Rome

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🗺 Presentation

Capital of the Roman Empire, stretching from the borders of Scotland to the Euphrates, Rome in the 1st century was a city of a million inhabitants—a blend of palaces and insulae, forums and temples, synagogues and Eastern commerce. Paul had written his most substantial letter to the Romans even before setting foot there, revealing his ambition to use Rome as a springboard for a mission to Spain (Romans 15:24). He arrived in chains but was granted permission to stay in his home with a soldier—and for two years, he received all who came to see him, proclaiming the Kingdom of God «freely and without hindrance» (Acts 28:30-31). The unanimous tradition places the martyrdom of Peter and Paul in Rome. St. Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum, and the catacombs form the heart of one of the world's greatest Christian pilgrimages.

To all those in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: grace and peace.

Rm 1.7

Greek LXX

Ῥώμη

Latin

Roma

Modern

Rome (Italy)

English

Rome

German

Rom

Spanish

Roma

Italian

Roma

Polski

Rzym

Portuguese

Roma

📜 Major Biblical Events

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Acts

Paul arrives in Rome as a prisoner and is welcomed by the Christian brothers.

📖 Acts 28:14-16

Paul

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Acts

Paul preached the Kingdom of God freely in Rome for two years.

📖 Acts 28:30-31

Paul

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Letters

Paul addresses his letter to the Christians in Rome, expounding the Gospel of salvation.

📖 Rm 1:1-7

Paul

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Letters

Peter sends his first letter from Rome, referred to as Babylon.

📖 1 P 5.13

Rock

✝️ Biblical Theology

Old Testament

Rome is not mentioned by that name in the Old Testament. It appears as Kittim in the apocalyptic texts of Daniel (Daniel 11:30), referring to the oppressive foreign power. The fourth iron empire of Daniel's visions (Daniel 2:40-43; 7:7-8) was widely interpreted as a prophecy of Rome. Within this context, Paul's mission to Rome fulfills the program of prophetic universalism: the Word reaches the heart of the Empire.

New Testament

Rome is the destination and goal of the Book of Acts: «You must also bear witness in Rome» (Acts 23:11). The Letter to the Romans is Paul’s most comprehensive theological treatise (Romans 1–16). The account of the final journey (Acts 27–28) culminates in Rome, where Paul freely proclaimed the Gospel for two years (Acts 28:30–31). Peter died there crucified, and Paul was beheaded, according to unanimous tradition. Rome, the center of the Empire, became the heart of the universal Church.

Saint John Chrysostom

— Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans

For him, Rome is above all the great center of the pagan world reached by the Gospel, proof of the universal power of apostolic preaching. He emphasizes the spiritual dignity of a Church renowned not for its political power, but for its faith.

✦ Meditation — Lectio Divina

Rome: the muffled roar of the eternal city, its crowded forums, its aqueducts towering over the plains. All the roads of the empire converge upon it, and toward it too the Gospel sought to forge its path, against all human logic. Paul arrives there in chains, yet free with a freedom no one can take from him. The Word of God is not afraid of the powers of the world; it enters the centers of power not to flatter them, but to transform them. Wherever you feel overwhelmed by overwhelming forces, remember: the Gospel has passed through Rome. Let it also pass through what oppresses you.

Catechetical angle

Rome embodies the tension between imperial power and the Gospel: Paul wrote his foundational doctrinal letter there and was martyred there. It teaches that the Christian faith is not an escape from the world but a transformation from within human structures.

Rome

He has risen and is going before you into Galilee (Mt 28:1-10)

✝️ Cross-references