Part I: On the Creature Called Man, Chapter VIII: The End of the World Summary and Analysis

Though the good aspects of Roman paganism ought to be credited with the salvation of Europe from the demonic armies of Carthage, as Rome rose to prominence its paganism began to sink into immorality. Though the Roman and Greek cults shared certain similarities—many of the Roman gods were simply renamed versions of the Greek gods—they differed for a long time in certain moral attitudes. In short, the Romans were generally subdued and reserved while the Greeks had become almost lawless in their obedience to their passions. Gradually, this sensuality began to infect the Romans. Two causes can be assigned for this. First, Rome had lost touch with its agrarian roots. There...