=Little Mary;7557772]Page 1546 of the New Spirit Filled Life Bible (New KJV) contains an introduction to Romans.
Here is the first paragraph:
"Background: When Paul wrote Romans about A. D. 56 he had not yet been to Rome but he had been preaching the Gospel since his conversion in A.D. 35. During the previous ten years he had **founded churches **throughout the Mediterranean world. Now he was nearing the end of this third missionalry journey. This epistle is therefore a mature statement of his understanding of the Gospel. The church at rome had been founded by other Christians (unknown to us, but see “visitors from Rome” in Act 2:10), and Paul, through his travels knew many of the believers there (16:3-15)"
1). “…founded churches…”?? What does this mean?
The NT has over 100 references to but One Church, that being today’s Catholic Church. Many of these “brances” [today we’d call the dioceses] were stated by Paul, as his travels were the most widely spread.
**Eph. 4: 4 -8 “There **is one body Only One Church] and one Spirit, Only One set of beliefs] just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, Only One God] ONLY one faith, Only One set of doctrine and dogma] one baptism, By water in the Trinity] one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. "
The history of the Catholic Church is an integral part of the history of Christianity and of Western civilization.
The Apostles and many Christians traveled from Jerusalem to northern Africa, Asia Minor, Arabia, Greece, and Rome to found the first Christian communities. Christianity spread quickly through the Roman Empire, and by the second century there were many established bishoprics within the Empire including Northern Africa, France, Italy, Syria, and Asia Minor, and twenty bishoprics outside the empire, mainly in Armenia.[3] Irenaeus (d. 202) defended the apostolic tradition.
While Irenaeus believed in the second century that Peter and Paul had been the founders of the Church in Rome, but there is no conclusive evidence that Peter was in fact a Bishop of Rome.[6][7][8] and some historians have questioned whether Peter spent much time in Rome before his martyrdom about 65 AD."
Wikipedia,
MY NOTE: Peter was the first Pope, and it’s very unlikely that he assumed direct day to day operation of any single church, as he had other responsibilities to fulfill. But it is historically proveable that Rome did have a “branch” of the CC in Rome, while Peter was there.
2). “The Church at Rome had been founded by other Christians (unknown to us…”
What does this mean??
While it is clear that Rome did have a “The Way” / Christian / Catholic" church, there seems to be no evidence who was the Bishop. Very likely this was due to the fact that both Peter and Paul died in Rome, and the local bishop was secondary to there very dominate presence.
"Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament’s Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John.[1]
The first Christians were all Jews or Jewish proselytes, either by birth or conversion, referred to by historians as the Jewish Christians. Paul of Tarsus, after his conversion, claimed the title of “Apostle to the Gentiles”. Paul’s influence on Christian thinking is said to be more significant than any other New Testament author.[2] By the end of the 1st century, Christianity began to be recognized internally and externally as a separate religion from Rabbinic Judaism which itself was refined and developed further in the centuries after the destruction of the Second Jerusalem Temple."
Wikipedia,
God Bless,
Pat
