During our examination of the foundations of western culture, we have wrestled with the questions, "What is a good human being? What is the good life?" Both Greeks and Romans were intensely interested in these questions. From Homer to Alexander to Horace, Arête-excellence-was central to Greek and Roman thought and debate. The western world has been deeply influenced by these thinkers.
This week, you have spent time reading and studying about these thinkers. This has allowed you to reach the first two categories of historical analysis-the Descriptive and the Interpretative. As the faith-integration model states, as Christians, we must move to the third level of analysis as well--the Evaluative. We must evaluate our historical findings with Christian Truth.
Using the lectures, historical readings and the Gospel of Matthew, compare and contrast the Christian concept of virtue and human excellence with the Greek and Roman concept. Be sure to make reference to the historical readings from this week such as Plato's Apology, the Allegory of the Cave, Horace's Odes, etc.
How does Jesus' teaching in the Gospel of Matthew define the good life and a good human being? How does it compare to the Greek and Roman understandings?