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Compare And Contrast Light To Pliny

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Ambrose believes that all Roman citizens, by law, should worship the one true God whom Chrisitans worship, while Pliny believes that all citizens can believe in any religion they desire as long as they pay tributes to the Emperor. In Similar light to Pliny, Symmachus believes citizens can believe in any religion they desire, but should keep the practices that Romans have worshiped and brought us success. “I ask them if they are Christians. If they admit it, I repeat the question a second and a third time, threatening capital punishment. If they persist, I sentence them to death” (Pliny). Pliny's main concern was if a Roman citizen called themselves, openly, a Chrisitan, even if they were not actually a Chrisitan. This is shown very well when …show more content…

In addition, Ambrose also believed the state should not pay for the churches to be restored or sacrifices to be performed again. Ambrose stated that the reason to be, “that you would feel it a duty to restore by your command altars to the Gods of the heathen and furnish the funds requisite for profane sacrifices; for whatsoever has long been claimed by either the imperial or the city treasury you will seem to give rather from your own funds, than to be restoring what is theirs” (Ambrose). Ambrose was stating that the government should not be expected to pay for their temples to be built again or pay for sacrifices, in contrast Roman citizens who believe in the old Roman religion should pay for their construction. Ambrose later explains further on his reasons for why Roman religion should pay for their own religion and not the government. Ambrose stated, “And they are complaining of their losses, who never spared our blood, who destroyed the very buildings of the churches and they petition you to grant them privileges, who by the last Julian law denied us the common right of speaking and teaching and those privileges whereby Christians also have often been deceived” (Ambrose). Ambrose is defending his claim for the government to fund the construction of new temples and sacrifice because they have persecuted Chrisitans and never helped Christianity. …show more content…

Symachus believes that the Roman traditions maintained have kept Rome prosperous and abandoning these conditions will cause disaster. One point Symmachus brings up is the altar of victory, maintaining the Roman borders and that without the altar of victory we are inviting the barbarians in. “Who is so friendly with the barbarians as not to require an Altar of Victory? We will be careful henceforth and avoid a show of such things'' (Symmachus). Ambrose desires all Roman citizens to be Chrisitans and claims all other religions are worshiping demons; In contrast Symmachus and Pliny were more concerned with maintaining the traditions of the Roman Empire. “We look at the same stars, the sky is common, and the same world surrounds us. What difference does it make by what pains each seeks the truth?” (Symmachus). Symmachus is clearly focused on maintaining Rome's past traditions and beliefs, even stating there should be religious freedom which directly contrasts Ambrose. Pliny and Symmachus had differences in their approach, while they both believed in the continued belief and practices of the Roman religion, Pliny did not have any knowledge on Christianity, unlike Symmachus which caused a lack of understanding. One of the main points Symmachus brings up is swearing of officials into Rome. “Where shall we swear to obey your laws and

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Despite the knowledge that it was dangerous to contradict Roman beliefs, they continued to refer to themselves as Christians. As Document G exhibits how Christianity was governed, Pliny the Younger a Roman Judge interrogated whomever claimed to be Christan and persistently threatened them with punishment until they were executed for their stubbornness (Doc G). However, this did not fear the Christians because they knew that Jesus was with them protecting them from harm. Within Roman society the belief in immortality was very difficult, they believed when you die you would be judged by a Roman god (Styx) to then be sent into one of the two afterworlds. As the religious historian, Helemt Koester states that the Christan community was an interest to many because of the promises of a future life free of sickness, poverty, and hatred (Doc B).

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The effect of worshipping Roma is that provincials feel more closely connected with the city and culture of Rome. This shows how Octavian used religion as a tool for integrating provincials into Roman religious

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The Romans emerged from Italy and formed their culture that can find its roots among an array of native tribes and Greek colonies that populated Italy. There are two parts of the foundation of a Roman’s identity that stemmed from the cultural influences that produced the Romans, their culture and their ideals. The first component of the foundation of the Roman identity is the usage and the incorporation of others’ myths into their own etiological myth. The second part stems from these myths that made the Romans believe that their existence and success was the result of fate. By looking into Virgil’s Aeneid and Sallust’s Conspiracy of Catiline one can see that this two-part foundation produced a society and people that embodied this idea that they were the best parts of all the cultures

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In this paper I will argue that the text was intended for Christians instead of the Romans based on the way Perpetua is praised in the text and how Perpetua’s disobedience towards her father who was the paterfamilias was most shocking to the Romans. Essentially this autobiography was written for Christian’s, particularly for those who were or later

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Firstly, the issue noted above that we do not know the order of the Parallel Lives, makes interpretation difficult because we therefore can’t understand how Plutarch’s themes developed and interacted with each other throughout the entire series. This is an issue in Life of Marius because of how singularly negative Plutarch is about Marius, to the point where it has been noted as his most critical work on any character. Secondly, the genre of biography itself and its focus on character rather than fact, inherently suggests that Plutarch may exaggerate some events and omit others, in order to communicate his lessons on morality. For example, Plutarch is far more descriptive of political events in which Marius can be portrayed as immoral and ambitious. However, he says little on the political platform on which Marius ran for consulship, and downplays the political acumen Marius, as a novus homo, or even if he had been nobilis, must have had to gain consulship for 6 straight years.

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(Doc E) Pliny the Younger, who was a Roman judge sentenced a group of Christians who would not buy sacrificial items for Roman gods to execution. (Doc G) Romans believed that there was an afterlife but there were two afterworlds that were for heros and commoners that people would be sent to after being judged on what they did in their lives. (Doc C) Christians to believed in an afterlife in which people who followed the laws of Christianity would be free of illnesses, poverty, and isolation, in their afterlife everyone was equal. (Doc C)

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A letter written by Pliny the Younger explains his decision to execute several Christians for refusing to buy offerings for the Roman gods (Document G). Christians

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Trevor Jackson Dr. Jack Wells HIST 322-01 28 April 2024. Paper Three: Reading 12: Pliny the Younger In A.D 100 Pliny the Younger wrote a speech due to his new role of consulship to the Emperor at the time Trajan. In this very long speech he spoke very highly of Trajan and poorly of the emperor’s before him.

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Pliny discusses multiple city projects: the aqueducts in Nicomedia, the theatre and gymnasium in Nicea, a bath in Claudiopolis, and etc.. The fact that all of these arranged projects exist in multiple cities shows that Romans found it important to build upon them and expand the resources that a city has. Pliny brings word of these community works to the emperor and discusses them, trying to get an opinion of each of them. For example, Pliny states that the theatre is not being built with proper quality and asks whether or not Trajan wants the project canceled. The emperor responds by giving Pliny the ability to decide for himself what happens to it, and to let him know what he determines its fate to be.

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Christianity offered a sense of community and shared identity that set its followers apart from traditional Roman society, thus posing a challenge to Roman traditions. Tacitus commented in Annals, "They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up." Furthermore, Christians' refusal to worship their emperor as a god and rejection of traditional Roman religious practices further angered the

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The views on Christianity throughout Rome changed immensely from the early years of the empire through the fourth century. For a while, Christians were looked at as a threat to many because of their belief in monotheism. Nero and his followers persecuted and punished the lower class and women who followed Christianity as well as use them as political scapegoats. As time went on, the tolerance for Christianity in Rome grew and Christianity gained acceptance. By the fourth century, Christianity was the official religion in Rome.

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Maximinus I. The organization of these four chapters emphasizes the structural conformity of the treated emperors, less in the similarity of their policies than in the comparability of the political problems of the time. To Gibbon it was clear that, despite apparent differences, the Roman policy of that era was fraught with the Romans

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Gibbon also believed that Christianity 's pacifism interfered with the traditional Roman naval spirit. He stated that Christianity destroyed the unity of the Empire believing that the religion only divided the Christians whose continuous battle was over each other’s differences on the doctrine that led to many killings of people. Christianity also replaced Roman’s polytheistic religion and changed their focus away from the honor of the state and into one main deity. Even though the spread of Christianity may have played a small role in Roman’s fall, a lot of historians believe that its influence lost significance as opposed to the military, economic and leadership

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