Dr Paul Allen

Stained glass window of the sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in the former Mosque (Cathedral) of Cordoba, Spain (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda . 33 There he found a man named Aeneas , bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. 35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord . 36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas . She was full of good works and acts of charity. 37 In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room.  ...

English: Dorcas Stained glass window in St. John's church, Healey. Acts IX-36 says "Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The woman walking up the Roman Road hugged a secret. Hidden beneath her robe was the future of Christian theology . For she bore with her a letter to the church in Rome that would spell out, like no other document ever written, the implications and significance of the gospel. Paul had turned to her out of need. While in Corinth he had written a letter to the distant Roman church . He could not slip the letter into an envelope, lick a couple stamps and drop it into a mailbox; there was no postal service. Instead, he must find someone to carry the letter. As F. W. Boreham points out, Paul could write the letter but at that time could not carry it. Phoebe could not have written the letter, but she...