From the very earliest period of apostolic labor, after the ascension,
there appear to have been in Rome, some Jews who professed the faith
of Jesus. Among the visitors in Jerusalem at the Pentecost, when the
Holy Spirit first descended, were some from Rome, who sharing in the
gifts of that remarkable effusion, and returning to their home in the
imperial city, would there in themselves constitute the rudiment of
a Christian church. It is perfectly certain that they had never been
blessed in their own city with the personal presence of an apostle and
all their associated action as a Christian church, must therefore have
been entirely the result of a voluntary organization, suggested by the
natural desire to keep up and to spread the doctrines which they had
first received in Jerusalem, under such remarkable circumstances. Yet
the members of the church would not be merely those who were converted
at the Pentecost; for there was a constant influx of Jews from all
parts of the world to Rome, and among these there would naturally be
some who had participated in the light of the gospel, now so widely
diffused throughout the eastern section of the world. There is moreover
distinct information of certain persons of high qualifications,
as Christian teachers, who had at Rome labored in the cause of the
gospel, and had no doubt been among the most efficient means of that
advancement of the Roman church, which seems to be implied in the
communication now first made to them by Paul. Aquilas and Priscilla,
who had been the intimate friends of Paul at Corinth, and who had been
already so active and distinguished as laborers in the gospel cause,
both in that city and in Ephesus, had returned to Rome on the death
of Claudius, when that emperor’s foolish decree of banishment, against
the Jews, expired along with its author, in the year of Christ, 54.
These, on re-establishing their residence in Rome, made their own
house a place of assembly for a part of the Christians in the capital,
――probably for such as resided in their own immediate neighborhood,
while others sought different places, according as suited their
convenience in this particular. Many other persons are mentioned by
Paul at the close of this epistle, as having been active in the work of
the gospel at Rome;――among whom Andronicus and Junias are particularly
noticed with respect, as having highly distinguished themselves in
apostolic labors. From all these evangelizing efforts, the church
of Rome attained great importance, and was now in great need of the
counsels and presence of an apostle, to confirm it, and impart to its
members spiritual gifts. It had long been an object of attention and
interest to Paul, and he had already expressed a determination to visit
the imperial city, in the remarks which he made to the brethren at
Ephesus, when he was making arrangements to go into Macedonia and
Achaia. The way was afterwards opened for this visit, by a very
peculiar providence, which he does not seem to have then anticipated;
but while residing in Corinth, his attention being very particularly
called to their spiritual condition, he could not wait till he should
have an opportunity to see them personally, to counsel them; but wrote
to them this very copious and elaborate epistle, which seems to have
been the subject of more comment among dogmatic theologians, than
almost any other portion of his writings, on account of its being
supposed to furnish different polemic writers with the most important
arguments for the peculiar dogmas of one or another, according to the
fancy of each. It undoubtedly is the most doctrinal and didactic of
all Paul’s epistles, alluding very little to local circumstances, which
are the theme of so large a part of most of his writings, but attacking
directly certain general errors entertained by the Jews, on the
subject of justification, predestination, election, and many peculiar
privileges which they attributed to themselves as the descendants of
Abraham.
This epistle, like most of the rest, was written by an amanuensis, who
is herein particularly named, as Tertius,――a word of Roman origin; but
beyond this nothing else is known of him. It was carried to Rome by
Phebe, an active female member of the church at Cenchreae, the port of
Corinth, who happened to be journeying to Rome for some other purposes,
and is earnestly recommended by Paul to the friendly regard of the
church there.