Dating Paul's Letter to the Romans

Last night in Galatians class, I mentioned that there was a pretty good basis for dating Paul's letter to the Romans in the political situation in Rome itself, but there wasn't time to pursue it.  One person had already taken my Romans Class, but for the benefit of the others:

• The dating pivots on four individuals,
• Prisca and Aquila
• Claudius
• Nero
• and two Scriptural references
• Acts 18:1-4
• Romans 16:3-5

In Acts 18:1-4, we learn that Paul met Prisca and Aquila in Corinth, and that Prisca and Aquilla were in Corinth because "...Claudius commanded all the Jews to leave Rome."

In Romans 16:3-5, Paul asks the congregations in Rome to "Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Messiah Yeshua who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet the church that is in their house. ..."

So, we know from Scripture that:

• Caludius commanded Jews to leave Rome at some point
• Prisca and Aquila were among them
• Paul met them in Corinth
• Prisca and Aquila had become important to Paul and his ministry
• By the time Paul's letter to the Romans was written, Prisca and Aquila had returned to Rome, and had established a "house church".

Now let's take a look at some Roman History, so we can tag down some dates:

• Claudius became Emperor in 41 CE
• According to Seutonius' history of Claudius' reign, "As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome." (Life of Claudius - 25.4)
• Some scholars think that "Chrestus" was a mangling of "Christos", but that doesn't bear on the dating of the letter, though it may on the historical context.
• Various historians, including Orisius, date this expulsion in 49 CE.
• October, 54 CE, Claudius was assassinated and Nero ascended to the throne.
• Claudius' expulsion order would have been rescinded at his death.
• The first 5 years of Nero's reign (late 54 through 59), when Nero was still a minor, and decisions were actually being made by his tutor, was known later as the "Quinonium Neronis".  This was a period when Jews (and those coming alongside them) were looked on somewhat more favorably,  
• After this period, when Nero himself started making his own decisions, things went downhill pretty rapidly

In order for Prisca and Aquila to have been in Rome, leading a house church (or planning to start one, if you favor the scholars who think that Prisca and Aquila were carrying the letter to Rome for Paul) , the letter to Rome had to have been written after October, 54 CE, more likely long enough after for the house church to have been (re)established.

Given the positive things said by Paul in Romans 13 about government, the letter was probably written during the Quinonium Neronis, which narrows the dating to 55 - 59 CE.  Based on other evidence both within and outside the letter, most scholars accept that the letter was written during either the winter of 55/56 the winter of 56/57, which would have placed Paul in Corinth at the time.

We'll pick up the support for the dating of Galatians when next we meet, or in this Blog, if I have a chance.