King James Version · Under Rome
2 Corinthians 4
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Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s in the sight of . But if our be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the of this world hath blinded the of them which not, lest of the of Christ, who is the , should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ ; and ourselves your servants for ’ sake. For , who commanded to shine out of , hath shined in our , to give of the knowledge of the of in the of . But we have this in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the may be of , and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of , that the life also of might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway unto for ’ sake, that the life also of might be made manifest in our mortal . So then worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same of , according as , I , and therefore have I spoken; we also , and therefore speak; Knowing that he which up shall raise up us also by , and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant might through the of many redound to the of . For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man , yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and weight of ; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are .
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
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.