Quo Vadis -- Christian Persecution
On July 28, 2004, we were assigned to watch a movie called, "Quo Vadis," which re-enacted the happenings in the time of Nero and the persecutions of Christians. On this, we were assigned to comment on three different aspects of the film: (1) the portrayal of Nero, (2) the portrayal of Christians or Christianity, and lastly, (3) the portrayal of the persecutions. In the movie, we see Nero as that person who may never have known anything except how to sing off-key tunes. He is seen as the vain, whiny, ignorant monster of an emperor who would do anything, even burn the whole city, to have what he wants. While this may be true, I believe that the film portrayed only the bad qualities he has because Nero was also a great emperor in his early years. Two of Nero's qualities include modesty and sophistication. Brought up in an environment where people kill and deceive each other to get what they want, Nero behaved quite otherwise. In fact, early in his reign, Nero hated signing death sentences and had forbidden contests that included bloodshed. He also granted the Senate more control than they originally had. When the Senate returned thanks to him, he replied, "When I shall have deserved them ." More of his contributions to
It was funny and a little mushy, but it conveyed the message that those times were of great grief. His vanity as a poet, as a singer, as a lyre player and as an actor led him to do unnecessary actions like the burning of the city (which is implied in the movie). That was enough to put them in grief, and then finding out that they were being blamed for something they had nothing to do with, I would say that they were strong. Lygia loved Marcus, but not in the brotherly way that the Scripture implied. " In the movie, though, the "loving your enemies," part could have easily been read differently by an unbeliever and the "pray for those who persecute you," part was not really shown, but said in some parts. I was actually expecting it to be a black-and-white documentary that would be very boring but it proved me wrong. I actually like how they showed this in the movie because it showed the Christian's peace and trust in God. Families lost each other left and right so that the non-Christians could laugh about it and at the same time get their revenge for their destroyed houses. Besides, it is not impossible that they only wore the clothes because of the cold weather or because it camouflaged them amidst the darkness. If it is true that Nero ordered the city to be burned, then I would say that the persecutions were much too extreme. I would have collapsed at the idea that my father would be whipped twenty-four-seven while my brother is being crucified and my mother and sister fed to the lions. When he realized that he could do anything without instituting fear of retribution, Nero began to give rein to extreme artistic pretensions. In fact, even if he did not do the order, harsh would still be an understatement. For his artistic talents to be recognized, he went to do the extremes, doing the things he wanted when he wanted it.
Common topics in this essay:
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Christians Besides,
I'm God,
Peter Christians,
Quo Vadis,
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