Outline Studies in the New Testament for Bible Teachers Part 21

2. _Thr. Ye. Eph._ Res. Col. Hier. "Sev. Ch. As."

3. _Mac. Gre. Rev._ Phil. Thes. Ber. (Ath.?) Cor. Coll. for Jud.

4. _Ep. Per._ 1.) 1 Cor. Eph. 57. Tr. Ch. Lif. 2.) 2 Cor. 57.

Mac. P. ap. auth. 3.) Gal. Mac. 57. "Jud. tea." "Salv. fai.

on." 4.) Rom. Cor. 58. "Jus. by fai."

5. _Ret. Jour._ 1.) Ph. 2.) Tro. 3.) Voy. Mil. 4.) Mil.

5.) Voy. Tyr. 6.) Ptol. 7.) Caes. 8.) Jer.

6. _Pau. Arr. & Imp._ Jer. Caes.

Review Questions, Part Two

Who were companions of Paul on his third journey? From what city did he start? Through what lands did he first pa.s.s? What great city was his princ.i.p.al field of labor? In what neighboring cities did churches arise as a result? What provinces in Europe, and what cities in them, did he revisit? What was one of his important errands on this journey? Who accompanied Paul on his return? What letters were written while Paul was on this journey? Name the place from which each of these epistles was written. State the approximate date of each letter. What was the purpose or theme of each letter? Name some of the places where Paul stopped on his return journey. What took place at Troas? What took place at Miletus? Whom did Paul meet at Caesarea?

What was Paul's destination? What was his purpose in visiting the mother church? What happened to Paul at Jerusalem? To what place was he afterwards taken? How long was he a prisoner in that place?

PART THREE

IV. =Paul's Fourth Journey= (Acts 27 and 28). Although made by a prisoner, some of the time wearing a chain (Acts 26. 29; 28. 20), the journey to Rome was a missionary journey, in many respects like Paul's other journeys. To visit Rome had long been his desire and expectation (Acts 19. 21. Rom. 1. 15. Rom. 15. 23, 24). His companions on the journey, Luke, Aristarchus (Acts 27. 1, 2), and probably Timothy.

1. On the voyage he was able to bring the _gospel to the island of Malta_ (Acts 28. 7-10).

2. Arriving at _Rome_ (Acts 28. 16) he took up his work as nearly as possible according to his _regular method_. 1.) He found a _home_ and _employment_ (Acts 28. 16). 2.) As he could not go to the synagogue he _sent for the chief Jews_ and preached the gospel to them (Acts 28.

17-24). 3.) He then turned to the Gentiles (Acts 28. 28-31). 4.) Some _results_ of his ministry in Rome (Phil 1. 12-18).

3. _The Epistles of Paul's Imprisonment at Rome._ The order of these is uncertain, but they belong rather to the close of the period than to its opening.

1.) _Ephesians_; called by S. T. Coleridge "the divinest composition of man;" written A. D. 62; its subject, "The mystical union of Christ and his church."

2.) _Philippians_; the most affectionate of all Paul's letters; written A. D. 62; its subject "The character of Christ's followers."

3.) _Colossians_; written to a church that Paul had never seen; about A. D. 62; subject, "Christ the Head of the Church."

4.) _Philemon_: a personal letter to a friend at Colossae concerning a _runaway slave_ Onesimus, whom Paul sent back, "no longer a slave, but a brother beloved."

V. =Paul's Later Years.= The record is uncertain, and almost unknown. It is probable, though not certain, that Paul was set free about 63 A. D.

1. _His years of liberty._ 63 to 67 A. D. Shall we speak of a _fifth journey_? We find hints or expectations of his being at Colossae (Philem.

22); Miletus (2 Tim. 4. 13); Nicopolis, north of Greece, on the Adriatic Sea (t.i.tus 3. 12). Tradition states that at this place he was arrested, and sent from it a second time to Rome.

2. _His last epistles._ It is not certain that all the "pastoral epistles" were written by Paul. 1.) They are unlike his other writings in their style. 2.) His doctrinal views are not prominent in them. Yet on the whole, they show a reasonable probability of Paul's authorship.

1.) _First Timothy_ was written during the period of liberty, between 63 and 66 A. D., as a book of _counsels to a minister_, Timothy, in charge of the church at Ephesus.

2.) _t.i.tus_, about the same time and for the same purpose; to t.i.tus, in charge of churches on the island of Crete.

3.) _Second Timothy_, from Rome, during Paul's second and last imprisonment; a letter of farewell counsels to his "son Timothy." Strictly speaking this book should be named under the next subject.

VI. =The First Imperial Persecution.= The Christians were becoming numerous in Rome, as well as throughout the empire; and a conflict was sure to arise with the Roman government. The first persecution came soon after the burning of Rome, A. D. 64, which Nero charged falsely upon the Christians. Thousands were put to death, although the persecution was mainly limited to the capital. The _martyrdom of St. Paul_, probably of St. Peter also, took place about 68 A. D. at Rome.

Blackboard Outline

PART THREE

IV. =Pau. Fou. Jour.= Pris. Comp. Lu. Aris. Tim.

1. Gos. Mal.

2. Ro. 1.) Ho. Emp. 2.) Sent. Ch. Je. 3.) Tur. Gen. 4.) Res. min.

3. Ep. Pau. Imp. 1.) Eph. "Mys. Un. Ch. and Ch." 2.) Phil. "Char.

Chr. fol." 3.) Col. "Chr. Hea. Ch." 4.) Philem. Run. Sla.

V. =Pau. Lat. Ye.= 1. Yea. Lib. Col. Mil. Nicop. 2. Las. Ep.

1.) 1 Tim. 2.) t.i.t. 3.) 2 Tim.

VI. =Fir. Imp. Per.= Mart. Pau. 68 A. D.

Review Questions. Part Three

Under what circ.u.mstances did Paul make his fourth journey? Who were his companions? Where did he preach the gospel on his journey? How did he follow his regular method, as far as possible, at Rome? What were some results of his ministry in Rome? What epistles were written at Rome? What is the subject of these epistles? How long was Paul at liberty after his first imprisonment? What places did he probably visit during those years? What were the last three epistles written by Paul? What is the subject of each epistle? How did the first imperial persecution of the Christians arise? Who probably suffered martyrdom at this time?

EIGHTEENTH STUDY

The End of the Age

From the Death of St. Paul, A. D. 68, to the Death of St. John, 100 A.

D.

PART ONE

We come now to our last period, an _age of shadows_, of which we know very little, and wish that we knew more. The curtain of New Testament history falls while St. Paul is still a prisoner at Rome, five years before the supposed date of his death. From that time, A. D. 63, to about A. D. 125 there is very little history, and none in the New Testament; we are left to hints, traditions, and conjectures.

A question which we would like to answer is, What became of the _companions_ of St. Paul: such men as Timothy (Heb. 13. 23), t.i.tus (2 Tim. 4. 10), Apollos (t.i.tus 3. 13), Luke (2 Tim. 4. 11)? All of these were living and working at the close of Paul's life; but there is no report of their life and labors after that event.

Another perplexing fact is that when the curtain rises at about 125 A.

D. it shows us a very _different church_ from that of St. Paul's day: a church completely organized, with bishops in almost absolute control; and sects quarreling over controversies apparently unknown when St. Paul wrote his letters.

While Peter and Paul were living the church had wise and statesmanlike leaders, who directed its energies. But when these great men died "second-rate men" were left in control and they were not equal to the demand of the new time; and the church drifted into disputes, which grew into divisions. Let us notice the few known =Events of this Period=.

I. =The Fall of Jerusalem=: epoch-making, not only to Jewish but also to Christian history.

1. The _rebellion of the Jews_ against the Roman power began in 68 A.

D.; hopeless from the beginning--for how could one small state measure swords with the empire of the civilized world? The city of Jerusalem was taken and destroyed 70 A. D., and with it fell forever the Jewish state.

2. The _siege had been predicted_ in the gospels (Matt. 24. 15-18; Mark 13. 14), and was expected by the disciples of Christ. The _Christians_ in Jerusalem and Judea _withdrew_ to _Pella_ in the Jordan valley; but their numbers were not large, showing that Jewish Christianity must have declined since A. D. 58 (see Acts 21. 20), while Gentile Christianity had increased. After the destruction of Jerusalem Jewish Christianity remained for 200 years a feeble and declining sect, hated by their own people as traitors, and despised by Gentile Christians because they still observed the Jewish law.