The
Life of Paul, Part VI: To Martyrdom in Rome
Since we have begun studying
the First Letter to the Corinthians, we have reviewed the
life of Paul in five parts:
- The Life of Paul, Part I: To the Damascus Road
- The Life of Paul, Part II: Conversion
- The Life of Paul, Part III: The First; Missionary Journey
- The Life of Paul, Part IV: The Second Missionary Journey
- The Life of Paul, Part V: The Third Missionary Journey
In this week's article, we will look at the last segment of his
life, his journey to Rome and his final days there.
We begin at the point where
his third missionary journey ended, in Jerusalem around the year
58 AD. The Church there welcomed him warmly. He met with James
and other leaders and related events and successes of his previous
ministry (Act 21:15-19).
But some warned Paul that
many believers among the Jews who were zealous observers of the
law had been informed that he was "teaching the Jews living
among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, to not to circumcise their
children, and to not observe their customary practices."
Hoping to placate this group, they suggested that Paul make the
customary payment for the sacrifices offered at the termination
of the Nazirite vow made by four men (Act 21:21-26), a vow Paul
himself had taken (18:18).
Nevertheless, Jews from
the province of Asia stirred up the crowd in the Temple and they
"laid hands on Paul," shouting accusations against him
and dragging him out of the temple. The local cohort saved
Paul from death but kept him under arrest while they investigated.
The mob kept shouting accusations, and when the commander feared
violence, he decided to have Paul taken to their compound.
But Paul persuaded the commander to allow him to speak to these
people (Act 21:27-40).
At this point, Paul faced
the crowd to defend himself. In his address to them, he explained
he was a Jew, educated by Gamaliel, and that he, Paul, had persecuted
the Christians. He explained in detail his encounter with
the Lord on the way to Damascus. The crowd listened but, when
Paul described how the Lord called him to minister to the Gentiles,
the mob turned once again into a frenzy. The cohort removed
Paul and prepared to interrogate him under the whip. But Paul
announced he was a Roman citizen which made such whipping illegal
(Act 22:1-29).
Paul was next placed before
the Sanhedrin where his efforts to explain failed. So he said,
"I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead."
This caused a disagreement between the Pharisees who believed in
resurrection and the Sadducees who did not; "and the group
became divided." When the dispute became intense enough,
the commander took Paul back to the compound. That night the
Lord told Paul, "Just as you have borne witness to my cause
in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome" (Act 23:1-11).
Because Paul's enemies planned
further attempts to harm him, the commander moved Paul to the custody
of Felix the Governor. Leaders of the Sanhedrin came to accuse
Paul. Paul defended himself, and Felix postponed the trial
keeping Paul in custody for two years, during which time Paul was
allowed contact with his friends (Act 24:1-23).
Felix was succeeded by Portius
Festus who, wishing to gain favor with the Jews, asked Paul if he
would go back to Jerusalem to face charges there. Threatened
by this prospect, Paul replied, "I appeal to Caesar."
Festus accepted, but before he was taken to Rome, Paul met with
King Agrippa and Bernice and recounted to them his experience on
the road to Damascus (Act 24:27-26:32).
Under the custody of a military
guard, Paul was placed aboard a ship to be taken to Italy.
Hoping to get to Crete to spend the winter, they encountered a powerful
storm. When all aboard had given up hope, Paul encouraged
them saying an angel of God had assured him that all would be safe.
Eventually, the ship ran aground and all were able abandon the ship
and reach shore safely. They had landed at Malta, where they
spent the winter. When gathering fire wood, a viper clung
to Paul's hand. They thought he would die, but
Paul shook off the snake and suffered no harm. Paul also healed
the sick father of a man named Publius. Whereupon many sick
on the island came to Paul to be healed (Act 27:6-28:10).
Three months later, they
set sail for Rome where Paul "was allowed to live by himself,
with a soldier who was guarding him." Paul gathered the
leaders of the Jews and explained why he appealed to Caesar and
was brought to Rome. They were unaware of Paul's previous
differences with Jews and chose to listen to him. In subsequent
discussions, "some were convinced by what he said, while others
did not believe." Responding to the unbelievers, Paul
quoted Isaiah, "You shall indeed hear but not understand.
. . . Let it be known that this salvation of God has been
sent to the Gentiles; they will listen" (Act 28:17-28).
Here the account in the
Acts ends, noting that Paul stayed there two years receiving
all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching
about the Lord Jesus Christ (28:30-31).
Some scholars who accept
the pastoral letters (First Timothy, Second Timothy,
Titus) as written by Paul believe he was released from
his first imprisonment in Rome (2Tm 4:16-17) and made another Journey
to the east. During this supposed journey, he is alleged to
have visited such places as Troas (2Tm 4:13), Ephesus (1Tm 1:3),
Miletus (2Tm 4:20), and Crete (Tit 1:5). Another hypothesis,
based on 1Clem 5:7 and Romans 15:24, suggests that Paul
visited Spain. According to this theory, Paul returned to
a second imprisonment in Rome where he wrote the Pastorals anticipating
martyrdom (2Tm 4:6-8) which would have occurred no later than 67-68
AD. Most scholars, however, believe that Paul suffered martyrdom
at the end of his first imprisonment, possibly as early as 62 AD,
during the reign of Nero, emperor of Rome.
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| Text:
First Corinthians 9:1-12a
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus
our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2 Although I may not be an apostle for others, certainly
I am for you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 My defense against those who would pass judgment on me
is this.
4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink?
5 Do we not have the right to take along a Christian wife,
as do the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and
Cephas?
6 Or is it only myself and Barnabas who do not have the right
not to work?
7 Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants
a vineyard without eating its produce? Or who shepherds a flock
without using some of the milk from the flock?
8 Am I saying this on human authority, or does not the law also
speak of these things?
9 It is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not
muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is
God concerned about oxen,
10 or is he not really speaking for our sake? It was
written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope, and
the thresher in hope of receiving a share.
11 If we have sown spiritual seed for you, is it a great
thing that we reap a material harvest from you?
12a If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we
still more?
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