Apostle Paul Nero

February 7th, 2010 by admin

Apostle Paul Nero

Question: Question about Paul’s missionary journeys?

Traditionally, most scholars agree that Paul eventually visited Spain before going back to Jerusalem…..and then onto Rome where he was eventually martryed under Nero.

Romans 15:24 indicates that Paul ‘planned’ to go to Spain…….but doesn’t definately say he was ever there.

My question is:
Do you think the apostle Paul ever made it to Spain on his 4th and final missionary journey?

Just an opinion question here……..thanks,

Primo
I meant to say “some” scholars……not most…..

Sorry about that.

Answer: You’re correct that Scripture implies Paul *may* have gone to Spain, but it doesn’t conclusively state this. However, there are reliable extra-Biblical writings that seem to support the notion that Paul did evangelize there.

1) As far as I know, the only credible surviving document that specifically states Paul visited Spain is ‘The Muratorian Fragment,’ which is dated to about 170 AD. In part, the Fragment reads: “Moreover, the acts of all the apostles were written in one book. For ‘most excellent Theophilus’ Luke compiled the individual events that took place in his presence — as he plainly shows by omitting the martyrdom of Peter as well as the departure of Paul from the city [of Rome] when he journeyed to Spain.”

2) Clement of Rome (who is mentioned at Philippians 4:3b) studied under the Apostles Peter, Paul and John; in fact, Peter himself appointed Clement Bishop of Rome, leading many Catholics to conclude Clement was intended to be Peter’s successor as “first Pope.”

Very little of Clement’s writings remain. However, among those is an Epistle to the Corinthians that reads, in part, as follows:

” … let us come to those champions who lived very near to our time. Let us set before us the noble examples which belong to our generation. By reason of jealousy and envy the greatest and most righteous pillars of the Church were persecuted, and contended even until death. Let us set before our eyes the good Apostles. … By reason of jealousy and strife Paul by his example pointed out the prize of patient endurance. After that he had been seven times in bonds, had been driven into exile, had been stoned, had preached in the East and in the West, he won the noble renown which was the reward of his faith having taught righteousness unto the whole world and having reached the farthest bounds of the West; and when he had borne his testimony before the rulers, so he departed from the world and went unto the holy place having been found a notable pattern of patient endurance.”

As you can see, Clement doesn’t list the countries Paul visited, but his description supports the Muratorian Fragment’s claim that Paul’s evangelization covered a *much* larger geographical area than is recorded within ‘The Acts of the Apostles.’

3) As far as I know, the only other document mentioning Paul journeying to Spain is the heretical scroll ‘The Acts of Peter.’