Ahoy, Ahoy,
Join us on Sunday as the Brewers and Cales take us on our last port of call. Our final destination in our Journey With Paul. ROME! This would be Paul's final destination as well. Despite his giving of overwhelming evidence of God's presence here on Earth in the form of Jesus Christ, the government of Rome would still have him executed. The Bible does not specifically mention Paul's execution but it is believed to have happened around 64 A.D. Now here are some facts about Rome.
From Smith's Bible dictionary --The city at that time must be imagined as a large and irregular mass of buildings unprotected by an outer wall. Neither the nature of the buildings nor the configuration of the ground was such as to give a striking appearance to the city viewed from without. "Ancient Rome had neither cupola nor camyanile," and the hills, never lofty or imposing, would present, when covered with the buildings and streets of a huge city, a confused appearance like the hills of modern London, to which they have sometimes been compared. The visit of St. Paul lies between two famous epochs in the history of the city, viz, its restoration by Augustus and its restoration by Nero. The boast of Augustus is well known, "that he found the city of brick, and left it of marble." Some parts of the city, especially the Forum and Campus Martius, must have presented a magnificent appearance, of which Niebur's "Lectures on Roman History," ii. 177, will give a general idea; but many of the principal buildings which attract the attention of modern travellers in ancient Rome were not yet built. The streets were generally narrow and winding, flanked by densely crowded lodging-houses (insulae) of enormous height. Augustus found it necessary to limit their height to 70 feet. St, Paul's first visit to Rome took place before the Neronian conflagration but even after the restoration of the city which followed upon that event, many of the old evils continued. The population of the city has been variously estimated. Probably Gibbon's estimate of 1,200,000 is nearest to the truth. One half of the population consisted, in all probability, of slaves. The larger part of the remainder consisted of pauper citizens supported in idleness by the miserable system of public gratuities. There appears to have been no middle class, and no free industrial population. Side by side with the wretched classes just mentioned was the comparatively small body of the wealthy nobility, of whose luxury and profligacy we learn so much from the heathen writers of the time, Such was the population which St. Paul would find at Rome at the time of his visit. We learn from the Acts of the Apostles that he was detained at Rome for "two whole years," "dwelling in his own hired house with a soldier that kept him," (Acts 28:16; 30) to whom apparently, according to Roman custom, he was hound with a chain. (Acts 28:20; Ephesians 6:20; Philemon 1:13) Here he preached to all that came to him, no man forbidding him. (Acts 28:30,31) It is generally believed that on his "appeal to Caesar" he was acquitted, and after some time spent in freedom, was a second time imprisoned at Rome. Five of his epistles, viz., those to the Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, that to Philemon, and the Second Epistle to Timothy, were in all probability written from Rome, the latter shortly before his death (2 Timothy 4:6) the others during his first imprisonment. It is universally believed that he suffered martyrdom at Rome.
Wow! That was long and full of info. Now on to the fun info.
Now to the most important part... THE PARTY!!! Parents in case you weren't told yet we are having a POOL PARTY!!!! It will be held at the Lodge on the mountain. It will be on Sunday the 29th from 4-6. All Kids Celebration participants, volunteers and parents are invited. The only thing you need to bring is yourselves and your towels. There will be light snacks provided. If your child is attending but is getting a ride with someone else, you will need to fill out a permission slip, (we will have one loaded soon) and given to me, Madalyn or Rick Wolfe. Love ya!
Mr. David.
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