that would mean that Paul had a number of personal contacts in Rome; through these, as well as through other Christians traveling from Rome by way of Corinth, he must have had at least some idea of the situation in which the Roman Christians lived out their faith. Moreover, two basic features of the letter provide a strong prima facie case for further clarification of the historical context of the recipients in Rome. One is the fact that Paul is clearly writing to Gentiles (contra Fahy’s recent restatement