The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 457

Paul is unknown. It mBy hBve been at apostles ('7rla71µo, iv -ro'is u:,ro11-r6>-oir)," h~ Corinth at the time of tho Jewish insur- mea.ne to designate them as tbemsel ves rection ngainst him (Acts xviii. 12), or 11t apostles, this is an in.~ta.nce of a wider nso Ephesus o.t the time of tho tumult raised of the term "apostle" than is generally by Demetrius the eilveremith (Acts xix. 23, understood (see note under eh. xii. 6, etc.). eto.), when Bt. Paul ho.d been in imminent The phre.se, however, will bear the in tu- danger. The _phrase, "lo.id down their pretatio!1 that ~hey were pera0ns held in neok" (not, o.e 1n the Authorized Version, honour m the cucle of the original twelve. "neolcs "), seems only to denote, figuratively, The U;~, o! o.,roa-r&Ao,, is certainly often "exposed their lives to danger." It ap- used d1st1nct1vely of them, as in Act.a ix. 27 pco.rs, from the large number of greetings and in GaL i. 19, by St. Paul himself, the which follow, that there were now many reference in both texta bein"' to his oo:vn Christio.ns o.t Rome known to, or o.ny rate relations to them; and so her~, sp~aking 0f known of by, the opostlo. It does not two persons, who he also says had been in follow thnt he was ocquainted with all of Christ before himself, he may only mean to them personally. He may have heard of point to their having been, as ttey still them in the frequent inquiries he ho.d were, distinguished in association with the doubtless made about the Roman Church original apostles even before hie own con- (cf. eh. i. 8). Many of them, however, he version, evidently knew, and with some ho.d been Vera. 8-1O.-Greet Amplias (or, Amplin- o.ssociated. It was likely that many known tus) my beloved in the Lord. Salute Urban to him in various qnarters might have had (i.e. Urbanus) our fellow-worker in Christ, occasion to resort to Rome. There are in and Stachys my beloved. Salute Ape!les all twenty-six individuals to whom greet- approved in Christ. Salute them which are ings are sent, together with two households of Aristobulus' household. As to who A.ri.s- of slaves, and probably three congregations, tobnlos might be (viz. a grandson of Herod ae will appear below. Salute (or, as before, the Great, mentioned by Josephus,' Ant.,' greet. The verb is the same as before, and x::x. I, 2, e.s being a.t Rome in a private so throughout the chapter) my beloved Epm- station), see Lightfoot on 'Philippi ans,' netus, who is the ftrstfruits of Asia ( certainly p. 172, and ' Diet. of Gr. and Rom. Biog.,' so, rather than .Achaia, probably introduced under "Aristobnllll!," 5. "Those of A.risto- into the text from 1 Cor. xvi. 15) unto bulus" (-rwv 'Ap,a-rof3oJ'A.ou) would probably Christ, .Asia means the proconsular pro- be his familia of slaves ( cf. ,,.,.,, X'A.677s, 1 vince so called, being the western part of Cor. i 11, o.nd below, ,,.,.,, Nap,cia-uou). The Asia Minor, of which the capital was Ephe- salutation is not to the whole household, sus. Epmnetus may have been St. Paul's bnt to the ChristiELlll! among them, as in- own first convert there during his second timated by "Tovs ~1< -rcov, and more definitely missionary jou·rney (of. Acts xvi. 6). The expressed below in the case of the hoa.se- fact of the apostle having been then '' for- hold of Narcissus. bidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the Ver. 11.--Salute B:erodion my kinsman. Word in Asia. " does not preclude there Greet them of the household of lfarcisstl3 having been converts thence. that are in the Lord. This Narcissus may Vera. 6, 7.-Greet Mary, who bestowed possibly have been the powerful freedman muoh labour on you(~µiis, rather than, as in of Claudius, mentioned by 'facitus, 'Ann.,' the Textus Receptus, 11µiis). Salute Andro- xi. 29, seq.; xii. 57; and by Suetonius, Dious and lunia (or Junias: it is uncertain 'Claud.,' :!8. The fact fu!lt he appears whether this is masouline or feminine; if from ' Ann.,' :riii. 1, to h!lve been put to the latter, Junie. might be tho wife of An- deoth on the accession of Nero, A.D. 5!, is dronious), my kinsmen, and my fellow- not inconsistent with the supposition. For prisoners, who are of note among the his hum!ln chattels would be likely to pass apostles who also were in Christ before me. into the pos.50SSion of Nero, and so becumo It is a question whether by" my kinsmen" pa.rt of Crasar's household, and might still (-rolis 11,ryy•v•is µou) here and afterwards St. be colled by their late master's name. Tllli Poul means tluit the persons so called were may also have been the ea.so with the house- bis relo.tions, or only that they were J ewe hold of Aristobulus above referred to. It is (cf. eh. ix. 8, where he epeo.ks of the Jews observable tha.t,at a. later period, the apostle, gonero.lly ns -rwv uun-•vwv µou ,ca-ril aclp,ca. writing from Rome to the Philippians, sends '!'here are in all five persous so designl\ted speci!II greetings from thorn " tha.t are of in this oh11ptor. The designo.tion "fellow- Crasar's household 11 (Phil. iv. 23). prisonore" implies tho.t theso two ho.d been, Ver. 12.-Salnte Tryphena and Tryphosa, like himself, a.t some time imprisoned for who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved the fo.ith, but it does not follow thnt bo Persia, whioh laboured muoh in the Lor:i. and they Liad beon in prison together. If, All these seem to have boon Chur~h workers; in s11e11king ;:;-,. 'thea WI '' of note 11wong tho !Ind the h\:it 11t leo:;t, frow the vrny St. Puul  'l'RE EPISTLE OP PAUL TO 'l'BE ROMANS. [oa. XVL 1-27.