Italy

Italy is mentioned 4x in the NT. In three of them it is referred to in relation to Paul's ministry. Acts 18:2 reports Paul's first encounter with Aquila and his wife Priscilla, who had "recently come from Italy," while Acts 27:1 & 6 reports Paul's final journey to Rome. The last occurs in the list of persons to whom the author of Hebrews sent his greetings; in 13:24 he adds, "Those from Italy send you their greetings," suggesting that Rome may be the destination of the letter.

Italy, in all these cases, should be understood as referring to the Italian peninsula, and not the nation of Italy as we know it today, which was founded only in the 19th Cent. Prior to that Italy consisted of a number of competing city-states, kingdoms and duchies. Following the defeat of Napoleon Bornaparte, the Congress of Vienna (1814-5) partitioned Italy among the major ruling houses of Europe—the Habsburg, Savoy, and Boubons—and the papacy. The unification of Italy began under the leadership of Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi and the "Kingdom of Italy" was proclaimed in 1861, though Rome was not taken until 20 Sept 1870.