World English Bible · Under Rome
2 Corinthians 7
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Having therefore these promises, beloved, let's cleanse ourselves from all defilement of and , perfecting in . Open your to us. We wronged no one. We corrupted no one. We took advantage of no one. I say this not to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our to together and live together. Great is my boldness of speech toward you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I overflow with joy in all our affliction. For even when we had come into , our had no relief, but we were afflicted on every side. Fightings were outside. Fear was inside. Nevertheless, he who comforts the lowly, , comforted us by the coming of , and not by his coming only, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you while he told us of your , your , and your for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For though I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that my letter made you grieve, though for a while. I now rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved to . For you were grieved in a godly way, that you might suffer loss by us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces leading to , which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world produces . For behold, this same thing, that you were grieved in a godly way, what earnest care it worked in you. Yes, what defense, , fear, , , and vindication! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be pure in the matter. So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be in you in the sight of . Therefore we have been comforted. In our comfort we rejoiced the more exceedingly for the joy of , because his has been refreshed by you all. For if in anything I have boasted to him on your behalf, I was not disappointed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, so our glorying also which I made before was found to be truth. His affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembers all of your , how with fear and trembling you received him. I rejoice that in everything I am confident concerning you.
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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.