Suetonius

Suetonius, friend of senator Pliny the Younger who thought of him as a "quiet and studious, a man dedicated to writing." Trajan granted him the ius trium liberorum even though his marriage was childless. As secretary of studies, director of Imperial archives, and became the Emperor Hadrian's secretary until dismissed because of an affair with the empress Sabina.

Suetonius

Suetonius, in full Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, (born 69 CE, probably Rome [Italy]—died after 122), Roman biographer and antiquarian whose writings in Latin include De viris illustribus (“Concerning Illustrious Men”), a collection of short biographies of celebrated Roman literary figures, and De vita Caesarum (Lives of the Caesars).

In politics, Suetonius describes Caligula as vicious, cruel, and self-absorbed throughout his life to both those of the senatorial class and his close allies alike. While this was true about others like Domitian Suetonius did display a biases sympathy to the Senatorial elite.

Moral breakdown

Suetonius could see the worst of the political corruption and authoritarian abuses of the most powerful but also wrote about Agrippina's incestuous activities with her brother Caligula during his reign (Suet. Calig. 24.1) and Nero's desire for his own mother. But seeing the subtle alterations in cultures is often more difficult to recognize as the thinking of the people changes.

The Roman family which had been the moral fabric of society. It had entwined the lives the Roman people through social bonds of virtue. But because of a growing excess of pride and greed throughout the generations the masses had been degenerating for over a century.

What was causing this decay and rot of the moral degeneration of the once great nation?

What was done and what should have been done?

Forcing the heart

"In a state where corruption abounds, laws must be very numerous." Publius Tacitus

The Lex Papia et Poppaea was introduced in Roman law in 9 AD to strengthen the social bonds of marriage. There were provisions against adultery and it even restricted the practice of celibacy in older men. They were facing population collapse for the very reasons Polybius had described in detail concerning the Roman society's devolvement from the Libera res publica free from tyranny into an indirect democracy a Socialist State establishing again despotism, chaos, and tyranny.

"Lawsuit upon lawsuit had accumulated in all the courts to an excessive degree, since those of long standing were left unsettled though the interruption of court business..."

Despite the warning of men like Tacitus that, "The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government" there were those who continued to make laws to contain the corruption found growing in the heart and mind of the people:

These feeble legislative attempts to shore up the damage done by their public feasts of legal charity were a continuation of earlier new statutes passed by Augustus Caesar in 18 BC. The Lex Julia de maritandis ordinibus 27 years earlier had already almost required every citizen to marry to fulfill their civil duty.

Lex Julia de maritandis ordinibus had also limited marriage across social class boundaries but set limitations on the rise in concubinage by prohibiting inheritance to its offspring and there by encouraged the bearing of children within legal marriage. Was Rome concerned that "strange wives" were the problem contributing the moral breakdown?

The wealth of individuals grew in Rome under the freedom of the Republic but not always at the expense of personal labor. Julius Caesar after leaving the priesthood to become a general would plunder the neighbors of Rome to enrich their own temples and fill their tables with the dainties provided by the blood of others.

"Many who seem to be struggling with adversity are happy; many, amid great affluence, are utterly miserable." Publius Tacitus.

Julius Caesar had also passed reforms with his ‎Lex Julia de repetundis back in 59 BC when he was repeating the basic principles and moralities of the Roman character. Evidently he was missing something by relying on his legislation. Those who wanted to prosecute him for war crimes could not be heard over the clamor to eat at his public feasts.

Julius Caesar would eventually have to pass the Lex Julia municipalis 14 years later in an attempt to reduce the corruption in government institutions while at the same time the social bonds of society degenerated the masses.

What was the the critical precepts of the God and the kingdom of God were the Caesars missing? What was the distinctions between the practices of Abraham, Moses, and the prophets?

What was the gospel of John the Baptist and Jesus who was the Christ and how was it different from the world of the Caesars?

The mention of Chrestus

Suetonius might be mentioning Jesus Christ when he wrote:

"Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus(similar "Christos"), he, [Emperor Claudius] expelled them from Rome." Lives of the Twelve Caesars by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus.

This was in the biography of the Emperor Claudius Divus Claudius, which refers to agitations in the Roman Jewish community and the expulsion of Jews from Rome by Claudius during his reign (AD 41 to AD 54), which may be the expulsion mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles 18:2.

Tertullian wrote of Nero being the first Emperor to murder Christians: "We read the lives of the Cæsars: At Rome Nero was the first who stained with blood the rising faith" Tertullian, Chapter XV. He depended upon the writings of Suetonius to make this comment.

In Nero 16, Suetonius writes of executive orders signed by the Emperator Nero to maintain public order. He halted chariot races because there was belief the drivers were cheating which lead to riots. Also there were forms of lockdowns that affected serving of cooked foods in taverns and the distribution of public welfare(Public banquets, such as the civic feasts offered for all of the inhabitants of a city or epulum a "public feast").

In these orders there were punishment for Christians listed:

"During his reign many abuses were severely punished and put down, and no fewer new laws were made: a limit was set to expenditures; the public banquets were confined to a distribution of food; the sale of any kind of cooked viands in the taverns was forbidden, with the exception of pulse and vegetables, whereas before every sort of dainty was exposed for sale. Punishment was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition. He put an end to the diversions of the chariot drivers, who from immunity of long standing claimed the right of ranging at large and amusing themselves by cheating and robbing the people. The pantomimic actors and their partisans were banished from the city."

Why Persecute Christians

Christians are mentioned in Suetonius' biography of the Emperor Nero (Nero 16) as among those persecuted by him around AD 64 which was the year of the Great Fire of Rome. In this passage Suetonius describes Christianity and its excessive religiosity using the term superstitio as do others like Tacitus and Pliny.

At first there was little distinction between Christians and Jews prior to Nerva's modification of the Fiscus Judaicus in AD 96.

What is the source and cause of their contempt, bias, and bigotry toward Christians?

If we understand that writers like Suetonius and Tacitus had a bias for the Senate who were the Consctipi Patri, Conscripted Fathers, and Christians would call no man father upon the earth because of the directive of their King who they called the Son of God instead of Caesar, the foundation for a Christian conflict was there from the beginning.

Religio et superstitio

It has been reported that Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the Younger, once said "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful." Atheists and anti-religion factions love to quote him but I find no evidence that he ever did actually say or write this statement as we read it.

In fact, he makes a distinction between the two Latin words that are each sometimes translated as “religion”. One is “riligio” which he regarded as virtue and “superstitio” which he believed became a vice.

"... religio denotes the pious and sound worship of the gods, whereas superstitio stands for instrumental worship as a result of unreasoning fear."

"religio becomes “obligation”, an objective bond between the believer and his God."

"But it was the enlightened view, the philosophic view of the rationalizing Romans which dissociated religio ‘religious scruple’, authentic worship, from superstitio, a degraded and perverted form of religion." Chapter 7: Religion and Superstition

The Ionic Greek term thrēskeíē is unknown in Attic Greek appearing in the first century B.C. a complex system of beliefs and practices can be considered religion as in the performance of a duty.

Seneca did write, “...just as religion does honour to the gods, while superstition wrongs them, so good men will all display mercy and gentleness,...”

He went on to connect religion with duty like the weightier matters of Christ and the whole list of Social virtues that appear in true fellowship described by Paul and the apostles who considered faith with out the works was dead. Seneca points out that it is avarice that degenerates society:

“ ...[Philosophy’s] sole function is to discover the truth about things divine and things human. From her side religion never departs, nor duty, nor justice, nor any of the whole company of virtues which cling together in close-united fellowship. Philosophy has taught us to worship that which is divine, to love that which is human; she has told us that with the gods lies dominion, and among men, fellowship. This fellowship remained unspoiled for a long time, until avarice tore the community asunder and became the cause of poverty, even in the case of those whom she herself had most enriched. For men cease to possess all things the moment they desire all things for their own.”

Superstition is a belief in the mind, an ideology, while religion is the performance of a duty and pure Religion is the performance of that duty unspotted by the men and means of the world who exercise authority.

A New cult

A cult included the doing and performing of tasks, duties and obligations.

Cicero explained ‘Those who rehandled (retractarent) diligently and so to speak relegerent all the things which relate to the worship of the gods, were called religiosi from relegere, like elegantes from eligere and diligentes from diligere. All these words have in fact the same sense of legere as religiosus.’

Suetonius can speak of 'Christians' as members of a new cult that was doing contrary to the Imperial Cult of Rome. Those who had become accustomed to funding their temples with the immoral practices forcing the contributions of others, counted as strangers, so that some could continue to live at the expense of others had their conscience seared.

Public Cults

Romans, like the first Americans, in their early history, in their youth as a nation had considered taxing others for their personal benefit or gain as an immoral practice.

In the days of the Libera res publica of early Rome there was no Imperial Cult of Rome but there was social virtues and the “Summum Bonum”.

Polybius had, centuries earlier, warned Rome and us of the consequences to the masses who engage in such covetous practices. Plutarch had also warned that those benefits and dainties destroy liberty. David, Paul, all the Prophets to say nothing of Proverbs explained that such systems of social welfare would be a snare.

Jesus said such covetous systems like the Corban of Herod and the pharisees made the word of God to none effect.

Suetonius, Tacitus, FDR, and modern Christians did not or do not see that those benefits were and are not only the wages of unrighteousness but they erode the social bonds required to maintain freedom and even their liberties.

It was the system of religion fostered by the Romans that brought the seed of corruption, first to the heart and mind of the people and then to their governors, rulers and despots. They knew that religion was a way to fulfil a duty to God or gods and their fellow man but it was the means and the method that would eat away at the soul of society and sear their conscience.

The distinction was the unwillingness of some to sign up for the social welfare systems of legal charity run through the temples of Rome because because they had instituted the rule of force and covetous practices and therefore were seen as idolatry.

People of the past
Cain | Nimrod | Melchizedek | Abraham | Pharaoh | Moses |
Buddha | Philo Judaeus‎ | Epicurus | Polybius | Plutarch |
Caesars
Emperators | Caesar | Julius Caesar |
Augustus Caesar | Tiberius |
Caligula | Claudius | Nero |
Galba | Otho | Vitellius | Vespasian |
Titus | Domitian | Trajan |
Hadrian | Antoninus Pius |
Marcus Aurelius | Vespian |
Diocletianic Persecution |
Seneca | Stoic | Marcus Tullius Cicero | Celsus | Tacitus | Suetonius | Ignatius of Antioch |
Philo Judaeus‎ - Philo of Alexandria | Herod | John the Baptist |
Jesus the Christ | Diotrephes | Paul the Apostle |
Justin the Martyr | Hippolytus of Rome (200 AD) |
Theophilus | Origen | Jerome | Augustine of Hippo |
Constantine | Ambrose | Eusebius | Eustathius |
Allocutio ad imperatorem Constantinum |
Athanasius | Athenagoras of Athens |
Augustine of Canterbury | Lady Godiva | Thomas Aquinas | Thomas Moore | John Wycliffe‎ |
James Madison | Thomas Jefferson | Patrick Henry | Isaac Backus |
Henry David Thoreau | Ralph Waldo Emerson | Frederic Bastiat |
Alexis de Tocqueville | David Crockett |
Booker T Washington | George Washington Carver |
Becamp | Charles Guignebert | Friedrich Nietzsche | Emma Goldman | Edward Mandell House | Woodrow Wilson | FDR | LBJ | Friedrich Niemöller | Norman Dodd | Archibald MacLeish | Harry Browne | Admiral Ben Moreell |