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to Christianity , without any Apostle having ever visited them ; and that these might very naturally unite and form a church at Rome , without attracting the attention of the great body of Jews at Rome , who remained unbelieving . But we are able to account for a
church at Rome at this period , and for Paul ' s acquaintance with individuals belonging to it , in a still more satisfactory manner . The edict of Claudius , by which all Jews were banished from Rome .
caused a very extraordinary resort of Jews , settled in that city , to every other part of the empire . Those who were Ci chief Jews , " ( See Acts xxviii . 17 , ) and had connections and rank in
Jerusalem would of course resort thither , and would very probably never hear more of Christianity than that it was a * sect every where spoken against . " But those who
had been engaged in an active trade , and who depended upon manufactures , &c . for their livelihood , would of course settle in other mercantile cities , of which none were more considerable than
those of Corinth and Ephesus . The edict was enacted it is thought ( See Lardne ^ VI . 282 . ) on Jan - uary 24 th . A . D . 51 . and Claudius died Oct . 13 th . A . D . 54 . The news of his death might reach Greece , and many might return to Rome , early in the year 55 .
Many might stay several years , and return to Rome in the year 57 . Now Paul preached in Corinth du-ring part of the year 51 ,
th « whale of 52 , and part of 53 . After going to Jerusalem he returned to EpUesus at th « latter end of the year 53 , and continued there the whale of the years 54 and 66 , and to the Pentecost of
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56- The teturn to Rome of persons who had been forced to leave it suddenly is so probable that it needs no proof . And that Paul should in the course of this time
convert as many of these fugitives as are mentioned in Rom . xvi » is likewise very probable ; nothing more so . It is likewise altogether probable that as no Apostle had ever preached the gospel at Rome before Paul came there , and the
gifts of the Christian converts were not very considerable , ( Rom . i . 2 . ) they might not be very conspicuous in their Christian profession ^ that is , they might not attract much attention from their
unbelieving brethren ; and that the compliment which Paul pays to their faith ( Rom . i . 8 . ) referred only to the frequent good reports which Christians travelling from Rome into Greece gave of their steadfastness , which was the more
meritorious , and drew this praise from the urbanity of the apostle , because it was maintained with-, out any of the encouragement which the presence and gifts of an apostle would afford . The
suppositions which I have made require that the church at Rome at this time should be chiefly composed of Jews ; and the structure of the epistle favours this idea ; because it is throughout a skilful
apology to believing Jews for the admission of Gentiles to the pri . vileges of the gospel * Having now prepared the way I come to consider the passage in Acts xxviii . 11—29 . Mr . Evanson asserts
positively that those who met Paul at Appii Forum were not Christians . But let any one eKamine the passage and it must incontes . tably appear that they were . For if the unbelieving Jews knew no-: ' I ' «
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On the Genuineness of the Epistle to the Romans . 40 $
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1813, page 403, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2429/page/47/
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