Catholic Thought discussion

Summary

Petronius writes another letter to Vinicuis. He is shocked about the recent happenings with Vinicius, especially of the ability of Ursus to so easily defeat Croton. But he cannot understand the Christians and their religion. He asks Vinicius to meet him in Beneventum with the rest of Nero’s entourage. Vinicius, now back to his home, feels no desire to reply. He is torn about staying in his home or going back to that Christian abode he was nursed. He rejects going to Beneventum entirely and writes to tell Petronius that Christian kindness and forgiveness has moved him, and this has increased his love for Lygia. He tells Petronius that Lygia has run off again because of the impossibility of their relationship. He tells him also of meeting another leader of the Christians, Paul of Tarsus. He tells Petronius that he is thinking of embracing Christianity but there is something in him that repels at the idea. He tells him of the little crosses Lygia has left for him made out of twigs. He concludes with a confession that the Christians have changed his soul.

Vinicius now lives in his house shut off thinking of Lygia and the Christians. He senses that Lygia loves him in return, and contemplates receiving baptism to join their community. At home, his soul struggles between his life as a Roman and his potential life as a Christian. In an excursion into the countryside he meets Chrysothemis, a loose upper class Roman woman, who tries to seduce him but which he rejects. In time Petronius returns to Rome and tries to get Vincius to travel abroad to break these doldrums he is in. But Vinicius has no desire. Petronius gets angry at what the Christians have done to him. Petronius, as an Epicurean, tries to entice him with other women. He even shows him the pleasure he receives from his woman slave Eunice. But all this just deepens Vinicius’ desire for Lygia, and he rejects all of Petronius’s enticements and tells Petroinus they no longer understand each other.

Nero, upon returning back to Rome, wants to travel again and yet can’t, wants to change the buildings of Rome and yet can’t. He has become even more of a megalomaniac. He is now infatuated with Rubria, the young Vestal Virgin. A conversation ensues where Vinicius tells Nero of how Ursus killed Croton, and Nero wants to see this barbarian. He asks of Lygia, and Vinicius does not respond. But he invites Vinicius to another of his feasts.

At this feast, held at the pond of Agrippa, on a raft in the pond, all sorts of entertainment was provided: music and song, dancers, mock naval battles on the pond, exotic foods, and wines. Poppea seemed to be infatuated with Vinicius, who was seated next to her. At dusk the raft touched land and all the entourage scattered into the woods where tents were arranged for illicit wanton liaisons. Vinicius too was stirred into lust and ran into the woods, but his recall of Lygia held him back, and when he was about to get away a masked woman approached him. She pushed herself on him and he rejected her. At that moment Petronius approached and the veiled woman ran off. When the two could speak privately, Petronius tells him that Nero has committed the grave sin of having sex with the Vestal Virgin Rubria. Vinicius wondering who that veiled woman could be is told it was Poppaea. Filled with disgust, Vinicius wishes to leave Rome.

Afterward, Petronius contemplates the trouble Vinicius is in. If Vinicius succumbs to Poppaea’s advances, Vinicius will be under Nero’s wrath. If he continues to resist Poppaea, he will be under Poppaea’s wrath. It would be safer for Vinicius to leave Rome altogether. In addition he plans to suggest to Nero that he expel all the Christians from Rome, and so Lygia would be away from Vinicius. Hoping to meet again with Lygia, Vinicius rejects leaving Rome. Despite Petroius explaining all the dangers around him, Vinicius can only think of finding Lygia. As it turns out, Chilo returns to Vinicius’ house and informs him he knows where Lygia is now. He could take her to this new house where she was staying with a priest named Linus. Passion took Vinicius again. He realized he could go to this house and seize her. But this would never allow Lygia to love him. He felt the tension again between his Roman consciousness and a Christian one. At that moment, Chilo standing before him disgusted him. He ordered that he be whipped with three hundred lashes. Begging, Chilo pleaded. But Vinicius’s Roman heart was unmoved and his slaves pulled Chilo away to be whipped. Chilo begged “in the name of Christ.” And while Chilo was being flogged, Vinicius repented, also “in the name of Christ.” When Chilo revived, Vinicius had him lead to the house where Lygia was staying.

At the house, Vinicius finds Miriam and her son, Peter, Glaucus, Crispus, and Paul. He greets them in the name of Christ. He explains to them that his love for Lygia has been a suffering, and that he cannot take her by force but through Christianity must have her love him. Christianity he explains has changed him. Though it be unnecessary to ask, he requests her hand in marriage through them. He acknowledges he has an incomplete understanding of the faith but is predisposed to accept it. He even sees thorough the misconception of Christianity bringing no joy of life. Peter especially is pleased and welcomes him. Lygia then arrives and is surprised to find Vinicius. Peter asks her if she loves Vinicius, and she says she does.

Together in a garden, Vinicius and Lygia express their love for each other and plan to marry. As they go over the events that led to their initial meeting and their final betrothal, Lygia points out it was the hand of Christ that had shaped the circumstances, and Vinicius agrees. He envisions them in the future living at his home in Rome. They plan the wedding and sit to eat with the others.

I think Chapter 33 is just about the midpoint of the novel, and there the conversion of Vinicius is completed. So the main thrust of the first half is to bring Vinicius from a young, Roman aristocrat and soldier to his conversion to Christianity. He is clearly the hero and central character of the novel. I am surprised to find that we see the Christianity from an outsider’s perspective. Sienkiewicz has done a superb job of credibly creating the ancient Roman consciousness and worldview and then looking at Christianity through that worldview, capturing both what would repulse the Romans about the Christians and what would make the pagan world attracted. And also he’s created a credible love story of what would seemingly be impossible two to bring together.

Thanks for this excellent synopsis!

Vinicius' conversion was so wonderfully written. It wasn't an instantaneous light switch, but an ongoing struggle with him toggling back and forth between the two sides of himself.

I also started to like Petronius more by this point. He was genuinely upset about the effect of Christianity on his nephew's state of mind.

Manny wrote: "I am surprised to find that we see the Christianity from an outsider’s perspective.”

Isn’t this the way most people encountered Christianity at the time? Very few at the time were born into the Christian faith. We get to discover and explore what is so special about the faith from the perspective of someone who truly has never encountered the Christian world view. That’s no small feat, since we’ve been so inculturated over the millennia we often no longer recognize many aspects of Western Culture originating in Christianity.

The decadence at the feast at the pond of Agrippa was masterfully done. The whole affair is so over the top that one gets repulsed by it, and that is long before the lascivious events of the evening.

Kerstin wrote: "Manny wrote: "I am surprised to find that we see the Christianity from an outsider’s perspective.”

Isn’t this the way most people encountered Christianity at the time? Very few at the time were born into the Christian faith. We get to discover and explore what is so special about the faith from the perspective of someone who truly has never encountered the Christian world view. That’s no small feat, since we’ve been so inculturated over the millennia we often no longer recognize many aspects of Western Culture originating in Christianity."

Yes, that is true an perhaps that is why Sienkiewicz wrote it that way. I was pondering if my approach to the subject would have gone that way. If I had sat down to write a novel where the early Christians are the subject I might have written it from the perspective of a Christian. The novel Ben-Hur is written from the perspective of a Jew who becomes Christian in Roman times. Sienkiewicz makes it work because Vinicius is so integrated into both worlds and converts over. If Sienkiewicz had written this from the perspective of say Petronius, for instance, I think it would have faced a lot of obstacles. I don't know if it then could have worked. You would not get a sympathetic view of the Christians.

Manny wrote: " If Sienkiewicz had written this from the perspective of say Petronius, for instance, I think it would have faced a lot of obstacles. I don't know if it then could have worked. You would not get a sympathetic view of the Christians."

I agree. Petronius has no reason to look at the Christians in any other way but as a group of people with strange and questionable beliefs. With Vinicius we have a young man in love who wants to know everything he can about Lygia and who she is. His heart is already open. When he finds out that the rumors peddled about the Christians are not true he is liberated to see and learn what this religion is all about.

I’m working on the next summary for those waiting. I should post it by either late tonight or tomorrow. I apologize for my tardiness. Too many things interfering.