Changes

Hundreds of years later [[Numa Pompilius]] became king of Rome (715-673 BC) about the same time as the reign of the king of Judah, [[Hezekiah]].  Numa was architect of the ceremonial life of that newly-formed nation (as well as a reformer of the Roman calendar, the one that is used to this day by us) and is described by the historian [[Plutarch]] (1st century AD) in this way:  "He was also the first, they say, to build temples to Faith and Terminus; and he taught the Romans their most solemn oath by Faith, which they still continue to use."<ref>Perrin, Bernadotte (1914). [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Numa*.html "Numa Pompilius"]. ''The Parallel Lives'', vol. 1 (Cambridge MA and London: Harvard University Press), vol. L046 of Loeb Classical Library, pp. 307-383).</ref>

Hundreds of years later [[Numa Pompilius]] became king of Rome (715-673 BC) about the same time as the reign of the king of Judah, [[Hezekiah]].  Numa was architect of the ceremonial life of that newly-formed nation (as well as a reformer of the Roman calendar, the one that is used to this day by us) and is described by the historian [[Plutarch]] (1st century AD) in this way:  "He was also the first, they say, to build temples to Faith and Terminus; and he taught the Romans their most solemn oath by Faith, which they still continue to use."<ref>Perrin, Bernadotte (1914). [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Numa*.html "Numa Pompilius"]. ''The Parallel Lives'', vol. 1 (Cambridge MA and London: Harvard University Press), vol. L046 of Loeb Classical Library, pp. 307-383).</ref>

It seems here that the Romans were more explicit in pursuing faith as a virtue than what the Old Testament shows, wearing their faiths on their sleeves as it were.  This may explain why Jesus showed more pleasure at the faiths of the Roman centurion and the Samaritan woman than members of his own worship community.  He and the gospel writers may have wanted to humble their own community who may have lost their emphasis on this virtue.  And by his parables about faith, He tried to remove obstacles to their receiving this virtue from God.  But Jesus did more than that; through His expressions and His Passion He elevated the virtue faith to a requirement for salvation.

It seems here that the Romans were more explicit in pursuing faith as a virtue than what the Old Testament shows, wearing their faiths on their sleeves as it were.  This may explain why Jesus showed more pleasure at the faiths of the Roman centurion and the Samaritan woman than members of his own worship community.  He and the gospel writers may have wanted to humble their own community who may have lost their emphasis on this virtue.  And by his parables about faith, He tried to remove obstacles to their receiving this virtue from God.  But Jesus did more than that; through His expressions and His Passion He elevated the virtue faith to a requirement for salvation.{{unsigned}}

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