Book 5, Letter 14 - Cicero, on the nature of the Gods

Dear Cicero,

It is an easy mistake, to think that the religious beliefs of the ancient world were without critical scepticism. Your own keen sense of reality prevented you from accepting on faith everything that your society believed, and your writings on the nature of the Gods shows a deeply considered theological perspective that loses none of its relevancy even after 2000 years.

I wonder how deep an influence the Elusinian mysteries had on you, and how far your participatory experience in that ritual went in informing your personal beliefs about the nature of divinity. Modern scientists have been able to show definitively that the sacred drink given to all participants was Ergot, the fungus that formed the basis for the creation of the modern hallucinogen LSD.

Your feeling that the universe itself is intelligent, and that that intelligence is in fact the true nature of God, is a conclusion reached by many moderns who have consumed similar substances. But while in the modern world, such experiences are labelled hallucinations, and generally dismissed as fantasy, in your world Cicero, such experiences as the Elusinian Mystery rites were central to the religious beliefs and practices of people all over the Mediterranean region. Beliefs that influenced daily life across all levels of society.

I'm not judging anything to be good or bad, beneficial or harmful. I'm just fascinated.

With gratitude and respect,

Morgan.

 

Book 5, Letter 13 - The Trial of Socrates

 

Dear Cicero,

At a cafe today, I was speaking with the waitress who brought my coffee. She was explaining the linguistic peculiarities of Pliny the younger, due to the manner in which he formed ... uh, actually, I was listening, but my total ignorance of Latin grammar meant that I did not really understand. The point she was making though, is that Pliny's letters, in Latin, are particularly long, due to his style of writing. I was just delighted to be listening to someone talking of the ancient world. We have also been chatting about Jane Austen, and George Elliot.

At her recommendation, I have begun reading Pliny's letters, and having only recently finished reading Suetonius' Twelve Caesars, I am delighted by how nice Pliny seems. The Twelve Caesars, by comparison, is a catalogue of madmen and tyrants, with very few examples of humanity. Pliny however, presents a very different picture, an admirable picture of what a Roman member of the elite might be like.

As I read these books from the ancient world, a great part of my delight is in learning of the heroic and noble men and women, and the moral lessons that their stories convey. Tonight, I am reading to you from Plato's book concerning the trial of Socrates.

Socrates, a man who needs no introduction. A man who, more than 2000 years after his death, still inspires people with his manner of living and speaking.

A bit like you, Cicero...

with gratitude and respect

Morgan.