By Barbara Graham
Since historian Edward Gibbon wrote The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, some have compared ancient Rome with the United States of America. They see portentous parallels between conditions that prevailed during Rome’s collapse and conditions prevailing currently.
It has been said that those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. What can we learn from the past? The reasons presented for Rome’s fall by scholars of ancient Roman and European history are as varied as the scholars themselves. Yet certain conditions do parallel modern American society and should be noted.
Perils of wealth: Having conquered much of the world, Rome’s coffers overflowed with gold. Land was amassed into enormous estates where conquered peoples became slaves. Materialism crept in and the blessings of wealth became a curse. “With wealth came luxury…. In the train of luxury came vice; self-restraint
Last Generation is a magazine for people seeking spiritual answers to the current issues of our times.
Your subscription will give you:
*Digital-only subscriptions also available
Alonzo T. Jones, The Two Republics, or Rome and the United States of America, p. 18.
Ibid.
Ibid., p. 23.
Moses Hadas, Great Ages of Man: Imperial Rome (Time Life, 1974), p. 45.
The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 6, pp. 90–91.
Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 509.
Barbara Graham was the associate editor of Last Generation magazine when she wrote this article.