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Epoch Times
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
‘Eclogue IV': Virgil's Mysterious Prophecy
The Roman poet Virgil (70 B.C.–19 B.C.) is best known for writing the epic poem 'The Aeneid,' but he also wrote a series of pastoral and political poems called ' The Eclogues ' (sometimes 'The Bucolics'). The poems sing mostly of idyllic rural life among the burnished fields, flower-speckled meadows, and winding orchards, with the occasional intrusion of the political discord that was occurring at the end of the first century B.C. 'The Eclogues,' a term meaning 'selections,' feature mostly herdsmen, speaking to one another and engaging in songs that echo through the countryside. The songs sometimes deal with the confiscation of their land due to the political upheaval of the time.
Los Angeles Times
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Review: The Aeneid by Vergil
The Aeneid by Vergil is a Roman epic that follows the journey of Aeneas, a Trojan warrior who escapes the destruction of Troy and sets out to find a new homeland in Italy. Guided by fate and the gods, Aeneas faces numerous trials, including storms at sea, battles, and personal losses. Along the way, he visits the underworld, learns about Rome's future greatness, and ultimately sacrifices his desires for the greater good of founding a new civilization. The epic blends heroism, duty, and divine will, portraying Aeneas as a model of Roman virtues like loyalty, piety, and perseverance. This book was truly a magnificent classic and well-written, despite it only being fan fiction of Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey . It provides a parallel viewpoint of the Trojan War, as Vergil was a Roman while Homer was Greek. The Aeneid in itself has no exact reference to Homer's epics, but rather, provides a Roman point of view to rebuild the destroyed dignity of the Romans. It provides a variety of accounts as to what happened on both sides of the Trojan War, cancelling out the concept of history being written by the winners. It gave me a sense of wisdom and perception, as I initially perceived the Romans as a weak empire, having been destroyed from the inside and out by the Greeks. However, The Aeneid provided me with the enemy perspective, or the under-heard group, which would be the losers of war. While this book may be a classic, there are many elements I did not like about this epic. As mentioned, it was essentially fan fiction of Homer's tales, and there were many parts that Vergil either mocked or mimicked Homer. Vergil barely built on his own ideas, and basically copied all of Homer's main roots of the stories and applied them to his. From this, some parts were hard to follow with strange references and repetitive elements from other epics. Additionally, the stories felt like propaganda, as he was just trying to persuade readers that the Romans, despite losing the war, were still dignified, strong people through the character Aeneas. For modern youth, The Aeneid offers powerful lessons about responsibility, resilience, and finding one's purpose. Like Aeneas, many young people are in the process of discovering who they are and what they are meant to do in life. Aeneas's journey teaches that personal struggles and sacrifices are often necessary for long-term goals and the benefit of others. His sense of putting duty over personal happiness can inspire teens to think about their own values and the impact of their actions. The epic's themes of identity, leadership, and destiny continue to resonate as young people navigate their own paths in an ever-changing world. Related
NDTV
08-05-2025
- General
- NDTV
How Popes Choose Their Names And What's Its Significance
When white smoke billows from the Sistine Chapel and the words "Habemus Papam" (We have a pope) echo across St Peter's Square, the Catholic Church gets its new leader. But even before he steps onto the balcony, one crucial decision is already made: his name. Choosing a new name is the pope's first public act. From Francis to Benedict, John Paul to Pius, papal names carry stories of reform and transformation. The pope's chosen name isn't just a preference or a nod to a favourite saint. It is often the first message to the world about who he intends to be, the legacy he honours, and the direction he hopes to steer the Church. History Of Papal Name Changes For the first 500 years, popes retained their birth names. The practice of adopting a new name began with Pope John II in 533, born Mercurius. He changed his name to avoid the pagan connotations associated with Mercury, the Roman god. The last pope to keep his birth name was Marcellus II in 1555. Over time, adopting a papal name became customary, with most popes choosing names of predecessors or saints they wished to emulate. The most popular papal names have been John, Gregory, Benedict, Clement, and Innocent. How Does A Pope Choose His Name? There are no formal rules governing how a pope selects his name. Joshua McManaway, assistant professor at Notre Dame's McGrath Institute for Church Life, told The Pillar, "There are very few rules for the man at the top, so they're allowed to choose what they want." While popes have freedom in choosing their names, there's an unwritten tradition. No pope has taken the name "Peter II." This is likely out of reverence for St Peter, the first pope appointed by Christ. Mr McManaway said, "I suspect it is humility or perhaps even because one does not want to compare oneself to the one pope we know Christ chose himself." Not all popes choose their names based on past pontiffs. Pope Pius II, who led from 1458 to 1464, picked his name because he loved books. His real name was Enea Silvio Piccolomini, and he chose "Pius" after a character named Aeneas in a famous poem, 'The Aeneid', who was called "pious Aeneas." Another example is Pope Julius II. He first wanted to be called "Formosus II". "Formosus" means "handsome" in Latin. The cardinals, however, advised against it, so he went with "Julius II" instead. There is something odd about the numbering of popes named John. In 1958, Pope John XXIII was elected, but there was never a Pope John XX. This mix-up happened because of confusion in old records, including mistakes and the counting of some fake popes (called antipopes). So now, the official list says there have been 21 Popes named John, even though number 20 is missing. Why Pope Francis Chose His Name In 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became pope and chose the name "Francis," inspired by St Francis of Assisi. It was a big deal since no pope had picked a completely new name in over 1,000 years, not since Pope Lando in 914. Pope Francis later said he was moved by Cardinal Claudio Hummes, who hugged him after his election and said, "Don't forget the poor." That made him think of St Francis of Assisi, who is known for living simply and caring for the poor.
The Guardian
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Henry Gibbs painting looted by Nazis to be returned to Jewish art dealer's family
A 17th-century painting by Henry Gibbs that was looted by the Nazis and has been in the Tate collection in the UK for the past 31 years is to be returned to the descendants of a Jewish art collector. Aeneas and his Family Fleeing Burning Troy was stolen by the Nazis from a gallery in Antwerp, Belgium, after its owner, Samuel Hartveld, was forced to flee in May 1940, eight months after the start of the second world war. It will be returned to Hartveld's great-grandchildren after a decision by the Spoliation Advisory Panel, which considers claims regarding Nazi-looted artworks now in a UK public collection. The 1654 painting depicts scenes from The Aeneid, a poem telling the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The painting shows Aeneas trying to rescue his family from the burning city. Chris Bryant, the arts minister, said the return of the painting was the 'perfect example' of what the panel was intended to do – 'helping to reunite families with their most treasured possessions that were looted by the Nazis'. Since the independent panel was established by the government in 2000 it has received 23 claims, with 14 works returned to the heirs of their former owners. When Hartveld, a successful art dealer, and his wife, Clara Meiboom, fled Antwerp for New York, they were forced to leave behind treasured possessions. The Henry Gibbs painting was one of 66 in his flourishing gallery in the city. The couple's son, Adelin Hartveld, remained in Belgium and joined the resistance. He was caught and later executed by the Nazis. Hartveld and his wife survived the war, but the collector was never reunited with his paintings. Most were looted and sold by the German authorities, and some are now believed to be in galleries across Europe after changing hands several times. The Henry Gibbs painting was bought by the Tate collection from Galerie Jan de Maere in Brussels. Two of Hartveld's three great-grandchildren submitted a claim for restitution in May 2024 via a trust set up in the name of their mother, Sonia Klein. The panel's report said: 'The legal and moral claims to restitution of this painting by the great-grandchildren and heirs of Samuel Hartveld, who was forced to flee his homeland, leaving behind his property, books and art collection, are obvious. The property, library and the paintings in his gallery were looted as an act of racial persecution.' The panel said Tate had not disputed the claim, and its response had been 'open and honourable'. Maria Balshaw, Tate's director, said: 'It is a profound privilege to help reunite this work with its rightful heirs … Although the artwork's provenance was extensively investigated when it was acquired in 1994, crucial facts concerning previous ownership of the painting were not known.' The trustees of the Sonia Klein Trust said: 'This decision clearly acknowledges the awful Nazi persecution of Samuel Hartveld and that the 'clearly looted' painting belonged to Mr Hartveld, a Jewish Belgian art collector and dealer.'
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Democrats rage over their leaders' impotence
'If I cannot move heaven, I will raise hell.' So wrote the Roman poet Virgil in his epic poem, 'The Aeneid.' At the moment, congressional Democrats can't move heaven, and they are not raising hell either. And polls show that raising hell is precisely what their voters want Democrats in Washington to do. Sixty-five percent of Democrats told an NBC News poll last week that they want congressional Democrats to raise hell in opposition to President Trump and 'stick to their positions even if that means not getting things done in Washington.' People who voted for Democrats are tired of hearing comedian Bill Maher quip that a mule symbolizes Democrats because 'it's the other thing that just stands there when you beat it.' That too-close-to-the-truth humor brings us to the case of Senate Minority Leader Charles 'Chuck' Schumer (D-N.Y.). He just voted for a Trump-backed plan to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year. It will keep the government open, but it also gives Trump more power to slash government programs. Why did Schumer run away when he should have stood up to Trump's power grab? Without congressional approval, Trump is already wildly firing federal workers, shutting down federal agencies and pulling federal funding. Schumer decided it was best to go with Trump's power grab and keep the government open. The fury from Democrats nationally was so intense that Schumer had to cancel stops on his book tour. 'If we ended up in a shutdown, three weeks from now people would come to me and say, 'They just cut off my Medicaid,' 'They just got rid of my veteran's benefits,'' Schumer explained. 'Then they'd say to me, 'Why did you let the shutdown happen?'' But that explanation is not quieting the rage. The dean of congressional Democrats, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), fueled the fire: 'I myself don't give away anything for nothing,' Pelosi told reporters in a not-so-subtle swipe at Schumer. 'It's unforgivable that Democrats didn't… let the chips fly,' said podcaster Scott Galloway. That kind of rage against Schumer remains widespread. But did he make a strategic error? In a government shutdown, Trump would have gained broad power to label millions of government employees as 'non-essential,' and then fire them. Schumer saw Trump's ploy and stopped it. With the government remaining open, Schumer is betting Trump and congressional Republicans will bear responsibility for any fallout as Americans begin complaining about Trump slashing the federal workforce and hammering spending on programs for the elderly and needy. Also, it is a fact that the party forcing a shutdown typically pays a political price. That would have hurt Democrats' efforts to win a Senate majority next year. So I'd argue that as a matter of political strategy, the pragmatic Schumer made the right move. But that does little to mitigate the rage among Democrats. Schumer once saw John Boehner (R-Ohio) make a similar move and be consumed by the fire. The former Republican House Speaker once made a deal with Democrats to keep the government open under President Obama. Boehner's caucus soon forced him to step down. The same fallout now threatens Schumer. 'Let me just say it's important for people to know when it's time to go,' Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said last week when asked about the 74-year-old Schumer. 'We're going to have conversations…about all the [party's] leadership.' The anger that is splitting Democrats crosses the lines of generation, region and race. Thirty-five-year-old Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is already being urged to mount a primary challenge to Schumer for his U.S. Senate seat in 2028. Eighty-three-year-old Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont socialist, is creating a sharp contrast with Schumer by traveling nationwide on a 'Stop Oligarchy' tour. Sanders is firing up packed auditoriums, some in red states, by attacking Trump and the 'millionaires and billionaires,' working with Trump. Seventy-seven-year-old Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) showed the same willingness to take the fight to Trump when he stood during Trump's televised address to Congress and shouted that no one elected Trump to cut Medicaid and Social Security. His cane-shaking display earned Green a police escort out of the House Chamber, a congressional censure and an effort to boot him from his committee assignments. It also earned him respect from a lot of Democrats who want to see someone fire back at Trump. The same political podcasts and talk shows that excoriated Schumer quickly lionized Green. And they delighted in noting that Republican Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), was only reprimanded, not censured, by Republicans for heckling President Obama during an address. Forty-three-year-old Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) is another rising star among Democrats looking for a champion to take on Trump. She is all over television warning that Trump is trying to cut federal programs for the poor to pay for tax cuts for the rich. I come back to podcaster Galloway. He contrasted Schumer's willingness to vote with Republicans with former GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell's (R- Ky.) hard-nosed opposition to Senate Democrats under President Obama. 'I think we should have channeled Mitch McConnell, who has bested and beat the s— out of Charles Schumer every round for 15 million rounds running,' he said. 'It's an enormous strategic error.' Honestly, if McConnell were leading the Democrats, do you think he would have caved? Juan Williams is senior political analyst for Fox News Channel and a prize-winning civil rights historian. He is the author of the new book 'New Prize for these Eyes: the Rise of America's Second Civil Rights Movement.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
