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Bible books history index

B i b l e :  S h o r t  H i s t o r y  o f  E a c h  B o o k
A c t s ,  R o m a n s ,  C o r i n t h i a n s

A c t s.(*): Written in Greece 64 A.D. It contains properly no account of any of the apostles except Peter and Paul. John is noticed only three times and all that is recorded of James, the son of Zebedee, is his execution by Herod. It is properly therefore not the history of the 'Acts of the Apostles' a title which was given to the book at a later date, but of 'Acts of Apostles' or more correctly, of 'Some Acts of Certain Apostles'. 

As regards its authorship, it was certainly the work of Luke, the."beloved physician"; compare Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1

The time of the writing of this history may be gathered from the fact that the narrative extends down to the close of the second year of Paul's first imprisonment at Rome. It could not therefore have been written earlier than 61 or 62 A.D., nor later than about the end of 63 A.D. Paul was probably put to death during his second imprisonment about 64 A.D. or as some think, 66.

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R o m a n s.(*):.This epistle was probably written at Corinth in 58 A.D. by Tertius:.Romans 16:22. Tertius was Paul's amanuensis.

The place where the book was written was probably Rome, to which Luke accompanied Paul

The object of the apostle in writing to this church at Rome was to explain the gospel to them. The precise time at which it was written is not mentioned in this epistle.(a letter).to the Romans but it was obviously written when the apostle was about to 'go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints', i.e., at the close of his second visit to Greece, during the winter preceding his last visit to that city.(Romans 15:25; compare Acts 19:21; 20:2,3,16; 1Corinthians 16:1-4), early in A.D. 58. 

Rome was the most celebrated city in the world at the time of Christ. It is said to have been founded B.C.E. 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 half were slaves and including representatives of nearly every nation then known. It was distinguished for its wealth and luxury and profligacy. The Roman Empire of which Rome 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 of Rome as 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.(Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:1), Tychicus, Epaphroditus and John Mark:.Colossians 4:10..(see Paul)

Beneath Rome 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 the Roman Emperor Constantine.

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C o r i n t h i a n s: 1st Corinthians was written from Ephesus.(1Corinthians 16:8).in the Spring of probably 57 A.D., by Paul

Corinth was a Grecian city, on the isthmus which joins the Peloponnesus.(a peninsula forming the southern part of Greece south of the Gulf of Corinth).to the mainland of Greece. It is about 48 miles west of Athens. The ancient city was destroyed by the Romans.(B.C. 146).and that mentioned in the New Testament was quite a new city, having been rebuilt about a century afterwards and peopled by a colony of freedmen from Rome. It became under the Romans the seat of government for Southern Greece or Achaia:.Acts 18:12-16. It was noted for its wealth and for the luxurious and immoral and vicious habits of the people.

It had a large mixed population of Romans, Greeks and Jews. When Paul first visited the city.(51 or 52 A.D.), Gallio, the brother of Seneca, was proconsul.(a provincial governor of consular rank {an official appointed by a government to reside in a foreign country and represent his or her government's commercial interests and assist its citizens there} in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire).

Here Paul resided for eighteen months:.Acts 18:1-18. Here he first became acquainted with Aquila and Priscilla and soon after his departure Apollos came to it from Ephesus.

After an interval he visited it a second time and remained for three months:.Acts 20:3. During this second visit his Epistle.(letter).to the Romans was written.(probably A.D. 55). Although there were many Jewish converts at Corinth, yet the Gentile element prevailed in the church there.

Some have argued from 2Corinthians 12:14 and 13:1, that Paul visited Corinth a third time.(i.e., that on some unrecorded occasion he visited the city between what are usually called the first and second visits). But the passages referred to only indicate Paul's intention to visit Corinth; compare 1Corinthians 16:5, where the Greek present tense denotes an intention, an intention which was in some way frustrated. We can hardly suppose that such a visit could have been made by the apostle without more distinct reference to it.

2 C o r i n t h i a n s: We know that Paul visited Corinth after he wrote 2Corinthians.(Acts 20:2,3).from Macedonia 57 A.D. and that on that occasion he tarried there for three months.

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