Roman Citizenship

Shown here is one of two sections from a bronze document issued in 79 C.E. This document granted Roman citizenship to a sailor who was soon to retire, his wife, and his son. The two sections were bound together and sealed. Some people acquired citizenship later in life, but others became Roman citizens at birth. (See study note on Ac 22:28.) In either case, citizenship documents were highly valued, since a person might have to prove his citizenship in order to benefit from its privileges. However, Paul wrote of a far more valuable citizenship, the kind that “exists in the heavens.”​—Php 3:20.