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Romans

About this book
Chapter 16

1 Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe,⁠ who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, 2 so that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and provide her with whatever help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many, including me. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. 5 Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my compatriots and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my good friend Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my compatriot. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, laborers in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother who was also a mother to me. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the believers who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. 17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them! 18 For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of the naive. 19 Your obedience is known to all and thus I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. 20 The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet.⁠ The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. 21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my compatriots. 22 I, Tertius, who am writing this letter, greet you in the Lord. 23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer and our brother Quartus greet you. 24 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that had been kept secret for long ages, 25 but now is disclosed, and through the prophetic scriptures has been made known to all the nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 26 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever! Amen.

Texts in conversation

Compare Testament of Levi 18:12 and Romans 16:20

Pseudepigrapha, Testaments · New Testament

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Summary

The Testament of Levi predicts that a coming priest will bind Beliar and give his children power to trample evil spirits. In Romans, Paul echoes this tradition, promising that the God of peace will soon crush Satan under the feet of believers.

Passages

Testament of Levi 18:12

Pseudepigrapha, Testaments · Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
11 And in his priesthood the Gentiles will be multiplied in knowledge on the earth, and enlightened by the grace of the Lord. In his priesthood, sin will come to an end, and the lawless will cease to do evil. 12 And the just will rest in him. And he will open the gates of paradise, and will remove the threatening sword against Adam. 13 And he will give to the saints to eat from the tree of life, and the spirit of holiness will be upon them. 14 And Beliar will be bound by him, and he will give power to His children to trample upon the evil spirits. 15 And the Lord will rejoice in His children, and be well pleased in His beloved ones forever.
100 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Testament of Levi

Romans 16:20

New Testament
19 Your obedience is known to all and thus I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. 20 The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. 21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my compatriots.
55–58 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Romans

References

“... It is this God of wholeness and good order who must save them from the additional dissensions and difficulties that the intruders will inevitably bring. The expected victory is described as crushing Satan under their feet, a figure which points back to the originally promised mastery over the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Paul seems to be adapting an apocalyptic tradition witnessed to in the Testament of Levi, ‘And Beliar shall be bound by him, And he shall give power to his children to tread upon evil spirits’ (18:12). Yet by naming Satan in opposition to the God of peace, he is actually accusing the intruders themselves as the ministers of Satan in whose service they will bring confusion into the Roman church. Thus the prayer for their speedy overthrow focuses probably upon an interim victory, more than upon the final apocalyptic conquest of Satan at the parousia ...”
Gordon P. Wiles, Paul's Intercessory Prayers: The Significance of the Intercessory Prayer Passages in the Letters of St Paul, SNTSMS 24 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1974), 95.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Testament of Levi 18:12 and Romans 16:20

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