Aristobulus and Narcissus
By Mary Jane Chaignot
Categories: Early Church Workers
- Aristobulus was the grandson of Herod the Great and apparently lived in Rome as a private citizen.
- Since Paul does not greet him, but only those in his household, it is plausible to think he had either passed away or was not a Christian.
- If he had died, his slaves would have reverted to the emperor upon his death. And they would have been known as the household of Aristobulus. ·
- Narcissus was a powerful freedman. Someone by that name was put to death by Nero shortly before this letter was written.
- It is interesting that members from his household are identified as being “in the Lord.”
Bibliography
1 Morris, Leon. "The Epistle to the Romans." The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B Eerdmans, 1988. p.534.
Best, Ernest. "The Letter of Paul to the Romans." The Cambridge Bible Commentary. Cambridge: At the University Press, 1969.
Black, Matthew. "Romans." The New Century Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B Eerdmans, 1981.
Duling, Dennis and Norman Perrin. The New Testament. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1994.
Edwards, James. "Romans." New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1992.
Gaebelein, Frank. "Romans." Expositor's Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1985.
Mills, Watson and Richard Wilson. Mercer Commentary on the Bible. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1995.
Smith, Robert. "Matthew." Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1989. |
