Beware the Ides of March

Beware the Ides of March

For the Romans, the 15th (or sometimes the 13th) of every month was called the “Ides,” marking the full moon.  Today is the Ides of March.

On this day in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of Senators led by his friend Brutus, who was trying to preserve the Roman Republic by killing the man who was turning Rome into an empire.  The action only delayed briefly the fall of the republic.  (We tend to fixate on the fall of the Roman empire, but we need to worry more about parallels with the fall of the Roman republic.)

See Ides of March – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

So this Roman centurion goes into a bar and orders a martinus.  The bartender asks, “Do you mean a martini?”  The centurion says, “Look, if I wanted a double I’d tell you!”

Let us observe the Ides of March with Latin jokes, reasons why Latin should be taught in school, parallels with the transition from republic to empire, predictions of doom, or whatever else seems appropriate.

"United Church of Christ, Congregational. We were very much into the creeds, though not as ..."

How C. S. Lewis Helped Make ..."
"What denomination was that, if you don't mind me asking? I remember when we visited ..."

How C. S. Lewis Helped Make ..."
"I grew up in the Disciples of Christ denomination. We sang the Christmas songs, of ..."

How C. S. Lewis Helped Make ..."
"Should I thank you yer, or is it still too early? :)"

The Legacy and Repudiation of Natural ..."

Browse Our Archives

Follow Us!