A Layman's Look at The Prison Epistles

The Prison Epistles were written during Paul's imprisonment in Romeabout 62-63 A.D. Each of these epistles were studied independently asmaterial for teaching adult Sunday school classes. Each is word-by-wordstudy of the text with a definition of its meaning derived from Bibledictionaries and commentaries. In effect these are inductive studies: whatdoes the text say what does it mean and how is it to be applied to one's life.I was doing a review of Paul's three great missionary trips when Irealized he had made at least four such trips and perhaps five. His fourthtrip included the two years he spent in Roman confinement and hispreparation of the epistles covered by this study. We have no biblicalrecord of a possible fifth missionary trip but tradition tells us that Paulwas released in Rome in 63 A.D. and traveled widely visiting the churcheshe had helped found and perhaps even traveled to Spain.The introduction to this publication is a review of the details of thistrip the people he encountered the public personalities he was privilegedto witness to including kings governors and the elite of Rome's military.It details the places visited the hardships encountered and the impact ofthis saint's witness for Christ.