Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/277

* KOMAN RELIGION. 253 ROHAKS. Rheinisches Museum (Bonn, 1875) ; id., Oottcr- naituii (ib., 18!)(i) ; Fuxvloi-, Roman Feslicah of the Republic (London, 18!)!)) Special subjects of inipuitnnce are treated by Kraliner, Zur (jc- schiehic des Vcrfalls der mmiscken tita^ilsreligion his auf die Zcit des August (Halle, 1837) ; VVis- sowa, De Feriis Aiiiii RoiiiaiKjruiH Vetustissimi (Jlarburg, 18!)1) ; id., Dc Dis Roinnnorum Indi- getihus et Xoeenifidihus (ib.. 18!)2); Aust. De .i:dibus Saci-is Populi Romani (ib., 188!)) ; Bois- sier. La religion roinaiiw d'Augustc aux Antonins (Paris. 1S74). ROMANS, ro'nia.x'. A town in the Depart- ment of DrOnie. France, on the right bank of the Is6re, 11 miles northeast of Valence (Jlap: France, M 6). A bridge built in the ninth century connects Romans with the small town of Peage on the left bank of the river. Romans owes its origin to an important abbey, founded in the ninth century by Saint Bernard, Arch- bishop of ^'ienne, and by a nobleman named Romain, who gave his name to the town. Silk and woolen fabrics, leather, shoes, hats, and oils are largely manufactured, and a very active general trade is carried on. Pcfpulation, in moi, 17,140. ROMANS, Epistle to the (translation of Gk. iiriaToKii irpbs 'Pu/iafous, episiole pros Rlwmaious). One of the New Testament letters of the Apostle Paul and the one generally recognized as his most important production. It was written in the winter of 55-56, or the early spring of 56, at the close of the Apostle's third missionary journey, during his last visit to Corinth, after he had practically finished his work in the East. It was addressed to the church at Rome, which he had not founded or even seen, largely for the purpose of jjreparing for the visit which he hoped soon to make. Its Pauline origin has received practically uni- versal recognition, even the Tubingen School (1845) accepting it as one of the five New Testament books which they held to be genuine. It is rejected by the Modern Dutch School" ( 1882) in accordance with their rejection of the entire New Testament — generally speaking. This posi- tion, how-ever, is largely ignored by scholars to- day, in view of what are thought to be the un- scientific principles on which it is based. A characteristic feature of this school's criticism is its tendency to consider the epistolary as well as the historical books of composite origin, the application of which tendency to Romans has been made by several writers beyond the distinct membership of the school. But the results claimed for this documentary handling of the Epistles have met with such scant acceptance by the critical world that they have been prac- tically neglected in the estimate of the genuine- ness of these writings. This is especially true in the case of Romans. The three questions of present interest in the study of the Epistle are ( 1 ) the relation of the last chapter to the rest of the letter, (2) the national character of the membership of the Church, and (3) the situation in the Church which the letter was intended to meet. As to the first question, there can be little doiibt that there are striking peculiarities in the closing portion of the Epistle, as it now stands. ( 1 ) In the sequence of thought it is noticeable that the benediction occurs twice — once at verse 20 m chap, xvi., and, previously, ut tlie last vcrao of chap. .XV. In sympathy vith thi.s benedictory repetition there seem to be other endings lo the Epistle besides that at its close, viz. at vers.- 20 of chap. .vi. (va. 17-20), at verse Xi of chap. XV. (vs. 30-33), and, in addition to these, at ver.sc 16 of chap. xvi. (vs. 316). (2) In the contents of the chapter it is marked that in a church which Paul had neither founded nor vik- ited there should be so many personal ac- quaintances and fellow-companions with liiin in his work (cf. especially vs. ;{, 4, 7, i). 11. 13). To accoimt for these peculiarities several theo- ries have been advanced, the most widely ac- cepted of which is perhaps the one lirsl proposed l)y Schulz (1829) and adopted by nianv scholars since his day, viz. that this la.st chapter l)e- longs to a letter addressed by Paul to Epiiesus. where he had been at work for some years. It is true that with the circimstances "and sur- roundings of Paul's Ephesian work several of the names seem strikingly in accord (e.g. Priscilln and Aquiia [cf. 1 tor. "xvi. 1!), II Tim. iv. 19] and Epa'uetus, who is spoken of as "the lirst fruits of Achaia unto Christ"). .More than this, the fact that this last chapter was written from l^orintli or its neighborhood (xvi. 1), and that between this cit,v and Ephesus Paul had frequent com- munication on cluirch affairs, might not only accoimt for the direction in which the letter was sent, but also for its coming to be attached to the Epistle to Rome; since, if copies of both letters were retained in Corinth, the distinction between them might finally disappear and they be thought to be parts of one letter. Tiiis wouUI be especially true if, in the course of time, the letters came to be mutilated. Fragments are • naturalW pieced together. Finally, the omission of this last chapter — and even the one preceding it — in some important manuscripts, and the fact that the doxologv' which now stands at the end of chap. xvi. (vs. 25-27 1 cvidentlv stood originallv at the end of chap. xiv. would seem to point to the possibilit.v of there being at least two letters combined in our present Epistle. On the other hand, when it is remembered that the Epistle was at a very early date altered for dogmatic and liturgical purposes, and that the position of the doxology at the end of chap. xiv. is in accord with Paul's habit of introducing such pas.sages into the body of his letters rather than reserving them for the end; further, when it is recognized that it was Paul's custom to append to a marked degree personal salutations to the hdters he wrote to churches he had not founded and in which he had not worked (cf. the concluding chapter of Colossians with those of Thessalonians. Corinthians. Galatians, and Philippians) ; ami when it is realized that the Church at Rome was not only largelv Gentile in its membership (i. .5-7. 13-l'5; xi. 1,3. 14: xv. 14-16). but that the irresistible drift from all parts of the Empire to Rome must have carried with it many of the converts from Paul's eastern mission fields, es- pecially from the large cities of Antioch, Ephesus. and Corinth; and when it is understood that from funereal inscriptions in Rome and inscrip- tions containing names belonging to freeiliiu'n and members of the Imperial household, practi- cally all the names in chap xvi. can be shown to be possible Roman nanu-s. while from Ephesjan inscriptions and from those of the Western .sia.