Catholic Thought discussion
Quo Vadis
>
Chapters 42 thru 49
date
newest »
newest »
Thank you for this great summary! Chilo was a great source of frustration for me up to this point. I mean, I expected vile behavior from Nero, Poppaea and Tigellinus, but opportunistic Chilo liked the Christians. I liked the way Petronius became so very protective of Vinicius, too.
Mod
These were such an intense set of chapters. The burning of Rome was so well described that it felt I was there. Nero wants to see a burning city so he can describe it better than Virgil’s description. But Nero’s description is a complete failure. But Sienkiewicz’s description in these chapters was truly magnificent, comparable to Virgil’s of Troy. So the irony is that Sienkiewicz does in the novel what Nero wanted to do but couldn’t.
Vinicius’s trek through the burning city for Lygia was a passion procession of suffering akin to Christ’s passion. He even offers himself in sacrifice. It was through this suffering that he earned his initiation into the faith.
Christian compassion is contrasted distinctly against the pagan looting and violence during the burning fire.
I found the drama of Nero’s court as they sought a fall man to blame for the fire just as intense as the description of the burning city. The power play between Tigellinus and Petronius was gripping as they vied for Nero’s approbation. It was a life and death battle.
The love of Petronius for his nephew is a rudimentary—or perhaps a better word would be natural—love akin to Christian love. It is love written in the heart according to natural law. He even puts himself at sacrificial risk of death for Vinicius. If I were to start reading the novel over, I would look for all the bonds of love that hold people together, and all those who like Nero or Poppaea reject those bonds. Chilo has many instances of building a relationship of mutual love and he rejects it. Could we look at the characters as receiving grace to cooperate with God’s love? Again I would look for implications of this on a second read. Vinicius’s conversion is built on the his love for Lygia. I think Peter’s words to Vinicius in chapter 47 is the central theme of the novel: “Love men as thy own brothers, for only with love mayest thou serve Him.”
Chilo is the Judas character. Interestingly Sienkiewicz is playing with a Roman sterotype about never trusting the Greeks. It goes back to Homer who used the Greek’s charade of the Trojan Horse to sack Troy. It continued through the Roman Empire, and indeed into the Middle Ages. During the Crusades, the Latin west routinely claimed the Greeks were untrustworthy. Chilo reminds me of the mestizo character who betrays the Whiskey Priest in Graham Greene’s The Power and the Glory. We read that just over two years ago in 2021 for those that participated in that read. That discussion is in our history boards.
Mod
Michelle, I think I responded to your comment within my thoughts on these chapters.
Manny wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Thank you for this great summary! Chilo was a great source of frustration for me up to this point. I mean, I expected vile behavior from Nero, Poppaea and Tigellinus, but opportuni..."You did indeed!
I hadn't thought of Chilo as a Judas character, but I see that now. Judas also must have cared for and liked his fellow apostles but still betrayed.
Mod
Kerstin wrote: "These are very gripping and intense chapters. The descriptions of the mass chaos were masterfully done."I was also very impressed with the realism in those chapters--very easy to imagine what that must have been like. I imagine it may have been very like the recent conflagration in Maui.
Upon hearing that Rome is ablaze, Vinicius gathers a few of his slaves and a horse and heads for Rome in the dark of night. While riding furiously and with great haste, his thoughts are with Lygia’s safety. He remembers things that Nero had said in court about trying to describe a burning city. He comes to the conclusion that Caesar had ordered the city to burn. The general traffic on the road is heading in the opposite direct, as people are trying to flee Rome. At one moment Vinicius prays to God, the God of the Christians, that if He saves Lygia he will offer himself in sacrifice. As he approaches the city he finds a detachment of praetorians and having a rank of tribune commands them to help him through the crowd. He meets a Senator, Junius, who tells him their homes are burnt, and that this is no ordinary fire but a deliberate one. Vinicius decides to go around the city to come through a different entrance.
When he approaches the wall at the Appian Way, masses of people have encamped or settled in some sort of shelter. People are trampling and fighting and robbing others. Gangs have formed to exploit and victimize refugees. All levels of society have become blurred and languages from all over the world could be heard. The city is burning so bright that the sky seems like daylight but smoke moving with the shifting winds adds to the chaos. The heat from the fire is overwhelming, and so Vinicius decides to head back out and down to the Trans-Tiber. He finds another detachment of soldiers and orders them to fight through the crowd. He is convinced that Nero has started the fire and needs to be overthrown, and he even imagines himself becoming emperor. The crowds at Trans-Tiber are in violent disorder, fighting with each other. His horse is wounded and so he jumps on foot and heads toward Linus’s house. The smoke and the heat are overwhelming but he perseveres. When he reaches Linus’s house, which had not burned, he calls for Lygia, but no one is home. Falling from exhaustion and his tunic smoldering, two men with water come to him. The two are Christians. Suddenly the familiar voice of Chilo comes before him. Chilo tells him he knows where Linus is staying.
The terrible light of a burning city fills the night sky. Fire spreads and starts anew in every neighborhood. Thousands of people are encamped or fleeing. Violence and looting is everywhere while others implore the gods for mercy. Hundreds of burnt bodies lay about. Hardly a family is unaffected; women could be heard screaming in despair, and people do not know where to run. The fire continues to rage and spread, and the city has turned into pandemonium.
Macrinus, one of the Christians who had saved Vinicius, tells him that Linus and the other Christians have gone to Ostrianum. This meant that most of the Christians had been saved from the fire, and he hurries toward Ostrianum. With two mules, he and Chilo go around the city to minimize the clutter from the crowds. Still it is difficult and the conflagration beyond them looks like the end of the world. Vinicius asks Chilo where he was when the fire broke out, and Chilo says by the Circus Maximus, “meditating on Christ.” Chilo tells him that he saw Lygia and the other Christians in Ostrianum before the fire. With suspicion, Vinicius asked him what was he doing there, and Chilo claims he is half Christian now, and the Christians were giving him food. Through the hills, and away from the Jews who had been persecuting the Christians, Chilo leads Vinicius to the Christians where he finds them kneeling and singing hymns. He finds the congregation in prayer and in expectation of Christ’s return as judge. When a roar shakes the earth, the congregation falls to their knees, and at that moment Peter walks in. With Peter’s reassuring words, a calmness pervades, and Vinicius falls to Peter’s knees in supplication.
The city continues to crumble under the flames, and the fire rages further. Tigellinus has been sent to Rome to do what he could. He has houses torn down to try to halt the spreading fire. Whole neighborhoods are destroyed and so are food provisions. Hunger is beginning to spread through the refugees. Tigellinus organizes food to be brought in, but fights start by those trying to loot it. Days continue with thick smoke in the air; the fire is still uncontrolled. Tigellinus sends word to Nero to come since the fire is still a spectacle, and Nero decides to delay so that he could enter at night to better see the fury of the fire. All the while Nero is composing lines of verse describing the burning city. Some of the people along the way cheer him, but most curse him. Clothed in his actor’s wardrobe, he sings his versus to the crowd, and though unmoved by the tragic circumstances of the masses before him, he is delighted with his performance. Both Petronius and Seneca counsel him that he needs to pacify the people. Petronius volunteers to speak to the rabble. After he quiets the crowd, he promises them that Caesar will provide food and games for everyone.
With Peter’s calming words and the fire, while not burnt out, at least ceasing to advance, the Christians return to their temporary dwellings. Vinicius and Chilo follow Peter toward Linus’s house, but Chilo in possession of the mules is directed to take them back to Macrinus. On the way Vinicius asks Peter what else he must do to be ready for baptism, and Peter says “Love men as thy own brothers, for only with love mayest thou serve Him.” As the two approach Linus’s house, Vinicius spots Ursus and Lygia, who is preparing to cook fish. They embrace in another reunion. (How many reunions are we up to now, four?) They exchange informal marriage vows, per the Roman custom. Vinicius then turns to the others and advises to seek safety. Mobs are killing people within the city and Nero may bring troops to establish order. Peter gives permission for others to escape Rome but he must stay with his sheep, the Christians.
Meanwhile back at Rome, it has been a six days and provisions have begun to come in to at least feed the encamped masses. But robbery and violence is still unchecked. The fire is still burning in places, but at least the night sky no longer reflects blood red. The provisions did not appease the masses as they continued to curse Caesar. Of the aristocracy, only Petronius continues to be respected. At Caesar’s court, the aristocrats look to deflect blame for the fire, but to deflect blame from themselves they must also clear Nero. Petronius advises that Nero keep his planned trip to Greece to get out until the Roman anger has subsided. Tigellinus advises the opposite; the Roman senate might declare another emperor. Nero declares that to satisfy vengeance, a victim must be provided. He looks about the room for volunteers. Tigellinus suggests that the Pretorian guard would avenge aristocratic deaths, which shuts Nero up. Just when Nero agrees to go to Greece, Poppaea and Tigellinus propose to blame the Christians. Their deaths can be a spectacle for the public’s blood revenge. In this Petronius saw the danger to his beloved nephew and risks his very life to propose otherwise. He says the truth is the truth and Nero will be blamed by history not just for the fire but for cowardice to live up to it. Tigellinus jumps on this and points Petronius as a traitor. All the aristocrats call to punish Petronius, but Nero holds his hand.
Later, Tigellinus leads Nero over to Poppaea’s section of the palace. With her are two rabbis and Chilo. The rabbis and Chilo agree that the Christians are enemies of the state and started the fire. Chilo speaks of how the philosophy of the Christians leads them exterminate all people and destroy the earth. He gives details how they had done him wrong, particularly one named Glaucus, and how he has now been acquainted with their chief priests. He speaks of how Christians kill children to sprinkle their blood in ceremonies and how they bewitched Nero’s daughter into illness and death. He tells them that Vinicius has become a Christian through Lygia. Tigellinus adds that perhaps Petronius is a Christian too. Chilo tells them he can lead them to where they are all hiding and all their places of worship. Tigellinus proposes to have nephew and uncle immediately killed, but Nero says not now. Chilo is given soldiers to round up the Christians.