Italy

(Acts 18:2; 27:1, 6; Heb 13:24) - the well-known European state whose capital in the days of the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles was Rome, on the Tiber River. In the New Testament the word denotes the Italian Peninsula, extending from the Alps in the north to the island of Sicily in the south. From remote antiquity Italy was famed for its civilization. Long before the founding of Rome, the Etruscans were distinguished for their arts and crafts. Southern Italy was called Magna Graecia because of the many Greek colonists who settled there.

The history of Italy is closely connected with the history of Rome; see Rome. Italy was one of the first European countries in which the Gospel was preached. A Christian church evidently existed there even before the holy apostle Paul visited the country. From Hebrews 13:24 one may conclude that this epistle was written by St. Paul in Italy. Acts 28:13-14 shows that on the way to Rome the holy apostle Paul spent seven days with the brethren in Puteoli, Italy. At that time many Jews still lived in Italy, although not long before, Emperor Claudius had issued an edict expelling them from Rome (Acts 18:2).