Roman Culture (15)
Christian authors as early as Tertullian openly promoted the tradition of the univira and the idea that widows must remain single and not remarry. He exhorted his own wife to remain ad univiratum as a widow. A number of Christian epitaphs likewise celebrate the univira in their ranks (CIL 10.7196; ICLV 1581). The Roman ideal was thus reprised in Latin Christianity in the West
A. Andrew Das
Remarriage in Early Christianity, Eerdmans, 43 Language associated with the univira tradition parallels the apostle Paul's in Rom 7:1-3 and 1 Cor 7:39... The wife is subject to the husband while he lives, and only his death brings about freedom. In the tradition of the univira, the wife does not avail herself of that freedom.Remarriage in Early Christianity, Eerdmans, 42
Despite the fact that actual marriages rarely emulated this ideal, during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian historians and commentators still held concerning the ideal Roman marriage that the wife should be married only once during her lifetime and praised as a univira, that the wife should obey her husband, and that the marriage would last a lifetime and be brought to an end by spousal death alone, if even then.Remarriage in Early Christianity, Eerdmans, 41
The ancients often celebrated the single, eternal union. One wife's tombstone inscription conveys that the marriage is coniugi perpetuae, a perpetual or unceasing martial union (Carm. Epigr. 1571.3).Remarriage in Early Christianity, Eerdmans, 40
For many ancient Romans the marital union remained permanent, even in the face of the death of a spouse. The eternal union would survive deathRemarriage in Early Christianity, Eerdmans, 38
Ultimately, slaves and human masters are subjected to the same Lord and both must obey him. This undermines the institution of slavery by refusing to accept that slaves are the property of their human masters or share less inherent value. Slaves and masters stand on an equal footing before Christ.Pillar Commentary
As the Empire ground down, the decadent Romans were given to a thirst for violence and a gratification of the senses. This is especially evident in their rampant sexuality.How Should We Then Live, 24
No totalitarian authority nor authoritarian state can tolerate those who have an absolute by which to judge that state and its actions. The Christians had that absolute in God's revelation.How Should We Then Live, 22
New Quotes
it is important to understand Roman-era slavery and how it differed from more recent forms of slavery, especially that of the United States and Britain until the nineteenth century. Constituting at least 10 percent of the Roman Empire, swelling up to 30 percent in the city of Rome itself, slavery was a major strata of Roman society. Rather than being based on race, people could become slaves through economic necessity, war, kidnapping, or by birth.Pillar Commentary
Unlike enslaved persons in the American institution of slavery, Roman slaves could rise to positions of significant social responsibility, working as doctors, tutors, and government officials. They could manage household finances, earn their own money, and even purchase their own freedom.Pillar Commentary
Paul's purpose in the household code is more immediate and of practical benefit for those who are living in the household. The abolition of slavery—inspired in part by Paul's undermining of it—would take centuries to achieve.Pillar Commentary
The Caesars would not tolerate this worshiping of the one God only. It was counted as treason. Thus their worship became a special threat to the unity of the state during the third century and during the reign of Diocletian (284-305).How Should We Then Live, 22
These gods depended on the society which had made them, and when this society collapsed the gods tumbled with it.How Should We Then Live, 18
The gods were amplified humanity, not divinity.How Should We Then Live, 17
The Greeks and later the Romans also tried to build society upon their gods. But these gods were not big enough because they were finite, limited.How Should We Then Live, 17
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