Two Paths

In Virgil's Aeneid, the hero's visit to the Underworld illustrates the way in which the ancient Romans viewed the afterlife. It is very clear that, to their way of thinking, a person's life on earth determined their destination after death:



"It is here that the way splits into two paths; one track, on the right, goes straight to mighty Pluto's battlements and by it we make our journey to Elysium; and the other, to the left, brings evil men to godless Tartarus, and with never a pause, exacts their punishment"(1).



The Elysian Fields, the Roman idea of heaven, was called by various other names such as the Field of Joy, the Fortunate Woods and the Homes of Peace where the Souls in Bliss spend eternity singing, dancing and playing games while "snow white ribbons" encircle their brows (2).



Those who wound up in Tartarus, while they are hungry and thirsty, have plentiful food and drink in view, but it is guarded by monstrous creatures who ensure that it always remain just out of reach. And all the while, these tormented souls are undergoing unspeakable torture.



Romans 1:20 says that all men, since the dawn of creation, are made aware of God's nature and power through what is seen around them. With this knowledge comes an innate awareness that one is not in good standing with such a holy and powerful God. The ancient Greeks and Romans were, of course, no exception; however, they continued to worship gods made in their own image. As we mentioned last week, these gods and goddesses were considered to possess all the shortcomings and commit all the sins that human beings do. Next time we will begin to examine how the later philosophers thought that it was inappropriate to think of the divine in this way.

(1), (2) - All quotes are taken from Virgil's Aeneid translated by W. F. Jackson Knight, Penguin Books, New York, NY, 1958.