Optimism in Livy and Ovid

"Was there any basis for an optimistic view of Rome in Livy and Ovid?"


     Can we find any basis for an optimistic view of Rome?  I think that we absolutely can!  For instance, In Livy, when the Sabine women are kidnapped, they end up giving in after a while and their children became Rome's first offspring.  I suppose that there is reason for optimism there.  

     In Ovid we see that two people did survive the flood of Jupiter.  They were even allowed to continue the human race.  So, was there any basis for an optimistic view?  Yes, I believe that there was.

Thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think!

 

The Monks and Christian Writers of Old

"What kinds of contributions did the monks make to European society?"


     The kinds of contributions that the monks made were quite vast indeed!  The monks did everything from beer brewing, to copying manuscripts, and even spent time participating in agriculture!

     I would like to mention that the monks didn't only copy manuscripts of religious significance, but also some of the great writings pertaining to things outside of their religion.

     They also served as innkeepers for those who had been shipwrecked or were lost, and some monks were teachers as well.  Among these things, their monasteries would sometimes serve as hospitals for the sick.

     I have to say that the monks certainly made some fantastic contributions to European society!  Who knows where we would be had it not been for the monks!



"What was the attitude of most Christian writers toward the philosophers of ancient Greece?"


     The attitude of most Christian writers toward the philosophers of ancient Greece is probably not what you would expect.  The attitude of most Christian writers was actually quite welcoming toward them!  The Christian writers saw  many of the philosophers as hinting at the existence of the one true God of whom they believed.  They thought that the teachings of the ancient Greek philosophers should therefore be preserved for others to learn.  Of course there was a small minority that didn't believe this.  The minority thought that anything other than the teachings of the Gospel were not necessary to the Christian religion.  But this was certainly not the wide-held view!

Thank you so much for reading this essay, and please let me know what you think!  I would love to hear from you!

    


 

Rhetorical Context in Cicero's Orations

"How important was the rhetorical Context of Cicero's orations: his listener's fear of Catiline's conspiracy and army?"

Cicero

     In my opinion, the rhetorical context of Cicero's orations was undeniably important in making his listeners afraid of Catiline's conspiracy and army!

     Rhetorical context is what made his speeches so fantastic!  I don't think that he would have gotten very far in his orations had he not used such good rhetoric.  Using outstanding rhetorical context was an amazing gift that he held in his possession, and he used it to stir up the emotions of many.  He had an advantage that no other man in history possessed.

     Thanks so much for reading, and please let me know what you think!

Early Christianity and the Didache

"What are a few things we learn about early Christianity from the Didache?"

     In the document called the Didache, there is no doubt that we can learn a thing or two about early Christianity.  The first thing that I believe we can learn about early Christianity from this document, is that the early Christians had an extreme love and respect to their god.  Certainly, the Didache would not have said,  "thou shalt love the God who made thee" unless it was an important part of the Christian religion.  And it indeed was!  All throughout the Christian teachings it talks about loving God with all your heart soul and mind.

     Another thing that I notice is how early Christians, like those of today, believed in "the way of death".  Basically, "the way of death" is anything wicked.  Here are some examples.

"1 But the Way of Death is this: First of all, it is wicked and full of cursing, murders, adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries, witchcrafts, charms, robberies, false witness, hypocrisies, a double heart, fraud, pride, malice, stubbornness, covetousness, foul speech, jealousy, impudence, haughtiness, boastfulness."

The Didache

     Lastly, I will mention that the early Christians did not seem to take baptism lightly, for the Didache has very specific instructions on how baptism should be done.

     I think that we can all agree that the Didache gives a great insight into the beliefs of early Christians!  I will provide the link to it so that you can read it for yourself.

 http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-lake.html

     Thank you so much for reading this essay, and please let me know what you think!



   

The Immigration of Hawks Into a Different Community

     In a community that has the five trophic levels of plants, crickets, mice, snakes, and hawks, the immigration of even more hawks would definitely cause some big changes!  One likely outcome would be that the hawks would begin feeding off of the mice and snakes.  Both the mice and snake population would therefore decrease, and the plant and cricket population would spike because of the small number of their predators.
   
     Another possibility is that the mice population is filled with disease at the time that the hawks begin feeding on them.  This results in the disease's spreading to the newly introduced hawk population.  The hawk population would then begin to rapidly decrease due to the massive amount of hawk deaths in the community.  The other species of plants and animals would now start to multiply due to the decrease in the numbers of hawks and mice.

     Thank you so much for reading, and please let me know what you think!

"If you had been Catiline, what would you have said to undermine Cicero's case?"

     If I had been Catiline, I would have confronted Cicero on many of his accusations.  Cicero seems to have accused Catiline of many devious/evil things, and yet he presents no real proof to him or to the senate.  I would have asked Cicero to provide the proof that he wasn't sharing.  If there was real proof of the deeds then of course I would be condemned, but if there was no real proof I would have a tremendous advantage. I would therefore be able to represent myself to not only the senate, but also to Cicero, as an innocent individual.

Comparison of Christianity and Other Ways of Life

     This week I will be writing an essay that compares the teachings of Christianity to the ways of life in some of the ancient civilizations.  (This includes their values and thoughts.)  Let's get started by comparing the teachings of Christianity to the values held by the ancient Greeks, and then I will compare the teachings of Christianity to the values taught in the works of Homer.

     The Christian teachings stated extreme respect for their god.  The same goes for the ancient Greeks who respected their gods a great deal.

     Another comparison that I would like to make is that the Greeks (as well as Homer) talked about the value of hospitality.  The Christian teachings also talk about the value of hospitality.  I am referring to one of their most cherished teachings, which is to treat your neighbor as you would yourself.

     The last thing that I would like to discuss is the way that some of the ancient thinkers thought compared to Christianity.  The first thinker that I would like to talk about is Plato.  He believed in things called the forms.  The forms were things things that we cannot see.  The Christian teachings also talk about things separate from this world.  For instance, the Christian teachings talk about God, Heaven, angels, and the Devil which  are all unseen things.

     And for my final example I will be using all of the ancient philosophers.  Other than the fact that all philosophers are human, (but my dog does seem to be a kind of philosopher considering the amount of thinking that she does...just kidding, haha!), all philosophers are trying to use logic to explain things, and Christianity also talks about thinking through things logically.

     As you can see, there are many similarities between Christianity, the ancient Greeks, Homer, and the ancient Greek philosophers.

     Thank you so much for reading this essay, and please let me know what you think!