ROMANS
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ROMANS
considerations are supplemented by external evidence.
Finally, the situation exhibited by historical research
is precisely that of the Epistle to the Romans, as is
almost unanimously admitted.
The "di^•ision h>-pothesis" encounters a great dif- ficulty in the MSS. Deissmann endeavoured to ex- plain' the fusion of the two Epistles (Roman and Ephesian) on the supposition of collections of epistles existing among the ancients (duplicate-books of the sender and collections of originals of the receivers). Even if a possible exi)lanation be thus obtained, its application to the present case is hedged in with im- probabihties; the assumption of an Epistle consisting merely of greetings is open to grave suspicion, and, if one supposes this chapter to be the remnant of a lost epistle, this hj-pothesis merely creates fresh problems.
\Miile St. Paul's wide circle of friends in Rome at first awakens surprise, it raises no insuperable difficulty. We should not attempt to base our de- cision on the names alone; the Roman names prove nothing in favour of Rome, and the Greek still less against Rome. Names like Narcissus, Junias, Rufus, especially Aristobulus, and Herodian remind one of Rome rather than Asia Minor, although some persons with these names may have settled in the latter place. But what of the "emigration to Rome"? The very critics who find therein a difficulty must be well aware of the great stream of Orientals which flowed to the capital even under Emperor Augustus (Jiilicher). 'Why should not the Christians have followed this movement? For the second century the historical fact is certain; how many Eastern names do we not find in Rome (Polycarp, Justin, Marcion, Tatian, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and others)? Again for years Paul had turned his mind towards Rome (xv, 23; i, 13). Would not his friends have known of this, and would he not have dis- cussed it with Aquila and Prisca who were from Rome? Besides, it is highly probable that the emi- gration was not entirely the result of chance, but took place in accordance with the ^^ews, and perhaps to some extent at the suggestion of the Apostle; for nothing is more likely than that his friends hurried before him to prepare the way. Three years later indeed he Ls met by "the brethren" on his arrival in Rome (Acts, xxviii, 1.5). The long delay was not the fault of St. Paul and had not, by any means, been foreseen by him.
The emphasizing of the services of his friends is easy to understand in an Epistle to the Romans; if only a portion of the restless charity and self- Ba^:rificing zeal of the Apostle for the Gentiles be- comes known in Rome, his active helpers may feel assurwi of a kind reception in the great community of Gentile Christians. The exhortation in xvi, 17-20, is indeed delivered in a solemn and almost severe tone, but in the case of St. Paul we are accustomed to sudden and sharp transitions of this kind. One feels that the writer has become suddenly affected with a deep anxiety, which in a moment gets tlie upper hand. And why should not St. Paul rcrnernber the well- known submi.ssiveness of the Roman Church? Still less 07K-n io objection is the "I would" (xvi, 19), since the Grwk often means in the writings of St. Paul merely "I wish". The position of verse 4 hcAwftcn the grr-efings i.s unusual, but would not be more inUiIligible in an Epistle to the Ephesians than in the Epistle to the Romans.
V. Datk and Cikci;.mhtances of Compcsition. — The contents of the Epistle show that the author has acquired a ripe exr)eri(!nce in the apostolate. Paul behevf^ hi.s task in the East to be practically finished; he has preached the P'aith as far as Illyricum, prob- ably to the bounrlaries of the province (xv, 18-24); he is about to bring biuik to Palestine the alms con- tributed in Galatia, Achaia, and Macedonia (xv,
25-28; of. I Cor., xvi, 1-4; II Cor., viii, 1-9, 15;
Acts, XX, 3-4; xxiv, 17). The time of composition
is thus exactly determined; the Epistle was written
at the end of the third missionary journey, which
brought the Apostle back from Ephesus finally to
Corinth. The mention of the Christian Phebe of
Cenchnr (xvi, 1) and the greeting on the part of his
host Caius (xvi, 23) very likely the one whom Paul
had baptized (I Cor., i, 14) — conduct us to Corinth,
where the Epistle was written shortly before Paul's
departure for Macedonia. Its composition at the
port of Cenchrae would be possible only on the sup-
position that the Apostle had made a long stay there;
the E])istle is too elaborate and evinces too much
intellectual labour for one to suppose that it was writ-
ten at an intermediate station.
The year of composition can only be decided ap- proximately. According to Acts, xxiv, 27, St. Paul's imprisonment in Caesarea lasted two full years until the removal of the procurator Felix. The year of this change lies between 58 and 61. At the earliest 58, because Felix was already many years in office at the beginning of Paul's imprisonment (Acts, xxiv, 10); Felix scarcely came to Judea before 52, and less than four or five years cannot well be called "many". At the latest 61, although this date is very improbable, as Festus, the successor of Felix, died in 62 after an eventful administration. Ac- cordingly the arrival of St. Paul in Jerusalem and the composition of the Epistle to the Romans, which occurred in the preceding few months, must be re- ferred to the years 56-59, or better 57-58. The chronology of St. Paul's missionary activity does not exclude the suggestion of the years 56-57, since the Apostle began his third missionary journey perhaps as early as 52-53 (Gallio, proconsul of Achaia — Acts, xviii, 12-17 — was, according to an inscription in Delphi, probably in office about 52).
VI. Historical Importance. — The Epistle gives us important information concerning the Roman Church and St. Paul's early relations with it. We may recall the dangers and strained relations and the various groupings of the community referred to in xvi, 5, 14, 15, and perhaps in xvi, 10, 11. That Paul's gaze was turned towards Rome for years, and that Rome was to be merely a stopping place on his way to Spain, we learn only from this Epistle. Did he ever reach Spain? All tradition affords only one useful piece of information on this point: "he went to the extremest west" (Clement of Rome, vi, 7); the Muratorian Fragment, 38 sq., is not suf- ficiently clear.
An interesting conception of the apostolate is contained in the words: "But now having no more place in these countries" (xv, 23). Paul thus limited his task to laying the foundation of the Gospel in large centres, leaving to others the development of the communities. The meaning of the words "unto IlljTicum" (xv, 19) will always remain uncertain. Probably the Apostle had at this period not yet crossed the borders of the j)rovin(!e. Whether the remark in Titus, iii, 12, concerning a proposed resi- dence during the winter in Nicopolis (the Illyrian town is meant), is to be connected with a missionary journey, must remain un.scttled.
The Epistle is instructive for its revelation of the personal feelings of the Apostle of the Gentiles towards his fellow-Jews. Some have tried to represent these feelings as hard to exi)lain and contradictory. But a true conception of the great Apostle renders every word intelligible. On the one hand he main- tains in this Epistle the position of faith and grace as distinc;t from the Law, and, addressing a people who aj)p('ale(l to their natural lineage and their ob- servance of the Law to establish a 8Ui)i)Osed right (to salvation), he insists unswervingly on the Divine election to grace. But Paul emphasizes not less
