September 2, 2025 • 29 mins
This volume, A History of Christianity in the Apostolic Age, aims to provide a strictly historical account of early Christianity. It includes brief overviews of the New Testament books while defending their classification as apostolic literature. These texts are not only our primary sources for understanding the history but also serve as a lens through which we can illustrate that history effectively. The author acknowledges that discussing such a vital theme often leads to positions that may be contentious among different schools of thought. Nevertheless, these positions are drawn from thorough and impartial investigation. The findings uphold the traditional view of apostolic Christianity, which seems to emerge naturally from unbiased inquiry. As the criticism of the New Testament has evolved, many scholars have returned to accept the traditional dates of the texts origins, reinforcing the notion that the rise of apostolic Christianity can only be understood through the supernatural events and forces the texts describe. Acknowledging the supernatural, along with understanding the historical development of faith in Jesus as the Messiah, is essential for any historian who wishes to faithfully represent the original essence of apostolic Christianity. (From the Preface)
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Chapter twenty of Christianity in the Apostolic Age. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Read by Maria Angela Aragon. Christianity in the Apostolic Age
(00:24):
by George Purvis, from Ephesis to Rome. Not having found
Titus at DRaaS, Paul passed over to Macedonia, doubtless to
Philippi Acts, Chapter twenty, verse one. Second Corinthians, Chapter two,
verse thirteen. Yet his distress of mind did not cease,
(00:48):
as he himself puts it. Without were fightings, within, were fears.
Second Corinthians, Chapter seven, verse five. At last comfort was
restored by the arrival of Titus and the report which
he brought. The Corinthians had obeyed their apostle and disciplined
the offender, and the man himself was now filled with
(01:10):
sorrow for his sin. Second Corinthians, Chapter two, verses five
to eleven. The majority too, had, with deep repentance, vindicated
themselves from apparent complicity in his sin, and assured the
Apostle of their loyalty. Second Corinthians, Chapter seven, verses nine
to twelve. Thus the main cause of Paul's distress was removed.
(01:36):
Yet there was still a disaffected minority, and the work
of the Judaisars had not ceased. In these circumstances. Our
Second Corinthians was written in the early autumn of AD
fifty seven. It too was entrusted to Titus, who was
sent back to Corinth with two others, one of whom
(01:56):
had been appointed by the Macedonian churches to be their
representative in bearing their gifts to Jerusalem. Second Corinthians, Chapter eight,
Verses eighteen to twenty two. The main duty of Titus
was now to complete the gifts of the Corinthians, which
Paul proposed after visiting Corinth, to carry to the Dea.
(02:16):
He took the opportunity in this letter of pouring out
the feelings of a slightly distraught but now comforted mind
to his dear disciples. It was written with unusual emotion.
It reflects the agony through which he had been passing.
It is an unequal revelation of the personality of the apostle.
(02:37):
In it, he relates his religious experience, describes his actions
and his motives, justifies his authority, pours out his love
reviews his life, rebukes and pleads, chastises his producers, and
cheers his friends and all, with a rush of language
and sudden transitions of thought, which portrayed the highly wrought
(02:59):
condition of his mind. No other of his letters is
so autobiographical. In none are we permitted to approach so
near to the personal life of the apostle. The epistle
is divided into three well marked sections. The first chapters
(03:19):
one to seven, deals with the distress through which he
had been passing on their account, and then gives a
glowing yet pathetic description of the character of his ministry.
It is an outpouring of his soul, a laying bare
of his very heart to his beloved children, in which
it is easy to see his sensitiveness to the attacks
(03:40):
which had been made upon him, and his joy in
the restored fidelity of his converts. The second section, chapters
eight and nine, merges to liberality in their gifts for
the Judean saints and directs them to receive Titus and
other brethren who are about to visit them in this interest.
The third section, chapters ten to thirteen, is an indignant
(04:03):
defense of his apostleship, evidently directed against the Judaizars, to
whom a passing allusion had already been made Chapter three,
and to a minority in Corinth who sided with them.
It is written in the Apostle's most vehement style and
contains not a few references to events in its history otherwise.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Unknown Chapter eleven, verse twenty three to chapter thirteen, verse two.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Lefter Titus, but the other brethren had returned to Corinth.
Paul appears to have further visited during the autumn of a. D.
Fifty seven. The Churches of Macedonia, Acts, Chapter twenty, verse two.
He went as far as the boundary of Illyricum Romans,
Chapter fifteen, verse nineteen. Finally he reached Corinth, where he
(04:56):
abode three months Acts, Chapter twenty, verse three. No incidents
of this winter and Corinth have been preserved. We may believe, however,
that he finally adjusted the remaining difficulties in that church,
and we know that he received its contributions for the
Jidean Saints Romans Chapter fifteen, verses twenty five to twenty eight.
(05:20):
With him was a considerable company of friends Acts Chapter
twenty verse four and Romans Chapter sixteen, verses twenty one
to twenty three. Some of them were to accompany him
to Jerusalem as representatives of the contributing churches, for he
was unwilling to have the money in his sole charge.
(05:40):
Second Corinthians, Chapter eight, verse twenty. It was, however, during
this winter at Corinth that Paul wrote the Epistle to
the Romans, and this important letter throws additional light on
the entire situation. We suddenly find from it that Christianity
was being being preached vigorously in the world's capital. Its
(06:03):
beginnings there are shrouded in obscurity. It is possible that
some of the sojourners from Rome Acts Chapter two, verse
ten carried it back after Pentecost. It is possible that
some of those who fled from Jerusalem after the death
of Stephen traveled as far as Italy Acts, Chapter eight,
(06:25):
verse four. We have already alluded to the interpretation put
by some on the decree of Claudius as implying that
Christianity had caused contentions in the Jewish colony by the
tiber see section one hundred ninety seven. But this epistle
throws the first clear light upon the subject. From it
(06:45):
we learned that the progress of the new religion in
Rome was already widely known among the churches chapter one,
verses eight and thirteen and Chapter sixteen, verse nineteen. It
must then have existed for several years. The Roman Christians
moreover possess the gifts of the spirit and some organization
(07:08):
Chapter twelve, verse seven and eight. Yet the epistle is
not addressed to the church at Rome, but to all
who are in Rome beloved of God, a phraseology which
suggests that their organization was not compact or unified. This
inference is perhaps confirmed by the allusion to several groups
(07:32):
of believers in the Capitol chapter sixteen versus Street of five,
fourteen and fifteen. Yet compare First Corinthians Chapter sixteen, verse nineteen.
The impression given, however, is that of a large but
imperfectly organized community. They are addressed as gentiles Chapters one,
(07:55):
verses six and thirteen, Chapter eleven, versus thirteen and thirty,
Chapter fifteen verses eight to thirteen, fifteen and sixteen, and
a strained in Pauline teaching Chapters two, verse sixteen, six,
verses seventeen, and fourteen verses one to fourteen. Yet evidently
(08:20):
they included also not a few Jews. Chapter two, verse
seventeen to chapter three, verse twenty, Chapter fourteen, verse one,
Chapter fifteen, verse ten, Chapter sixteen, verses three, seven, and eleven.
The closing salutations are especially instructive and show that Paul
(08:44):
had many friends in Rome, some of them had worked
with them elsewhere Chapter sixteen, verses three, five to seven,
and thirteen. They had evidently gone to the capital from
Pauline churches. Not to suppose, indeed, that his friends were
the only missionaries on the ground, but the epistle shows
(09:07):
that his mission to Europe had already embraced indirectly the
metropolis of the world. So far as our information goes,
these friends of Paul were the founders of Roman Christianity.
With this accords a contemptuous and evasive allusion to the
Christians by the elders of the Jewish colony when Paul
afterwards addressed them Acts Chapter twenty eight, verse twenty two.
(09:33):
It is not surprising, therefore, that Paul wrote to the
Christians of Rome, but his doing so when and as
he did, is highly significant. He had long wished to
preach in Rome. Acts Chapter nineteen, verse twenty one. Second
Corinthians Chapter eleven, verse sixteen, Romans, Chapter one verses nine,
(09:58):
ten and thirteen, Chapter fifteen, verses twenty three, twenty four,
and twenty eight, and to go from thence to Spain Romans,
Chapter fifteen, verse twenty eight. What had been prevented? Now
he was about to return to Jerusalem, and knew not
what might befall him Romans, Chapter fifteen, verses thirty and
(10:22):
thirty one acts, Chapter twenty, verses twenty two and twenty three.
He naturally wished to send a message to his friends
in the capital, and to explain that, in returning eastward,
he was not relinquishing his purpose to visit them. But
why did he write so elaborate a letter? It is not,
except incidentally, for example Chapter one, verse five and Chapter fifteen,
(10:49):
verses seventeen to twenty one, a defense of himself and
his apostleship. Neither is it, except again incidentally, for example
Chapter two, verse seventeen, et cetera. Or from the very
nature of the argument, a polemic against either Jews or Judaizers,
(11:09):
or followers of his own school who had fallen into error.
Still less is its motive the conciliation of different parties.
Its purpose is chiefly didactic. It is an elaborate presentation
of the Way of Salvation argued with superb dialectical completeness.
Why then did he send the statement to Rome. The
(11:33):
probable answer is very instructive. He evidently realized the future
importance of the church at Rome. He had long believed
that Christianity would become the religion of the Empire, and
he knew that, as his plan of evangelizing the great
cities must culminate in the evangelization of the capital, so
the Christianity of the capital would be likely to determine
(11:56):
that of the world. In this he reveals the statement
as well as the missionary. He knew further that his
gospel would continue to be attacked, and that his judaizing
antagonists were following westward in his tracts. Already they had
invaded Corinth. The controversy with them also had brought to
(12:16):
full expression the true Gospel, and Paul's own mind, whichever
sought completeness of truth, impelled him to a formal statement
of it. The Epistle of the Romans therefore illuminates the
whole situation and illustrates the broad intelligence with which Paul
laid the foundations of Christianity in the Empire. Hence, in
(12:38):
this epistle, the conception of Christianity as a scheme of
salvation is elaborately wrought out. The apostle characteristically presents it
as the revelation of our righteousness provided by God for
the believer.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Chapter one, verses sixteen and seventeen.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
He proves at length the universal want of righteousness by
the jew as well as by the gentile.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Chapter one, verse eighteen to Chapter three, verse twenty.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
He then describes the righteousness revealed in the Gospel as
provided by Christ's redeeming death, through which God has made
it possible for him, the righteous one, to declare the
believer free from guilt chapter three, verses twenty one to
twenty six. This way of salvation is then shown to
have been that were by Abraham, the father of Israel,
(13:31):
was saved chapter three, verse twenty seven to Chapter four,
verse twenty four, to be implied in the Christian's experience
of salvation by the mere grace of God chapter five,
verses one to eleven, and to proceed on the same
principle of moral government on which God had dealt with
the race in the person of its first representative, Adam.
(13:55):
Chapter five, verses twelve to twenty one. The objections to
this doctrine, which would be inevitably raised, are next acutely
discussed chapter six and seven, and the scheme is shown
to make provision for the sanctification of the believer, as
well as for his justification, and for the glorification of
both his body and his.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Soul Chapter eight.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yet the Apostle was not content to present a mere
scheme of doctrine. He fully realized the difficulty offered by
the fact that Israel denied and rejected what he declared
to be the teaching of her own scriptures. It was necessary,
for personal, historical, and dogmatic reasons he should reconcile this
fact with this argument. He did this in chapter nine
(14:42):
to eleven. He maintained that God's purpose had always referred
to a sovereignly chosen portion of the Hebrew nation, which
election he had the right to make. Chapter nine, that
the rejection of Israel as a nation and salvation by
faith has been explicitly announced by the prophets.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Chapter ten.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Yet that the rejection was not final, but that eventually
the Hebrews would obtain the fulfillment of all the promises
Chapter eleven. Thus, the scheme of salvation reeled in Christianity
was adjusted to the historical situation. This epistle, then, is
(15:23):
the monument of polite teaching concerning the way of salvation.
All its doctrinal presuppositions are Hebrew its conception of God
as the sovereign wholly an omnipotent governor of the universe,
of righteousness as his attribute, and its requirement of salvation
through an imputed righteousness based on redemption, and of the
(15:47):
relation of the race to Adam or of Hebrew origin.
The absence of Hellenic influence is sufficiently proved by its
teaching the participation of the body in the benefits of redemption.
The only indication of non Hebraic ideas may be found
in the Doctrine of Adoption chapter eight, verse fifteen and
(16:08):
Galatians chapter four, verse five, which may have been suggested
by Roman customs. The teaching of this epistle is therefore
the direct unfolding of the ideas with which Paul began
his Christian life. Yet it is not the product of
a doctrinaire.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
It keeps close to life.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
It does not forget the truth is in order to holiness.
To it, imputed righteousness is the basis for personal growth
in sanctification. Legal union with Christ involves a vital union
and the devotion of the heart and will to God.
If the Epistle to the Galatians is the magnacata of
universal Christianity, the Epistle to the Roman is its constitution. Here,
(16:53):
the missionary and theologian gives his completest interpretation of the
work of Jesus for the salvation of all who will believe.
From Corinth, Paulm's companions set forth for Jerusalem in the
spring of AD fifty eight. It was at first his
plan to go directly by sea to Syria, but a
plot of the Jews led to a change of route
(17:14):
Acts Chapter twenty verse three. At Philippi Luke joined the
party chapter twenty verses forty six, and he described the
journey with great minuteness Chapter twenty verse seven to chapter
twenty one, verse sixteen. It followed the coast of Asia,
thence crossed the Tire, thence the Ptolemase, and so to Cesarea.
(17:38):
Paul was anxious to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost chapter twenty
verse sixteen, doubtless because that was the feast at which
free will offerings were made by the Jews. Hence he
did not visit the Fesis, but met the elders of
that church at Militus, where he took an affectionate farewell
of them Chapter twenty, verses seventeen to thirty eight. Hire
(18:00):
The disciples besought him not to endanger his life at Jerusalem,
for the Spirit warned them of the peril he was
facing Chapter twenty one, verse four, but he resolutely went
forward again at Cesarea, where they lodged in the house
of Philip. The prophet Agobus predicted that bonds awaited him,
but when he resisted all efforts to dissuade him, some
(18:24):
of the disciples accompanied him to Jerusalem and took him
to the house of Nasson Cybriot, with whom he could
lodge in safety Chapter twenty one, verses nine to sixteen. Thus,
fully aware of the dangers which confronted him, the apostle
bore to the Mother Church the gifts of the Gentile Christians.
He was received cordially by James and the elders, but
(18:47):
they were anxious about his reception by the Church because
of the reports that in his foreign work he had
taught Jews to forsake Moses. They proposed that he showed
publicly as respect for the law by joining in the
rights of purification about to undergone by four brethren who
had taken a vow, and by defraying their expenses to this.
He consented, but the act of consoliation resulted in the
(19:09):
very trouble it was intended to prevent. Certain Jews from
Asia saw him in the temple and circulated of all
stories he had brought gentiles into the sacred place. A
fierce riot followed, which would have resulted in Paul's death
had not the captain of the Roman guard in the
adjacent castle of Antonia intervened. He supposed Paul to be
(19:30):
an Egyptian Jew who had previously made a sedition and escape.
Discovering his mistake, he allowed the apostle to address people
from the castle steps. They listened to him till they
uttered the word gentiles. When the riot broke out afresh
and Lysias the captain hurried him into the castle. He
was only prevented from examining his prisoner by scourging through
(19:52):
the latters, revealing his Roman citizenship. Acts Chapters twenty one,
verse seventeen to twenty two, verse one. On the next day,
Lysius took him before the Sanhedrim that the Jewish court
might adjudicate his case. Chapter twenty two, verse thirty. It
was a perilous position for the apostle, and we could
(20:14):
hardly blame him for resorting to a strategy. He declared
himself a Pharisee, and that he was accused for teaching
the resurrection Chapter twenty three, verse one to six. This
was certainly only a half truth. Probably in less excited
times it would not have helped him, But in this
case it served his purpose, for the council divided and
(20:34):
broke up in confusion Chapter twenty three, verses seven to ten.
We should remember, too, in further explanation of the result,
that many of the Pharisees were not at readily to
the Christians. The course of events was thus to Paul's advantage,
and at night he was further encouraged by a vision
in which the Lord assured him that he should see Rome.
(20:55):
Chapter twenty three, verse eleven. The discovery of a plot
of certain Jews to slay the prisoner led less he
is at once to transfer him to Felix, the procurator
at Cesarea. Chapter twenty three, Verses twelve to thirty. The
Apostle was now saved from violence in the hands of
the Roman authorities Chapter twenty three, Verses thirty one to
(21:18):
thirty five. But his first trial before the procurator was unsatisfactory.
To the accusation of the Jews that he was guilty
of sedition and of defiling the temple Chapter twenty four,
verses one toy nine, he replied with a demand for
witnesses to prove the charge Verses ten to twenty one. Felix,
who knew something of the Christians, verse twenty two, put
(21:41):
his decision off, and for two years the Apostle remained
a prisoner in Caesarea. The procurator, in fact, was hoping
for a bribe verse twenty six, so he delayed the
case until his recall to Rome left it for the
disposition of his successor, verse twenty seven. It would be
interesting to know how the Apostle was occupied during his
(22:01):
Cesarean imprisonment. His friends were allowed to see him, and Felix,
with his wife Drusilla, listened occasionally to his message Chapter
twenty four, Verses twenty three to twenty five. In fact,
the Apostle seems to have been treated with more consideration.
He was evidently regarded as a person of importance. Professor
(22:22):
Ramsay in view of Paul's whole conduct at this period.
In view also Felix's hope of a bribe and the
expense involved in the subsequent appeal to Caesar, as well
as in view of the fact that Paul lived in
Rome in his own hired house, draws the inference that
in some way the apostle had come into the possession
of considerable property. This is not inconsistent with his earlier
(22:42):
support of himself by manual labor, first the test alotenance
chapter two, verse nine, Acts, Chapter eighteen, verse three, and
Chapter twenty, verse thirty four, or with his acceptance both
at former and later times, with gifts from friends to
Olyppians chapter four, Verses fifteen and eighteen. The treatment he received, however,
(23:05):
may have been due to the high standing of his family.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Section sixty six.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
But these two years could hardly have been spent in idleness.
Though the confinement must have been an irksome restraint on
the tireless energy of the prisoner, we cannot indeed accept
review that any of his extant epistles were written in Cesarea,
Section two hundred and fifty. Yet he may have kept
in communication with his churches, and he may have prepared
(23:33):
himself by reflection and study for the work of the future,
to which he still eagerly looked forward. None can tell
how much the world owes to the enforced solitudes of
its great leaders. It may be that his Cesarean confinement
gave opportunity to the Apostle of working out the ideas
concerning the person of Christ and the eternal and worldwide
purpose of God, which is later Epistols contained. The new procurator,
(23:59):
Portius Festus, was at once besought by the Jews to
order Paul to Jerusalem for trial Acts Chapter twenty five,
Verses one to three. Festus, however, bade them send their
representatives to Cesarea Verses four and five, and when they came,
they were unable to substantiate their charges Urses six to eight. Nevertheless,
(24:20):
Festus asked Paul if he was willing to go to Jerusalem. Thereupon,
the Apostle, realizing the hopelessness of justice in Palestine, made
a formal appeal as a Roman citizen to Caesar Verses
nine to twelve. He was accordingly remanded to prison till
there should be an opportunity of sending him to Italy.
(24:41):
Shortly after this, a Grip of the second and his
sister Bernice came to congratulate Festus on his entrance into
office chapter twenty five, verse thirteen. Partly out of compliment
to Agrippa as the titular king of the Jews, and
partly to learn what account of Paul he should forward to,
Festus proposed that together they should hear the prisoner's defense
(25:04):
Verses fourteen to twenty two. Hence, on the next day,
the apostle delivered before this distinguished audience his most famous
apology Chapter twenty five, verse twenty three to chapter twenty six,
verse thirty two. He declared his loyalty to Israel's historic hope,
related the story of his conversion and mission to the Gentiles,
(25:26):
and finally appealed Agrippa to hear him of whom the
prophets had spoken. When the assembly broke up, Agrippa expressed
the opinion that the prisoner might be released if he
had not appealed to Caesar. Such an appeal, when one
was made, had to be carried out, But evidently Vestus
had no charges of importance to send to the Emperor,
(25:48):
and Paul's ultimate liberation, after reaching Italy became practically assured.
In the early autumn eighty sixty, the apostle was sent
to Rome with other prisoners under the escort of Julius,
A centurion of the Augustine Cohort. Luke and Aristarkos of
Thessalonika accompanied him. Professor Ramsay proposes the interesting conjecture that
(26:13):
they secured passage as his slaves. Be that as it may.
Luke has narrated the journey Acts twenty seven, verse one
to chapter twenty eight, verse sixteen, through the minuteness and
picturesqueness which could only have come from an eye witness.
It is sufficient to say that the parties sailed from
(26:34):
Cesaria to Mara in Lycia. There they boarded the Alexandrian
merchantmen com upscorn ship found readily. The voyage ended after
a fearful storm in other shipwreck on the island of
Melita now known as Malta, which lies about sixty miles
south of Sicily. During the voyage, Paul was kindly treated
(26:58):
and even exerted marked influence on both the centurion and
the crew at Melita two, he won by act and
word the regard of the islanders. In the spring eighty
sixty one, the party was placed on another Alexandrian ship
which had wintered at the island, and finally landed Putioli,
(27:18):
a seaport of southwestern Italy. There Paul frowned Christian brethren,
a fact which reveals the spread the faith throughout Italy
even at this early period. A delay of seven days
made it possible for news of his arrival to reach Rome,
so that at the market of Appius, forty three miles
from the capital, and again at the Three Taverns ten
(27:40):
miles Father, on delegations from the Roman Christians.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Met him.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
On arriving at the capital, the prisoner was granted the
privilege of lodging by himself with the soldier who guarded
him Acts Chapter twenty eight, verse sixteen. Afterwards he was
allowed to hire a dwelling in which the sun changed
Ephicians chapter six, verse twenty and Philippians Chapter one, verse thirteen.
(28:07):
He lived during the following two years, in which his
trial was pending. Acts Chapter twenty eight, verses thirty and
thirty one. A tradition preserved the authorized version of the
English Bible Acts, Chapter twenty eight, verse sixteen states that
the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard.
This has been generally supposed to refer to the prefect
(28:28):
of the Praetorian Guard, who may have been the celebrated Buraus.
The revised version, however, with the best manuscripts, omits the statement.
Yet the tradition may be itself correct. Professor Ramsay believes
that Paul was turned over to the chief of a
corps called de Gionnes Frumentadi, whose task was mainly the
(28:49):
superintendent of the grain supply, but who also performed police duty.
To this corps, Julius is supposed to have belonged, but
it is not at all clear that such a court
existed so early, and the best interpretation of Philippians Chapter one,
verse thirteen is that Paul was under the charge of
the Praetorians. Thus the apostle found himself at last in
(29:09):
the great city on which his thoughts had long been fixed,
an ambassador in bonds. End of chapter twenty
Chapter twenty of Christianity in the Apostolic Age. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Read by Maria Angela Aragon. Christianity in the Apostolic Age
(00:24):
by George Purvis, from Ephesis to Rome. Not having found
Titus at DRaaS, Paul passed over to Macedonia, doubtless to
Philippi Acts, Chapter twenty, verse one. Second Corinthians, Chapter two,
verse thirteen. Yet his distress of mind did not cease,
(00:48):
as he himself puts it. Without were fightings, within, were fears.
Second Corinthians, Chapter seven, verse five. At last comfort was
restored by the arrival of Titus and the report which
he brought. The Corinthians had obeyed their apostle and disciplined
the offender, and the man himself was now filled with
(01:10):
sorrow for his sin. Second Corinthians, Chapter two, verses five
to eleven. The majority too, had, with deep repentance, vindicated
themselves from apparent complicity in his sin, and assured the
Apostle of their loyalty. Second Corinthians, Chapter seven, verses nine
to twelve. Thus the main cause of Paul's distress was removed.
(01:36):
Yet there was still a disaffected minority, and the work
of the Judaisars had not ceased. In these circumstances. Our
Second Corinthians was written in the early autumn of AD
fifty seven. It too was entrusted to Titus, who was
sent back to Corinth with two others, one of whom
(01:56):
had been appointed by the Macedonian churches to be their
representative in bearing their gifts to Jerusalem. Second Corinthians, Chapter eight,
Verses eighteen to twenty two. The main duty of Titus
was now to complete the gifts of the Corinthians, which
Paul proposed after visiting Corinth, to carry to the Dea.
(02:16):
He took the opportunity in this letter of pouring out
the feelings of a slightly distraught but now comforted mind
to his dear disciples. It was written with unusual emotion.
It reflects the agony through which he had been passing.
It is an unequal revelation of the personality of the apostle.
(02:37):
In it, he relates his religious experience, describes his actions
and his motives, justifies his authority, pours out his love
reviews his life, rebukes and pleads, chastises his producers, and
cheers his friends and all, with a rush of language
and sudden transitions of thought, which portrayed the highly wrought
(02:59):
condition of his mind. No other of his letters is
so autobiographical. In none are we permitted to approach so
near to the personal life of the apostle. The epistle
is divided into three well marked sections. The first chapters
(03:19):
one to seven, deals with the distress through which he
had been passing on their account, and then gives a
glowing yet pathetic description of the character of his ministry.
It is an outpouring of his soul, a laying bare
of his very heart to his beloved children, in which
it is easy to see his sensitiveness to the attacks
(03:40):
which had been made upon him, and his joy in
the restored fidelity of his converts. The second section, chapters
eight and nine, merges to liberality in their gifts for
the Judean saints and directs them to receive Titus and
other brethren who are about to visit them in this interest.
The third section, chapters ten to thirteen, is an indignant
(04:03):
defense of his apostleship, evidently directed against the Judaizars, to
whom a passing allusion had already been made Chapter three,
and to a minority in Corinth who sided with them.
It is written in the Apostle's most vehement style and
contains not a few references to events in its history otherwise.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Unknown Chapter eleven, verse twenty three to chapter thirteen, verse two.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Lefter Titus, but the other brethren had returned to Corinth.
Paul appears to have further visited during the autumn of a. D.
Fifty seven. The Churches of Macedonia, Acts, Chapter twenty, verse two.
He went as far as the boundary of Illyricum Romans,
Chapter fifteen, verse nineteen. Finally he reached Corinth, where he
(04:56):
abode three months Acts, Chapter twenty, verse three. No incidents
of this winter and Corinth have been preserved. We may believe, however,
that he finally adjusted the remaining difficulties in that church,
and we know that he received its contributions for the
Jidean Saints Romans Chapter fifteen, verses twenty five to twenty eight.
(05:20):
With him was a considerable company of friends Acts Chapter
twenty verse four and Romans Chapter sixteen, verses twenty one
to twenty three. Some of them were to accompany him
to Jerusalem as representatives of the contributing churches, for he
was unwilling to have the money in his sole charge.
(05:40):
Second Corinthians, Chapter eight, verse twenty. It was, however, during
this winter at Corinth that Paul wrote the Epistle to
the Romans, and this important letter throws additional light on
the entire situation. We suddenly find from it that Christianity
was being being preached vigorously in the world's capital. Its
(06:03):
beginnings there are shrouded in obscurity. It is possible that
some of the sojourners from Rome Acts Chapter two, verse
ten carried it back after Pentecost. It is possible that
some of those who fled from Jerusalem after the death
of Stephen traveled as far as Italy Acts, Chapter eight,
(06:25):
verse four. We have already alluded to the interpretation put
by some on the decree of Claudius as implying that
Christianity had caused contentions in the Jewish colony by the
tiber see section one hundred ninety seven. But this epistle
throws the first clear light upon the subject. From it
(06:45):
we learned that the progress of the new religion in
Rome was already widely known among the churches chapter one,
verses eight and thirteen and Chapter sixteen, verse nineteen. It
must then have existed for several years. The Roman Christians
moreover possess the gifts of the spirit and some organization
(07:08):
Chapter twelve, verse seven and eight. Yet the epistle is
not addressed to the church at Rome, but to all
who are in Rome beloved of God, a phraseology which
suggests that their organization was not compact or unified. This
inference is perhaps confirmed by the allusion to several groups
(07:32):
of believers in the Capitol chapter sixteen versus Street of five,
fourteen and fifteen. Yet compare First Corinthians Chapter sixteen, verse nineteen.
The impression given, however, is that of a large but
imperfectly organized community. They are addressed as gentiles Chapters one,
(07:55):
verses six and thirteen, Chapter eleven, versus thirteen and thirty,
Chapter fifteen verses eight to thirteen, fifteen and sixteen, and
a strained in Pauline teaching Chapters two, verse sixteen, six,
verses seventeen, and fourteen verses one to fourteen. Yet evidently
(08:20):
they included also not a few Jews. Chapter two, verse
seventeen to chapter three, verse twenty, Chapter fourteen, verse one,
Chapter fifteen, verse ten, Chapter sixteen, verses three, seven, and eleven.
The closing salutations are especially instructive and show that Paul
(08:44):
had many friends in Rome, some of them had worked
with them elsewhere Chapter sixteen, verses three, five to seven,
and thirteen. They had evidently gone to the capital from
Pauline churches. Not to suppose, indeed, that his friends were
the only missionaries on the ground, but the epistle shows
(09:07):
that his mission to Europe had already embraced indirectly the
metropolis of the world. So far as our information goes,
these friends of Paul were the founders of Roman Christianity.
With this accords a contemptuous and evasive allusion to the
Christians by the elders of the Jewish colony when Paul
afterwards addressed them Acts Chapter twenty eight, verse twenty two.
(09:33):
It is not surprising, therefore, that Paul wrote to the
Christians of Rome, but his doing so when and as
he did, is highly significant. He had long wished to
preach in Rome. Acts Chapter nineteen, verse twenty one. Second
Corinthians Chapter eleven, verse sixteen, Romans, Chapter one verses nine,
(09:58):
ten and thirteen, Chapter fifteen, verses twenty three, twenty four,
and twenty eight, and to go from thence to Spain Romans,
Chapter fifteen, verse twenty eight. What had been prevented? Now
he was about to return to Jerusalem, and knew not
what might befall him Romans, Chapter fifteen, verses thirty and
(10:22):
thirty one acts, Chapter twenty, verses twenty two and twenty three.
He naturally wished to send a message to his friends
in the capital, and to explain that, in returning eastward,
he was not relinquishing his purpose to visit them. But
why did he write so elaborate a letter? It is not,
except incidentally, for example Chapter one, verse five and Chapter fifteen,
(10:49):
verses seventeen to twenty one, a defense of himself and
his apostleship. Neither is it, except again incidentally, for example
Chapter two, verse seventeen, et cetera. Or from the very
nature of the argument, a polemic against either Jews or Judaizers,
(11:09):
or followers of his own school who had fallen into error.
Still less is its motive the conciliation of different parties.
Its purpose is chiefly didactic. It is an elaborate presentation
of the Way of Salvation argued with superb dialectical completeness.
Why then did he send the statement to Rome. The
(11:33):
probable answer is very instructive. He evidently realized the future
importance of the church at Rome. He had long believed
that Christianity would become the religion of the Empire, and
he knew that, as his plan of evangelizing the great
cities must culminate in the evangelization of the capital, so
the Christianity of the capital would be likely to determine
(11:56):
that of the world. In this he reveals the statement
as well as the missionary. He knew further that his
gospel would continue to be attacked, and that his judaizing
antagonists were following westward in his tracts. Already they had
invaded Corinth. The controversy with them also had brought to
(12:16):
full expression the true Gospel, and Paul's own mind, whichever
sought completeness of truth, impelled him to a formal statement
of it. The Epistle of the Romans therefore illuminates the
whole situation and illustrates the broad intelligence with which Paul
laid the foundations of Christianity in the Empire. Hence, in
(12:38):
this epistle, the conception of Christianity as a scheme of
salvation is elaborately wrought out. The apostle characteristically presents it
as the revelation of our righteousness provided by God for
the believer.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Chapter one, verses sixteen and seventeen.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
He proves at length the universal want of righteousness by
the jew as well as by the gentile.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Chapter one, verse eighteen to Chapter three, verse twenty.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
He then describes the righteousness revealed in the Gospel as
provided by Christ's redeeming death, through which God has made
it possible for him, the righteous one, to declare the
believer free from guilt chapter three, verses twenty one to
twenty six. This way of salvation is then shown to
have been that were by Abraham, the father of Israel,
(13:31):
was saved chapter three, verse twenty seven to Chapter four,
verse twenty four, to be implied in the Christian's experience
of salvation by the mere grace of God chapter five,
verses one to eleven, and to proceed on the same
principle of moral government on which God had dealt with
the race in the person of its first representative, Adam.
(13:55):
Chapter five, verses twelve to twenty one. The objections to
this doctrine, which would be inevitably raised, are next acutely
discussed chapter six and seven, and the scheme is shown
to make provision for the sanctification of the believer, as
well as for his justification, and for the glorification of
both his body and his.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Soul Chapter eight.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yet the Apostle was not content to present a mere
scheme of doctrine. He fully realized the difficulty offered by
the fact that Israel denied and rejected what he declared
to be the teaching of her own scriptures. It was necessary,
for personal, historical, and dogmatic reasons he should reconcile this
fact with this argument. He did this in chapter nine
(14:42):
to eleven. He maintained that God's purpose had always referred
to a sovereignly chosen portion of the Hebrew nation, which
election he had the right to make. Chapter nine, that
the rejection of Israel as a nation and salvation by
faith has been explicitly announced by the prophets.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Chapter ten.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Yet that the rejection was not final, but that eventually
the Hebrews would obtain the fulfillment of all the promises
Chapter eleven. Thus, the scheme of salvation reeled in Christianity
was adjusted to the historical situation. This epistle, then, is
(15:23):
the monument of polite teaching concerning the way of salvation.
All its doctrinal presuppositions are Hebrew its conception of God
as the sovereign wholly an omnipotent governor of the universe,
of righteousness as his attribute, and its requirement of salvation
through an imputed righteousness based on redemption, and of the
(15:47):
relation of the race to Adam or of Hebrew origin.
The absence of Hellenic influence is sufficiently proved by its
teaching the participation of the body in the benefits of redemption.
The only indication of non Hebraic ideas may be found
in the Doctrine of Adoption chapter eight, verse fifteen and
(16:08):
Galatians chapter four, verse five, which may have been suggested
by Roman customs. The teaching of this epistle is therefore
the direct unfolding of the ideas with which Paul began
his Christian life. Yet it is not the product of
a doctrinaire.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
It keeps close to life.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
It does not forget the truth is in order to holiness.
To it, imputed righteousness is the basis for personal growth
in sanctification. Legal union with Christ involves a vital union
and the devotion of the heart and will to God.
If the Epistle to the Galatians is the magnacata of
universal Christianity, the Epistle to the Roman is its constitution. Here,
(16:53):
the missionary and theologian gives his completest interpretation of the
work of Jesus for the salvation of all who will believe.
From Corinth, Paulm's companions set forth for Jerusalem in the
spring of AD fifty eight. It was at first his
plan to go directly by sea to Syria, but a
plot of the Jews led to a change of route
(17:14):
Acts Chapter twenty verse three. At Philippi Luke joined the
party chapter twenty verses forty six, and he described the
journey with great minuteness Chapter twenty verse seven to chapter
twenty one, verse sixteen. It followed the coast of Asia,
thence crossed the Tire, thence the Ptolemase, and so to Cesarea.
(17:38):
Paul was anxious to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost chapter twenty
verse sixteen, doubtless because that was the feast at which
free will offerings were made by the Jews. Hence he
did not visit the Fesis, but met the elders of
that church at Militus, where he took an affectionate farewell
of them Chapter twenty, verses seventeen to thirty eight. Hire
(18:00):
The disciples besought him not to endanger his life at Jerusalem,
for the Spirit warned them of the peril he was
facing Chapter twenty one, verse four, but he resolutely went
forward again at Cesarea, where they lodged in the house
of Philip. The prophet Agobus predicted that bonds awaited him,
but when he resisted all efforts to dissuade him, some
(18:24):
of the disciples accompanied him to Jerusalem and took him
to the house of Nasson Cybriot, with whom he could
lodge in safety Chapter twenty one, verses nine to sixteen. Thus,
fully aware of the dangers which confronted him, the apostle
bore to the Mother Church the gifts of the Gentile Christians.
He was received cordially by James and the elders, but
(18:47):
they were anxious about his reception by the Church because
of the reports that in his foreign work he had
taught Jews to forsake Moses. They proposed that he showed
publicly as respect for the law by joining in the
rights of purification about to undergone by four brethren who
had taken a vow, and by defraying their expenses to this.
He consented, but the act of consoliation resulted in the
(19:09):
very trouble it was intended to prevent. Certain Jews from
Asia saw him in the temple and circulated of all
stories he had brought gentiles into the sacred place. A
fierce riot followed, which would have resulted in Paul's death
had not the captain of the Roman guard in the
adjacent castle of Antonia intervened. He supposed Paul to be
(19:30):
an Egyptian Jew who had previously made a sedition and escape.
Discovering his mistake, he allowed the apostle to address people
from the castle steps. They listened to him till they
uttered the word gentiles. When the riot broke out afresh
and Lysias the captain hurried him into the castle. He
was only prevented from examining his prisoner by scourging through
(19:52):
the latters, revealing his Roman citizenship. Acts Chapters twenty one,
verse seventeen to twenty two, verse one. On the next day,
Lysius took him before the Sanhedrim that the Jewish court
might adjudicate his case. Chapter twenty two, verse thirty. It
was a perilous position for the apostle, and we could
(20:14):
hardly blame him for resorting to a strategy. He declared
himself a Pharisee, and that he was accused for teaching
the resurrection Chapter twenty three, verse one to six. This
was certainly only a half truth. Probably in less excited
times it would not have helped him, But in this
case it served his purpose, for the council divided and
(20:34):
broke up in confusion Chapter twenty three, verses seven to ten.
We should remember, too, in further explanation of the result,
that many of the Pharisees were not at readily to
the Christians. The course of events was thus to Paul's advantage,
and at night he was further encouraged by a vision
in which the Lord assured him that he should see Rome.
(20:55):
Chapter twenty three, verse eleven. The discovery of a plot
of certain Jews to slay the prisoner led less he
is at once to transfer him to Felix, the procurator
at Cesarea. Chapter twenty three, Verses twelve to thirty. The
Apostle was now saved from violence in the hands of
the Roman authorities Chapter twenty three, Verses thirty one to
(21:18):
thirty five. But his first trial before the procurator was unsatisfactory.
To the accusation of the Jews that he was guilty
of sedition and of defiling the temple Chapter twenty four,
verses one toy nine, he replied with a demand for
witnesses to prove the charge Verses ten to twenty one. Felix,
who knew something of the Christians, verse twenty two, put
(21:41):
his decision off, and for two years the Apostle remained
a prisoner in Caesarea. The procurator, in fact, was hoping
for a bribe verse twenty six, so he delayed the
case until his recall to Rome left it for the
disposition of his successor, verse twenty seven. It would be
interesting to know how the Apostle was occupied during his
(22:01):
Cesarean imprisonment. His friends were allowed to see him, and Felix,
with his wife Drusilla, listened occasionally to his message Chapter
twenty four, Verses twenty three to twenty five. In fact,
the Apostle seems to have been treated with more consideration.
He was evidently regarded as a person of importance. Professor
(22:22):
Ramsay in view of Paul's whole conduct at this period.
In view also Felix's hope of a bribe and the
expense involved in the subsequent appeal to Caesar, as well
as in view of the fact that Paul lived in
Rome in his own hired house, draws the inference that
in some way the apostle had come into the possession
of considerable property. This is not inconsistent with his earlier
(22:42):
support of himself by manual labor, first the test alotenance
chapter two, verse nine, Acts, Chapter eighteen, verse three, and
Chapter twenty, verse thirty four, or with his acceptance both
at former and later times, with gifts from friends to
Olyppians chapter four, Verses fifteen and eighteen. The treatment he received, however,
(23:05):
may have been due to the high standing of his family.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Section sixty six.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
But these two years could hardly have been spent in idleness.
Though the confinement must have been an irksome restraint on
the tireless energy of the prisoner, we cannot indeed accept
review that any of his extant epistles were written in Cesarea,
Section two hundred and fifty. Yet he may have kept
in communication with his churches, and he may have prepared
(23:33):
himself by reflection and study for the work of the future,
to which he still eagerly looked forward. None can tell
how much the world owes to the enforced solitudes of
its great leaders. It may be that his Cesarean confinement
gave opportunity to the Apostle of working out the ideas
concerning the person of Christ and the eternal and worldwide
purpose of God, which is later Epistols contained. The new procurator,
(23:59):
Portius Festus, was at once besought by the Jews to
order Paul to Jerusalem for trial Acts Chapter twenty five,
Verses one to three. Festus, however, bade them send their
representatives to Cesarea Verses four and five, and when they came,
they were unable to substantiate their charges Urses six to eight. Nevertheless,
(24:20):
Festus asked Paul if he was willing to go to Jerusalem. Thereupon,
the Apostle, realizing the hopelessness of justice in Palestine, made
a formal appeal as a Roman citizen to Caesar Verses
nine to twelve. He was accordingly remanded to prison till
there should be an opportunity of sending him to Italy.
(24:41):
Shortly after this, a Grip of the second and his
sister Bernice came to congratulate Festus on his entrance into
office chapter twenty five, verse thirteen. Partly out of compliment
to Agrippa as the titular king of the Jews, and
partly to learn what account of Paul he should forward to,
Festus proposed that together they should hear the prisoner's defense
(25:04):
Verses fourteen to twenty two. Hence, on the next day,
the apostle delivered before this distinguished audience his most famous
apology Chapter twenty five, verse twenty three to chapter twenty six,
verse thirty two. He declared his loyalty to Israel's historic hope,
related the story of his conversion and mission to the Gentiles,
(25:26):
and finally appealed Agrippa to hear him of whom the
prophets had spoken. When the assembly broke up, Agrippa expressed
the opinion that the prisoner might be released if he
had not appealed to Caesar. Such an appeal, when one
was made, had to be carried out, But evidently Vestus
had no charges of importance to send to the Emperor,
(25:48):
and Paul's ultimate liberation, after reaching Italy became practically assured.
In the early autumn eighty sixty, the apostle was sent
to Rome with other prisoners under the escort of Julius,
A centurion of the Augustine Cohort. Luke and Aristarkos of
Thessalonika accompanied him. Professor Ramsay proposes the interesting conjecture that
(26:13):
they secured passage as his slaves. Be that as it may.
Luke has narrated the journey Acts twenty seven, verse one
to chapter twenty eight, verse sixteen, through the minuteness and
picturesqueness which could only have come from an eye witness.
It is sufficient to say that the parties sailed from
(26:34):
Cesaria to Mara in Lycia. There they boarded the Alexandrian
merchantmen com upscorn ship found readily. The voyage ended after
a fearful storm in other shipwreck on the island of
Melita now known as Malta, which lies about sixty miles
south of Sicily. During the voyage, Paul was kindly treated
(26:58):
and even exerted marked influence on both the centurion and
the crew at Melita two, he won by act and
word the regard of the islanders. In the spring eighty
sixty one, the party was placed on another Alexandrian ship
which had wintered at the island, and finally landed Putioli,
(27:18):
a seaport of southwestern Italy. There Paul frowned Christian brethren,
a fact which reveals the spread the faith throughout Italy
even at this early period. A delay of seven days
made it possible for news of his arrival to reach Rome,
so that at the market of Appius, forty three miles
from the capital, and again at the Three Taverns ten
(27:40):
miles Father, on delegations from the Roman Christians.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Met him.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
On arriving at the capital, the prisoner was granted the
privilege of lodging by himself with the soldier who guarded
him Acts Chapter twenty eight, verse sixteen. Afterwards he was
allowed to hire a dwelling in which the sun changed
Ephicians chapter six, verse twenty and Philippians Chapter one, verse thirteen.
(28:07):
He lived during the following two years, in which his
trial was pending. Acts Chapter twenty eight, verses thirty and
thirty one. A tradition preserved the authorized version of the
English Bible Acts, Chapter twenty eight, verse sixteen states that
the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard.
This has been generally supposed to refer to the prefect
(28:28):
of the Praetorian Guard, who may have been the celebrated Buraus.
The revised version, however, with the best manuscripts, omits the statement.
Yet the tradition may be itself correct. Professor Ramsay believes
that Paul was turned over to the chief of a
corps called de Gionnes Frumentadi, whose task was mainly the
(28:49):
superintendent of the grain supply, but who also performed police duty.
To this corps, Julius is supposed to have belonged, but
it is not at all clear that such a court
existed so early, and the best interpretation of Philippians Chapter one,
verse thirteen is that Paul was under the charge of
the Praetorians. Thus the apostle found himself at last in
(29:09):
the great city on which his thoughts had long been fixed,
an ambassador in bonds. End of chapter twenty
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