Question:  Dear Greg,

            The movie “Gladiator” captured a lot of attention and the Academy Award.  I saw the movie and felt for the main character as a victim of a wicked world in which he lived.  There was also a hint of the afterlife in which he is transported to an idyllic world with his wife and young son who were killed by the wicked son of the old emperor Marcus Aurelius.  The movie took some literal figures from the ancient Roman Empire and transformed them into an interesting story of betrayal and revenge.

            My question is did the Romans understand heaven or were they only dreaming of an idyllic world in the midst of the chaos and treachery of the Roman world?

            David

Answer:  Dear David,

            I also saw the movie, and as a Christian wished that the plight of the Christians in ancient Rome could have been more of a focus.  It is true that “religion” played a role, with the mention of the Elysian Fields, as you mentioned, and with Maximus praying to Roman gods.

            On the other hand, the movie was a great example of the fact that God has created humans to be creatures of faith.  “Gladiator” shows that humans are going to have faith in something, it’s just a matter of what that something turns out to be.

            The Romans did not have a Christian perspective of heaven, but rather their view of the afterlife was the Elysian Fields, an afterlife utopia they borrowed, like most of their worship, from Greek mythologies and Greek gods.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht