S8 Ep887: In their final discourse by the Thames, Gaius and Germanicus explore the inescapable cultural legacy of Rome, noting its presence in modern architecture, law, and even the worship services of the New Testament. Gaius posits that Rome is "everywhere," f

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John Batchelor

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🗓️ 18 May 2026

⏱️ 12 minutes

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Summary

In their final discourse by the Thames, Gaius and Germanicus explore the inescapable cultural legacy of Rome, noting its presence in modern architecture, law, and even the worship services of the New Testament. Gaius posits that Rome is "everywhere," from the basilica-style churches of Connecticut to the very temperament of Western business. Germanicus offers a provocative thesis: as modern elites deconstruct Christian traditions, the United States is returning to a "traditional Roman coloration" defined by pre-Christian ruthlessness and a focus on raw power. This secular shift mirrors ancient Roman pragmatism, where the "hand on the shoulder" of moral constraint is replaced by a focus on ideology and statecraft. As the orchestra gathers and the centurions finish their third cups of wine, the speakers reflect on a world that is becoming "more Roman than ever," where power precedes all other human concerns. (3/3)
1849 CESARE MACCARRI.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Guyus, John Batchel, Germanicus, Markovaleos, and we're in Lundinian.
0:09.4	Beautiful spring evening.
0:11.8	And we're enjoying the mistakes of the 20th century.
0:15.2	Too much.
0:16.4	So I retreat from what if history and go to an observation that came up talking to a retired
0:24.4	a congregational pastor named Jop.
0:27.8	Following service at the St. Andrews Episcopalian Church in Kent, Connecticut.
0:33.1	It's been there for more than 250 years, many more. And the conversation came up. The pastor asked, why do you
0:43.2	talk about Rome? Why is Rome important? And I said, well, then I seen Creed, and he smiled.
0:52.8	That's the theological answer.
0:54.8	I was trained to seminary.
0:56.5	Then I went into the observation that we were sitting in a Roman room, that the worship
1:02.7	service takes place in an exact replica of the basilica built by the Roman Empire to administer government and law courts and trade
1:15.8	wherever we existed. Lundinium has a basilica just like that. And that our temperament,
1:23.7	our Bible, the New Testament. What is the New Testament?
1:27.8	What's the drama of the New Testament without Rome?
1:31.1	It's right there as the villain, as the culture, as the conqueror, as the overall empire,
1:39.5	right there in the New Testament, everywhere.
1:42.1	And of the synoptic gospels,
1:45.8	Luke and Matthew compete for writing about Rome
1:50.3	and especially about the way Roman law worked in Jerusalem
1:55.3	up against the rebellion of the Jews.
	...

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