Seven Revolutions by Mike Aquilina James L. Papandrea

Author:Mike Aquilina,James L. Papandrea [Aquilina, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8041-3897-0
Publisher: Penguin Random House LLC
Published: 2015-02-23T16:00:00+00:00

Honor and Shame

There were strong class divisions in Roman culture, and even though some upward mobility was possible (even for freed slaves), that phenomenon only intensified the conviction that one deserved one’s station in life. If people prospered, they had earned it. If people were fortunate, it meant that Fortune (a pagan goddess) had favored them for some reason. On the other hand, if someone was unfortunate, there was probably a reason for that as well. But the explanation often had less to do with an individual’s behavior and more to do with that person’s family of origin (or situation of origin, in the case of a slave or orphan). This means that, for the most part, people assumed that both wealth and poverty were—and should be—hereditary.20

Those with abundance came from abundance, and that was as it should be—at least that’s what the wealthy believed. They deserved what they had, and they deserved to be the ones with all the power. Roman writers argued that the rich were naturally the best politicians because they were more trustworthy than the poor: because they were rich, they didn’t need to steal!

A person’s place in society was determined by where his or her family was in the ranks of honor. The more wealthy and powerful, the more honorable. The less wealthy and powerful, the less honorable. One of the worst things that could happen to an upper-class person was to lose honor. To be shamed was ruinous to the powerful. But fortunately for them, or so they thought, they had a way out. Suicide. The Romans believed that suicide was a legitimate, and often the best, option for those who suffered shame. Famous suicides include Brutus (one of Julius Caesar’s assassins), the philosopher Seneca (the emperor Nero “advised” him to kill himself), and the emperor Nero (he tried to kill himself but ultimately ordered someone else to kill him). The Church rejected the idea of hereditary honor, and it also rejected suicide as an antidote to humiliation.21

Ironically, or perhaps understandably, the shame that wealthy and powerful Romans feared became a source of entertainment for them. Criminals were executed publicly and in very humiliating ways. And the plays in the theaters made mockery and humiliation a form of comedy. Roman society was a gossip-driven culture, to the point where the honor of one family was often enhanced through the shame of another. The leaders of the Church repeatedly tried to discourage Christians from attending such shows, though they were not always successful. But to the extent that Christians refused to take part in the humiliation of their fellow human beings, especially when this activity was engaged in as a form of sport, they were seen as antisocial. This was one of the justifications for the persecution of Christians; and their humiliation and death in the arena furnished entertainment for the masses.

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