Rome

The imperial capital where Paul was tried, where Peter and Paul were martyred, and where the earliest Latin Christian church took root.

Location

Rome sits on the Tiber river in central Italy, on and around seven hills. In the first century it was the capital of an empire that ringed the Mediterranean. Its population is estimated at about a million, drawn from every province and speaking a Greek koine as much as Latin.

Biblical importance

Rome is named as the seat of imperial power throughout the New Testament (e.g., Luke 2:1 — Caesar Augustus). Paul writes his epistle to the Romans before ever visiting the city (Romans 15:22-25). Acts closes with Paul under house arrest in Rome for two whole years, preaching the kingdom of God (Acts 28:16, 28:30-31). Christian tradition holds that both Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome under Nero (c. AD 64-67).

Historical timeline

753 BC — Traditional founding of Rome (Varro).
27 BC — Octavian is named Augustus; the Roman Empire begins.
c. AD 49 — The Emperor Claudius expels the Jews from Rome (Acts 18:2; also Suetonius, Claudius 25.4). Aquila and Priscilla leave Rome for Corinth.
c. AD 57 — Paul writes the Epistle to the Romans from Corinth.
c. AD 60-62 — Paul under house arrest in Rome; Acts closes with 'two whole years' (Acts 28:30).
AD 64 — The Great Fire of Rome; Nero blames the Christians (Tacitus, Annals XV.44).
c. AD 64-67 — Tradition places the martyrdoms of Peter (in Nero's circus on the Vatican hill) and Paul (on the road to Ostia).
c. AD 96 — Clement of Rome writes to the Corinthian church (1 Clement).
c. AD 107 — Ignatius of Antioch is martyred in Rome.
AD 313 — Constantine issues the Edict of Milan; Christianity becomes legal.
c. AD 320 — Construction of Old St Peter's Basilica begins over the traditional tomb of Peter on the Vatican hill.
AD 380 — Emperor Theodosius makes Nicene Christianity the state religion.
AD 410 — Alaric sacks Rome.
AD 452 — Pope Leo the Great turns back Attila.
AD 800 — Charlemagne is crowned Emperor by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day.
AD 1626 — The current St Peter's Basilica is consecrated after 120 years of construction.

Important biblical events

Luke 2:1 (KJV) 'There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.'
Acts 2:10 (KJV) Among the crowds at Pentecost are 'strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes.'
Acts 18:2 (KJV) Aquila and Priscilla are 'lately come from Italy...because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome.'
Acts 23:11 (KJV) 'Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.'
Acts 25:11 (KJV) 'I appeal unto Caesar.'
Acts 27:1 (KJV) 'And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy...'
Acts 28:14-16 (KJV) 'And so we went toward Rome...we came to Rome: the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.'
Acts 28:30-31 (KJV) 'And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.'
Romans 1:7 (KJV) 'To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints...'
Romans 15:22-24 (KJV) Paul writes of his long-standing desire to visit them.
Romans 16:3-16 (KJV) Paul's long list of greetings to the church at Rome.
Philippians 1:12-14 (KJV) Paul writes from imprisonment: 'my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace.'
2 Timothy 4:6-8 (KJV) Paul's parting testimony: 'I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.'
2 Timothy 4:16-18 (KJV) 'At my first answer no man stood with me...notwithstanding the Lord stood with me.'
1 Peter 5:13 (KJV) 'The church that is at Babylon...saluteth you.' Traditional interpretation: Babylon = Rome.

Important Christian events

Roman Christian community existed before Paul or Peter arrived, attested by Paul's letter to the Romans (c. AD 57) and by Suetonius's mention of 'Chrestus' (c. AD 49).
1 Clement (c. AD 96) is a letter from the Roman church to the Corinthian church, one of the earliest Christian documents outside the NT.
The catacombs of Rome (Callixtus, Domitilla, Priscilla, and others) preserve some of the earliest Christian art and inscriptions.
Old St Peter's Basilica (c. AD 320-1506), built by Constantine over the traditional tomb of Peter on the Vatican hill, was replaced by the current basilica (consecrated 1626).
The Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls (San Paolo fuori le Mura) preserves the traditional tomb of Paul; the current structure dates largely to the nineteenth century after a fire in 1823.
The Bishop of Rome (later titled Pope) claims descent from Peter as the first bishop of the see; this claim has shaped the entire history of the Western church.

Related Scripture

Romans 1:16 (KJV) 'For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.'
Romans 8:38-39 (KJV) 'For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers...shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'
Philippians 1:21 (KJV) 'For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.'
2 Timothy 4:7-8 (KJV) 'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.'

Related biblical people

The Emperor Augustus.
The Emperor Claudius.
The Emperor Nero.
Paul the apostle — under house arrest, tradition says martyred here.
Peter the apostle — tradition says martyred here.
Aquila and Priscilla.
Clement of Rome, third bishop after Peter.
Ignatius of Antioch, martyred here.
Constantine the Great.
Pope Leo the Great.

Related Journeys

Historical churches

St Peter's Basilica (Vatican City, current structure consecrated 1626) — over the traditional tomb of Peter.
St Paul Outside the Walls (San Paolo fuori le Mura, current structure nineteenth century on a fourth-century foundation) — over the traditional tomb of Paul.
St John Lateran (San Giovanni in Laterano) — the cathedral of Rome, founded by Constantine c. AD 324.
St Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) — the oldest church in Rome dedicated to Mary, largely fifth century.
Santa Sabina — a fifth-century basilica preserving one of the earliest depictions of the crucifixion.
San Clemente — a twelfth-century basilica built over a fourth-century basilica built over a first-century Roman house.

Historic monasteries

Sant'Anselmo on the Aventine (Benedictine, modern).
Grottaferrata (Byzantine Rite, founded AD 1004) — outside the city.
Historically, the great Roman abbeys were the training ground of missionaries sent to England, Germany, and beyond in the seventh and eighth centuries.

Museums and archaeological collections

The Vatican Museums (including the Sistine Chapel).
The Museo Nazionale Romano (multiple sites) — Roman antiquity.
The Capitoline Museums — Roman antiquity.
The catacombs open for visits, including San Callisto and Domitilla — early Christian burial and art.

Pilgrimage today

Rome has been a pilgrimage centre since the second century (see the tomb of Peter attested by the presbyter Gaius, c. AD 200, cited by Eusebius). CrossAIHub does not recommend a tour operator. If drawn to visit, plan with a trusted parish or diocese.

Related liturgical seasons

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul — 29 June.
Feast of the Chair of Peter — 22 February.
The Great Litany of the saints of Rome — All Saints, 1 November.

Images (public-domain, to be added)

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Old St Peter's Basilica in the sixteenth century, before demolition.

Public-domain source: sixteenth-century engraving.

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The catacombs of San Callisto — a nineteenth-century drawing of the Crypt of the Popes.

Public-domain source: G. B. de Rossi, Roma Sotterranea.

Historic maps (public-domain, to be added)

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The seven hills of Rome, with the Vatican across the Tiber.

Public-domain source: nineteenth-century Roman topographical atlas.