Table of Contents
HISTORICAL SETTING 2
SCRIPTURE 3
INTERPRETATION 3
Introduction 3
Vs. 1 4
Vs. 2. 5
Past Event 5
Present Event 5
Future event 6
Vs.3 6
The Roman Soldier 7
Vs. 4. 7
CONCLUSION 8
BIBLIOGRAPHY 9
HISTORICAL SETTING
The great Fire of Rome occurred sometime during A.D. 64 lasting for about nine days and destroying more than half the city. It was rumoured that Nero the then Roman Emperor was behind this arson of the city and in an effort to remove himself from the accusation, Nero charged this incident to the Christian community. Being under prior persecution this now propels the Christian Community in Rome into a religio illicita, as decreed by the Emperor, and in the savage persecutions that followed many Christians perished.
When Paul returned to the East in the Spring of A.D. 66, his enemies, taking advantage of the current tone against Christianity, contrived to bring about his arrest and imprisonment, and following his arrest he was charged with a capital crime.
This his second imprisonment was very different from the former one: (i) Then he had his own hired house, now he is kept in close confinement; (ii) then he was accessible to all, now to find him would be very difficult and at a great risk [1: 16, 17]; (iii) then he was the centre of a large circle of friends, now, almost alone [4:10-12]; (iv) then he hoped for a speedy liberation, now, he was expecting to die [4:6]. With this backdrop Paul writes his Second Epis ...