Italy standard
, the name was applied to the coasts as far as Metapontum and Posidonia, being synonymous with Oenotria.
Where is Italy in the Bible?
Italy appears in the New Testament primarily in the Book of Acts and Hebrews, where it refers to the Italian peninsula in southern Europe, the center of the Roman Empire. The apostle Paul sailed to Italy and arrived at the port of Puteoli (modern Naples) on his way to Rome as a prisoner, as recorded in Acts 28. Italy holds theological significance in the New Testament as the location of Rome, where Peter and Paul both ministered and were eventually martyred, establishing the faith in the heart of the empire. The mention of Italy in these biblical texts marks an important expansion of early Christianity from Jerusalem into the Gentile world and the seat of Roman power.
In Scripture2 biblical books; 2 with study content
- Acts
- Hebrews
Italy
ISBE 1915 (Public Domain), the name was applied to the coasts as far as Metapontum and Posidonia, being synonymous with Oenotria. The Oenotrians are represented as having assumed the name of Italians (Itali) from a legendary ruler Italus (Dionysius, i.12,35; Vergil, Aen. i.533). The extension of Roman authority seems to have given this name an ever-widening application, since it was used to designate their allies generally. As early as the time of Polybius the name Italy was sometimes employed as an appellation for all the country between the two seas (Tyrrhenian and Adriatic) and from the foot of the Alps to the Sicilian Straits (Polyb. i.6; ii.14; iii.39,54), although Cisalpine Gaul was not placed on a footing of complete equality with the peninsula as regards administration until shortly after the death of Julius Caesar. From the time of Augustus the term was used in practically its modern sense (Nissen, Italische Landeskunde, I, 57-87).
The name Italy occurs 3 times in the New Testament: Ac 18:2, Aquila "lately come from Italy," because of the expulsion of the Jews from Rome under Claudius; Ac 27:1, the decision that Paul be sent to Italy; Heb 13:24, salutation from those "of Italy." The adjective form is found in the appellation, "Italian band" (cobors Italica, Ac 10:1).
The history of ancient Italy, in so far as it falls within the scope of the present work, is treated under ROME (which see).
George H. Allen
(charec; psora): Only in De 28:27, where it probably refers to the parasitic skin disease of that name which is very common in Palestine. It is due to a small mite, Sarcoptes scabiei