Rome came to power many years before Christ at around 510 B.C. Rome conquered Greece, Egypt, Syria and other ancient civilizations. The Romans would later extend their territory to Europe, Asia, and Africa. Eastward, it reached the Euphrates; on the south it bordered on Africa and the Arabic desert. Its western side reached the Atlantic Ocean, while its north bordered on Germany. It was about 9,000 miles north to south and 6,000 miles west to east. Its population was at one time about 120 million. The Roman Empire was truly an impressive empire. Around 66 B.C., the Romans had already occupied about 21 neighboring nations. The result of Rome’s rise to power was an empire where the culture and knowledge of diverse nations would often converge. For example, Hellenistic or Greek culture and language spread throughout Syria and Macedonia. Many other Mediterranean countries adopted Greek as their commercial language. Thus, the New Testament portion of the Bible was originally written in Greek. From this we understand the importance of Greek culture and philosophy around Jesus’ time. But Greek thought was probably not reverenced by the very first Christian converts. Paul once said, “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified†(1 Cor 1:22–23). “Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God†(1 Cor 1:24).
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