St. Paul closed his letter to the church in Philippi (Macedonia) with additional greetings–probably from Rome, where he was imprisoned at the time–to the church: “All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household” (Philippians 4:22).
Saints in Caesar’s household? That’s really something. Historians can’t be sure of exactly when the epistle was written, but the latest date proposed is either 61 or 62 A.D.–it could be earlier.
Who were these saints? Paul didn’t name them–and why not? Could it have put them in danger, if he’d named them? With Nero on the throne, that was a grim possibility. Were they imperial officials, household slaves, tutors, or a collection drawn from several categories?
All we know is that there were already Christians where you’d least expect to find them–intriguing testimony to the spread of the Gospel.
We could surely use some saints in Caesar’s household nowadays. And who knows? Maybe there are already more of them than we know… quietly working for Christ’s Kingdom.