Jesus and Cicero Essay

Sinning is one thing people feel that when people do die, they should automatically go to the underworld, or hell, due to their sinful actions. In the Aeneid, book number six, Virgil describes a place where these people go when they perish on earth. When these people get to the underworld, they are judged by their actions and punished depending on the severity of it. Virgil gives us the idea that there is indeed an afterlife, just like Jesus did. But when it came to sinners, Jesus forgave people who have sinned because he wants people to learn the idea of forgiving. Also he wants people to know that nobody is perfect, and that in order for God to forgive one’s sins, he or she must forgive others. When it comes to the idea of sin both Virgil and Jesus agree that there is an afterlife; but Virgil and Jesus’ idea of sin differ when it comes to punishments and judging people as human beings. Virgil shows his readers that the underworld is a place of punishment and cruelty. When sinners die, they are sent to the underworld to admit their wrongdoings and face the consequences for their actions. In the underworld there is a man named Rhadamanthus who listens to the sinners and sentences them to different penalties based on what they did. Once Rhadmanthus listens to the sinner’s story, he sentences them to different sections of the underworld. The underworld contains different sections that are based on levels of severity. The greater the sin someone commits, the greater the punishment that that person will receive. For example, in the sixth book of the Aeneid, Virgil says that, â€Å"Here come those who as long as life remained held brothers hateful, beat their parents, cheated poor men dependent on them; also those who hugged their new found riches to themselves and put nothing aside for relatives- A great crowd, this-then men killed for adultery, men who took arms in war against their right, not scrupling to betray their lords† (181:813-82 0). In this quote, Virgil gives examples of people’s sins that have gone to the Underworld for it. In the Aeneid, Virgil gives readers the idea that people who sin will be punished and sent to the underworld no matter what sin they commit. He also shows that there is an afterlife, but he does not discuss the idea of heaven and that all souls will travel to the underworld to face the consequences. Like Virgil, Jesus does believe in the afterlife, but he discusses the idea of both heaven and hell. He believes that once people die, their souls are lifted out of the human body and are either brought to heaven or hell. Jesus taught that people will be placed into heaven or hell based on their virtue and following the teachings of God. Jesus also bases it on people who either open or close up their heart for others. An example of the reflection of the heart and self comes from the Gospel of Luke. In the gospel it says that there was a rich man who had a poor man, named Lazarus, living o utside his gate. The poor man would beg to eat the food that would fall off the rich man’s table and he needed assistance. Once both men died, the poor man was lifted by angels to Abraham’s bosom, while the rich man was buried in Hades being tormented. When the rich man called to Abraham for help he said, â€Å"Son remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish† (Luke 16:25-26). He is saying that people who are poor are in need of assistance, but there were people who were wealthier that didn’t open up their hearts for others. So, those people of wealth would suffer in the afterlife unlike those were poor. Those who were poor would live a more comfortable way in the afterlife. Even though Virgil and Jesus believed in the afterlife, they differed when it came to the true idea of sinners. Virgil felt that all people would go to the underworld and be judged by Rhadamanthus to see their fate in the afterlife. He never discussed the idea of heaven, and he would make up certain punishments for different people. Unlike Virgil, Jesus looked at sinners in a different way. Instead of punishing and treating sinners differently, Jesus would forgive those who have sinned. An example of Jesus forgiving a sinner is in the Gospel of John. It talks about people gathering around the temple with a woman who committed adultery. The scribes and Pharisees brought the woman to Jesus to test and see what he would do to her. The reason the people wanted to test Jesus because in the Law of Moses, it states that the person who commits adultery shall be stoned. The remarkable part of the story is when Jesus says, â€Å"Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her† (John8:7). As he said this, everyone backed away one by one and Jesus was left alone with the adulterer. Once he was with her by himself he said, â€Å"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?† She said,† No one Lord† And Jesus said, â€Å"Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again† (John8:10-11). Jesus is saying that people cannot judge or punish a sinner if people themselves have sinned before in the past. Also, Jesus teaches that sins will be forgiven by the Lord as long as people learn from their mistakes and faults. When comparing Virgil and Jesus, they both have somewhat, similar thoughts of having an afterlife, but they differ greatly with people’s consequences. Virgil believes in certain sentences and reprimands. Jesus believes in the idea of mercy with sinners as long as they learn their lesson for the future. They both understand that sinning is a bad thing, but how one deals with sin is the true test. The real question is,† If someone commits sin against you, what will you do in reaction to it?†