:
Rome
the city of seven hills
26 | Signs of the Times
Harold Harker invites you to
visit one of the most notable
places in Christian history.
Constantine’s Arch
commemorates his
victory over Maxentius
at Milvian Bridge, which
gave him the sole rulership of Rome.
Signs of the Times | 27
Harold Harker
I
n the Holy Scriptures, the Book of Revelation—
sometimes called the “Apocalypse”—has an
intriguing reference to “Seven Hills” (see Revelation 17:9). Rome, the city on the Tiber River in
Italy, is known as “The City of Seven Hills” and
has often been linked by many commentators as fulfilling this reference from Scripture. However, there are
more titles given to this famous city.
It has been called “Limen Apostolorem” or “The
Threshold of the Apostles”—no doubt with reference to
the martyrdom of St Paul and St Peter. Another title is
“La Citta Eterna” or “The Eternal City.” However, the
extravagant claim in the title “Caput Mundi” or “Capital of the World” takes the cake for titles.
The city of Rome is indeed a mecca for tourists from
around the world. Legend has it that the twins, Romulus and Remus, founded the city around 753 BC. The
legend also has the far-fetched story of how these abandoned twins were suckled as infants and nourished by a
she-wolf, somewhere on the Palatino Hill.
When Constantine moved the seat of his government to Constantinople—now called Istanbul—the
power vacuum in Rome was
filled by the Bishop of Rome.
With the demise of the Heruli and Vandals in 538 AD,
the Bishop of Rome could
rule in his own right.
Several hundred years later, in 756
AD, Pepin the Short gave the Bishop
of Rome the territory known as the
Papal States. This confirmed the Pontiff
the title ruler of a kingdom—as well
as being the supreme spiritual leader.
These Papal States finally became part
of the Republic of Italy in 1870, in the
time of Garabaldi, when modern Italy
was born.
But in more modern times, in the
year 1929, Mussolini signed a Concordat with the Vatican, acknowledging the independence of Vatican City
and creating the world’s smallest country. Today, the street running from St
Peter’s Square to the Tiber River, near
the Castle of St Angelo, is called the
Via Della Conciliazione, commemorating the Concordat of 1929. The
street signs note the date of this historic
agreement.
n Rome has so many places of interest
it would take many days to see them
all. Let me introduce a couple of the
well-known places tourists—and pilgrims—would not want to miss.
There are perhaps a number of places
that vie as the signature of Rome. One
of the places surviving through the
millennia is the Colosseum. The
remains of this famous
building adorn many
posters inviting tourists to Rome. It is the
The Colosseum,
where some Christians
were martyred, is now a
symbol of Rome.
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greatest monument to ancient Rome.
Nero had built his palace on this site
but it was demolished by his successor, Vespasian, to make way for the
great project he had in mind. It was not
completed until the year after Pompeii
had been destroyed by the eruption of
Vesuvius, in 79 AD. The Colosseum
lies between three of the famous hills of
Rome—the Palatino, the Celio and the
Esquilino. It was a colossus in size, seating up to 50,000 people with another
5000 standing. Noted for chariot races,
and even naval battles when it was
flooded, it is remembered as the site
where some Christians were martyred,
although most Christians were put to
death in the Circus Maximus.
In his book Living on the Ragged
Edge, Charles Swindoll tells of a monk,
Telemachus, who came to see a gladiator contest. The contestants had commenced by bowing to the emperor and
saying, “We who are about to die salute
you.” Telemachus, who could not stand
more senseless killing, shouted out, “In
the name of Christ, stop!” When nothing stopped, he dropped into the arena
and shouted the same to the contestants. The
crowd impatiently called out, “Run
him through!” As he was struck and
sank to the ground, he made his final
plea again. The now-silent crowd began
to leave, and thus ended gladiatorial
contests in the Colosseum.
n A little to the east of the Colosseum
is the great Basilica of St John Lateran.
This was the mother church in Rome
and the main church when Martin
Luther visited in 1509. An interesting
inscription on the front of the church
states that it claims to be the “Mother
Church of the World.” In this cathedral, Pope Martin V lies before the
altar. He was elected in 1415 to end
the catastrophic time when three popes
ruled at the same time, each claiming to be pope. In the piazza or square
behind this great cathedral is an Egyptian obelisk and, below that, St John’s
octagonal Baptistery, whose shape was
copied throughout Christendom. This
type of baptism, by full immersion, was
the norm until around 1000 AD.
n Across the road from St John’s Basilica is the Scala Santa—the holy stairs
reported to be transported by angels
from Jerusalem. A more likely explanation was that Helena, the mother of Constantine, travelled to the
east and brought back many objects.
These stairs are still used by crowds
of pilgrims, eager to obtain a blessing for climbing the centre flight on
their knees. Tradition says that Martin Luther thought of the great Scriptural truth—“The righteous will live
by faith” (see Romans 1:17)—while
on these stairs. Certainly, the sincerity
of the pilgrims cannot be questioned,
even if the validity of any spiritual gain
may not be supported by Holy Scripture. After seeing the statues of Jesus
and Pilate in the foyer, many tourists
walk up the outside flights of stairs.
n The ancient Roman walls surround
the inner city and are just across the
open, grassy section in front of St John
Lateran Basilica. There is a small entry
point called the Porta Asinaria—or
Gate of Donkeys. In 546 AD, the Barbarian soldiers of Rome opened the
gate to the Goths, who looted the city.
This gate was also the entry point
used by the Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV, whose headquarters were
in Speyer, Germany. Henry IV had a
colossal confrontation with Pope Gregory VII at Canossa. This resulted in
Henry waiting in the snow for three
days and bowing in humble submission
to the Roman Pontiff. Henry returned
to his throne and bided his time and,
just a few years later, brought his whole
army south and entered through this
gate in 1084 AD, sacking the city. Pope
Gregory fled for his life southward
from Rome and died in the hills behind
Naples. He is buried in the Cathedral
of Salerno.
For Christians, one of the most
memorable places to visit is the Mammertine Prison (Carcere Mamertino—
or S Pietro in Carcere). This is the traditional place of incarceration of both
Peter and Paul in the first century AD.
It had been used as a prison for many
of the enemies of the Roman state
through the years. It is sobering to
descend into the prison and contemplate the apostles here. The Church of
St Joseph of the Carpenters was built
over the Mammertine Prison in 1540.
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Just over the Palatine Hill and south of the Colosseum is the location of Nero’s Circus—or, as it is usually known, the
Circus Maximus. It was once the largest stadium of Rome, seating up to
250,000 spectators. Picture Ben Hur
and the chariot races that excited the
populace of Rome. However, many
Christians were martyred here. Today,
this grassy area, often used by joggers
and for other activities, does not reveal
that many Christians died here, either
as torches to light the arena, or by
other means.
On the hill above the Colosseum to
the north is the Church of St Peter in
Chains (S Pietro in Vincoli). Displayed
here are the chains that are said to have
bound Peter during his imprisonment
in Rome. They were taken to Constantinople in the fifth century AD. The
Empress Eudoxia sent one of the chains
back to Rome to her daughter and it
was given to Pope Leo I, who had the
church built to store the relic. Then
when the remaining chain was brought
back from Constantinople some years
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later, it is said
the chains “linked together” like
magnets!
More factual is the statue of Moses
by Michelangelo. Many visitors ask
why Moses is depicted with two horns
like a Viking helmet. The statue is
based on the description of Moses as he
came down from Mt Sinai and beams
of light shone forth (see Exodus 34:29).
The Hebrew word for “beam of light”
can also be translated as “horns.”
n The greatest cathedral, and one visited by almost every visitor to Rome, is
St Peters Cathedral on the west bank of
the Tiber. This cathedral and museum
is part of the smallest country in the
world—the Vatican.
But first, the Vatican Museum. Here
every visitor will be overawed and suffer
from total visual overload. There is only
so much a person can remember! The
many statues, paintings, tapestries and
more overwhelm any visitor.
Perhaps the most important areas
to visit are the Raphael Rooms and,
in particular, the great paintings
Mammertine Prison is located under this church built
to commemorate the prison where it is believed Paul and
Peter were imprisoned in the first century.
St Peters Cathedral.
highlighting Constantine. The first shows
him defeating Maxentius at Milvian Bridge.
The next shows him
seeing the cross in the
sky, giving him victory.
The baptism of Constantine by Pope Sylvester is the next large painting—but history tells us Constantine waited until just
before his death for baptism and it took
place in Constantinople. The fourth
great painting shows Constantine giving Pope Sylvester the “Donation of
Constantine,” which history has shown
to be a fraudulent story invented in the
Middle Ages.
The route through the Vatican Museum finally comes to the Sistine Chapel.
This surprisingly small room—given
the size of the complex—is always filled
with throngs of people, gazing up at
Michelangelo’s masterpieces of “Creation” and also the “Last Judgment.”
The ones to care for this place need to
repeatedly call for silence, as the whispers and words of the crowds swells to
uncomfortable levels. When viewing
photos of this room, most fail to notice
where the ceiling meets the walls. Here,
Michelangelo shows seven biblical
prophets interspersed with six Sibyls, or
heathen priestesses, from Delphi, Cuma
and other ancient places. A meeting of
the sacred and the profane, or pagan,
may indeed show the eclectic nature of
the church here.
n The cathedral itself has many great
things to see—from the famous “Pieta”
by Michelangelo to the black Peter with
a renewed foot, because of the adoration of so many pilgrims. The size of
the cathedral, its grandeur and lavish
decorations impress anyone who visits.
If you ever get the opportunity, visit
St Peters. Climb the steps to the top
of the dome and view Rome sprawling
before you. Note the escape walkway
from the Vatican to the Castle of St
Angelo, used by several popes in times
of siege by enemy forces. It is called
“The Passeto” or Vatican Corridor.
The great St Peters Cathedral was
built with funds raised by the sale of
indulgences in the time of Martin
Luther. This was the trigger, along with
Luther’s understanding of the truth
“the just live by faith” that caused the
great Reformation and, with it, a return
to biblical truth.
When you visit Rome, remember
its history is deeply intertwined with
the thousands of years of controversy
between biblical truth and human tra§
dition.
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