Rome at Last

 Eleventh Friday after Pentecost

Lectionary Texts:

Friday:

2 Samuel 20

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

 

Saturday:

2 Samuel 22 

Thanks to Glenn Pomykal for reading all 400+ posts in our blog, along with Nell Laton and Frances Casey. Anybody else?

We're nearing the end of our Acts Bible Study. Please read Acts 28:11-22.

 

Paul notes that they wintered on the Isle of Malta before sailing further. The reference to the Twin Brothers on the ships bow is to Castor and Pollux in Greco-Roman mythology and in the sky as one of the constellations of the Zodiac. 

 

They sailed to Syracuse (not New York), the capital of the Island of Sicily. From there they sailed to Puteoli on the Bay of Naples on the mainland of Italy. Paul did meet some fellow Christians there. Luke is not clear as to whether they went from there to Rome on foot or by sea. The latter seems more likely to me.

 

When they arrived in Rome Paul was allowed to live by himself under guard in a house arrest situation. Yesterday I stated that the year was probably 61 AD. Ben Witherington's commentary says 60. Now I'm more inclined to say 62. Pauline chronology is an exceedingly difficult and complex subject. Studies since the 1950's have tended to rely on the Letters of Paul rather than Acts. The one marker, literally set in stone, is the Gallio inscription in Corinth, which gives Gallio's term as procurator there in 51 and 52. Since Paul was tried under Gallio in Corinth, we can place Acts 18 and Paul's year and a half in Corinth at that time. We get several subsequent time indicators, like three months on Malta and three days at Syracuse, but not enough to provide anything close to an airtight chronology. I'm taking the chronology Rome from another direction.We know that Paul died during the Neronian persecution of 64-65. Verse 30 says that Paul lived in Rome for two years. That makes it seem most likely to me that he arrived in 62.

 

Shortly after arriving at Rome, Paul gets meeting with some of the leaders of the Jewish community there. He proclaims to them his innocence of the charges made against him by Jews in Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders in Rome have received no charges against him, either by letter or by person. They have ho interest in prosecuting him. They are, however, interested in what he has to say about "this sect," the Christians, and note that they are very unpopular. 

 

O Lord, our God,

We pray for Christians in places or situations where our faith is unpopular. Grant them courage and wisdom as keep faithful to the message of the gospel. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Faithfully,

Christian