Epistle to the Romans in Fausset's Bible Dictionary
AUTHENTICITY, GENUINENESS. Peter (2 Peter 3:15-16) quotes
Romans 2:4, calling it "Scripture." The epistles of Clement
(Cor. 35) and Polycarp (ad Philippians 6) quote respectively
Romans 1:29-32 and Romans 14:10-12. Irenaeus (iv. 27,
section 2) quotes it as Paul's (Romans 4:10-11). Melito's
"Hearing of Faith" is entitled from Romans 10 or Galatians
3:2-3. The Muratorian Canon, Syriac and Old Latin versions,
have it. Heretics admitted its canonicity; so the Ophites
(Hippol. Haer. 99; Romans 1:20-26); Basilides (238, Romans
8:19-22; Romans 5:13-14); Valentinus (195, Romans 8:11); the
Valentinians Heracleon and Ptolemaeus; Tatian (Orat. 4,
Romans 1:20), and Marcion's canon. The epistle of the
churches of Vienne and Lyons (Eusebius, H. E. v. 1; Romans
8:18); Athenagoras (13, Romans 12:1; Romans 12:37; Romans
1:24); Theophilus of Antioch (Autol. 79, Romans 2:6; Romans
2:126; Romans 13:7-8). Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement of
Alexandria often quote it.
DATE AND PLACE OF WRITING. Paul wrote while at
Corinth, for he commends to the Romans Phoebe, deaconess of
Cenchreae, the port of Corinth (Romans 16:1-2). He was
lodging at Gaius' house (Romans 16:23), a chief member of
the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 1:14). Erastus,
"treasurer" ("chamberlain", KJV), belonged to Corinth (2
Timothy 4:20; Acts 19:22). The time was during his visit in
the winter and spring following his long stay at Ephesus
(Romans 20:3); for he was just about to carry the
contributions of Macedonia and Achaia to Jerusalem (Romans
15:25-27; compare Acts 20:22), just after his stay at
Corinth at this time (Acts 24:17; 1 Corinthians 16:4; 2
Corinthians 8:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:1, etc.). His design of
visiting Rome after Jerusalem (Romans 15:23-25) at this
particular time appears incidentally from Acts 19:21. Thus,
Paul wrote it in his third missionary journey, at the second
of the two visas to Corinth recorded in Acts. He remained
then three months in Greece.
He was on the point of sailing to Jerusalem when
obliged to alter his purpose; the sea therefore was by this
time navigable. It was not late in the spring, for, after
passing through Macedon and visiting the coast of Asia
Minor, he still expected to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost
(Acts 20:16). He must therefore have written the epistle to
the Romans early in spring, A.D. 58. Thus, it is logically
connected with the epistles to the Galatians and
Corinthians. He wrote 1 Corinthians before leaving Ephesus;
2 Corinthians on his way to Corinth; and Galatians at
Corinth, where also he wrote Romans. Hence, the resemblance
of these two epistles in style and substance. The epistle to
the Galatians and the two almost contemporaneous epistles to
the Corinthians are the most intense in feeling and varied
in expression of Paul's epistles...
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