Pax Romana simply means “Peace of Rome” and refers to the tranquility and security that the Roman Empire brought to the Mediterranean world. The Pax Romana lasted from the reign of Caesar Augustus (27 BC–AD 14) to that of Caesar Marcus Aurelius (AD 161–180). At the time of Christ and during the first generation of the church, much of the world was unified under Roman authority and enjoyed a relative peace.

1. Is it true that the Pax Romana was not very
peaceful because Nero destroyed Jerusalem and
its temple?
Pax Romana simply means “Peace of Rome” and refers to the
tranquility and security that the Roman Empire brought to the
Mediterranean world. The Pax Romana lasted from the reign of Caesar
Augustus (27 BC–AD 14) to that of Caesar Marcus Aurelius (AD 161–
180). At the time of Christ and during the first generation of the
church, much of the world was unified under Roman authority and
enjoyed a relative peace.
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2. God could have chosen to spread the gospel by writing it on the sky
or sending angels to every corner of the world. However, He chose
ordinary people (albeit empowered by His Spirit) to spread the
gospel. Occasionally, there were miraculous interventions (like Philip
being whisked away to another place after sharing the gospel with the
Ethiopian in the desert—Acts 8:39–40), but most of the time, those
early Christians had to travel from place to place by the normally
available means—walking, on a cart pulled by an animal, on an
animal, or on a boat. Sometimes the Word was spread by means of
written letters, and these letters had to be carried by hand over many
miles.
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3. The Pax Romana provided an environment that allowed safe travel
throughout the Roman Empire. A road system connecting towns
facilitated easier travel. Roman discipline cut down on crime on the
roads and piracy on the Mediterranean Sea, making travel safer.
Warfare, which was the plague of the ancient world, was at a
minimum within the borders of the empire. Therefore, missionaries
and travelers could travel with relative ease, increasing mobility and
the spread of the gospel. Likewise, business was booming, so
Christians often traveled from city to city, spreading the gospel in the
course of their normal commercial activities.
The Pax Romana also had an impact on language, as Greek became the
common language used throughout the Roman Empire.
In the early church, there were times when God enabled people to
speak in languages they had not learned in order to communicate the
gospel to people in their native languages.
“And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are
not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our
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4. own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites,
and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus,
and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about
Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we
do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” Acts 2:7–11
However, most of the time, people used Greek, and the gospel spread
from person to person in that language. Because of the commonality
of language provided by the Pax Romana, the New Testament, written
in Koine Greek, was easily accessible to people in every part of the
empire. People from disparate parts of the empire could still
communicate with each other, and Paul’s epistles could make their
rounds to the churches and be understood by all.
Finally, Rome was generally tolerant when it came to religious matters.
As long as the Christians were not suspected of “disturbing the
peace,” i.e., the peace of Rome, they were allowed to worship and
evangelize.
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5. (Notice several times in the book of Acts, the Romans really start to
take notice when Paul is accused of disturbing the peace—(Acts 16:20–
21; 19:31–32; 24:2–5, 12.)
In summary, the Pax Romana provided ease of travel due to a well-
developed and maintained road system, safety in travel due to the
absence of warfare and stepped-up crime prevention, and the
extensive use of Greek as the common language. These developments
provided the perfect environment for the gospel to spread quickly
throughout the “civilized world.” Civil protections for citizens and
residents of the empire, as long as they were not considered a threat to
the Pax Romana, also allowed the early Christians some freedom in
sharing an unpopular message.
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