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Mercy - Past. The ancients did not consider mercy to be a virtue. Polybius said this,
Mercy is the morbid condition of souls that feel an excess of misery. (Pilo, Josephus 144). Plutarch added,
Some philosophers criticize even mercy inspired by misfortunes, thinking it is good to help, but not to feel compassion. (De Tranquillitate Animmi 7) In the next quote, which comes from Nero, we discover once again that the ancients considered mercy to be an inferior emotion. Nero believed that mercy was an emotion resulting in action that men and women should not display. Here is the statement that Nero made in A.D. 67 when he granted the Greeks their freedom.
On this day it is not pity but only goodwill that makes me generous towards you. (Spicq, Ceslas. Theological Lexicon of the New Testament. Hendrickson. 1994) Roman history tells us that Roman fathers had the right and authority to murder a new born child. At its birth the father had the choice of allowing the child to live or die. According to Roman law, his actions were never subject to legal action or question. It was his decision. Mercy was missing in the Roman system of justice. John MacArthur makes this statement,
A popular Roman philosopher called mercy “the disease of the soul.” It was the supreme sign of weakness. Mercy was a sign that you did not have what it takes to be a real man and especially a real Roman. (MacArthur, John. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Matthew 1-7. Moody Press, p.188.) |
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