The virtue of piety was a defining characteristic in Roman life, Romans carried out their everyday lives in accordance of the ideas of pietas which is one’s duty to their family, God, and people; these Roman values are displayed in Virgil’s The Aeneid through the actions of the character Aeneas, and challenged further in the Gospel of Matthew by Jesus Christ. The word “pietas” is a Latin word that means dutifulness, and refers to the balanced duty to a person’s family, gods, and people in Roman culture. The Romans believed that for these duties to be upheld then it must be implemented in one’s everyday life, and this belief of the Romans separated them from other ancient societies. In The Aeneid, Aeneas engages in all aspects of pietas throughout his journey to Italy to become the ancestor to the city of Rome.
Aeneas first example of dutifulness occurs in Book II when he begins to tell his story of how Troy fell and how he escaped the chaos. When the Greeks attacked Troy from within, Aeneas’ initial
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Much like how Aeneas put his life in danger to protect his city and rescue his family from Troy, Jesus teaches self-sacrifice, and one’s commitment to their family however, he reinterprets the definition of family and society. Jesus declares: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me………..and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10: 37-38). Jesus redefines family to be his disciples that devote their entire lives to God. He refines the ideas of society through the Beatitudes by proclaiming the “blessed” which is the model discipleship. The Beatitudes are part of Jesus’ teachings on paving a path to Heaven through selfless acts and compassion; he quotes: “let your light shine before other, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven” (Matthew 5: