The Founding of the Church of Rome and the Composition of Its Members

There is no exact information about the origin of the Roman Church, so important later in church history. One can only speculate about this, however, very likely. The Apostle Paul himself writes in his Epistle to the Romans that among the Roman Christians there are some who believed in Christ even before he himself (Andronicus and Junia – Rom. 16:7 [1]), and that the faith of the Roman Christians is already glorified throughout the whole world (Rom. 1:8 [2]). In the Clement Recognitions it is said that even during the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ, news of Him reached the Romans and aroused in them not only amazement, but also faith. This is not surprising, given that from the time of the subjugation of Judea to Rome by Pompey (in 63 B.C.). many Jews began to live in Rome, for whom even a special quarter was later allocated. They went to Jerusalem for the holidays and, of course, could then tell in Rome about what they heard and saw there. On the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, as the writer testifies, the Romans were among the witnesses of this great event (Acts 2:10 [3]). Among these Romans there may have been believers and baptized Romans, who later became the founders of the first Christian community in Rome. The question arises, where and from which of the Apostles does the ecclesiastical hierarchy of this first Roman community originate? The tradition of the Roman Church says that there was in Rome the holy Apostle Peter, who, after his miraculous release from prison in 43 AD, arrived there from Jerusalem and was bishop there for 25 years until his martyrdom in 67 AD. There can be no doubt that St. Peter was not in Rome at the time when the holy Apostle Paul wrote his Epistle to the Romans. If the holy Apostle Peter had been a bishop in Rome, would St. Paul have dared to instruct his flock, and even if he had nevertheless considered it necessary to address the Roman flock with an epistle, then, of course, not apart from St. Peter, and in one way or another would have mentioned his name in the epistle? In addition, St. Paul says of himself that he did not have the custom of "building on someone else's foundation" (Rom. 15:20 [4]) and preaching in someone else's province (2 Cor. 10:16 [5]). The holy Apostle Paul would not have sought to go to Rome if the holy Apostle Peter had already been there. There was no St. Peter in Rome, and consequently until the end of St. Paul's first bonds. It is impossible that the writer of Acts, who tells of the arrival of St. Paul in Rome and of his preaching there, would not have mentioned that the saint was in Rome at that time. The Apostle Peter. From this the conclusion is clear: the holy Apostle Peter could have been in Rome only after the first bonds of the holy Apostle Paul, that is, shortly before his martyrdom. At the end of the Epistle to the Romans, the holy Apostle Paul sends greetings to a number of persons, apparently very close and well known to him. Who were these persons, and how could the holy Apostle Paul, who had not yet been in Rome before, have become acquainted with them? All of them are undoubtedly exiles from Rome, expelled by Imp. Claudius and scattered throughout Greece, Macedonia and Asia Minor, where they met the Apostle Paul. Some of them were enlightened by him, others became his collaborators. After the death of Claudius, they returned to Rome and spiritually headed the Roman church community. The Holy Apostle Paul burned with a desire to be in Rome in order to reap the fruits of what was sown by his disciples.The tradition that the Roman Church was founded by St. Peter can be explained by the fact that the first believers in Rome were from among the converts on the day of Pentecost, who heard the speech of the holy Apostle Peter and naturally considered him their spiritual father. To this was added the fact that in Rome the holy Apostle Peter accepted a martyr's death.The Roman Church at first consisted mainly of Jews, but later many pagans entered it, so that the latter even began to predominate in number. This is also evident from the Epistle to the Romans. The Roman pagans, disappointed in their pagan superstitions, often became proselytes when they came into contact with the Jews, and this made it easier for them to convert to Christianity, as it gave even greater, already complete satisfaction to their spirit. The Roman philosopher Seneca said on this occasion that the defeated give the laws of faith to the victors, and Juvenal laughed at the Judaizer Romans, and especially Roman women. According to the testimony of Suetonius, the Jews were expelled by Imp. Claudius of Rome because there were troubles among them because of Christ. At the same time, the Gentile believers could not suffer, for the persecution affected only the Jews, and moreover, not for the faith, but for the violation of public peace. The community of former pagans began to grow and develop independently, and thus completely separated itself from the Jews. Christians from the Jews, who later returned, firmly merged with the believers from the Gentiles, forming a single whole with them and also completely separating themselves from the Jews. This separation of the faithful from the Jews was sharply marked at the entry of the holy Apostle Paul into Rome, when the faithful went out to meet the Apostle Paul as far as the Appian Square and the three inns, and the Jews did not come to Saint Paul for three days, until he himself invited them to his place for a conversation. ^First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. ^Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjacent to Cyrene, and those who came from Rome, the Jews and proselytes. ^Moreover, I tried to preach the gospel not where the name of Christ was already known, so as not to build on someone else's foundation. ^so that you may continue to preach the Gospel, and not boast of what is ready in someone else's inheritance. ^

The reason for writing the epistle and its purpose

From the Epistle to the Romans it does not appear that they themselves gave the holy Apostle Paul any reason for writing the Epistle. The Epistle has a completely general character and does not indicate any particulars in the life of Roman Christians. It is in vain to think that there was any controversy or division among them, pointing to 16:17,1 which is also a general passage, like all other exhortations. After all, he was the "Apostle of the Gentiles," and it was natural for him to be concerned about the Christian prosperity of the inhabitants of the capital of the entire cultural world of that time. Intending to visit the Romans, he prefaced this visit with his own message, so that it would temporarily replace his personal visit, preparing the Romans to meet him. In his epistle he outlines the general program of all Christian teaching and warns them against infection by the Judaizers.The nearest reason for writing the epistle at this time was the departure to Rome from Corinth, where Paul was at that time, of the highly respected Cenchraean deaconess of Phoebe, who rendered considerable services to the cause of faith and the Church and was a helper in the work of evangelizing the Gospel to the Apostle Paul himself, as he himself testifies (16:1-2 [2]). She had dealings in Rome, and the holy Apostle Paul, appreciating her merits, considered it his duty to recommend her to Roman Christians.I beseech you, brethren, beware of those who produce divisions and temptations, contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and turn away from them. ^I present to you Phoebe, our sister, deaconess of the church of Cenchrean. Receive her for the Lord, as befits the saints, and help her in whatever she will have need of you, for she also was a helper to many, including to myself. ^

Place and time of writing the epistle

From the data of the Epistle to the Romans itself, it can be established with certainty that it was written in Corinth. This is evident from the fact that St. Paul conveys to the Romans greetings from Gaius, with whom he lived, and from Erastus, the city treasurer (16:23 [1]), and from his other epistles (1 Cor. 1:14 [2] and 2 Tim. 4:20 [3]) it is clear that these persons lived in Corinth. In the same way, Phoebe, from which the epistle was sent, was the deaconess of Cenchreus, and Cenchrea was a suburb of Corinth, a Corinthian harbor on the side of the Aegean Sea (Rom. 6:1). There are also clear indications of this in the epistle itself. The Apostle informs the Romans that he intends to go to Jerusalem with the alms he had collected in Macedonia and Achaia, and from Jerusalem he intends to go to Rome and then to Spain (15:25-28 [4]). Comparing this indication with the narrative of the Book of Acts (19:21 [5] and 20:3 [6]), we establish that the Epistle to the Romans was written by the holy Apostle Paul during the third Apostolic journey, when he spent three months in Greece, that is, about the year 59 A.D. in the spring. Greetings to you are Erastus, the city treasurer, and brother Qart. ^I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius. ^Erastus remained in Corinth; I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. ^And now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints, for Macedonia and Achaia are zealous in giving some alms to the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. They are zealous, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have become partakers in their spirituality, then they must also serve them in the bodily. Having done this, and having faithfully delivered to them this fruit of diligence, I will go through your places to Spain. ^When this was done, Paul resolved in the Spirit, having passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, "Having been there, I must see Rome also." ^There he stayed for three months. When, on account of the indignation made against him by the Jews, he wanted to go to Syria, it occurred to him to return by way of Macedonia. ^

The Authenticity of the Message

The most captious criticism could not dispute the origin of this epistle from the Apostle Paul. St. Clement of Rome, St. Polycarp of Smyrna, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Tertullian and St. Clement of Alexandria, as well as all later writers and even heretics, know and quote this epistle. Only the heretic Marcion denied the authenticity of the last two chapters, beginning with the 24th verse of the 14th chapter. It was followed by the latest criticism, which considers these chapters to be a later addition. Origen, however, condemns Marcion for this, and the existence of these two chapters in the most ancient manuscripts, as well as their inner content, which does not represent anything contrary to the spirit, teaching, and circumstances of the life of the holy Apostle Paul, convince us of their indubitable authenticity.

Content and composition of the message

The Epistle to the Romans consists of 16 chapters. The main subject of its content is the only way of salvation, both for the Gentile and for the Jew in the Lord Jesus Christ. The elaboration of this theme occupies most of the epistle—11 chapters. To this in the following chapters, from 12 to 15:13, general moral instructions about the Christian life are added. The epistle begins with the usual preface with an inscription and greeting, and ends with an afterword with greetings to various persons.

Exegetical analysis

The Epistle to the Romans consists of 16 chapters. The main subject of its content is the only way of salvation, both for the Gentile and for the Jew in the Lord Jesus Christ. The elaboration of this theme occupies most of the epistle—11 chapters. To this in the following chapters, from 12 to 15:13, general moral instructions about the Christian life are added. The epistle begins with the usual preface with an inscription and greeting, and ends with an afterword with greetings to various persons.

Part I

The Epistle to the Romans begins with a very lengthy inscription and greeting: "Paul, servant of Jesus Christ, called apostle, chosen to the gospel of God." Humbly calling himself "a servant of Christ," St. Paul then says that he takes the Romans into his care, on the basis of an apostolic calling from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who entrusted him "in His name to subject to the faith all nations," among which are they, the Romans. Then the Apostle teaches them, as usual: "grace and peace" (vv. 1-7).Further, as an incentive to enter into communion with the Romans, St. Paul puts forward that "their faith is proclaimed in all the world," that is, the Apostle is especially pleased to make the acquaintance of such worthy followers of Christ, in order to raise their faith to a higher degree: "to give them a certain spiritual gift," and "be comforted with them in common faith" (vv. 8-12). The Apostle says that he had more than once intended to come to them, but met with obstacles. This obstacle is the desire for the success of preaching among all the nations where the Apostle had previously preached.From verse 16 begins the doctrinal, dogmatic part of the epistle, in which the Apostle proves that before God all are sinful and unanswerable, both pagans and Jews, and that only living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ saves a person: "The just shall live by faith" (Habakka 2:4). First of all, the Apostle speaks of the sin of the Gentiles, who did not bother to know the true God through the study of His creatures: "For His invisible things, and His eternal power and Godhead, from the foundation of the world, through the contemplation of creatures, are visible" (vv. 18-20). The result of this ignorance of the true God led to idolatry, and idolatry led to all kinds of lewdness and immoral depravity (vv. 21-32). He says that along with the Gentiles, the judgment of God weighs down on the Jews, who, although they had a revealed law, were at all times no better than the Gentiles: condemning the Gentiles for their wickedness, they did the same. However, the first 16 verses of this chapter, as Bishop Theophan the Recluse notes, on the basis of the interpretation of St. John Chrysostom, have in mind not only Jews, but all people in general, who, while condemning others for their sins, do not themselves abstain from sins. This is especially true of those in power, the rulers of the people, who are appointed to judge. Such should know that "there is no respect of persons with God," and every sinner, whoever he may be, will suffer a fitting punishment. It is important here to point out that the pagans, who do not have the divinely revealed law, will be judged by God according to the law of conscience written in their hearts: "For when the Gentiles, who have no law, by nature do what is lawful, then, having no law, they are a law unto themselves: they show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience testifies, and their thoughts, which now accuse, those who justify one another in the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secret deeds of men" (vv. 1-16).From verses 17 to 29, the holy Apostle speaks exclusively about the Jews, that they hope in vain for their circumcision and boast of their God-revealed law, for their circumcision and the law of God given to them will serve them for greater condemnation, if they, boasting of the law, dishonor God by transgressing the law (v. 17-29).In the third chapter, the holy Apostle shows that the Jews have no advantage over the Gentiles, for "both Jews and Greeks, all are under sin" (v. 9), "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (v. 23). Therefore, a person can be justified only "through faith," "by the grace of God," "by redemption in Christ Jesus" (vv. 24-25). Nevertheless, the Jews still had the advantage of being "entrusted with the word of God" (v. 2), which contained the high promises of the Messiah. Despite the fact that the Jews turned out to be unfaithful in keeping this great gift of God, God, by the very nature of His nature, will certainly fulfill the promises given to Him. The law given to the Jews further aggravates their responsibility and guilt. And since God is not only the God of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles, there is only one way of salvation for both, and that is through faith. In the fourth chapter, the Apostle remembers the Old Testament righteous Abraham and David, showing in their person that it is not only the formal fulfillment of the precepts of the law that justifies man before God, but faith in the omnipotent grace of God, granted to man by the mercy of God: "Abraham believed God, and this was counted to him for righteousness" (v. 3).In the fifth chapter, the Apostle depicts the basic truth of the Christian doctrine of sin and salvation. Just as from Adam, the natural head of all mankind, sin spread to all mankind — "therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed into all men, because in him all sinned" (Rom. 5:12) — so Christ, the new spiritual head of all mankind, by His redemptive feat also grants salvation to all mankind. Verses 12-21 of this chapter represent one of the most important passages in terms of the depth of their dogmatic content. The proof that Adam's sin really passed on to all his descendants is the fact of death, which was a consequence of Adam's sin, or the so-called original sin. The Apostle points out an important circumstance: before Moses there was no law, and consequently the sins of people could not be imputed to them: "But sin is not imputed when there is no law" (v. 13), but nevertheless people died even before Moses: hence the natural conclusion is that they were punished with death not for their own sins, but for the original sin, which passed on to them from the forefather Adam. But when the law was given, and the people did not cease to sin, their guilt before God was increased still more, v. 20. When sin thus abounded, through the redemptive feat of Christ, an abundance of God's grace was given to people — "And when sin abounded, grace abounded" (v. 20). The redemptive feat of Christ atones not only for the original sin of Adam, but also for all the personal sins of people (v. 16).In the sixth chapter, in order to warn against the false conclusion that if the increase of sin caused the action of the all-powerful grace of God, then it would not be better to remain in sin in order to regain God's mercy, the Apostle exhorts Christians to lead a holy, virtuous life. From the moment of his baptism, a Christian dies to sin and is reborn to a new holy life, just as Christ our Saviour, who suffered and died on the cross, rose from the dead and lives forever "for God" – "So you also consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (v. 11). This passage (6:3-11) is read at the Divine Liturgy on Holy Saturday, when Christ's death and burial and His sojourn in the tomb are remembered. "Our old man (that is, sinful, inclined to sin) must be crucified with Christ, "so that the body of sin may be abolished, so that we may no longer be slaves to sin." Liberation from slavery to sin makes a Christian truly free. If a Christian is a slave, then he is a slave of righteousness. But this slavery to righteousness is only a seeming slavery: it seems so only to the weak, who have not yet been completely freed from slavery to sin, because at the beginning of the ministry of righteousness one has to debase oneself, to struggle with sinful inclinations. But therefore the fruit of slavery to righteousness or slavery to God is holiness and eternal life, and the consequence of slavery to sin is "such works as you yourselves are now ashamed of, for their end is death" (vv. 16-22). "The law has power over a man as long as he lives." Thus, the death of the husband frees the wife from the legal obligations of marriage, and she can marry another. "So ye also, my brethren," says the Apostle, "died to the law in the body of Christ, that ye might belong to another, who rose from the dead, that we might bear fruit unto God" (v. 4). The Law of Moses had a temporary significance in order to reveal the full force of sin and lead mankind to the idea that salvation is impossible without the special grace-filled help of God. The law only opened sinful wounds, but did not provide healing from them: it gave man only a bitter consciousness of powerlessness to fulfill all the requirements of the law and to receive justification from God through this. And now we, Christians, "have been freed from the law in order to serve God in the renewal of the spirit, and not according to the old letter," that is, not according to the outwardly formal prescriptions of the law. At the same time, the Apostle warns against the possible false conclusion that the cause of sin lies in the law: if there were no law, there would be no sin. No, the cause of sin is in man himself. The law itself is holy, and its commandments are holy, just, and directed to good. The law only reveals sin, which is rooted in the nature of man, perverted by original sin. In the second half of the seventh chapter (verses 13-25) the Apostle explains the seeming abnormality, that in the presence of the holy Law of Moses, the sinfulness of mankind not only did not decrease, but even increased, as a result of which an extraordinary grace-filled means was required for the salvation of people through the redemptive feat of the Only-begotten Son of God. This is one of the few places in the New Testament sacred books where the sinful depravity of man's moral nature is depicted with such force and depth: "For I do not what I will, but what I hate, that I do" (v. 15). By his own strength, without the grace of God, man is not able to overcome the sin that dwells in him: "The good that I want I do not do, but the evil that I do not want, I do. But if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that dwells in me" (vv. 19-20). The holy Apostle vividly reveals this picture of the duality that sin produces in our fallen nature: "According to the inner man I find pleasure in the law of God, but in my members I see another law, which opposes the law of my mind and makes me a prisoner of the law of sin (vv. 21-23). Poor man I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (v. 24). After painting this grim picture of man's enslavement to sin, St. Paul then points to the all-powerful help of our Redeemer: "I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (v. 25). The Lord the Redeemer, even in our wretchedness, can show us to be the conquerors of the sin that dwells in us. This is discussed in detail in the next eighth chapter.