World English Bible · Under Rome
2 Corinthians 10
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Now I , myself, entreat you by the humility and gentleness of Christ, I who in your am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. Yes, I beg you that I may not, when present, show courage with the confidence with which I intend to be bold against some, who consider us to be walking according to . For though we walk in , we don't wage war according to ; for the weapons of our warfare are not of , but mighty before to the throwing down of strongholds, throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of and bringing every thought into to the of Christ, and being in readiness to all when your is made full. Do you look at things only as they appear in front of your ? If anyone trusts in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again with himself, that even as he is Christ's, so we also are Christ's. For even if I boast somewhat abundantly concerning our , which gave for building you up and not for casting you down, I will not be , that I may not seem as if I to terrify you by my letters. For, "His letters", they say, "are weighty and strong, but his bodily is weak, and his speech is despised." Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such are we also in deed when we are present. For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond proper limits, but within the boundaries with which appointed to us, which reach even to you. For we don't stretch ourselves too much, as though we didn't reach to you. For we came even as far as to you with the of Christ, not boasting beyond proper limits in other men's labors, but having that as your grows, we will be abundantly enlarged by you in our sphere of influence, so as to preach the even to the parts beyond you, not to boast in what someone else has already done. But "he who boasts, let him boast in ." For it isn't he who commends himself who is approved, but whom commends.
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The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.