Introduction to Romans — discipleofmessiah.com

How did the Gospel Arrive in Rome?

When Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans, Rome was the world's capital. When Paul wrote this epistle, he had never been to the capital. How did the Gospel get to Rome in the first place? The Gospel arrived in Rome long before Paul did. Who brought the Gospel to Rome? We get the answer from the Book of Acts:

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” (Acts 2:5-11, ESV Bible)

In Acts 2, one of the things we should point out is that these are all Jews in the temple. They're all Jewish, all from the Diaspora, and they speak these different languages out in the Diaspora. "Diaspora" refers to the dispersion of a group of people from their original homeland. In the context of Jewish history, the Jewish Diaspora refers to the scattering of Jewish people outside the land of Israel, beginning with the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BCE and continuing through various periods of Jewish history, including the Roman exile after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.

In Acts 2:5-11, they hear them speak in the languages they're familiar with. And we see "visitors from Rome," which are both Jews and proselytes from Rome. So here is our first contact with potential Roman believers. This is how the Gospel gets to Rome in the first place.

Another explanation for how the Gospel gets to Rome is the Clementine Homilies, also known as the "Homilies of Clement," a work attributed to Clement of Rome, an early Christian apostolic father and bishop. However, it is now generally believed to be of later origin, likely dating to the third or fourth century. The text is part of the more extensive Clementine literature, which includes the Clementine Recognitions. The Clementine Homilies present a narrative that purports to be a record of speeches and discussions between the apostle Peter and a pagan philosopher named Clement. The text addresses various theological and philosophical issues, presenting a Christian perspective on the nature of God, the importance of good deeds, and the proper understanding of Jewish law. The work is significant for its insights into early Christian thought and its interactions with Greek philosophy and Judaism. It also reflects the theological debates and concerns of the period in which it was written. In Clementine's Homilies, there's an apocryphal story that Barnabas is the first of the apostles to carry the message to Rome.

To Whom is the Letter Addressed?

If we look at the list of people Paul mentions in the back of Romans, about a third of those names are Jewish believers. The rest could be Jewish, or they could be not Jewish. There appears to be a mixed community of Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus within Rome.

Let's break down the major people groups because to understand the book of Romans, you must understand the categories. You have two kinds of people in the world: Jews on the one hand and Gentiles on the other hand. But that's too simple, so we're going to make subcategories.

Two Types of Jews

There are Jews by birth. In other words, your mom was Jewish, so therefore the kids are Jewish. It's the only way that you get to be a Jew by birth. The other type of Jew is one who converted to Judaism, going through a legal conversion to become Jewish. Conversion to Judaism was viewed as more than just changing religions. It was more like changing ethnicities or changing your nationality. It would be the equivalent of being born American and changing citizenship to Canada.

If someone wanted to become Jewish, they would need to become a Jewish citizen, a legal conversion. When someone performs a legal conversion, they become a proselyte, or someone who was not born Jewish but became Jewish through conversion. The proselyte is then considered Jewish in every regard.

So, to summarize so far, we have two kinds of Jewish believers in Rome, or two types of people constituting the Jewish community: Jews and proselytes.

Two Types of Gentiles

Then we also have two kinds of Gentiles. Now, 99.9% of all Gentiles fall into a broad category that represents idolaters in the first century, meaning that they worship some form of polytheism (belief in or worship of multiple deities or gods). They do not worship the God of Israel. And, under Roman law, to be a Gentile and not an idolater is illegal. You can't be an atheist. You can't say, "I don't believe in the gods," because that's illegal. You have to believe in and worship the gods, pay your dues, and participate in the temples. Further, you can't worship only one god. You can believe there is only one god, but you are legally required to worship the others.

There's a tiny fraction of people who are Gentiles who are attracted to Judaism, and they are attracted to the God of Israel. They like the Hebrew Scriptures, learning with Jewish people, learning the Torah, and maybe keeping the Sabbath and a kosher diet. They are convinced that the God of Israel is the one true God. An excellent example of this type of Gentile is in Acts 10, Cornelius the centurion. He's a Roman centurion, and he is called a God-fearer. So, the God-fearers represent a small category of Gentiles.

Here's the problem with being a God-fearer: it's illegal. Judaism is legal in the Roman Empire because it's an ancient religion. It was around before Rome was an empire. It's permissible under Roman law to practice Judaism and not worship the gods. The Roman government respects both mechanisms and both ways of being Jewish. However, to be a God-fearer, or to be one who says, "I don't worship the Roman gods anymore," that's considered disloyalty and treasonous. By choosing not to worship the gods of Rome, you are deemed to be inviting the gods of Rome to smite Rome. Historically, Emperor Nero's purges were in 66 CE, and Emperor Domitian's purges were in 90 CE. These persecutions were directed against God-fearers, who had, in the words of the emperors, "drifted into Jewish ways."

When we read Romans, we need to remember these four potential categories of people. Paul is also writing a letter to people he knows in Rome. He lists the people he knows at the end of the Book of Romans:

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was tthe first convert to Christ in Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. (Romans 16: 1-16, ESV Bible)

The Jewish Community in Rome

We can also take a little bit of a look at the Jewish community there in Rome. It's one of the largest in the world at this time outside of the land of Israel. The biggest population center of Jewish people outside of the land of Israel in the days of the Apostles is Alexandria, Egypt. Then, right up there is the city of Antioch, where the Gospel first took root outside of the land of Israel. Acts 11:19-30 describes how Paul and Barnabas were sent by the church in Jerusalem to Antioch to assist with the growing Christian community there. Antioch is where the name "Christians" was first coined. The third largest Jewish center outside of the land of Israel in those days was Rome.

We have an excellent description of the Jewish population in Rome by the first-century philosopher Philo, a Jew from Alexandria. He says, "The great section of Rome, which is on the other side of the Tiber River, was occupied and inhabited by the Jews." So, it seems that the Jews in Rome have their own quarter. They were also primarily Roman citizens, much like Paul. The fact that Paul was a Roman citizen doesn't mean that Jews who are Roman citizens are not Jewish. How did many of the Jews become Roman citizens? To answer that, what was the backdrop for Rome and the Jews in the first century?

Jews who are Roman Citizens

In 63 BCE, the Roman general Pompey intervened in a power struggle between rival factions in Judea. He besieged and captured Jerusalem, effectively ending Jewish independence. Judea became a client kingdom of the Roman Republic, with the Hasmonean dynasty serving as client kings. Following a period of instability, Herod the Great, a client king appointed by the Romans, came to power in 37 BCE. He ruled Judea as a vassal of Rome, overseeing significant building projects and maintaining a degree of peace and stability. After the death of Herod the Great, Judea was divided among his sons, with Roman oversight. The region was governed by Roman prefects or procurators responsible for maintaining order and collecting taxes.

Roman citizenship could happen in many ways. Following the conquest of Judea by the Roman Empire, some Jewish inhabitants may have been granted Roman citizenship as part of the general policy of granting citizenship to newly conquered territories deemed deserving. Enslaved people freed (emancipated) by their Roman masters could become Roman citizens. While this was less common among Jewish enslaved people, it was still a possibility. Emperors or other Roman authorities could grant citizenship to individuals or groups for various reasons, such as loyalty or exceptional service to the empire. Over time, Roman citizenship laws evolved to allow non-Romans to be naturalized. This process typically involved living in a Roman province for a certain period, demonstrating good conduct, and sometimes paying a fee. It's important to note that while some Jewish individuals obtained Roman citizenship through these means, many others remained non-citizens, especially in areas outside of Italy and the more Romanized provinces. Roman citizenship was a privilege that conferred certain legal rights and protections, but it was not universally accessible to all inhabitants of the empire. One of these options is how Paul of Tarsus probably received his Roman citizenship. He's likely the son of Jewish parents who were taken captive by the Romans back under Pompey.

Practicing Judaism in Rome

Even with Roman citizenship, Jews were generally authorized to practice their religion. While often imposing its authority and cultural practices, the Roman Empire generally allowed its subjects to practice their own beliefs as long as they did not conflict with Roman law or imperial authority. This policy of religious tolerance, known as religio licita, allowed Jews to observe their religious traditions, including the Sabbath, dietary laws, and festivals, as long as they did not disrupt public order or challenge Roman rule.

They had many synagogues in Rome. They regularly contributed sacred sums of money from their first fruits and sent them to Jerusalem by the hands of those who were to conduct the sacrifices. So, the Roman Jewish community was a wealthy Jewish community that supported Jerusalem, the temple, and the priesthood. Archaeological evidence, based on tomb inscriptions, indicates that tens of thousands of Jews lived in the Roman quarter in the first century.

The Context of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans

Paul Meets with the Pillars (~44 CE)

We established that at the time of writing this epistle, Paul's never been to Rome. And that's significant because Paul, as you know, considers himself to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. Paul has this idea that the other apostles have now endorsed, the idea that Gentiles don't need to become Jewish to be part of the Kingdom of Heaven or to be a disciple of Jesus. Paul's stance is a radical idea, and it's been endorsed by James, John and Peter:

Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. (Galatians 2:1-9, ESV Bible)

However, Paul's idea was unpopular among the rest of the Jewish believers. The rest of the Jewish believers are still teaching that if a Gentile, an idolater, or a God-fearer wants to become part of our group, he needs to become Jewish. After all, the Messiah is king of the Jews. This discussion of the need to convert to Judaism is a significant conflict in the New Testament, especially in the books of Acts.

Early Jewish Followers of Jesus In Rome Were Torah Observant

Ordinarily, when we're reading the epistles of Paul, we're reading epistles that are written to communities that he started. This is not the case with Romans. In Romans, Paul is writing to a community he did not start. And so we have to assume that when the Gospel took root in Rome, it took root under the auspices of the Apostolic voice opposed to Paul. In other words, the early Roman believers were all Jewish, and if Gentiles wanted to join the sect, they would likely be encouraged to become Jewish.

There are some interesting quotes from early church fathers regarding the early believers in Rome and these quotes provide support to this theory of Jews expecting Gentiles to convert. The first church father is John Damascene. He says, “many from among the Jews had believed,” as he's describing the beginning of the Church of Rome, “but they still held in conscience the laws after faith.” John Damascene preserves the tradition that the early Roman believers were Jewish and Torah observant.

Another church father, Ambrose of Milan, says Jews lived in Rome during the apostles' time, and those Jews who believed passed this on to the Romans. They accepted faith in Christ, though, according to the Jewish right, those who led the Romans to faith had mixed it up with the law because they were Jews. From these two church fathers, we see historical evidence that what we call Messianic Judaism (Judaism that believes Jesus to be the Messiah; a sect of Judaism) was practiced in Rome.

Does this mean that all the believers in Rome are Jewish or proselyte? We could probably say that the majority of them are Jewish. In Roman society, it was a scandal to abandon the gods. All sorts of social pressures would make worshipping Jesus without conversion difficult. Every time Paul goes to a town, he finds this outer circle of God-fearing Gentiles who have not converted as a proselyte and yet have some allegiance to Jesus of Nazareth in every synagogue in the Diaspora.

Jerusalem Council (~49 CE)

Paul and Barnabas have been working in Antioch for two years. They’ve been teaching this radical gospel that these Gentile God-fearers don’t need to become Jewish, that they can remain as Gentiles and serve Hashem, serve God, and be disciples of Jesus. In Acts 15, this controversy erupts around what’s happening in Antioch:

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. (Acts 15:1-2, ESV Bible)

They take the matter up to Jerusalem; they bring it before the apostles for James and the Council to decide. James and the Council of Elders, under the guidance of Peter, reach a decision. And they endorse Paul’s position and say, no, we’re going to maintain that God-fearing Gentiles, do not need to become Jewish. They write up their decision and put it in an epistle:

“The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” (Acts 15:23-29, ESV Bible)

Paul takes this epistle and heads out on his missionary journey.

Jews are Kicked out of Rome

Meanwhile, while this Council is in Acts 15, there’s trouble in Rome. Emperor Claudius has been complaining to the Senate about the growth of foreign superstitions, leading to the neglect of religious observances of their forefathers. Judaism has always been called a foreign superstition by the Romans. So he’s complaining that religious ideas are coming into Rome, causing the gods to be neglected. In other words, the gods are not being worshipped by some people who are falling under the sway of these superstitions.

In Suetonius’s “Life of Claudius,” a biography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it says, “Judaeos impulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantis Roma expulit,” which translates to “Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome.” This passage has been interpreted by scholars in different ways. Some suggest that “Chrestus” might refer to Christ and that the disturbances mentioned could be related to conflicts between Jews and early Christians in Rome. This interpretation aligns with historical evidence indicating that there were early Christian communities in Rome during Claudius’s reign. It must have been all Jews who didn’t have Roman citizenship. But we don’t know for sure. Regardless, all evidence points to Claudius expelling the Jews from Rome (~49 CE). Here’s a parallel text about Paul in Acts, chapter 18:

And when he arrived in Corinth, he found a Jew named Aquila, who was a native of Pontus, but had recently come from Italy with his wife, Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. (Acts 18:1-2, ESV Bible)

So you see the parallel here, and it is the same story. Aquila came to them because he was of the same trade, tent makers, he stayed with them. And so Paul teams up with these two Jewish believers from Rome who are now living in Corinth.

Why Did Emperor Claudius Expel the Jews?

Why did Claudius expel the Jews? His biography says, “So at the instigation of Christ, in other words, the Jews were creating all sorts of disturbances.” What is that supposed to mean? It could mean that Jewish believers come to Rome, saying they think Jesus is the Messiah. And subsequently, all the Jews in the synagogues go nuts. Then, Claudius gets sick of all the commotion and kicks them out of Rome. That’s a ridiculous interpretation. That is not the case. Jews believing someone to be Messiah is all kosher within Judaism. It should not have led to a riot.

We see a fuss erupting repeatedly regarding Gentiles becoming part of this movement. Every time Paul goes to a city, he finds a bunch of Gentiles, and he convinces a bunch of Gentiles to abandon the worship of the idols and become part of this religion. Then, we see a commotion both in and outside the synagogue. In the synagogue, the Jews say, “We don’t want all these Gentiles in here.” Outside the synagogue, we see examples like when Paul is in Ephesus, and there’s the riot of the silversmiths because people feel like the gods are being neglected (Acts 19:23-41).

Events Pave the Way for Jews to Return to Rome

The issue that caused Claudius to kick the Jews out of Rome was likely over that growing outer fringe of God-fearing Gentiles (~49 CE). This exile has a few consequences. First, it probably makes the Jesus message not popular among Roman Jews. Who's left behind in Rome? The proselytes are gone, the Jews are gone. It's the God-fearing Gentiles that remain in Rome. A significant development happens in Rome after Paul gets into the riot with the silversmiths (Acts 19:23-41; ~55 CE). But first, we need the back story.

The Back Story

The wicked Emperor Gaius Caligula had a sister named Julia Agrippina “the Younger.” Through intermarriages, Caligula and Agrippina were descendants of both Caesar Augustus and Mark Antony. In 37 AD, the same year Emperor Caligula took power over Rome, his sister Agrippina gave birth to Lucius Domitius, later known as Nero.

Agrippina's husband died a few years later, and Caligula banished her from Rome, seizing her property. After Emperor Caligula's assassination (~41 CE), Agrippina's uncle Claudius took power and restored Agrippina to the city and her young child, Nero.

The wicked Empress Valeria Messalina, Emperor Claudius’s wife, feared that Julia Agrippina's young son might pose a threat to her own son's inheritance, so she sent an assassin to strangle the child while he slept. However, a serpent emerged from beneath the sleeping child's pillow and frightened the assassin away. Julia Agrippina discovered the serpent's skin beside the pillow and enclosed it in an amulet, which Nero wore on his left arm.

Empress Valeria Messalina and Son, Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus

Emperor Claudius, known for his unfortunate luck in marriage, faced tumultuous relationships during his reign. When Nero was still a young boy, Claudius had his unfaithful wife, Valeria Messalina, put to death (~48 CE). Against Roman custom, Claudius then married his niece, Julia Agrippina, who historians recall as ruthless, ambitious, and domineering. Agrippina engaged in an adulterous affair with Claudius' friend and advisor, the palace prefect, Felix's brother from the Book of Acts. Using cunning plots, Agrippina manipulates her elderly husband and effectively takes control of the empire. Seeking greater power, she persuaded Claudius to legally adopt her son, who then took the name Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus at the age of 13. As he was older than Claudius's natural son by Messalina, making Nero the heir. Eager to secure her son's position, Agrippina orchestrated Claudius's poisoning, ensuring Nero's ascension to the imperial throne (~54 CE). Nero's mother, Agrippina, bribed the Emperor's taster to serve Claudius a poisonous mushroom. Although the mushroom made Claudius sick, he did not die. Agrippina then conspired with the Emperor's doctor, who attempted to save Claudius by inducing vomiting with a feather. However, the feather had been tipped with an even deadlier poison. Claudius died, and 17-year-old Nero became Emperor.

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

Initially, Nero had little power as his mother controlled affairs and kept him under the watchful eye of his tutors, Burrus and Seneca. Seneca, incidentally, was the older brother of the proconsul Gallio, whom Paul encountered in Corinth. Nero, influenced by stories of his passionate uncle Emperor Caligula, emulated him. The death of Emperor Claudius ended his ban on Jews in Rome, prompting the return of displaced Roman Jews. After about five years, all the Jews, including the Jewish believers, returned to Rome, and now they have to somehow reintegrate with the community that they left behind, which was an utterly Gentile community. It will create some engaging scenarios and challenging problems that need to be unraveled. Paul's colleagues, Priscilla, Aquila, Andronicus, and Junia, left Ephesus to return to Rome (~55 CE).

Paul Writes His Letter to the Romans

Paul communicates with several of these Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome, with Epistles going back and forth, sending greetings back and forth. At the same time, he finishes out his term in Ephesus. Paul has to flee from Ephesus because of the riot during Acts 19:23-41 (~55 CE).

Then Paul traveled, raising a contribution from among the Gentile congregations and the various synagogues to bring to Jerusalem and put at the apostles' feet in Jerusalem. While Paul wanted to join them, he first needed to bring a collection from the Gentile congregations to Jerusalem, intending to visit Rome as well eventually.

In Acts 19:21, Paul says:

Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” (Acts 19:21, ESV Bible)

In Romans 1:15, he says:

So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. (Romans 1:15, ESV Bible)

Paul ends up in Corinth for the winter, waiting for the shipping season to open to bring the money to Jerusalem (~56 CE). He has delegates from all these different congregations that will be traveling with him. And he has nothing to do in Corinth for the next couple of months except sit around with his buddies and write an Epistle to the Romans (~ 56 CE). And this is what he does. He finds out that Phoebe from Kentria, the port city there in Corinth, will be heading off to Rome. He says, “hey, could you carry a letter for me?”

He's planning on going to Rome, so he wants to send a letter to establish his theology regarding the Gentiles, which was none too famous. His first concern is the God-fearing Gentiles in Rome. The second concern is that Rome is not one of its congregations but a highly influential congregation. Paul's a Roman citizen. He understands the importance of Rome if he can establish his Gospel in Rome. Paul knows that if his Gospel is based in Rome, it will be influential. He wants to see the legislation from Jerusalem Council established, and he wants to work through the difficulties and relationships between these three groups: Jewish believers, proselyte believers, and God-fearing Gentiles. The relationship between these groups is fraught with difficulty. He's going to have to make the case for his Gospel that you don't need to become Jewish if you're a Gentile. And then, he will have to advise them on how they can still get along even though they will be a mixed community.

At the end of Romans, Paul mentions the house where he is writing from:

Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. (Romans 16:23, ESV Bible)

This is the same Gaius He also mentioned baptizing in 1 Corinthians 1:14:

I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, (1 Corinthians 1:14, ESV Bible)

Crispus is also mentioned in Acts 18 while Paul is visiting in Corinth:

And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. (Acts 18: 7-8, ESV Bible)

Two fairly early manuscripts of Romans have subscriptions (brief notes that a copyist added to the end of a document) which say that the letter was written from Corinth.

Last, in Romans 16:22, Paul mentions that someone wrote the letter to the Romans for him:

I Tertius, hwho wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord. (Romans 16:22, ESV Bible)

In many ways, it is as if Paul writes while he walks. It's just a lot of ideas flowing fast. Paul walks back and forth, paces, thinks of something, then thinks of something else, and he's talking out loud, and somebody else is writing it down.

Summary

In summary, the Gospel arrived in Rome through various means, including Jews and proselytes who visited Jerusalem and became believers, as described in Acts 2. The early Roman believers were likely Torah-observant Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, with a significant Jewish population in Rome. Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome around 49 CE, possibly due to disturbances related to the growing number of Gentile believers in the Jewish community. After Claudius died in 54 CE, the ban on Jews in Rome ended, leading to the return of displaced Roman Jews, including Jewish believers in Jesus. Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans in Corinth, likely around 56 CE, addressing theological and practical issues related to the mix of Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome.

References

This lesson was curated from teachings from First Fruits of Zion “Chronicles of the Apostles,” and teachings by Daniel Lancaster at Beth Immanuel Messianic Synagogue.