European Humanities
Fall 2018
Spragins

Ideas in the Roman World: Judaism, Christianity, Stoicism

Directions: Write a paragraph in answer to the following questions. Specific attention will be paid to your topic sentences: make sure that they are terrific!

1. How does the ambiguity of the ancient Hebrew myths (like The Garden of Eden, The Flood, and Job teach us about the nature of the covenant between God and his chosen people?

2. Describe the path to the truth that must be followed according to ancient Hebrew thought.

3. How does the teaching of Jesus integrate ancient Greek and ancient Hebrew thought?

4. What methods did the early church fathers (Peter, Paul and Augustine) use to successfully spread Christianity?

5. How did St. Augustine solve the theological problem of evil?

6. What do the ancient founding myths of Rome (Romulus and Remus, The Rape of the Sabine Women, The Suicide of Lucretia, The Execution of Titus Manlius) teach us about Roman character and values?

7. How did Cicero define the law for the Roman Empire?

8. How did Lucretius teach us to overcome our fear of death and to lead our lives?

9. How did Marcus Aurelius' personal philosophy combine elements of Stoicism, Epicureanism and Materialism?

10. What vision of the barbarian 'other' did Tacitus create?

Extra Credit: How does Virgil's revision of Homer teach us about the central values of Roman culture?