The apostle Paul is an example where he did not let his circumstances affect his commitment for Christ. He seemed to take what we would consider negative and turned it into a positive. Let’s look at the time of his first Roman incarceration.

Paul and his contingent finally arrived in Italy in 60 AD after their shipwreck and wintering on the island of Malta. Once arriving, many of the Jews in Rome heard that Paul was on his way and went to meet him even before he reached Rome and encouraged his spirits (Ac 28:15). Once in Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him.

Three days later, Paul called the Jewish leaders to come and meet with him. He told them what had happened to him and what the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem had accused him of and why he was not guilty of such charges. They stated no one had sent any letters or information regarding him and his supposed crimes. They were willing to hear more from him and set up a time with him. When they came again, they brought many more Jews with them. Paul spent the entire day explaining to them about the kingdom of God and how the Law of Moses and the Prophets predicted the coming of Jesus and him dying for their sins. Some were convinced while others were not and refused to hear more from Paul. Paul told them that they were fulfilling what the Prophets said about the Jews hearing but never understanding, seeing but never perceiving which has caused them to become calloused. He then warned them that if they refused God’s salvation, it would be preached to the Gentiles who would listen and receive God’s message. Paul was in his own rented house for two years and proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness and without hindrance (Ac 28:17-31).

Paul wrote four of his epistles while arrested in Rome: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians.

It seems Paul’s epistles Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon were each written about the same time, or at least in the same year (61 AD) and were taken to these churches by Tychicus. While Paul’s letter to Colossians was to the believers at Colossae, it seems his epistle to the Ephesians was not only for the church at Ephesus, but to be a circuit letter for many churches in that area.

Paul did not write Ephesians regarding any specific problem or controversy. He talks about the privileges and responsibilities of those who are part of the Body of Christ. He states that the entire Godhead had part in creating the church, Christ’s bride. In his sovereignty, God the Father called all believers out of humanity unto himself due to his love and for his glory. Although God made the decree that people could be saved, divine justice had to also be satisfied. God the Son, Jesus Christ himself, paid that price of divine justice to provide salvation through the shedding of his blood, declaring us righteous, and setting us free from the power of sin. God’s spirit then seals us indicating we are now God’s and cannot be removed from his hand. He goes on to say that being part of Christ brings us unity. There is no longer a distinction between Jew and Gentile. We are all one under Christ. The Holy Spirit then imparts gifts to each believer for the unity of believers and the glory of God. Because of what Christ has done for us, we should live for him out of our gratitude and yield to the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit, especially in marriage, in family, and in our spiritual battle with spiritual forces in this world.

Paul wrote to Colossae to help stabilize the church and to combat heretical teachings that were being promulgated by certain individuals. The church was founded by Epaphras, likely a convert of Paul from Ephesus, and who was likely sent to evangelize Colossae. While primarily composed of Gentiles, the church did have a Jewish component as well. Although Paul had never been to Colossae, he told them he had heard of their faith and regularly prayed for them to grow in real knowledge and wisdom. Paul emphasizes the deity and all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

The heretical teachings here seem to be a mixture of Jewish legalism (asceticism) as well as angel worship and Gnosticism. The basis of Gnosticism is that spirit is good and physical is bad. Therefore, if Christ was not all spirit, but took on human bodily form, then he had evil within him. Paul counters this by stating that Christ was the image of God, that is, being the exact reproduction of deity, and was the firstborn, implying that Christ existed prior to creation, and was sovereign over all creation, meaning he is the Lord of creation.

While possessing the powers and attributes of deity, Christ had a human body in order to reconcile man to himself. Faith is built on the firm foundation of the deity of Christ and the sufficiency of his death on the cross. We have life, forgiveness, deliverance, and victory in Christ so we should live a life that conforms to this exalted position. We should relinquish all sinful actions and maintain virtuous living.

As Tychicus delivered Paul’s letter to Colossae, a man by the name of Onesimus accompanied him. Onesimus was a slave under the oversight of a man named Philemon who lived in, or near, Colossae and even hosted a house-church in his home. It is believed that Philemon had heard Paul speak in Ephesus and became a believer in Jesus due to Paul’s teaching. Apparently, Onesimus had stolen from Philemon and fled from his master to Rome where he likely thought he could get lost in the crowd, so to speak. While there, he must have been arrested for something—maybe stealing again. This may be how he met Paul as both were prisoners. Yet, since Paul was renting a house, it is unclear how they actually met. Yet, Paul did minister to him, and he accepted Christ as his Savior and became a dear friend of Paul’s. Paul told him that he had to return to Philemon and repent for his wrongdoing, but Paul was willing to send a letter to Philemon on Onesimus’ behalf since Philemon was a dear friend of Paul’s as well. Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus as he would receive him. He stated that if there was any financial loss to charge Paul and he would repay it. He then reminds Philemon that he, too, had a spiritual debt which Jesus relieved through Paul’s witness to him, so in that sense, Philemon owed far more to Paul than Onesimus owed to Philemon. Paul tells Philemon that he knows he will do the right thing and hopes to stop by once he is out of prison.

The next year (64 AD), Paul wrote his epistle of Philippians to the church at Philippi in Macedonia which was delivered to them by Epaphroditus who was from Philippi. This church had sent Paul a financial gift, so he wanted to thank them. He also wanted them to understand that while he was a prisoner, he was joyful that the gospel of Christ was still being preached, and he indicated his desire to visit them once he was released. Paul also wanted them to understand that circumstances of life should not dictate one’s joyfulness, but that joy came from seeing things though God’s perspective.

While Paul was in prison, Luke completed the book of Acts he was writing ever since he was with Paul on his missionary journeys. We know it was at this time in 63 AD because his writing does not go beyond this point in Paul’s ministry. He again wrote it originally to Theophilus, as he did his gospel. Again, while originally written to him, it was destined for a much larger audience. As stated, his gospel was to show Jesus being superior to any other man and then this book was the sharing of that good news to everyone, both Jew and Greek, and to show that this sharing was not the work of zealous men but done through the leading of the Holy Spirit. It also shows the fulfillment of Christ Great Commission: their witness in Jerusalem by telling the account of Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit to Christ’s followers, the works of Peter, John and the other apostles and their miracles, and the work and stoning of Stephen; their witness in Judea and Samaria through the telling of the work by Philip, Saul, Peter, and the Church; the witness to the uttermost part of the Earth by telling what occurred during Paul’s missionary journeys and his preaching in Rome.

What we know about the rest of Paul’s life and ministry is gleaned through statements made in his various epistles. Paul was released from prison after being incarcerated for three years. It seems after his release Paul sent Timothy to Philippi and he traveled toward Asia Minor visiting Crete along the way establishing a church there. Timothy then met up with Paul somewhere in Asia Minor, likely Miletus as that would be a convenient place for their separate journeys to merge. There is no clear evidence that Paul ever made it back to Ephesus. At any rate, Paul sent Timothy on to Ephesus while he went to Colossae. He may also have visited Laodicea and Hierapolis as Paul was concerned for them as well (Cl 2:1, 4:13). It is then thought Paul traveled on to Troas and then to Philippi and on to other places in Macedonia while Timothy remained at Ephesus to teach and encourage the church there (1Tm 1:3).

Philippi is where Paul likely wrote 1st Timothy, his first letter to Timothy. Paul wanted to return to Ephesus but believed it would still be a while before he could follow up with Timothy in person, so he wrote this letter to him to encourage him and to remind him of his authority and ministry responsibilities as well as to instruct the members of the church in their responsibilities.

It is at this time that Paul likely traveled to Spain and may have gone as far as Great Britain. It is likely he may have taken Titus and Trophimus (2Tm 4:20) with him on this journey because we are told that on the way Paul and Titus visited Crete where Paul had Titus stay behind to minister to the church there. Also, it is noted that Paul stated he left Trophimus sick in Miletus as he traveled to Troas. While some believe this is the time Paul wrote his letter to Titus and did so from Ephesus. But if he never returned to Ephesus, this could not be the case. It is more likely that he wrote to Titus from Corinth as this would be on his journey to get to Nicopolis where we know he visited (Tt 3:12), and would have been a logical place for Paul to run into Apollos and Zenas by whom he sent his letter to Titus (Tt 3:13) as they were likely traveling into Asia Minor or perhaps back to Alexandria, Apollos’ home town. Crete would not have been too far out of their way. We are told that on his way to Nicopolis, Paul had left Erastus in Corinth (2Tm 4:20), so meeting Apollos and Zenas there in Corinth would make sense.

Paul wrote his letter to Titus to encourage him and to teach correct doctrine so he could refute the false teachers there, to remind him to complete the necessary organizational needs of the church, and to ask him to meet him in Nicopolis. Paul was sending Artemas to relieve Titus so he could come and meet Paul in Nicopolis (Tt 3:12). It seems Crete had been inundated with Judaizers wanting to take the congregations back to the ritual laws of Judaism as well as philosophies of Gnosticism, hedonism, and asceticism, all having the desire to take over and control the lives of believers there. Paul sternly warned Titus to stifle these dangerous teachings and focus on the truth of the Gospel dispensing with these manmade myths and traditions.

Something occurred in 64 AD in Nicopolis that got Paul arrested. We are not told any details of the event that led to his arrest and being taken back to Rome. This time, however, he was not allowed to be under house arrest but placed in a dank prison cell. The climate had changed as Nero had accused the Christians of burning Rome and all Christians were now being severely persecuted. It was from here that Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, and this was his final recorded writing. Paul wrote 2nd Timothy to encourage Timothy in his ministry and to ask him to come to Rome to visit him. The tone of this letter is very different from his writing during his first Roman imprisonment. He knew he would not be released this time (2Tm 4:6). It seems that Tychicus delivered this letter to Timothy for Paul (2Tm 4:12) and to allow Timothy to come to Paul. It seems that Paul was still planning for the various churches and their growth: he had Crescens to go to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia (2Tm 4:10). Although Paul stated that he was all alone the first time he went before Caesar (2Tm 4:16-17), he was not alone this time: Onesiphorus visited (2Tm 1:16-17), Luke was with him (2Tm 4:11) as well as several others apparently from the church there in Rome, e.g., Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia (2Tm 4:210. However, being a Christian was now a crime, and several had deserted Paul and/or the faith (2Tm 1:14; 4:10). Paul wanted to see Timothy one last time (2Tm 1:4; 4:9) and wanted Timothy to bring John Mark with him (2Tm 4:11) as well as to stop by Troas and retrieve the cloak, book, and parchments he left there with Carpus (2Tm 4:13).

Once John Mark arrived in Rome to see Paul, it seems this is the time that Mark wrote his gospel while being in Rome. Perhaps it was at Paul encouragement for him to do so. He and Paul had made amends earlier because he was also noted to be in Rome with Paul during his first incarceration as he was noted in Paul’s letter to both Philemon and to the church at Colossae (Pm 1:24; Cl 4:10). When Paul was released from prison the first time, Mark apparently ministered in Rome for a time and then with Peter (1Pt 5:13). It is thought that Mark got many of his stories about Jesus from Peter. Mark’s gospel was geared for a Roman audience as he explained many Jewish and Aramaic terms to his readers which the other gospel writers did not do, and he referred to Simon of Cyrene who bore Jesus’ cross for him to Golgotha as “the father of Alexander and Rufus” and would be known to his readers because Rufus was a member of the church in Rome (Ro 16:13).

During this time of Paul’s imprisonment, the book of Hebrews was written in 65 AD. Some say Paul wrote the letter just before his death in Rome. Others argue that the style of writing differs drastically from the way Paul wrote. There are many writers that have been proposed: Paul, Luke, Barnabas, Silas, Philip, and Apollos. Some traditions state that it was written from Alexandria as there was a large Jewish community there. If that is true, then it may suggest Apollos’ authorship as Alexandria was his hometown.

Although we don’t know the author or the place of authorship, it is clear that the writer wrote to a specific group of people he knew well. Because of the subject matter of the book where Jesus is compared to Old Testament Scriptures, it was likely written primarily to Jewish Christians. Maybe it was written to oppose Judaizers and Gnostics still surfacing in the church, especially those with large Jewish congregations. The writer wrote to convince his audience that Christ was superior to angels, superior to Moses, superior to Aaron, and superior to oneself as the worship of God was to be through Jesus Christ, the “new and living way” and reminds them that the key to true spirituality is one living by faith. Trusting God and what God has said is foundational to spiritual success.

Paul was more upbeat during his first arrest, likely because he could see an eventual way out of prison, and he was able to be under house arrest and have visitors. Yet, his freedoms were still limited. His second time, however, was another matter. He no longer saw an escape and had to come to terms with his likely death. This, of course, changed his mood and the mood of his letters. Yet, he still preserved until the end, wanting to run his life’s race faithfully (2Tm 4:7). May we each be able to do the same.

Join next time as we look at Paul’s last days in Rome and what was going on at that time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

While Paul was in Corinth during his third missionary journey in 56 AD, he wrote his Roman epistle to the house churches in that city. He had a desire to visit them but knew that may not be possible due to the circumstances he found himself in with some Jews plotting to have him killed. He wrote this letter to help reunite Jewish and Gentile Christians by active foresight wanting to ensure the unity between them became reestablished. Emperor Claudius had all Jews leave about five years earlier. Now, with his death, Jews were allowed back into Rome. Paul knew that this act of removing all Jews, even Christian Jews, likely caused the house churches in Rome to change dramatically. For five years these churches would not have had any Jewish influence in how the churches operated. It would be a shock for Gentiles to hear criticism from their Jewish brethren on their services because they were not Jewish enough, and a shock to the Jewish believers to see how much things had changed since they had left. That is likely why Paul used a question/answer format to help Gentiles understand the Jewish perspective of scripture and help the Jews to understand why certain Jewish customs were not really necessary any longer. Many of the people Paul mentions at the end of his epistle were likely displaced Jewish believers who left Rome and stayed in Corinth or nearby areas waiting for the time they could return to Rome, their hometown. Phoebe, a deacon in the church at Cenchreae, not very far from Corinith, was the bearer of Paul’s letter to the believers at Rome. Paul also desired to enlist the help of the Roman church with his missionary efforts to the west, including Spain, emphasized the universality of the gospel stating it was for both Jews and Gentiles, wrote to provide a comprehensive presentation of the doctrine of salvation by faith, and sought their prayer support.

Paul states that the gospel of Jesus Christ had been promised by the Old Testament prophets and contrasts the Old Testament and the dispensation of the Law to the New Testament and the dispensation of the Church. He quotes more Old Testament scripture than any other New Testament book where the quotes refer to Adam, Abraham, Moses, and David, all associated with covenants in the Old Testament. Paul also quotes Habakkuk stating that the just shall live by faith. Paul addressed the sinfulness and condemnation of all men, the justification of believing sinners, the sanctification of believing sinners, the place that Israel has in the plans of God, and the righteousness of God in practical living. In his conclusion, he provides greetings to 35 people mentioned by name.

In his letter, Paul mentions three churches. One was the church that met in the home of Pricilla and Aquilla (Ro 16:3-5) who he knew well as he had met them in Corinth on his second missionary journey and had worked with them extensively (Ac 18:1-4). He then mentions Andronicus and Junia (Ro 16:7) who had been Christians even before he, and they had been imprisoned for their actions. Since Paul had never been to Rome at this point, it could be that Andronicus and Junia had been in Jerusalem for Shavuot (Pentecost) when the Holy Spirit fell causing them to hear about Jesus Christ at that time and had believed.

Paul then mentions those who had caused divisions and put obstacles in their way contrary to the teachings they had learned and cautions these believers to stay away from them because they were not serving Christ but their own desires (Ro 16:17-19). Who Paul was referring to may likely have been the so-called church that Simon Magus had infiltrated. This is the sorcerer who Deacon Philip had first encountered in Samaria (Ac 8:9-25) and began teaching gnostic ideas and had likely infiltrated the Roman Gentile church when the Jews were banished from Rome by Claudius Caesar and initiated anti-Semitic beliefs. This is likely the reason for Paul including much doctrine in his letter to ensure they understood the correct doctrine rooted in Jesus Christ and emphasizing that God was not done with his nation Israel.

Simon Magus likely made his way to Rome during the reign of Claudius Caesar. Claudius apparently became enamored with him and all his magical abilities. While there, he met Marcus Antonias Felix, originally a slave of Claudius Caesar’s mother Antonia. He was a favorite of hers and she helped him earn his freedom. He was well liked by Claudius as well. It seems Felix did a favor for Simon Magus by encouraging Claudius to expel the Jews from Rome (First Church Rome). Later, when Claudius made Felix procurator of Judea, Simon Magus did him a favor by enchanting Drusilla, of Hasmonean descent and sister of Herod Agrippa II, to leave her current husband and her religion and marry Felix (Bible Hub). It seems the Hasmonean women were considered extremely beautiful.

With the Jews out of Rome, it allowed Simon Magus to operate more freely with Gentile Christians and argue his own interpretation of Scripture through the lens of Zoroastrianism and Gnosticism with little push back. Over time, he became revered by the Gentile Christians who bestowed the term, Father, or Paeter (the Latin name for Father) to him as many looked up to him for guidance and appreciated his leadership of the Roman church in which he taught his Gnostic beliefs and hierarchal mysteries which later morphed into what was labeled Simonism. It seems he went back to his teachings in Samaria as one who was almost like a god, taught that the god of the Bible was subservient to the all-existing god. After all, if the God of the Hebrews allowed evil, how good of a god could he actually be? This was likely the start of the church teaching antisemitic beliefs and the teachings of Jesus being a man who received a god spirit at his baptism which was taken away just before his crucifixion. Belief in Jesus was important but true salvation came by following rituals and not through Jesus Christ himself.

Since he now went by the name Simon Paeter, this may be how he became confused with Simon Peter over time. It is likely Simon Magus became the first bishop of Rome rather than Simon Peter (Two Peters, Hoeck), as Peter was noted at the apostle to the Jews (Ga 2:7-8) and preached to Jews in Parthia (1Pt 5:13) and northeastern Asia Minor (today Turkey; 1Pt 1:1). This could also explain some of the beliefs, teachings, and church structure that began to occur in the Roman church with the exclusion of Jews in its congregation. There is no solid evidence, only tradition, that apostle Peter ever visited Rome (Lewis). Evidence has emerged that Peter likely died and was buried in Jerusalem (Deborah).

Therefore, it was no accident as to the teachings Paul included in his epistle to the Roman house churches: the need for unity between Jew and Gentile believers, how God was not yet done with Israel as a nation, and strong doctrine showing that all focus should be on the belief in Jesus Christ himself and his redemptive work via his death, burial, and resurrection. We, too, need to be sure that this is our spiritual foundation and not built on anything else. Anything else is superfluous.

Paul’s problems are not over, though. Unfortunately, they are just beginning. Join me next time for more.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We previously talked about how Saul, the one persecuting Christians with the support of the Jewish Sanhedrin, became converted to Christianity and became one of the very ones he had been persecuting. At about this same time Deacon Philip went and began preaching in Samaria. There he performed many signs, wonders, and miracles. In the city in which he preached was a sorcerer named Simon, or Simon Magus, as history labels him, who amazed the people with his magical abilities, and the people called Simon the Great Power of God (Ac 8:10). This means they looked upon him as being a deity. But as Philip preached, many of the people believed in Jesus and were baptized, including Simon (Ac 8:13). The people realized what Philip preached was very different from what Simon Magus taught. Yet, there is some doubt if this Simon truly believed because he became enamored with Philip and the great signs and miracles he performed. Even Simon Magus recognized there was a vast difference in the power with which Philip operated than the power with which he operated.

When the Church in Jerusalem heard of the success Philip was having in Samaria, they sent Peter and John to investigate. Peter and John laid their hands on the believers there and they received the Holy Spirt (Ac 8:14-17). Yet, apparently Simon Magus did not receive the Holy Spirit but was very impressed with these apostles’ ability to cause such a change in people and offered money to them if they would allow him to receive such power (Ac 8:18-23). In other words, he was trying to buy his way into becoming an apostle. Peter reprimanded him and said that Simon Magus was full of bitterness and captive to sin. Peter was referencing an Old Testament passage (Dt 29:18) which uses the term “bitter poison” to refer to one turning away from God and following false gods. Peter was proclaiming that his man was deceptive in how he was trying to follow God.

Early church tradition teaches that this Simon, Simon Magus, gave rise to the Gnostic ideas that plagued the early church (Dumond). It seems this Simon was involved in Zoroastrianism which began in Media and Persia which later became Parthia and spread westward. When Assyria captured the Northern Kingdom of Israel, they repopulated the land with those from Babylon and other cities occupied by Assyria (2Ki 17:24-41). They combined their belief practices with those of Judaism and thereby had a form of worship of God but they were actually worshipping false gods (2Ki 17:7-23). Remember, the priests in Northern Israel were not Levites (1Ki 12:31) and did not teach the people properly in the worship of Yahweh (1Ki 12:32-33). Therefore, combining these two religions received no pushback. Simon Magus was likely a descendant of those who taught these practices. Zoroastrianism believes in monotheism, of a type, and a coming Messiah, but for entirely different reasons.

Since Zoroastrianism began in the 6th century BC, scholars proport that other monotheistic religions, like Judaism and Christianity, drew its monotheistic teachings from it. However, who lived in Babylon in the 6th century BC? Daniel. And he was over all the wise men, or Magi, at the time (Da 2:48). Therefore, it is likely that Judaism had influence on Babylonian theology, and not vice versa. Then, Zoroastrianism was created to explain how a polytheistic culture could believe in a supreme god and not forgo the rule of lesser gods underneath him.

From a distance, Zoroastrianism appears similar to Christianity. It seems Simon Magus merged Zoroastrianism and Christianity even further. In Zoroastrianism, there is a supreme being who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Yet, what this god desires is for people to do good and if they do enough good deeds they will be rewarded in the afterlife. Those who are not rewarded go to punishment, but not for eternity. There will be a Messiah who will come and allow those to one day also be transitioned into paradise. So, you can see how easy it was for Simon Magus to get new Christians confused as to the truth which Paul, Peter, Timothy, Titus, and others were preaching. Because people are saved by the grace of God, they taught that only spiritual matters were important. How one lives in this life is immaterial to one’s belief in Christ. Also, he taught that believing in Jesus Christ would grant them the ability to gain insight into the mysteries of God which were not available to all. This led to the teaching of a hierarchy with more knowledge granted with more privilege granted as one elevated themselves through this hierarchy. Gnosticism became a belief reliant upon Jesus Christ but not in his transforming power or the receipt of the Holy Spirit. It became very appealing because it did not require people to change the way in which they lived. Early on, it was taught that what happens to one’s body is immaterial because the physical had no connection to the spiritual. This belief allowed sexual immorality to continue and still believe one could be right with God. We’ll see that this Simon became even more deceptive as time went on as he incorporated more Christian teaching saying one should do good deeds for others because such actions would appease and please God.

This teaches us that we should remain faithful to truth—God’s truth. Anything that teaches anything other than the belief in Jesus Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection is needed for us to be right with God should be avoided. There is no work we do that will or could ever appease God (Ro 3:20; Ep 2:8-9). It is only through Jesus Christ that we become pleasing to God. We are declared righteous because of our belief in him and not by anything we can do (Ro 5:1).

There were other events that were also at play during this time. We’ll look at those next time. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens