Rome

It was from a Roman cell that the Apostle Paul wrote his prison epistles to the church. Today, Dr. Stephen Nichols describes five unforgettable moments from church history that took place in Rome, known as the “eternal city.”

Welcome back to another episode of 5 Minutes In Church History. We are continuing our world tour. We were in Cambridge, Ephesus, great cities. Now we are going to the eternal city, Rome. Rome is steeped in mythology. Its origin story is mythology. Roman tradition has it that the city founded in 750 was the result of the twins nursed by a wolf, Romulus later killing Remus, and so there you have it, Rome.

Well, let's move ahead to the first century. Of course, this is the city where Paul and Peter were. Paul wrote his prison epistles during his first Roman imprisonment. And then he wrote his final epistles, that beautiful letter to Second Timothy and his final words during his second imprisonment. And it is the recipient, that is, the city is the recipient of Paul's magnum opus, the epistle to the Romans, and of course, we have Peter there as well, and tradition has it that under Nero, both Paul and Peter were martyred there in Rome. Very key in the pages of the New Testament, very key in the first century, but let's move on to the second century. Ignatius of Antioch is said to be martyred there, and some hold that he was actually martyred in the Coliseum. Typically, this was a place where gladiators would battle each other, or they would battle the wild beasts, but there were Christians who were martyred there. It was truly blood sport for the Romans.

Well, what are some notable moments among so many notable moments of Rome through the centuries? Here are five:

First is the catacombs. These are those subterranean burial grounds just outside of the city walls along the Appian Way. This of course was the site of many burials of Christians, and it was also a meeting place for some of the Christians during the times of persecution. And in these catacombs, we have all sorts of evidence of the Christian presence there through the paintings. One painting you will see again and again throughout these catacombs is a painting that looks like the Lord's Supper, but if you look closely, there are only seven. It's actually not the Lord's Supper. It's an event in John chapter 21 where Jesus in post-resurrection appears to six of the disciples named there in John 21. And then as John 21:13 tells us, they sat down and broke bread together. So, it's not a Lord's Supper missing five, it is the Feast of the Seven, and you can see it there in the catacombs. It reminds them that they too, these Christians, will be at the banquet with the resurrected Christ.

So the catacombs, that's number one. Number two is the Castel Sant'Angelo, or the Castle of the Holy Angel. The holy angel is Michael, the archangel. There is a statue of him atop of it. It was originally Hadrian's Mausoleum from the 130s A.D. It's a cylindrical structure. And then in the 14th century, the Popes turned it into a fortress. Leo the 10th, Luther's antagonist, built a chapel in it. So, the Castel Sant'Angelo.

Third, a person, Flavia Julia Helena Augusta. This is Helen, the mother of Constantine. She was the one who went to Jerusalem. She discovered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. She's the one who brought back the Sancta Scala, the Holy Stairs to Rome. Her dates are 250 to 329. She's quite the figure in the history of Rome, and she's quite a figure in Roman Catholic legend, tradition, and myth.

Fourth is the Popes at Rome. We start with Gregory the Great, 590 to 604. Now here's where Protestants and Catholics part, but of course, Catholics see Popes back to Peter. We see Gregory the Great, who brought the papacy to Rome and really instituted the papacy as a major institution in Rome from 590, or from 600 on.

So we've got the catacombs, the Castel Sant'Angelo, Helen, the Papacy, and one last. In 1510, a monk traveled a thousand miles by foot and came into the city. That monk was Martin Luther. He stayed at the Augustinian monastery there in the Piazza del Popolo in the city of Rome.

That's a quick look at Rome in church history, and I'm Steve Nichols, and thanks for joining us for 5 Minutes In Church History.