rome Summary and Overview

the most celebrated city in the world at the time of Christ. It is said to have been founded B.C. 753. When the New Testament was written, Rome was enriched and adorned with the spoils of the world, and contained a population estimated at 1,200,000, of which the half were slaves, and including representatives of nearly every nation then known. It was distinguished for its wealth and luxury and profligacy. The empire of which it was the capital had then reached its greatest prosperity. On the day of Pentecost there were in Jerusalem "strangers from Rome," who doubtless carried with them back to Rome tidings of that great day, and were instrumental in founding the church there. Paul was brought to this city a prisoner, where he remained for two years (Acts 28:30, 31) "in his own hired house." While here, Paul wrote his epistles to the Philippians, to the Ephesians, to the Colossians, to Philemon, and probably also to the Hebrews. He had during these years for companions Luke and Aristarchus (Acts 27:2), Timothy (Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1), Tychicus (Eph. 6: 21), Epaphroditus (Phil. 4:18), and John Mark (Col. 4:10). (See PAUL T0002871.) Beneath this city are extensive galleries, called "catacombs," which were used from about the time of the apostles (one of the inscriptions found in them bears the date A.D. 71) for some three hundred years as places of refuge in the time of persecution, and also of worship and burial. About four thousand inscriptions have been found in the catacombs. These give an interesting insight into the history of the church at Rome down to the time of Constantine.

the famous capital of the ancient world, is situated on the Tiber at a distance of about 15 miles from its mouth. The "seven hills," #Re 17:9| which formed the nucleus of the ancient city stand on the left bank. On the opposite side of the river rises the far higher side of the Janiculum. Here from very early times was a fortress with a suburb beneath it extending to the river. Modern Rome lies to the north of the ancient city, covering with its principal portion the plain to the north of the seven hills, once known as the Campus Martius, and on the opposite bank extending over the low ground beneath the Vatican to the north of the ancient Janiculum. Rome is not mentioned in the Bible except in the books of Maccabees and in three books of the New Testament, viz., the Acts, the Epistle to the Romans and the Second Epistle to Timothy. 1. Jewish inhabitants. the conquests of Pompey seem to have given rise to the first settlement of Jews at Rome. The Jewish king Aristobulus and his son formed part of Pompey's triumph, and many Jewish captives and immigrants were brought to Rome at that time. A special district was assigned to them, not on the site of the modern Ghetto, between the Capitol and the island of the Tiber, but across the Tiber. Many of these Jews were made freedmen. Julius Caesar showed them some kindness; they were favored also by Augustus, and by Tiberius during the latter part of his reign. It is chiefly in connection with St. Paul's history that Rome comes before us in the Bible. In illustration of that history it may be useful to give some account of Rome in the time of Nero, the "Caesar" to whom St. Paul appealed, and in whose reign he suffered martyrdom. 2. The city in Paul's time. --The city at that time must be imagined as a large and irregular mass of buildings unprotected by an outer wall. It had long outgrown the old Servian wall; but the limits of the suburbs cannot be exactly defined. Neither the nature of the buildings nor the configuration of the ground was such as to give a striking appearance to the city viewed from without. "Ancient Rome had neither cupola nor camyanile," and the hills, never lofty or imposing, would present, when covered with the buildings and streets of a huge city, a confused appearance like the hills of modern London, to which they have sometimes been compared. The visit of St. Paul lies between two famous epochs in the history of the city, viz, its restoration by Augustus and its restoration by Nero. The boast of Augustus is well known, "that he found the city of brick, and left it of marble." Some parts of the city, especially the Forum and Campus Martius, must have presented a magnificent appearance, of which Niebur's "Lectures on Roman History," ii. 177, will give a general idea; but many of the principal buildings which attract the attention of modern travellers in ancient Rome were not yet built. The streets were generally narrow and winding, flanked by densely crowded lodging-houses (insulae) of enormous height. Augustus found it necessary to limit their height to 70 feet. St, Paul's first visit to Rome took place before the Neronian conflagration but even after the restoration of the city which followed upon that event, many of the old evils continued. The population of the city has been variously estimated. Probably Gibbon's estimate of 1,200,000 is nearest to the truth. One half of the population consisted, in all probability, of slaves. The larger part of the remainder consisted of pauper citizens supported in idleness by the miserable system of public gratuities. There appears to have been no middle class, and no free industrial population. Side by side with the wretched classes just mentioned was the comparatively small body of the wealthy nobility, of whose luxury and profligacy we learn so much from the heathen writers of the time, Such was the population which St. Paul would find at Rome at the time of his visit. We learn from the Acts of the Apostles that he was detained at Rome for "two whole years," "dwelling in his own hired house with a soldier that kept him," #Ac 28:16, 30| to whom apparently, according to Roman custom, he was hound with a chain. #Ac 28:20; Eph 6:20; Phm 1:13| Here he preached to all that came to him, no man forbidding him. #Ac 28:30,31| It is generally believed that on his "appeal to Caesar" he was acquitted, and after some time spent in freedom, was a second time imprisoned at Rome. Five of his epistles, viz., those to the Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, that to Philemon, and the Second Epistle to Timothy, were in all probability written from Rome, the latter shortly before his death #2Ti 4:6| the others during his first imprisonment. It is universally believed that he suffered martyrdom at Rome. 3. The localities in and about Rome especially connected with the life of Paul are-- (1) The Appian Way, by which he approached Rome. #Ac 28:15| [APPII FORUM] (2) "The palace," Or "Caesar's court" (praetorium,) #Phm 1:13| This may mean either the great camp of the Praetorian guards which Tiberius established outside the walls on the northeast of the city, or, as seems more probable, a barrack attached to the imperial residence on the Palatine. There is no sufficient proof that the word "praetorium" was ever used to designate the emperors palace, though it is used for the official residence of a Roman governor. #Joh 18:28; Ac 23:35| the mention of "Caesar's household," #Phm 4:22| confirms the notion that St. Paul's residence was in the immediate neighborhood of the emperor's house on the Palatine. (3) The connection of other localities at home with St. Paul's name rests only on traditions of more or less probability. We may mention especially-- (4) The Mamertine prison, of Tullianum, built by Ancus Martius near the Forum. It still exists beneath the church of St. Giuseppe dei Falegnami. It is said that St. Peter and St. Paul were fellow prisoners here for nine months. This is not the place to discuss the question whether St. Peter was ever at Rome. It may be sufficient to state that though there is no evidence of such a visit in the New Testament, unless Babylon in #1Pe 5:13| is a mystical name for Rome yet early testimony and the universal belief of the early Church seems sufficient to establish the fact of his having suffered martyrdom there. [PETER] The story, however, of the imprisonment in the Mamertine prison seems inconsistent with #2Ti 4:11| (5) The chapel on the Ostian road which marks the spot where the two apostles are said to, have separated on their way to martyrdom. (6)The supposed scene of St. Paul's martyrdom, viz., the church of St. Paolo alle tre fontane on the Ostian road. To these may be added -- (7) The supposed scene of St. Peter's martyrdom, viz., the church of St. Pietro in Montorio, on the Janiculum. (8) The chapel Domine que Vadis, on the Aypian road,the scene of the beautiful legend of our Lord's appearance to St. Peter as he was escaping from martyrdom. (9) The places where the bodies of the two apostles, after having been deposited first in the catacombs, are supposed to have been finally buried --that of St. Paul by the Ostian road, that of St. Peter beneath the dome of the famous Basilica which bears his name. We may add, as sites unquestionably connected with the Roman Christians of the apostolic age-- (10) The gardens of Nero in the Vatican. Not far from the spot where St. Peter's now stands. Here Christians, wrapped in the skins of beasts, were torn to pieces by dogs, or, clothed in inflammable robes, were burnt to serve as torches during the midnight games. Others were crucified. (11) The Catacombs. These subterranean galleries, commonly from 8 to 10 feet in height and from 4 to 6 in width, and extending for miles, especially in the neighborhood of the old Appian and Nomentan Ways, were unquestionably used as places of refuge, of worship and of burial by the early Christians. The earliest dated inscription in the catacombs is A.D. 71. Nothing is known of the first founder of the Christian Church at Rome. Christianity may, perhaps, have been introduced into the city not long after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost by the "strangers of Rome, who were then at Jerusalem, #Ac 2:10| It is clear that there were many Christians at Rome before St. Paul visited the city. #Ro 1:8,13,15; 15:20| The names of twenty-four Christians at Rome are given in the salutations at the end of the Epistle to the Romans. Linus, who is mentioned #2Ti 4:21| and Clement, Phil 4:3 are supposed to have succeeded St. Peter as bishops of Rome.

ROME , the celebrated city and capital of the Roman republic and empire, and once the proud mistress of the world. It is situated on the river Tiber, about 15 miles from its mouth. The ancient city was built upon seven hills. It was founded about 754 years before the Christian era; legendary history ascribes its founding to Romulus. The principal interest to the Bible-reader in the history of Rome relates to the N.T. period. Rome, in the N.T. times, was the capital of the empire in its greatest prosperity, and the residence of its emperors. Among its inhabitants were many Jews. Acts 28:17. They had received the liberty of worship and other privileges from Caesar, and lived in the district across the Tiber, near the Porta Portese. At the time of Paul's visit the city had outgrown the old Servian wall, and consisted of an extensive and irregular mass of buildings unprotected by any outer city wall. This was a period between two noted epochs in its history - the restoration by Augustus and that effected by Nero. It was the boast of Augustus that he found a city of brick and left one of marble. The streets are described as being at that time generally narrow and crooked, flanked by crowded lodging-houses of great height - so great that Augustus made a law limiting them to 70 feet. Gibbon estimates the population of the city at this time as nearly 1,200,000, of which probably one-half were slaves, and the larger part of the remainder were paupers supported in idleness by an unwise system of public gratuities. Paul was kept at Rome two whole years, dwelling in his own hired house with a soldier who had charge of him. Acts 28:16, 1 Kgs 20:30. In accordance with the usual Roman custom of treating prisoners, he appears to have been bound to the soldier with a chain. Acts 28:20; Eph 6:20; Phil 1:16. To those coming to visit him he preached the gospel, no one forbidding him. Acts 28:30-31. An old legend declares that the Mamertine prison was the place where Paul and Peter were confined together as fellow-prisoners, though there is no historic proof of this supposition. This prison still exists under the church of St. Giuseppe; while a chapel on the Ostian road is pointed out by tradition as the place where the two parted when on their way to martyrdom. Some historians deny that Peter ever visited Rome, and it is quite certain, from the silence of the N.T., that he could not have been there till the latter part of his life, but tradition unanimously affirms that he suffered martyrdom in Rome under Nero. It is the prevailing opinion that Paul was acquitted on his appeal to Caesar, but that he was after a time again imprisoned at Rome. Several of his Epistles are believed to have been written from this city, as those to the Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, Philemon, and the Second Epistle to Timothy, the latter shortly before his death. 2 Tim 4:6. On Paul's approach to Rome he was met by brethren, who came out on the Appian Way as far as the little town of Appii Forum. Acts 28:15. In his letter to the Philippians he also refers to the "palace" or Caesar's court. Phil 1:13. This probably does not refer to the imperial palace, but to the residence of the Praetorian guards or to a miltary barrack attached to the imperial house. There were Christians also belonging to the imperial household, even during the reign of the cruel Nero. Phil 4:22. Gardens, Colosseum, and Catacombs. - There are many traditions connecting various other localities in Rome with the visit and residence of Paul, but most of them have very little real historical support. Among the sites which may unquestionably be connected with the Roman Christians at or near the apostolic age are: 1. The Gardens of Nero, in the Vatican, near St. Peter's. Within these, in the Neronian persecution, a.d. 64, after the great conflagration. Christians, wrapped in skins of beasts, were torn by dogs, or, clothed in inflammable stuffs, were burnt as torches during the midnight games; others were crucified. 2. The Colosseum. - In this vast theatre games of various sorts and gladiatorial shows were held, and within its arena many Christians, during the ages of persecution, fought with wild beasts, and many were slain for their faith. 3. The Catacombs. - These are vast subterranean galleries (whether originally sand-pits or excavations is uncertain). Their usual height is from 8 to 10 feet and their width from 4 to 6 feet, and they extend for miles, especially in the region of the Appian and Nomentane Ways. The Catacombs were early used by the Christians as places of refuge, worship, and burial. More than four thousand inscriptions have been found in these subterranean passages, which are considered as belonging to the period between the reign of Tiberius and that of the emperor Constantine. Among the oldest of the inscriptions in the Catacombs is one dated a.d. 71. The names of twenty-four Christians at Rome are given in the salutations contained in the Epistle to the Romans. The house of Clement of Rome, where the early Christians probably met for worship, has recently been discovered beneath the church of St. Clement. Rome, as a persecuting power, is referred to by the "seven heads" and "seven mountains" in Rev 17:9, and described under the name of "Babylon " elsewhere in the same book. Rev 14:8; Rev 16:19; Rev 17:5; Ps 18:2,Rev 18:21. Post-Biblical History. - The Christian church at Rome, which appears to have been founded before the visit of the apostle, probably by Roman Jews who had heard the gospel in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:10, was strengthened by Paul, and the metropolitan character of the city gave the church a position of importance and gradually increasing power, until it became the seat of a metropolitan bishopric, and then of the papal see. The earliest religious centres under Christianity were, Ephesus, Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome. Each of these gradually claimed superior powers in the Church, and their decrees were accepted as law. Soon the bishop at Rome, from his position in the capital of the world, and from an assumption that he was the spiritual successor of Peter, claimed supreme power in the Church, and, after long regarding themselves as his equals in rank and authority, the patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople were led to acknowledge the claim of the Roman bishop to a primacy of honor, but not to a supremacy of jurisdiction (about a.d. 451-604). Since the ninth century the great schism divided Christendom into the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Church, independent of the papal power of Rome. The popes ruled Europe with varying degrees of power and ability until the Reformation broke out, in the sixteenth century, since which era the papal power has gradually declined at Rome. The French army entered Italy in 1796, and later the pope became a prisoner, first at Rome, then in France, and Rome was formally governed by France (1806). In 1814 the pope returned to his palace, but in 1848 the people rebelled, and established a republic. France again interfered; the republic ended. The pope returned, but when the French troops were withdrawn in 1870, Italy became united under Victor Emmanuel, Rome was made the political capital of the nation (1871), and the temporal power of the holy see was abolished. The pope still occupies the Vatican, and is supported by contributions of Roman Catholics of France, Austria, Belgium, England, the United States, and other countries. Pius IX. indignantly refused the government pension, and called himself a prisoner in the Vatican. Leo XIII., though firm in maintaining his claim to the "patrimony of Peter," is more peaceable and conciliatory,

Paul's first visit was between the restoration by Augustus, whose boast was "he had found the city of brick and left it of marble" (Suet., Aug. 28), and that by Nero after its conflagration. His residence was near the "barrack" (praetorium) attached to the imperial palace on the Palatine (Philemon 1:13). (See PALACE.) Modern Rome lies N. of ancient Rome, covering the Campus Martius, or "plain" to the N. of the seven hills; the latter (Revelation 17:9), the nucleus of the old city, stand on the left bank. On the opposite side of the Tiber is the higher ridge, Janiculum, also the Vatican. The Mamertine prison where legend makes Peter and Paul to have been fellow prisoners for nine months is still under the church of Giuseppe dei Falegnani; but see 2 Timothy 4:11. (See PETER.) The chapel on the Ostian road marks the legendary site of the two parting for martyrdom. The church of Paolo alle Tre Fontane on the Ostian road is the alleged site of Paul's martyrdom. The church of Pietro in Montorio on the Janiculum is that of Peter's martyrdom. The chapel "Domine quo Vadis?" on the Appian road marks where Peter in the legend met the Lord, as he was fleeing from martyrdom. (See PETER.) The bodies of the two apostles first lay in the catacombs ("cemeteries" or sleeping places: Eusebius, H. E. ii. 25); then Paul's body was buried by the Ostian road, Peter's beneath the dome of the famous basilica called after him (Caius, in Eusebius, H. E. ii. 25). All this is mere tradition. Real sites are the Colosseum and Nero's gardens in the Vatican near to Peter's; in them Christians wrapped in beasts' skins were torn by dogs, or clothed in inflammable stuffs were burnt as torches during the midnight games! Others were crucified (Tacitus, Annals xv. 44). The catacombs, "subterranean galleries" (whether sand pits or excavations originally is uncertain), from eight to ten feet, high, and four to six wide extending for miles, near the Appian and Nomentane ways, were used by the early Christians as places of refuge, worship, and burial. The oldest inscription is A.D. 71; thence to A.D. 300 less than thirty Christian inscriptions are known bearing dates, 4,000 undated are considered anterior to Constantine.