There is no denial that works of literature, cultures and beliefs of different nations are interconnected and interrelated. Moreover, every new narrative or piece of art created by a human is based on previous traditions and consequently establishes the foundation for further development.
In this paper, I am going to analyze the connection of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, St. Augustine’s City of God, and the Aeneid by Virgil to the fundamental ancient works as Homer’s Iliad, Book of Genesis and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. In addition, I will argue the relationships of each author to earlier traditions.
All these evidences are closely connected to the previous traditions. However, every author provides some innovations as incorporates his beliefs and convictions. Virgil follows the earlier epic tradition but supplies his work with his personal anxieties and fears; St. Paul sticks to the prophetic tradition and fulfills his aim of bringing Christian beliefs to the Jews. St. Augustine’s City of God is also based on the previous works, however, contradicts many earlier established principles of ethical and moral norms.
As far as the Aeneid is concerned it, seemingly, serves as the continuation of the Iliad as it comprises the narration of the events that took place after the Trojan War. Virgil’s book tells the story of Aeneas’ voyage in pursuit of land where he is destined to found a powerful city that later develops into the Roman Empire. Following the earlier tradition set in Homer’s Iliad Virgil writes his treatise as an epic though introducing some innovations as well as imitating Homer’s style. An apparent difference is that Aeneid presents written evidence while at Homer’s time epic was oral and improvised evidence.
Moreover, Virgil brings Homeric passages about Odyssey and Achilles into Aeneid, thus, extracting them from previous literary traditions. Throughout the book, we find clear evidence that Virgil projects himself into the narration expressing his fears, sadness, or joy enhancing, thus, his artistic message to the reader by means of stylistic devices inherent in epic. In Iliad, however, we find only matter-of-fact information without abundance in symbolic meaning.
It should be especially stressed that despite the fact Virgil deals with the epic evidence of the foundation of the Roman Empire he shifts the system of value and priorities of Homeric epic that is considered inappropriate for Virgil’s contemporaries. In other words, Virgil adjusts his narration to the value system of the Romans.
As regards St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans it is considered to be a major work that reveals the attempts to bring God to Israel, to praise Christianity and God who sacrificed himself to provide salvation to sinners, i.e. all people. A Jew himself, St. Paul was converted into Christian faith and denied Judaism. The letter is aimed at persuading Jews that God and faith are the only chance for people to deliver from sins. St. Paul claims that he is a Jewish prophet destined to spread his message throughout the world. He obediently follows the earlier prophetic tradition and admits Christ’s righteousness. In addition, he sets a number of strict moral laws that should be abided by. Alongside this St. Paul says that for immoral behavior people will be punished by death.
If compared with the Book of Genesis, a famous Hebrew Bible, it becomes obvious that Christianity used as a prefiguration of such Christian themes as Christ sacrifice and the salvation that St. Paul emphasizes in his letter. It must be pointed out that St. Paul uses some explicit quotations from the Book of Genesis. Thus, he refers to the life of the patriarch Abraham from the Book of Genesis to support his statement about salvation through faith. It should be stressed that St. Paul interprets the passages of the Book of Genesis that are closely related to Christian tradition. Following his main objective, St. Paul adjusts his letter and chooses the passages that support his message about the all-mighty Messiah.
Proceeding with the theme of Jews’ conversion into Christianity it is necessary to mention the City if God by St. Augustine that presents invaluable writing of the development of Christian philosophy. Besides, he deals with the notions of ethics and selfishness of the human soul. These topics have been earlier tackled in Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle who defined the purpose of human life as to achieve a balance of soul and virtue by means of righteous deeds. St. Augustine ties the earlier suggestions about the aim of human life with his Christian beliefs.
According to Aristotle, only by leading a proper life following the laws a person may achieve happiness. In terms of the Christian religion, this concept is changed: a soul is not regarded as a means for personal happiness but as a means with the help of which a person serves God. Thus, St. Augustine divides all people into selfish and obedient. Acting for oneself, satisfying brute instincts contradict the laws of God and leads such people to the City of Man where citizens live without faith in God’s law. The counter city, the City of God, is where the church and the people happily and peacefully live in accordance with laws established by God.
Similar to an earlier tradition that we find in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics St. Augustine turns to the issue of politics. Augustine denies Aristotle’s views that a man should rule a city in accordance with his moral and ethical principles. Moreover, he claims that the divine laws of God are the only laws that should guide people in their life. This statement allows St. Augustine to assume the possibility of the foundation of the divine City of God that he presents as a challenge that people should undertake. In other words, Augustine sees the purpose of human life in finding God and Christian religion, in this context, is perceived as a key instrument that fosters the creation of this city in the actual world.
Concluding it is necessary to point out that the evidence discussed follows the earlier established traditions. However, as the beliefs changed over time the attitudes to such issues as religion, God, ethics also varied, which is illustrated in the works of St. Paul, Virgil and St. Augustine.