The Greek word hellenis refers to a Greek woman or a Gentile woman. It appears in the New Testament describing women who were not Jewish but responded to Jesus or came into contact with the early church.
The word appears in Mark 7:26 for the Syrophoenician woman who came to Jesus seeking deliverance for her daughter: 'Now the woman was a Gentile (hellenis), a Syrophoenician by birth.' Her encounter with Jesus is one of the most striking in the Gospels โ she persists through His apparent rebuff and receives a remarkable commendation of her faith. Acts 17:12 notes that 'many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek (hellenis) women of high standing.' The inclusion of Greek women in the early movement was significant โ it demonstrated the cross-cultural reach of the gospel and overturned the cultural barriers between Jew and Gentile. Paul's declaration that 'there is neither Jew nor Greek... male nor female' (Galatians 3:28) finds its historical fulfillment in figures like these women.