mounting danger, and some companions had left him. He’s been harmed by Alexander the coppersmith (v. 14). He asks Timothy to bring his cloak, his books, and his parchments (v.13). He mentions being deserted. He urges Timothy to please come before winter (v. 21). Paul was the great apostle but he is also a man with human limitations, wants, and needs. The mention of greetings from the few at the letter’s end reveal that he is not entirely alone but perhaps, having been deserted by some, he is holding these relationships loosely and missing Timothy who has proven his devotion over time.
The good news of Jesus united complete strangers, often from quite disparate backgrounds, and forced them to rely on one another during great testing and trial. Just as Jesus faced betrayal, similar pressures were on very young believers to report on the apostles or to lead rulers to new house churches. Some new believers fell away. The mention of these names and inclusion of women hints at the rapid growth of the church, the inclusion of even nobility in faith, and the deep connections forming quickly between those who had received the Holy Spirit. Just as now, it shows the everyday human commissioned with holy work.
Second, it serves to remind us that God knows my name and yours. Historians may not record our lives. There may be no record of us in major magazines, on statues, or memorial walls, but God knows who we are. In every generation of believers, there are teachers, leaders, preachers, and motivators whose names and work become known to all. Still, the majority of God’s people live and minister in His name in obscurity. That does not mean our work is less valuable. That does not mean our work has a lesser impact for the kingdom. Nor does it mean that our love and prayers do not rise to be a sweet aroma to our God and King.
When we are together in glory, we will no doubt learn the stories currently hidden—like Claudia’s. My story, yours, the woman or man in the next seat over in church, are all seen and noted by God. Our names are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life that records all who have received eternal life in Jesus Christ.
It is good that Claudia’s name is recorded here. Better even that hers and ours are recorded there where we will have time with Jesus to learn every story worth telling.
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