Even during the most casual stroll around Rome you will come across numerous reminders of Saints Peter and Paul. Linking these two saints together as the founders of the Church in Rome is an ancient tradition, going back to the second century. However, as the New Testament makes clear there was a Church in Rome long before Peter and Paul showed up around the year 60AD. There was a large Jewish population in the city and the Acts of the Apostles reports some of them were in Jerusalem during the Pentecost event, about 35AD. They might have brought the faith to Rome and developed a Christian presence because by the mid50sAD St. Paul talks about Aquila and Priscilla joining him in Corinth after being expelled from Rome by the Emperor Claudius. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans is written to an established Christian community as a letter of introduction. So Peter and Paul did not found the Church in Rome but they were martyred there around the year 64AD, you can visit their tombs are there, and the memory of their presence in the city is honored to this day.
JUNE292024
By Church Staff
