29
Sex., Mar.

What happened afterwards could be constructed from extra-biblical sources. Paul’s Roman imprisonment lasted for two years and he was eventually set free. Did he pursue his plan to go to Spain? From the letter of Pope Clement of Rome to the Corinthians, we learned that Paul was the herald of Christ in the East and in the West, and for someone based in Rome, the West would be Spain.

How long did Paul remain in Spain and how successful he was is anyone’s guess. He would certainly be hampered by linguistic limitations. In any case, he would still go back to Rome and would continue his interrupted mission in Illyricum (Rom 15:19).

On 19 June 64 AD, fire raged through the city of Rome and lasted for nine days; at the end of it, ten of the city’s fourteen regions lay in ruins. Even if Emperor Nero provided shelter for the homeless, rumors began to circulate that he started the fire. To suppress this rumor, Nero fabricated scapegoats and persecuted the Christians, letting them be torn to pieces by dogs, crucifying them, and burning their bodies as torches for his garden. Paul who was probably in Greece or Asia at the time decided to return to Rome to comfort the Christians. He was arrested again, imprisoned, and was found guilty. He was sentenced to death—by beheading, as befitted a Roman citizen. This was immediately carried out.