Archived Daily Manna | Rejoice Fellowship | A mission to release people to rejoice in the world.

Message: This appears to be the original end of the letter. But Paul was a “good talker,” as elementary schoolteachers say, and he has a full chapter of afterthoughts yet to come. Saint Paul left + Saint Paul French Breviary, 1430 The writing of such a long epistle would have limited the amount of editing. Paul was either dictating it, or else writing rough drafts, which Tertius would then transcribe in neat Greek print onto a parchment scroll. Editing would thus have meant tearing up a finished scroll and starting over, a loss of considerable labor. So Paul simply left the first ending and added another one (Chapter 16). Paul is nearing the end of his third journey. The church at Corinth was one of his greatest successes, as it was large and included numerous well-to-do members. They had been able to give him considerable money to be donated to the church at Jerusalem. He must carry these donations in person, because there is no other safe way to transport money; but he has good reason for trepidation. The corrupt high priests of the Sanhedrin continue to wield power in Jerusalem; many of them have ties to the Herodian dynasty, and all of them hate him. And as it turns out, they will in fact arrest him and later, when the Roman governor intervenes, try to murder him. His arrest will spoil his plans to travel to Spain. Ironically, however, it will facilitate his visiting Rome; he will be sent there as a prisoner, for trial before the Emperor. Traditions of the Catholic Church hold that Peter was already in Rome at this time, presiding as the first Pope; and he may have been, but both Catholic and Protestant scholars consider it problematic. Peter was not hated by the high priests nearly so much as Paul and had been able to live in Jerusalem in relative peace. He continued to live under Jewish law and, despite his baptism of Cornelius and acceptance of Gentiles, personally rarely consorted with Gentiles. Where Paul was identified as the primary missionary to the Gentiles, Peter was the primary missionary to the Jews. In fact, Paul and he had had a great argument, when Paul gave a person named “Cephas,” almost certainly Peter, a dressing-down for refusing to eat with Gentiles. (Galatians 2:11-21) At any rate, Paul would accomplish two-thirds of the travel plans he outlines in today’s passage: trips to Jerusalem and Rome. He probably never reached Spain, though.This appears to be the original end of the letter. But Paul was a “good talker,” as elementary schoolteachers say, and he has a full chapter of afterthoughts yet to come. Saint Paul left + Saint Paul French Breviary, 1430 The writing of such a long epistle would have limited the amount of editing. Paul was either dictating it, or else writing rough drafts, which Tertius would then transcribe in neat Greek print onto a parchment scroll. Editing would thus have meant tearing up a finished scroll and starting over, a loss of considerable labor. So Paul simply left the first ending and added another one (Chapter 16). Paul is nearing the end of his third journey. The church at Corinth was one of his greatest successes, as it was large and included numerous well-to-do members. They had been able to give him considerable money to be donated to the church at Jerusalem. He must carry these donations in person, because there is no other safe way to transport money; but he has good reason for trepidation. The corrupt high priests of the Sanhedrin continue to wield power in Jerusalem; many of them have ties to the Herodian dynasty, and all of them hate him. And as it turns out, they will in fact arrest him and later, when the Roman governor intervenes, try to murder him. His arrest will spoil his plans to travel to Spain. Ironically, however, it will facilitate his visiting Rome; he will be sent there as a prisoner, for trial before the Emperor. Traditions of the Catholic Church hold that Peter was already in Rome at this time, presiding as the first Pope; and he may have been, but both Catholic and Protestant scholars consider it problematic. Peter was not hated by the high priests nearly so much as Paul and had been able to live in Jerusalem in relative peace. He continued to live under Jewish law and, despite his baptism of Cornelius and acceptance of Gentiles, personally rarely consorted with Gentiles. Where Paul was identified as the primary missionary to the Gentiles, Peter was the primary missionary to the Jews. In fact, Paul and he had had a great argument, when Paul gave a person named “Cephas,” almost certainly Peter, a dressing-down for refusing to eat with Gentiles. (Galatians 2:11-21) At any rate, Paul would accomplish two-thirds of the travel plans he outlines in today’s passage: trips to Jerusalem and Rome. He probably never reached Spain, though.