Introduction to Romans-Destination and Recipients of Romans
Wednesday May 2, 2007
Romans: Introduction to Romans-The Destination and Recipients of Romans
Lesson # 2
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 1:1.
Last evening we began the introduction to the book of Romans, which will be presented in five installments and will deal with the following subjects: (1) Authorship of Romans (2) Recipients of Romans (3) Date and Place of Origin of Romans (4) Occasion and Purpose of Romans (5) Thematic Overview of Romans.
Last evening we began the introduction by noting the Pauline authorship of the book of Romans.
This evening we will continue this introduction by noting the destination of this great epistle and its recipients.
In Romans 1:7 and 15, the apostle Paul indicated that he was writing his letter to believers en Rhome (e)n ‘Rwvmh|), “in Rome.”
Romans 1:1-7, “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 1:8, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.”
Romans 1:9-10, “For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.”
Romans 1:11-12, “For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.”
Romans 1:13, “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.”
Romans 1:14, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.”
Romans 1:15, “So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
Even though, Romans 1:7 and 15 indicates quite clearly that Paul was writing to believers in Rome, the issue of the destination of this epistle has been questioned by some scholars.
T. W. Manson thinks that P46 reflects the letter as Paul wrote it to the Roman church but that the apostle at the same time sent a copy, minus the indication of Roman destination and with chapter 16 added, to the church at Ephesus indicating that the people mentioned in chapter 16 were Ephesians rather than Romans.
More than likely, P46 (Paul’s Epistles; A.D. 200) does not contain the prepositional phrase en Rhome (e)n ‘Rwvmh|), “in Rome” due to a tendency by copyists to omit localizing references in liturgical use.
If a copy of Romans was sent by Paul to another church because of the importance of its contents it would not be at all surprising if chapter 16 were omitted as not being of general interest.
Someone making a copy of Romans for the use of his own church could have easily omitted chapter 16 since it would be of no interest to his church.
Internal evidence supports the view that Paul wrote specifically to Christians in Rome since he indicates in Romans 15:23-24 that he intended to visit Rome in the hopes that the believers there would support his missionary activities to the West.
Further indicating that Paul was not writing to believers in Ephesus in Romans 16 is that when we compare Romans with his other writings, he appears to refrain from sending greetings to particular persons in churches he knew.
The reason being is that he felt it silly to single out individuals who were his friends whereas in writing to Rome, which he had not yet visited, the sending of greetings to individuals whom he knew would be an obvious way of establishing contact.
It is not surprising that many believers who he met in other places throughout the Roman Empire would have made their way to the capital city, Rome.
Therefore, it is clear from internal evidence that this epistle was indeed written to believers in Rome and not Ephesus.
There are several views regarding the establishment of Christianity in Rome.
Some have suggested that Christianity was established in Rome by Jewish visitors present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (See Acts 2:10, 14) and became believers after hearing Peter preach the Gospel to them (See Acts 2:41).
Upon returning to Rome it is believed by some that these Jewish converts from the day of Pentecost propagated their faith throughout the Jewish and Gentile community.
However, the text of Acts 2 does “not” say that the “visitors from Rome” became Christians as a result of hearing Peter’s message on the day of Pentecost.
Paul did “not” establish the church in Rome, nor had he yet been to Rome at the time of the writing of his epistle to the Romans since Romans 1:8 records that he heard reports about the faith of the Romans believers.
Romans 1:10-13 reveals that he prayed for the Roman believers and told them that he looked forward to the day when he could visit Rome to minister to them, as well as to be encouraged by their faith.
Further indicating that Paul had a great knowledge of the church in Rome is that Acts 18 records that he crossed paths with Priscilla and Aquila who had just come to Corinth from Rome and who are mentioned in Romans 16:3-4.
Romans 16:1-2, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.”
Romans 16:3-4, “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.”
Acts 18:1, “After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth.”
Acts 18:2-3, “And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers.”
Undoubtedly, Paul gained a great deal of information about the believers in Rome from Aquila and Priscilla.
His concern for the believers at Rome grew because of his contact with this couple.
If those named in Romans 16:3-16 are all believers living in Rome, Paul knew a great deal about the individual believers in Rome.
Paul expressed his intention of going through Macedonia and Achaia to Jerusalem and from there to Rome when he was at Ephesus according to Acts 19:21.
Acts 19:21, “Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, ‘After I have been there, I must also see Rome.’”
Paul eventually reached Rome but not in the way he might have expected since he arrived as a prisoner of the Roman government and was appealing his case to Caesar as a Roman citizen.
Upon his arrival in Rome, however, he was warmly greeted by the brethren and encouraged, as he had hoped according to Acts 28:14-17.
Paul’s first visit to Rome lasted two full years according to Acts 28:30.
While Paul was not free to travel about Rome, he was free to have visitors at his rented quarters, and so he was able to minister to all who came to him (28:30).
Contrary to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, the apostle Peter did “not” establish the church at Rome either since if he had founded the church at Rome, Paul would have addressed him in the epistle to the Romans.
If Paul failed to acknowledge Peter, then this would be a terrible oversight on the part of Paul.
So the absence of Paul greeting Peter in Romans 16 is evidence that Peter was not in Rome at the time.
Further indicating that Peter did not establish the church at Rome is that Paul states in Romans 15:20 his determination to not build on someone else’s foundation, which makes it highly unlikely that Peter started the church in Rome.
Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:14, “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.”
Romans 15:15-16, “But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:17, “Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God.”
Romans 15:18-19, “For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.”
Romans 15:20, “And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man's foundation.”
Romans 15:21, “but as it is written, ‘THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND.’”
Romans 15:22-25, “For this reason I have often been prevented from coming to you but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you whenever I go to Spain for I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while but now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints.”
Another suggestion put forth by many regarding the establishment of Christianity in Rome is that Rome was evangelized by the missionary activities of the church at Antioch but there is no evidence of this.
The most reasonable and likely scenario surrounding the establishment of Christianity in Rome is that it was founded by ordinary believers, both Jew and Gentile, who traveled back and forth to the capital city for a variety of reasons or simply had taken up residence there.
The numerous greetings to individuals in Romans 16 reveals the impact of Paul’s ministry in the development of the church in Rome since many of the believers there were converts of Paul or associates in other parts of the Roman Empire.
Therefore, Paul had a great interest in the Christian community of Rome and considered the church there his responsibility.
The church in Rome was composed of both Jew and Gentile believers.
Aquila was a Jew according to Acts 18:2 as were Andronicus, Junias and Herodian, who are identified as Paul’s relatives in Romans 16:7 and 11.
Josephus relates that there was a large Jewish colony in Rome, which Acts 28:17-28 confirms.
There were approximately fifty thousand Jews in Rome grouped in synagogues.
The private secretary of the emperor Hadrian, Suetonius wrote that in A.D. 49 Claudius had “expelled from Rome Jews who were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus” (Life of Claudius 25.2).
“Chrestus” is a corruption of the Greek Christos, “Christ.”
This was the decree mentioned in Acts 18:2, which caused Aquila and Priscilla to leave Rome and go to Corinth.
Evidently, there were disputes in the Jewish community over the claims of some that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah.
From the edict of Claudius, the church in Rome became predominately Gentile.
Romans 2:17-24 is clearly addressed to the Jewish contingent in the Roman church but in Romans 11:13 he directly said, “I am speaking to you Gentiles.”
Romans 2:17-21, “But if you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?”
Romans 2:22, “You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?”
Romans 2:23, “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?”
Romans 2:24, “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it is written.”
Romans 2:25, “For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.”
Romans 2:26, “So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?”
Romans 2:27, “And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?”
Romans 2:28, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.”
Romans 2:29, “But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”
Romans 9:3-5 and 11:17-32 and 15:14-16 clearly indicate that Gentile Christians made up a large segment of Paul’s readership in the letter to the Romans.
Romans 11:26-27, “and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, ‘THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.’ THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.’”
Romans 11:28-29, “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
Romans 11:30-31, “For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.”
Romans 11:32, “For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.”
Romans 1:5 and 13 imply that Paul considered the Christian community in Rome predominately Gentile.
Romans 16:3-16 reveals that some believers had been Christians longer than Paul (See Romans 16:7) and some had large houses, which served as meeting places for Christians (See Romans 16:5).
Romans 16:1-2, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.”
Romans 16:3-4, “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.”
Romans 16:5, “also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.”
Romans 16:6, “Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.”
Romans 16:7, “Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.”
Romans 16:8, “Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.”
Romans 16:9, “Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.”
Romans 16:10, “Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.”
Romans 16:11, “Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.”
Romans 16:12, “Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord.”
Romans 16:13, “Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.”
Romans 16:14, “Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren with them.”
Romans 16:15, “Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.”
Romans 16:16, “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.”
Many in the Christian community in Rome were undoubtedly slaves and some were from the higher echelons of society in Rome such as Pomponia Graecina, the wife of the Roman general Aulus Plautius who commanded the British expedition in A.D. 43.
She was acquitted on the charge of embracing a “foreign superstition,” a reference to Christianity (Tacitus, Annals 13.32).
The majority of Romans viewed Christianity as simply another disgusting Oriental superstition, such as the historian Tacitus.
Tacitus writes, “Christus, from whom the name (Christians) had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular” (Annals XV, 44).