Paul wrote Romans when Nero was the emperor

[tonychanyt]

Acts 18:

1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.

AD 50, Emperor Claudius expelled Jews from Rome. Suetonius, a Roman historian, wrote in Life of Claudius (Ch. 25.4): "Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he [Claudius] expelled them from Rome."

In AD 54, Nero, at 16.5 years old, ascended to the throne after his stepfather, Claudius, died.

Wiki:

his early administration ruled to great acclaim. A generation later those years were seen in retrospect as an exemplar of good and moderate government and described as Quinquennium Neronis by Trajan.

AD 57, Paul wrote his letter to the Romans during his early reign when Nero was 19 years old.

Romans 13:

1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God. 2 Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

Nero's evil deeds came later.

AD 59, Nero assassinated his mother.

AD 62, Paul preached at Rome under house arrest. He wrote to the Philippians.

Philippians 4:

22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.

The gospel reached the emperor's household.

AD 64, The Great Fire of Rome

Wiki:

Tacitus writes that to remove suspicion from himself, Nero accused Christians of starting the fire.[74] According to this account, many Christians were arrested and brutally executed by "being thrown to the beasts, crucified, and being burned alive".[75] Tacitus asserts that in his imposition of such ferocious punishments, Nero was not motivated by a sense of justice, but by a penchant for personal cruelty.

AD 312, Constantine professed to be a Christian.

 

[AlexB23]

In AD 54, Nero, at 16.5 years old, ascended to the throne after his stepfather, Emperor Claudius, died.

Wiki:


AD 57, Paul wrote his letter to the Romans during his early reign when Nero was 19 years old.

Romans 13:


Nero's evil deeds came later.

AD 59, Nero assassinated his mother.

AD 64, The Great Fire of Rome

Wiki:

We could technically say, a teenager in ancient Rome went from zero to Nero in a matter of half a decade, and was certainly no hero.

 

[St_Worm2]

In AD 54, Nero, at 16.5 years old, ascended to the throne after his stepfather, Emperor Claudius, died. Nero's evil deeds came later. AD 59, Nero assassinated his mother. AD 64, The Great Fire of Rome

Hello Tony, it's hard to believe how much evil he was capable of at such a young age, starting with the assassination of his mother while still in his late teens.

Remember too that church historian Eusebius (and church tradition) tells us that the Apostle Paul was beheaded* and the Apostle Peter crucified (upside down) under Nero's rule, not long after Nero set The Great Fire of Rome and then (as you already mentioned) blamed the Christian population of Rome for doing it

PTL that Paul was able to complete 2 Timothy, his final Epistle (sometime between 64-67 AD), while awaiting execution as a prisoner in a Roman jail!

God bless you!!

--David

2 Timothy 4​

6 I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ​

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.​

​

*(Paul was beheaded, instead of being crucified, because it was apparently against Roman law to crucify a Roman citizen, just FYI)

 

[St_Worm2]

Hello again Tony (@tonychanyt) et al, I've always wondered whether or not the Apostle Paul took a certain, special pleasure in being able to write what he did in the 2nd half of v22 (see the words in bold below). Philippians was completed in AD 61, so this Epistle was also written during Nero's rule.

Philippians 4​

21 Give my greetings to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings.​

22 And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, ~especially those in Caesar’s household.~​

23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.​

Finally, what is the purpose of this particular thread? Between your inclusion of Romans 13:1-2 and the knowledge of who the TYRANT Emperor of Rome was when Paul penned those words, I think I could make a pretty good guess, but I still thought it better to ask

Thanks!

God bless you!!

--David
p.s. - this could make for a very interesting, thought-provoking thread, especially if it's going to end up going where I think it is! Thanks

 

[tonychanyt]

Thanks for sharing. I added some of your info to the OP.

this could make for a very interesting, thought-provoking thread, especially if it's going to end up going where I think it is!

Go ahead. I am interested in your viewpoint