Paul wrote his epistle to the church at Rome during the early spring of A.D. 57 at the conclusion of his third missionary journey. He was about to return to Jerusalem with an offering from the mission churches for the poverty-stricken believers in Jerusalem (15: 25-26). At this time, Paul had not yet visited the church at Rome, for in his epistle he says, “I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you . . .. I do not want you to be unaware brothers, that I planned many times to come to you but have been prevented from doing so . . .” (1:10, 13). Although Paul had not been to Rome, he knew many people there; in chapter 16 he sends personal greetings to twenty-nine men and women by name...
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Introduction, Outline, Bibliography