Well Jack.... Don't read more than is warranted into a verse. If you follow your line of reasoning, you'll have to say no other Christians at all were in Rome, other than Paul and Luke, but we know that Rome had a large Christian community--they weren't all out of town on the same day, were they? In fact, the Bible does allude to Peter's being in Rome. Peter concludes his first epistle with a cryptic greeting from "Babylon." This was the early Church's code word for Rome. The term didn't mean the city of Babylon which figures so greatly in the Old Testament, though the code word was chosen precisely because of what ancient Babylon had done to the Jews--the Romans were doing likewise to Christians.
Why did the early Christians, in their letters, write "I'm in Babylon" instead of "I'm in Rome"? Because the authorities were hunting for them--the Church was being persecuted--and mail delivery was unreliable.You never knew when a Roman official would confiscate one of your letters. So, if you didn't want to advertise your whereabouts to the disloyal opposition, you used code words.The scriptural evidence may not convince you of Peter's presence in Rome. Fair enough. But you ought to look also at other early writings and at the archaeological evidence. (You owe it to yourself and to us Catholics to examine all the available evidence.)
Irenaeus, in Against Heresies (A.D. 190), said Matthew wrote his Gospel "while Peter and Paul were evangelizing in Rome." Dionysius of Corinith, about A.D. 170, referred to "the planting that was made by Peter and Paul at Rome."
Oh yeah Jack....what about the archaeological evidence, have you looked into that...Jack? (couldn't help myself Lol!) In the middle decades of this century scientists conducted digs under St. Peter's Basilica to verify or disprove the tradition that the church had been constructed over Peter's tomb. And what do you think they found? That's right: the tomb. Pope Paul VI was able to announce that conclusive proof had been discovered--for instance, neighboring crypts on which were written grafitti such as, "Buried near Peter." For a popular account of the excavations, you should read John Evangelist Walsh's The Bones of St. Peter.
Pax Christi
"From henceforth, all generations shall call me Blessed." ----Luke 1:48
When was the last time you've done so?
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Why did the early Christians, in their letters, write "I'm in Babylon" instead of "I'm in Rome"? Because the authorities were hunting for them--the Church was being persecuted--and mail delivery was unreliable.You never knew when a Roman official would confiscate one of your letters. So, if you didn't want to advertise your whereabouts to the disloyal opposition, you used code words.The scriptural evidence may not convince you of Peter's presence in Rome. Fair enough. But you ought to look also at other early writings and at the archaeological evidence. (You owe it to yourself and to us Catholics to examine all the available evidence.)
Irenaeus, in Against Heresies (A.D. 190), said Matthew wrote his Gospel "while Peter and Paul were evangelizing in Rome." Dionysius of Corinith, about A.D. 170, referred to "the planting that was made by Peter and Paul at Rome."
Oh yeah Jack....what about the archaeological evidence, have you looked into that...Jack? (couldn't help myself Lol!) In the middle decades of this century scientists conducted digs under St. Peter's Basilica to verify or disprove the tradition that the church had been constructed over Peter's tomb. And what do you think they found? That's right: the tomb. Pope Paul VI was able to announce that conclusive proof had been discovered--for instance, neighboring crypts on which were written grafitti such as, "Buried near Peter." For a popular account of the excavations, you should read John Evangelist Walsh's The Bones of St. Peter.
Pax Christi
"From henceforth, all generations shall call me Blessed." ----Luke 1:48
When was the last time you've done so?
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Show me what verse said that.
Why Jews said he want to know about sect, If Peter had been there for 30 years and Peter is the leader why don't they ask the boss instead?
Rome 15:
[SUP]20[/SUP] Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:
[SUP]21[/SUP] But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.
These verse said that Paul not preach the gospel where large Christian community already there.
If Peter already at Rome and he is the leader, more likely Paul not make pastoral letter to Rome, Did you pastor make pastoral letter to Vatican?
2 you said babylon is code for Rome,
if you read my previous post, you will find out that according to Josephus, famous Jews Historian that life in that era, rome is code for babylon after 70 AD, not because they persecute Christian but they do destroy temple at 70 AD like babylon destroy temple at OT.
You said they worry of persecution that why they use code, In act Paul preach the gospel in front of Roman soldier.
And Roman not persecute Paul. Paul arrested because Jews, not because Roman. Read act.