But here we must pause and contemplate for a moment our apostle as a prisoner in the imperial city. The gospel had now been preached from Jerusalem to Rome. Great changes had taken place in the dispensational ways of God. The book of the Acts is transitional in its character. The Jews, we see, are now set aside, or rather they have set themselves aside by their rejection of that which God was setting up. The counsels of His grace towards them, no doubt, abide forever sure; but in the meantime, they are cast off, and others come in and take the place of blessed relationship with God. Paul was a witness of God’s grace to Israel; he was himself an Israelite; but also chosen of God to introduce something entirely new—the Church, the body of Christ, “Whereof I was made a minister...that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 3:7-97Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: (Ephesians 3:7‑9).) This new thing set aside all distinction between Jew and Gentile, as sinners, and in the oneness of this body. The hostility of the Jews to these truths never abated, as we have fully seen; and the results of this enmity we have also seen. The Jews disappear from the scene entirely; and the Church becomes the vessel of God’s testimony on the earth, and His habitation by the Spirit. (Eph. 2:2222In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:22).) Individual Jews, of course, who believe in Jesus, are blessed in connection with a heavenly Christ and the “one body,” but Israel for a time is left without God, and without present communication with Him. The Epistles to the Romans and the Ephesians fully set forth this doctrine; especially Romans, chapters 9, 10, 11. We now return to Paul’s occupation during his imprisonment.
Though a prisoner, he was allowed the freest intercourse with his friends, and he was then surrounded by many of his oldest and most faithful companions. From the epistles we learn that Luke, Timothy, Tychicus, Epaphras, Aristarchus, and others, were with the apostle at this time. Still, we must remember that he was, as a prisoner, chained to a soldier and exposed to the rude control of such. Owing to the long delay of his trial, he was in this condition for two years; during which time he preached the gospel and opened up the scriptures to the congregations which came to hear him; and wrote several epistles to churches in distant places.
Having fully and faithfully discharged the duty which he owed to the Jews, the favored people of God, he addressed himself to the Gentiles; though not, of course, to the exclusion of the Jews. His door was open from morning till night to all who would come and hear the great truths of Christianity. And in some respects he never had a better opportunity; for being under the protection of the Romans, the Jews were not allowed to molest him.
The effects of Paul’s preaching, through the Lord’s blessing, were soon manifest. The Roman guards, the household of Caesar, and “all other places” were blessed through his means. “I would ye should understand, brethren,” he writes to the Philippians, “ that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace [or, Caesar’s court, see margin], and in all other places.” And again, the apostle says, “All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.” (Phil. 1:12-13; 4:2212But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; (Philippians 1:12‑13)
22All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household. (Philippians 4:22).) The blessing appears to have been first manifested in the Pretorium, or amongst the praetorian guards. “My bonds in Christ are manifest in all Omar’s court”—the quarters of the guards and household troops. The glorious gospel which Paul preached was heard by the whole camp. Even the kind prefect Burrus, with his intimate friend Seneca, Nero’s tutor, may have heard the gospel of the grace of God. Paul’s courteous manners, and great abilities, both natural and acquired, were well fitted to attract both the statesman and the philosopher. And being there two whole years gave them many opportunities.
With nearly the whole of the troops, we may say, he must have been personally acquainted. With every change of guard, the door for the gospel opened wider and wider. Being constantly chained to one of the soldiers as his keeper, and the guard being duly relieved, he thus became acquainted with many; and with what love and earnestness, and burning eloquence, he must have spoken to them of Jesus and of their need of Him. But we must wait till the morning of the first resurrection to see the results of Paul’s preaching there. The clay will declare it, and God shall have all the glory.
The apostle gives us also to know that the gospel had penetrated into the palace itself. There were saints in Caesar’s household—Christianity was planted within the imperial walls; “and in all other places.” Yes, in “all other places,” says the sacred historian. Not only was Paul thus laboring within the imperial precincts, but his companions, whom he styles his “fellow-laborers,” were no doubt preaching the gospel in “all other places,” in and around the imperial city; so that the success of the gospel must be ascribed to the efforts of others, as well as to the unwearied exertions of the great apostle in his captivity.
The Runaway Slave, Onesimus.
But of all the converts which the Lord gave to the apostle in his bonds, none of them seem to have so entirely won his heart, as the poor runaway slave, Onesimus. Beautiful picture of the strength, the humility, and the tenderness of divine love in the heart, which works by the Spirit, and sweetly shines in all the details of individual life! The apostle’s success in the imperial palace weakens not his interest in a young disciple from the lowest condition of society. No portion of the community were more depraved than the slaves; but what must have been the associates of a fugitive slave in that profligate city? Yet from these lowest depths, Onesimus is drawn forth by the unseen hand of eternal love. He crosses the path of the apostle, hears him preach the gospel, is converted, devotes himself at once to the Lord and to His service, and finds in Paul a friend and brother, as well as a master and teacher. And now shine forth the virtues and the value of Christianity; and the sweetest applications of the grace of God to a poor, friendless, destitute, fugitive slave.
What is Christianity? we may inquire; and whence its origin, in the view of such a new thing in Rome—in the world? Was it at the feet of Gamaliel that Paul so learned to love? No, my reader, but at the feet of Jesus. Would to God that the eloquent historian of “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” had entered into this scene, and learned to admire, in place of scornfully to ridicule, divine Christianity! If we think for a moment of the apostle’s labors at this time—of his age—of his infirmities—of his circumstances: to say nothing of the lofty subjects, and the immense foundation truths, that were then occupying his mind; we may well admire the grace that could enter into every detail of the relationships of master and slave, and that with such delicate consideration of every claim. The letter he sent with Onesimus to his injured master Philemon, is one of the most touching ever written. Looking at it simply as such, we are at a loss whether most to admire the warmth and earnestness of his affections, the delicacy and justness of Ids thoughts, or the sublime dignity which pervades the whole epistle.
We now refer for a moment to the epistles that were written during his imprisonment.
There can be no reasonable doubt, that the epistles to PHILEMON, to the COLOSSIANS, to the EPHESIANS, and to the PHILIPPIANS were written towards the latter part of Paul’s imprisonment at Rome. He refers to his “bonds” in them all, and repeatedly to the expectation of his release. (Compare Philem. 1:2222But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. (Philemon 22); Col. 4:1818The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. <<Written from Rome to Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.>> (Colossians 4:18); Eph. 3:1; 4:1; 6:201For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, (Ephesians 3:1)
1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, (Ephesians 4:1)
20For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:20); Phil. 1:7,25; 2:24; 4:227Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. (Philippians 1:7)
25And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; (Philippians 1:25)
24But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly. (Philippians 2:24)
22All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household. (Philippians 4:22).) Besides he must have been long enough at Rome for the news of his imprisonment to have reached his affectionate Philippians, and for them to have sent him relief.
The first three are supposed to have been written some time before that to the Philippians. An immediate issue of his cause is more distinctly spoken of in his Epistle to them. “Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly” (Phil. 2:23-2423Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. 24But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly. (Philippians 2:23‑24)). The first three may have been written about the spring of A.D. 62, and sent by Tychicus and Onesimus; and the last in the autumn and sent by Epaphroditus.
The Epistle to the HEBREWS is also supposed by some to have been written about the same time, and every consideration leads to the conclusion that Paul was the writer. The expression at the close of the epistle, “they of Italy salute you,” seems decisive as to where the writer was when he wrote it. And the following passages seem decisive as to the time: “Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.” Compare this with what Paul wrote to the Philippians— “I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you...so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.” We can scarcely doubt that these passages were written by the same pen about the same time, and that they refer to the same intended movements. But we do not press this point. One thing, however, is evident —that the epistle was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, as the temple was standing, and the temple worship going on undisturbed. Compare chap. 8:4; 10: 25; 10:11; 13:10-13.
Paul’s Acquittal And Release.
After fully four years’ imprisonment, partly in Judea and partly at Rome, the apostle is once more at liberty. But we have no particulars as to the character of his trial, or the ground of his acquittal. The sacred historian tells us that he dwelt two whole years in his own hired house; but he does not say what followed at the close of that period. Was it followed by the apostle’s condemnation and death, or by his acquittal and liberation? This is the question, and the only certain answer to this question must be gathered chiefly from the Pastoral Epistles. The First to Timothy and that to Titus appear to have been written about the same time; and the Second to Timothy somewhat later.
It is now admitted, we believe, by nearly all who are competent to decide on such a question, that Paul was acquitted, and that he spent some years in traveling, at perfect liberty, before he was again imprisoned and condemned. And though it is difficult to trace the footsteps of the apostle during that period, still we may draw certain conclusions from his letters, without encroaching on the domain of conjecture. Most likely he traveled rapidly and visited many places. During the lengthened period of his imprisonment, much mischief had been done by his enemies in the churches which he had been the means of planting. They required his presence, his counsel, and encouragement. And from what we know of his energy and zeal, we are well assured that no labor would be spared in visiting them.
Paul’s departure from Italy.
When writing to the Romans, before his imprisonment, Paul expressed his intention of passing through Rome into Spain. “Whensoever I take my journey into Spain,” he says, “I will come to you.” Again, “When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.” (Rom. 15:24, 2824Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company. (Romans 15:24)
28When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain. (Romans 15:28).) Some have thought that he did go to Spain immediately after his release. The principal evidence adduced in favor of this hypothesis is supplied by Clement, a fellow-laborer, mentioned in Phil. 4:33And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlaborers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:3), who was afterward Bishop of Rome. This writer speaks of Paul as having preached the gospel in the east and in the west: —that he had instructed the whole world; meaning, no doubt, the Roman Empire: and that he had gone to the extremity of the west, meaning Spain. As Clement was Paul’s own disciple and fellow-laborer, his testimony is worthy of our respect; still it is not scripture, and therefore not in itself conclusive.
2. From Paul’s more recent letters, he seems to have altered his plans, and to have given up the idea of going to Spain, at least for the time. This we gather chiefly from the Epistles to Philemon and to the Philippians. To the former he writes, “But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.” (Ver. 22.) He here gives Philemon to expect that he may soon be with him in person. To the Philippians he writes, and speaking of Timothy he adds, “Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.” Again, “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state.” (Chap. 2:23, 24, 19.) The intended movements of the apostle and his beloved Timothy seem quite clear from these passages. It was evidently the purpose of the apostle to dispatch Timothy to Philippi as soon as the trial was over, and to remain in Italy himself until Timothy returned with the report of their state.
3. It may reasonably be expected that Paul fulfilled the intention which he so lately expressed; and that he visited the Churches in Asia Minor, some of which, as yet, had not seen his face in the flesh. Having accomplished the objects of his mission to Asia Minor, some have thought that then he may have undertaken his long-meditated journey into Spain; but of this we have no reliable information, and mere conjecture is of no value.
4. Another theory is, that he went straight from Italy to Judea, and thence to Antioch, Asia Minor, and Greece. This scheme is founded chiefly on Heb. 13:23, 2423Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you. 24Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you. (Hebrews 13:23‑24). “Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you........They of Italy salute you.” It is also supposed that while waiting at Puteoli for embarkation, immediately on the return of Timothy, tidings reached the apostle that a great persecution had broken out against the Christians in Jerusalem. This sad intelligence so filled the heart of Paul with sorrow, that he wrote at once his famous letter to them—THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. Shortly after this, Timothy arrived, and Paul and his companions sailed for Judea.
THE PLACES VISITED BY PAUL DURING HIS LIBERTY.
Having stated these different theories for the reader’s examination, we will now notice the places mentioned in the epistles as visited by Paul.
1. At some time after leaving Rome, Paul and his companions must have visited Asia Minor and Greece. “As I besought thee still to abide at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine.” (1 Tim. 1:33As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, (1 Timothy 1:3).) Feeling, it may be, somewhat anxious about his son Timothy, and the weight of the responsibilities of his position at Ephesus, he sends him a letter of encouragement, comfort, and authority from Macedonia—THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY.
2. Sometime after this, Paul visited the island of Crete in company with Titus, and left him there. He also, very soon after, sent him a letter of instruction and authority, THE EPISTLE TO TITUS. Timothy and Titus may be considered as delegates or representatives of the apostle. “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.” Titus 1:55For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: (Titus 1:5).
3. Paul was intending to spend a winter at a place called Nicopolis. “When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis, for I have determined there to winter.” Titus 3:1212When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter. (Titus 3:12).
4. He visited Troas, Corinth, and Miletum. “The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments......Erastus abode at Corinth; but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.” 2 Tim. 4:13, 2013The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. (2 Timothy 4:13)
20Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick. (2 Timothy 4:20).