Another Tuesday Time Travel… (This post piggy-backs on the previous one.) The Apostle Paul was imprisoned on multiple occasions. During his Caesarean and Roman imprisonments, the New Testament suggests he had plenty of time to do… well… whatever he wanted. Time to kill… Recall that a prison often served as a holding place for those… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Backgrounds
Roman Imprisonment: The Humility of Chains
Another Tuesday Time Travel to the Roman Empire… Though conditions of imprisonment may vary from one location to another (or one time period to another), a general picture of Roman imprisonment can be painted from primary source material. I will attempt only to give a general picture and offer a couple of secondary sources below… Continue Reading
Tuesday Time Travel: Emperors and Governors in the Roman Empire
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him…” 1 Peter 2:13-14 Human Institutions, i.e., Governing Authorities Peter commands his readers to submit to πάσῃ ἀνθρωπίνῃ κτίσει (quite roughly: “every human creation”). The word often translated ‘creation’ (κτίσις)… Continue Reading
Tuesday Time Travel: Slavery and Submission in the Roman Empire and the Bible
“Slaves, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are crooked.” 1 Peter 2:18 There is no doubt that slavery was commonplace in the Roman Empire. It was an intricate part of the societal structure, and something with which people living… Continue Reading
Tuesday Time Travel: Spousal Mistreatment in the Roman World and 1 Peter 3
Roman Families The paterfamilias was a term attributed to the head of the familia in the Roman world. This position was not held by any father. Rather, among the males of a familia, the father who was at the ‘top’ of the family tree held this position. He had an exuberant amount of control over… Continue Reading