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12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

The act of depriving a person of his liberty by restricting his freedom of movement and confining him within a articular defined locality, where he is under the dirt and constant supervision of the confining authority.

Roman Prisons

  • Roman world imprisonment was legally not a penalty for a crime
  • Prisons were a type of "holding tank" used to detain those awaiting trial or execution
  • Prisons could either be a type of house arrest or an actual facility

A sentence to slavery

  • Slave cells were subterranean
  • Men, women and children could be sentenced to work in quarries and mines of the Roman Empire
  • These prisoners often lived underground, never seeing the light of day
  • Governors were under no compulsion to provide speedy trials
  • It could take months or years before the accused went to trail.
  • Prisons essentially had two large rooms on different levels with iron shackles fixed to the walls
  • Often prisons were dug out of solid rock and were underground

Overcrowding and lack of basic needs

  • Prisons packed beyond capacity limited the amount of air traveling into the prisons
  • The lack of light entering the prison led to bone and muscle weakness along with psychological instability
  • Prisons were often unclean and lacking in good hygiene
  • Food given to prisoners was about half the amount of food food given to slaves
  • Many of the deaths in prison were due to prison conditions
  • Romans often chose death instead of prison for prison meant they would e stripped of their properties and would leave their families with nothing

Paul's Imprisonment & Attitude

Paul's recorded imprisonments include

  • Being brutally scourged and then locked in stocks in the darkness of an innermost cell
  • Relatively humane detention of guarded house arrest
  • Paul's imprisonment gave him access to audiences he would not otherwise have reached
  • His attitude of unselfish humility prevented him from keeping meticulous records of the wrongs done to him in Rome, or anywhere else for that matter. He was in prison by divine appointment. He willingly submitted to his situation.
  • Paul's imprisonment gave other Christians the confidence to proclaim the gospel without fear

Paul's attitude towards his imprisonment was joyous. He knew it is the Gospel that holds most importance; not our comfort. Therefore, what others saw as misfortune for Paul was really reasons to be joyous.

Conclusion

Imprisonment held discomfort for it's prisoners, and the Roman World's attitude was negative towards it. Yet, Paul found joy in any situation he was placed in.

"The experiences of Christians imprisoned under the Roman Empire that were tortured, or killed were significant far beyond the lives of the individuals concerned. These living martyrs took on a significance that was important for the whole of Christian identity, becoming spiritual patrons dispensing grace, for exemplars of an alternative mode of life."

Effects of Prison Living

Condemned Prisons

Imprisonment and Attitudes towards it in the Greco-Roman World

Philippians 1:12-18

Imprisonment

Benefits of Paul's Imprisonment

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