The only mention of Spain in the Bible is in the Apostle Paul's
epistle to the Romans, in which Paul announces his intention of
traveling to Spain (for the purpose of spreading the gospel to the
gentiles) after he ministers in Jerusalem.
Romans 15:23-28 : King James Version
23 But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great
desire these many years to come unto you;
24 Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for
I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way
thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.
25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.
26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a
certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if
the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their
duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.
28 When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them
this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.
Bible Gateway: Romans 15:23-28
http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=KJV&passage=Romans+15%3A23-28
"Spain is specifically mentioned only once in the Bible, by the
apostle Paul in his epistle (see Epistles) to the gentile Romans,
according to his calling. In his letter to them, he expresses his
intention to carry the Gospel beyond them, to gentile Spain as well."
Keyway: Daily Bible Study
http://www.keyway.ca/htm2003/20030306.htm
Regarding "what happened," we cannot be certain that Paul ever arrived
in Spain. If he did, it would have been several years later, after his
imprisonment in Rome:
"Paul could look back on his work so far and say that, in terms of
founding churches in strategic centers, he had fully preached the
Gospel from Jerusalem to the Adriatic Sea, and there was nothing more
for him to do in that area; therefore he would continue his policy of
going where no missionaries had previously gone, in this case to
Spain. It was not to be as Paul had hoped...
Some non-Christian Jews saw in Paul the archenemy of their faith, the
man who betrayed the essence of Judaism by his indifference to the
Jewish Law. They arrested him and brought him before the Jewish
court...
Paul claimed his legal right to appeal to the highest court in Rome.
To Rome, therefore, he went, but as a prisoner under a Roman guard,
and on a journey that was highly eventful with its storms and a
shipwreck. When Paul arrived safely in Rome, then, it was as a
prisoner, kept under house arrest for a couple of years...
According to one early tradition, Paul was released from prison, and
he was able to travel again as a missionary before being arrested once
more. Then, before his death, Paul may have visited the congregations
that he had founded earlier, and some people think that Paul did
indeed fulfill his desire to reach Spain."
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
http://www.billygraham.org/article.asp?i=210&s=109
You might be interested in reading a portion of the Sonnini
Manuscript, an ancient document that some believe to be a genuine
account of the travels of the Apostles:
"In 61 A.D., following his house arrest in Rome, Paul headed for
Spain. The route of his trip to Spain is found in a Greek manuscript
discovered in the archives of Constantinople. Known as the Sonnini
Manuscript after C. S. Sonnini who translated the document in 1801,
its text begins at the point where the book of Acts finishes, and
reads as follows:
And Paul, full of the blessings of Christ, and abounding in the
spirit, departed out of Rome, determining to go into Spain, for he had
a long time purposed to journey thitherward, and was minded also to go
from thence into Britain. For he had heard in Phoenicia that certain
of the children of Israel, about the time of the Assyrian captivity,
had escaped by sea to 'the isles afar off,' as spoken by the prophet,
and called by the Romans Britain. And the Lord commanded the gospel to
be preached far hence to the Gentiles, and the lost sheep of the House
of Israel. And no man hindered Paul; for he testified boldly of Jesus
before the tribunes and among the people; and he took with him certain
of the brethren which abode with him at Rome, and they took shipping
at Ostium, and having the winds fair were brought safely into a haven
of Spain."
Hope of Israel Ministries
http://www.hope-of-israel.org/1stcent.htm
I hope this helps you in your Bible studies. Please let me know if
anything needs clarification.
Best wishes,
pinkfreud |
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