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Quo Vadis

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 7,894 ratings · 305 reviews

Rome during the reign of Nero was a glorious place for the emperor and his court; there were grand feasts, tournaments for poets, and exciting games and circuses filling the days and nights. The pageantry and pretentious displays of excess were sufficient to cloy the senses of participants as well as to offend the sensitive. Petronius, a generous and noble Roman, a man of...more

Paperback, 589 pages

Published May 1st 1997 by Hippocrene Books (first published 1894)

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Oct 07, 2012 Erica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Erica by: Amber Crafton

Clearly capturing the depravity of man while outlining the persecution of the early church, Quo Vadis vividly depicts first century life in the Roman Empire for slave, centurion, and emperor.

As Sienkiewicz's final display of descriptive prowess, at the climax he floods his readers' senses with the evidence of a smoldering Rome. I've never been so tantalized by antiquity than after reading this historical fiction.

All the while reading a bit like a best seller and not an epic novel from the 1800'...more

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Apr 11, 2008 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book for a retreat! Spiritually invigorating, makes one excited about the Catholic faith. It is fiction with references to standard Catholic tradition, and is set in the time of the Christian persecutions in Rome during the reign of Nero. The focus of the novel is a love story between a Roman centurion and a beautiful Christian princess-in-exile. The story's central conflict takes place in the person of the centurion's friend, who also happens to be a cultural lackey in the court of Nero....more

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Apr 05, 2007 Simon added it · review of another edition

This may be the worst book I have ever read that didn't have the words "Danielle Steele" somewhere on the cover . ..until you hit the description of Nero's burning of Rome. For about 30 pages it is terrific, and then reverts back to some of the worst prose and suppressed erotic perversity I have ever laid eyes upon. Those nutty early Christians spend a LOT of time looking at golden-haired maidens in diaphanous gowns, and there is a moment where Petronius has his slave Eunice whipped instead of d...more

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Jan 19, 2009 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

A book about ideas with a thrilling plot. It's about the rise of Christianity amid the cruelty and corruption of Imperial Rome.

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Jan 10, 2009 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, historical-fiction, study-group

Near the end of Quo Vadis Petronius (Arbiter) writes a letter in reply to his nephew Vicinius who has fled Rome with his bride, Ligia. In the letter Petronius discusses his philosophy and his fate contrasting it with the Christian belief that Vicinius has accepted. He says:

"There are only two philosophers that I care about, Pyrrho and Anacreon. You know what they stand for. The rest, along with the new Greek schools and all the Roman Stoics, you can have for the price of beans. Truth lives somew...more Near the end of Quo Vadis Petronius (Arbiter) writes a letter in reply to his nephew Vicinius who has fled Rome with his bride, Ligia. In the letter Petronius discusses his philosophy and his fate contrasting it with the Christian belief that Vicinius has accepted. He says:

"There are only two philosophers that I care about, Pyrrho and Anacreon. You know what they stand for. The rest, along with the new Greek schools and all the Roman Stoics, you can have for the price of beans. Truth lives somewhere so high that even the gods can't see it from Olympus."(QV, p. 566)

It is interesting to note that Pyrrho is noted for a philosophy of skepticism that claims the impossibility of knowledge. For him our own ignorance or doubt should induce us to withdraw into ourselves, avoiding the stress and emotion which belong to the contest of vain imaginings. This theory of the impossibility of knowledge suggests a sort of agnosticism and its ethical implications may be compared with the ideal tranquility of the Stoics and Epicureans (who were more popular among Romans). This certainly contrasts with the Christian spiritual view that emphasizes belief in the supernatural. It is a philosophy that, at least for Petronius, lets him face death unequivocally with a sort of stoicism that provides a potent example in opposition to the Christian view. It also is an example of the breadth of beliefs shown by Sienkiewicz in his portrayal of the culture and character of the Roman world.

This contrast of philosophies underlies the novel and made it more interesting to me than the simple love story that it also presents. In Quo Vadis we are presented with an historical novel of depth that shows us the corruption and depravity of Nero's Rome while it presents the worlds of aesthetics and skepticism represented by Petronius and that of the young Christian sect whose believers include Peter and Paul, of biblical fame, and Ligia, the barbarian princess who becomes the focus of young Vicinius' amour. It is perhaps not a coincidence that the nineteenth century had several writers (Bulwer-Lytton, Kingsley, and Wallace) including Sienkiewicz who reacted to the prevalence of anti-christian views among the romantics (Shelley, et. al.). This is seen in the pronounced admiration for the poor Christians and the sensational nature of the culmination of the story involving the Neronic destruction of many of the Christians in terrifically brutal games. In spite of this Sienkiewicz through vivid detail creates a believable historical setting for his love story; and overcoming his biased portrayal of the Christians and the contrast with the irrationality and evil of Nero, he succeeds in telling a moving and thoughtful portrayal of Rome in the first century A.D.(less)

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Mar 24, 2013 Allthenobels rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book was pretty terrible. As a classicist, I am deeply offended by the wooden, stereotypical rendering of Romans, even Romans during Nero's time. As a reader, I am deeply offended by the fact that very little actually happens. Sienkiewicz tells us about plenty of things, but he shows us very little. For instance, in the last third of the book, Petronius, who has been watching his nephew's slow conversion to Christianity with ironic detachment, writes him a letter talking about how much thes...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Hobby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-historical, family-saga, historical-fiction, classic, religious, owned-a-copy

Books “QUO VADIS ?”
Judul Asli : QUO VADIS – A NARRATIVE OF THE TIME OF NERO
Copyright © by Henryk Sienkienwicz
Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Alih Bahasa : Antonius Adiwiyoto
Desain Sampul : Satya Utama Jadi
Cetakan II : November 2009 ; 552 hlm

Sepanjang sejarah kehidupan, Manusia – sebagai makhluk ciptaan Tuhan yang paling mulia karena diberkahi akal-budi untuk memilih kehidupan yang akan dijalani, memutuskan mana yang baik dan mana yang buruk. Sesuai dengan evolusi dan perkembangan, maka cipta...more Books “QUO VADIS ?”
Judul Asli : QUO VADIS – A NARRATIVE OF THE TIME OF NERO
Copyright © by Henryk Sienkienwicz
Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Alih Bahasa : Antonius Adiwiyoto
Desain Sampul : Satya Utama Jadi
Cetakan II : November 2009 ; 552 hlm

Sepanjang sejarah kehidupan, Manusia – sebagai makhluk ciptaan Tuhan yang paling mulia karena diberkahi akal-budi untuk memilih kehidupan yang akan dijalani, memutuskan mana yang baik dan mana yang buruk. Sesuai dengan evolusi dan perkembangan, maka ciptaan-Nya semakin disempurnakan, secara fisik maupun mental. Akan tetapi kebebasan serta hak untuk memilih, justru banyak disalah-gunakan pada hal-hal yang tidak layak dan sangat tidak manusiawi, sesuai dengan akhlak dan kodrat masing-masing. Jika hanya segelintir manusia yang memiliki akhlak rendah, maka kehidupan akan terus berjalan. Namun bagaimana seandainya suatu bangsa yang besar, justru mengalami kejatuhan akan turunnya nilai-nilai moral, perilaku serta pikiran yang tiada bedanya dengan hewan atau makhluk yang lebih rendah derajatnya ??

Sejarah mencatat kebangkitan suatu bangsa muncul setelah terjadi tragedi atau musibah besar. Dan di antara sekian banyak kejadian, justru peran serta manusia itu sendiri yang menyebabkan terjadinya pemusnahan, pembantaian, dan pembenaran atas perilaku yang tidak manusiawi. Dengan alasan memperluas kekuasaan, memerintah serta memperbudak manusia-manusia lain, peperangan, pembunuhan dan penyiksaan dibenarkan secara ‘hukum-manusia’ dan salah satu alasan yang menyebabkan terjadi perang berkepanjangan adalah penyebaran agama, menghadapi aliran keyakinan kuno, terutama paganisme yang berputar pada politeisme, animisme dan dinamisme. Salah satu pendobrak aliran ini dimulai ketika terjadi penyebaran agama Kristen - tugas para rasul setelah Kebangkitan Kristus, memperbaharui janji akan dunia baru, pengampunan serta kehidupan yang kekal di sisi Allah yang Tunggal.

Preview :
Kisah dibuka ketika Petronius – mantan gubernur dan anggota kehormatan Dewan Romawi, kesayangan Caesar Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus atau yang dikenal sebagai Nero, karena kemampuan serta kesukaan Petronius akan seni serta keindahan, membuat dirinya dijuluki sang Penilai Keindahan, dan ia mendapat kunjungan tak terduga dari kemenakannya Vinicius Muda. Pemuda tampan dan menarik ini baru kembali ke Roma setelah mengikuti pasukan Corbulo, dan ia memiliki permohonan pada sang paman yang memiliki pengaruh serta kekuasaan demi tercapainya impian terpendam yang menggebu-gebu dalam dirinya. Vinicius jatuh hati pada Callina atau yang lebih dikenal sebagai Lygia – putri angkat Aulus Platius dan Pomponia Graecina.

Kesulitan terjadi karena Lygia bukan bangsa Romawi, melainkan keturunan Raja bangsa Lygia (=sekarang disebut sebagai bangsa Polandia) yang pernah menjadi sekutu sekaligus tawanan perang. Setelah perang lama usai, Lygia sebatang kara, dan dibawa ke Roma, dirawat serta dibesarkan oleh Aulus dan Pomponia yang menyayanginya bagai putri kandung mereka. Karena perbedaan status, tidak layak jika gadis ini dijadikan seorang istri bagi Vinicius yang keturunan terhormat bangsa Romawi. Namun tidak mungkin pula Aulus menyerahkan putrinya sebagai selir / gundik Vinicius, apalagi keluarga mereka dikabarkan menganut aliran ‘Kristen’ yang dianggap aneh bagi para petinggi Roma. Karena kondisi inilah, Vinicius meminta pertolongan Petronius yang memiliki banyak akal serta muslihat.

Petronius sangat sayang pada Vinicius, maka ia mengatur sebuah rencana terselubung yang nantinya akan membuat Lygia menjadi ‘milik’ Vinicius. Melibatkan peran serta perintah Caesar Nero, Lygia ditahan di kediaman Caesar untuk nantinya diberikan sebagai hadiah kepada pemuda yang sedang mabuk kepayang. Yang tidak mereka ketahui atau dengan sengaja menutup mata, bahwa Lygia bukan gadis biasa. Ia dibesarkan dan dididik secara Kristen oleh keluarga angkatnya, sehingga hatinya bersih, tidak menyukai bahkan cenderung muak pada pesta pora dan kebiasaan hidup para pejabat Roma. Meski di dalam lubuk hatinya, ia juga tertarik pada Vinicius, namun ia tak mau mengorbankan prinsip hidupnya dengan menjadi selir Vinicius. Maka saat Petronius dan Vinicius menanti iring-iringan tandu yang membawa ‘selir-baru’ ke kediamannya, Lygia dibantu pelayan setianya Ursus serta kelompok Kristen, melarikan diri, bersembunyi dalam lindungan para penganut dan simpatisan Kristen.

more about this book, please check on my review at here :
http://my-classic-books.blogspot.com/...(less)

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Aug 05, 2012 Ametista rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook

Ambientato nella Roma neroniana narra dell’innamoramento del giovane Vinicio il quale, veduta per la prima volta Licia in casa di Aulo Plauzio, chiede l’aiuto dello zio Petronio, favorito di Nerone. Costui escogita un piano; ma la ragazza, essendo cresciuta nell’umiltà e nella purezza d’animo della religione cristiana, respinge Vinicio, pagano e dissoluto. Con la complicità di altri cristiani fugge, ma l’amore che Vinicio sente per Licia lo conduce al suo ritrovamento.
La religione cristiana che...more Ambientato nella Roma neroniana narra dell’innamoramento del giovane Vinicio il quale, veduta per la prima volta Licia in casa di Aulo Plauzio, chiede l’aiuto dello zio Petronio, favorito di Nerone. Costui escogita un piano; ma la ragazza, essendo cresciuta nell’umiltà e nella purezza d’animo della religione cristiana, respinge Vinicio, pagano e dissoluto. Con la complicità di altri cristiani fugge, ma l’amore che Vinicio sente per Licia lo conduce al suo ritrovamento.
La religione cristiana che li divise profondamente alla fine li riporterà all’unificazione.
Numerosi sono i ritratti che si affacciano nel romanzo, il più affascinante è indubbiamente il ritratto di Petronio, denominato "arbiter elegantiarum". Uomo raffinato, esteta, sarcastico e distaccato.
Perderà il favore di Nerone, equivalente alla condanna a morte, e pur di non mostrarsi sconfitto organizzerà un banchetto nel quale si toglierà la vita tagliandosi le vene.

Ecco il brano che descrive la morte di Petronio:

Fece cenno al medico greco e gli allungò il braccio. In un attimo l'abile chirurgo gli aperse la vena dove il braccio si piega. Il sangue zampillò sul cuscino e innaffiò Eunice, la quale, sostenendo la testa di Petronio, s'inchinò su lui, dicendo:
– Hai tu supposto che io ti lasciassi? Se gli dèi mi dessero l'immortalità e Cesare l'impero del mondo, ti seguirei lo stesso.
Petronio sorrise, si alzò un po', avvicinò le sue labbra a quelle di Eunice e disse:
– Vieni con me.
Ella stese il suo roseo braccio al chirurgo e poco dopo il di lei sangue incominciò a confondersi e a perdersi in quello dell'arbitro.
Indi Petronio fece segno al maestro di musica e di nuovo si udirono le cetre e le voci dei coristi. Cantarono prima Armodio, poi il Canto di Anacreonte, il canto nel quale il poeta si duole di avere trovato un tempo il fanciullo di Afrodite assiderato e piangente sotto un albero; egli lo raccolse, lo scaldò, gli asciugò le ali, e il fanciullo ingrato gli attraversò il cuore con un dardo, e da quel momento il poeta non ebbe più pace.
Petronio e Eunice, colla testa dell'uno adagiata sul petto dell'altra, belli come due divinità, ascoltavano, sorridevano e divenivano pallidi. Alla fine del canto Petronio ordinò dell'altro vino e delle altre vivande; poi si mise a conversare coi convitati vicini a lui di cose di poca importanza, ma piacevoli, tali come si dicevano di solito ai banchetti. Per ultimo, chiamò il greco perchè gli fasciasse il braccio per un momento, perchè il sonno lo tormentava, ed egli voleva abbandonarsi ad Hypnos prima che Thanatos lo addormentasse per sempre.
Infatti si addormentò. Si risvegliò col viso di Eunice sul suo petto, come un fiore bianco. L'adagiò sul cuscino per contemplarla una volta ancora. Dopo si fece riaprire le vene.
Al suo cenno i coristi ricominciarono il Canto di Anacreonte, accompagnati dolcemente dalle cetere per non soffocare le parole. Petronio continuava a impallidire; terminato il canto si volse di nuovo agli invitati, dicendo:
– Amici, confessate che con noi perisce...
Non ebbe la forza di finire; coll'ultimo movimento del suo braccio cinse Eunice, la sua testa cadde sul cuscino e morì.
Gli ospiti, guardando a quelle due bianche forme, rassomiglianti a due statue meravigliose, comprendevano bene che con loro periva tutto ciò che era rimasto alla società di quel tempo: la poesia e la bellezza.
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May 28, 2012 Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have just read this book for the third time in my life and still enjoyed it just as much as I did on first reading it in the late 1960's. It is a novel is set in Rome during the reign of the Emperor Nero. And tells the story of the patrician Vinitius and and the Christian girl Ligia. The new 'sect' of Christianity is blamed for the burning of Rome and the Christians become convenient scape goats for the mad Nero who sets out on campaign of the most horrific torture and murder of anyone who dar...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Noce rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: narrativa-polacca, classici

Il Cristianesimo, questo sconosciuto

Dunque sì, accomodatevi pure.
Non state troppo indietro. Venite pure avanti, che altrimenti non potete vedere la magia di cui oggi sarete esclusivi spettatori . Ebbene, ecco quello che accadrà fra qualche istante. Svuoterò la mia mente. Cancellerò la mia memoria a breve e lungo termine, e di colpo sarò una Noce Moscata che non ha letto “Quo vadis?” a 17 anni, e non l’ha neanche riletto a 34.
“Sim salabim, abracadabra, tutti giù per terra, puff puff, pant pant e...more

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Oct 01, 2010 Margo rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 08, 2010 Elena rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Quo Vadis" by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz is a jewel of historical fiction. While the 1951 film is excellent, it is dated; the novel, however, transcends time. The heartrending and vivid portrait of Roman life in the days of Nero combines a romance with the acta sanctorum amid breathtaking historical accuracy. The feelings of the young tribune Marcus Vinicius for the Christian maiden Ligia Callina are transformed by sacrifice and suffering from mere lust into profound love and devotion...more

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Aug 09, 2009 Mazel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: roman-historique

prix nobel de littérature 1905
*

" Je songe à une grande épopée chrétienne où je voudrais introduire saint Pierre, saint Paul et Néron, la première persécution, et donner une série de tableaux tellement universels et magnifiques que l'on serait obligé de les traduire du polonais dans toutes les langues " : telle était l'ambition de Henryk Sienkiewicz lorsqu'il entreprit, en 1895, la rédaction de Quo Vadis ?.

Pari gagné : l'année suivante, le roman est traduit en Europe et aux États-Unis - les Fran...more

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Jun 28, 2009 Matthew Klobucher rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Quo Vadis" is an epic. Set in Rome in the first century, it tells of the love between a young and hansome Roman Tribune named Vinicius and a barbarian princes who is held in Rome as the political hostage hostage of the empire. Living in a Christian household, Lygia has become Christian herself. Vinicius' patron Petronious, a cynical, worldly aestete with great influence in the Imperial Court, suggests that Emperor Nero move her into his palace so that Vinicius might court her more easily. Howev...more "Quo Vadis" is an epic. Set in Rome in the first century, it tells of the love between a young and hansome Roman Tribune named Vinicius and a barbarian princes who is held in Rome as the political hostage hostage of the empire. Living in a Christian household, Lygia has become Christian herself. Vinicius' patron Petronious, a cynical, worldly aestete with great influence in the Imperial Court, suggests that Emperor Nero move her into his palace so that Vinicius might court her more easily. However, the utter decadence and depravity of the Court, culminating with the lewd and drunken advances of Vinicius--is more than her innocence and Christian perspective can bear. She runs away to the fledgling Christian Church of Rome, causing Vinicius, mad with grief, to seek her wildly and at great expense. As he comes closer and closer to finding her, he and Petronius come into contact with Christian ideals, so wildly and intriguingly different from the Roman fascism and hedonism depicted by the story.

Henry Sienkiewicz carefully mixes the dramatic action of his characters with the history of first century Rome, particularly as it concerns Christians. Vinicius is a sympathetic character even when shown in the depth of his brutality and casual sin while Petronius is amusing and witty and even a bit touching in his concern for his ward. Lygia is genuinely conflicted between the dictates of her religion and her love for Vinicius, and though she is appalled and frightened by the unaccustomed evil she encounters at the palace and while on the run, she is strong-willed and clear-headed throughout. Jeremiah Curtin's translation carries the original Polish into dignified and descriptive English; the prose is worth reading for that fact alone.

A stirring tale (almost a "caper") of love, crime, pursuit, and tragedy; a penetrating look into human nobility and human sin; a thoughtful and wrenching exegesis of Christanity; a drama of sacrifice and victory: "Quo Vadis" is a book almost too big to describe. It is both entertaining and deadly serious, and is a book I will return to again, soon.(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Joshua rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*Warning: There are spoilers!!*

Ok, so I have a love/hate relationship with this book. There is so much GOOD in this book.....but also so much WRONG.

First of all, there is a great storyline here. Epic in scale. However, most of the great story takes place in the last half. If you make it through the first 150 pages, then your good to go. The first part is somewhat annoying because Vinitius, the main character, sees the Hebrew woman, Lygia, and it's love at first sight. I don't know though, love s...more *Warning: There are spoilers!!*

Ok, so I have a love/hate relationship with this book. There is so much GOOD in this book.....but also so much WRONG.

First of all, there is a great storyline here. Epic in scale. However, most of the great story takes place in the last half. If you make it through the first 150 pages, then your good to go. The first part is somewhat annoying because Vinitius, the main character, sees the Hebrew woman, Lygia, and it's love at first sight. I don't know though, love seems like such a nice word. Maybe obsession is a better description. Anyways, Vinitius is obsessed with obtaining Lygia, through whatever means necessary to be his wife. Now, I understand that Romans were like that, and Vinitius is not a Christian, however the whole first half of the story is focused on that.

The author did an amazing job with accuracy. Everything, here is brimming with accurate historical details down to the way they talk. However the author went a little too much in the details for some of the pagan Roman traditions. Granted, it could have been a whole lot worse, but I found some of the details like the violence and Nero's chaotic and immoral feasts, could have been more tastefully done.

Another small annoying factor is that, he potrays the Christianity religion back then as almost catholic. Peter and Paul fulfill the description of an early catholic priest pretty well. :) I understand that the author did make a trip to Rome while studying for this writing this book, and I think the Roman Vaticans, definitely influenced him.

That all being said the latter half is still filled with exciting history such as; the burning of Rome, gladiator fights, the early Christians, and much, much more. It also is pretty cool that by his love for Lygia, Vinitius finds a new love by becoming a Christian and follower of The Way.

So if I was asked whether I liked it or not, I would have to say that as much as I enjoyed the latter half, there were still some factors that bugged me to the extent that I couldn't fully enjoy it. However, the History buff in me, really enjoyed parts of it.

*Edit*
I now am looking at other reviews that are raving that this book is a great one for strengthening the catholic faith. I wonder why?? :)

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Morgan-Britney Morgan-Britney When I wrote that sentence, I was not saying that I accept their sins. Of course not.
But that also doesn't mean I am going to, as I said before, poun...more
Nov 27, 2012 02:52pm

Joshua Ok, thank-you for the clarification.
Yes, are to be a light, no, we are not supposed to "pound the truth into them" as you said.
Just remember not to us...more
Nov 27, 2012 04:02pm

Jan 03, 2011 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although Quo Vadis was written in 1895, this version is a recent translation from the Polish (+/- 2000 I think) that's very well done and reads smoothly. In many ways, this book is the template for what's thought of as "cutting edge" Christian historical fiction today. Specifically, the violence is violent and the sex is sexual, without ever crossing the line towards gratuity. It's a much better portrayal of reality than the modern Christian books of the last 20-30 years that seem to fantasize a...more

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Sep 30, 2010 Shala Howell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Note: glancing at the reviews below, the translation you read really seems to matter here. The Version I read was by Jeremiah Curtin.

I thought it was fascinating. Very much enjoyed the tensions between the decadence of Nero, the aestheticism of Petronius, and the early schisms in the interpretations of Christian faith as represented by the Apostle Peter, the bishop Crispus, and Paul of Tarsus.

The love story was tangential for me. I was far more interested in the machinations at court and the ri...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Krzysztof rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Dec 05, 2009 Ken rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history-novels

顯克維支(Sienkiewicz)的這本書得到了1905年的諾貝爾文學獎.這本書的內容大致上是在描述古羅馬尼祿(Nero,或稱尼羅,54~68AC在位)治下的羅馬帝國.

故事的主軸主要是圍繞著年輕的羅馬護民官維尼西阿斯與蠻族(莉琪雅族)公主莉琪雅(又稱卡迪娜)的愛情故事.但是更重要的是在描寫當時羅馬帝國受到基督教影響的情形.

維尼西阿斯原本是一個高傲的羅馬貴族,曾經企圖用粗暴的方式來得到莉琪雅.但是在抓捕莉琪雅時被她忠勇的僕人烏爾索斯所制服,之後在與基督徒相處的時候受到了他們的影響.之後他開始學習基督教的道理,最後也成為基督徒,並與莉琪雅訂下婚約.

但是由於尼祿王火燒羅馬城,之後無法順利地平息民怨,便以基督徒作為替罪羔羊,許多基督徒遭迫害至死.烏爾索斯本打算安靜受死,但由於莉琪雅被綁在衝入競技場內的野牛上,即將面臨生命危險,便挺身以超人的神力殺死了野牛,使全場轟動,要求赦免他們,之後尼祿也在群眾壓力下照做.

信徒們勸使徒彼得逃出羅馬,彼得起初不願意,但在信徒的苦苦哀求下還是屈服了.彼得在逃離羅馬城時遇到向羅馬行去的基督,驚訝之餘問道"Quo Vadis, Domine?"(主啊,你往哪裡去?)...more

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Aug 17, 2008 Deodand rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I was on a Roman history kick when I read this, having just watch the TV series "Rome" and read the novel "I, Claudius". This book has a lot more spiritual subject matter than previous Roman history books I've read, which is a nice change. Usually the authors just wave a hand and more or less say, "Oh yeah, and there's the Christians over there, we all know what they were up to". I'm glad someone took the trouble to write a novel on this subject.

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Mar 19, 2008 Kirsti rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mayhem

Christians! Lions! Romans! O r g i e s! Mayhem! Wow!
I can see why this book has been translated into more than 50 languages. Although it was originally published in 1895, it doesn't seem dated. The plot moves quickly (even frantically sometimes), and I thought the main characters were well developed.
Because this book is in the public domain, you can read it for free via Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org) or BookBot (book-bot.com).

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Oct 25, 2011 Jessica Snell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, history

This one took me a long time to read mostly, I think, because it is in translation, and though I had a good translation, translated books just don’t read very naturally (I wonder if this is part of why it’s hard to read the Bible, sometimes?).

But well worth the read. The picture that Sienkiewicz paints of the early church in Rome is enthralling and convicting. Though I did not entirely buy the romance at the heart of the story, and am not entirely sure I buy the characterizations of Peter and P...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Bob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, christian

Wow, they just don't write books like that anymore! In many places it really reminded me of Ben-Hur, but with much more Roman feel to it than Hebrew. The story kept me intrigued throughout, and from what I've read of Roman culture and history (it being a bit of a hobby of mine lately) it seems to me that he very well captures the feel of what it was to be a Roman, confronted by this strange sect of Judaism called Christianity. I felt immersed in the fear and debauchery of Nero's reign to an incr...more

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Jul 14, 2010 Jake rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone, especially Catholics.

What an incomparable and monumental testament to Christ's faithfulness! Sienkiewicz's lavish descriptions and details of the Roman lifestyle are so vivid one can almost taste the dust of the arena and smell the verbena in scented villas.
However, what was more impressing about the novel for me was how closely the deterioration of Nero's Rome parallels with America's current descent into sybaritism. I can only wonder when Washington will begin the harrowing of the religions and the church will onc...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Sheri rated it 3 of 5 stars

Did Nero fiddle while Rome burned? This novel poses an answer to that question, while tackling more directly how Christianity ("Chrestos") came to supersede belief in the Roman, Greek and other gods in the Mediterranean. Like so many modern novels that seem like they're written just to be made into movies, this 19th century novel, written by Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, would seem to make an awesome heroic movie. It's got everything: a villain to top all villains (Nero) with a cast of suppo...more

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Feb 21, 2010 Pommeportail rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I kept looking at the publishing date on this, not quite able to believe it had been written over a hundred years ago. It tells the tale of Marcus Vinicius, a patrician in the time of Nero who is besmitten with a young foreigner, Lygia, who turns out to be Christian, and Vinicius’s transformation into a believing Christian himself – but not before he has tried to ravish her, kidnap her, and murdered slaves and thrown a big fit first. All of this takes place against the backdrop of the excesses o...more

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Mar 01, 2009 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: faith-building, classics, all-time-favorites

It is a shame that this book, which was a best seller when it was published in 1895 and earned the author a Nobel Prize, is so little known today. Sienkiewicz was fastidious in his research and does an amazing job of bringing to life the decadence and excess of Imperial Rome during the time of Nero. The beginning can be a bit tedious because of the Latin names used. The edition I have has a summary list of characters in the back to help keep them straight. The literary quality here is exemplary....more

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Nov 30, 2012 Lawrence rated it 3 of 5 stars

I think that Mr. Sienkiewicz produced in Quo Vadis one of the last books of the triumphalism of the West, certainly of the triumphalism of the Roman Catholic Church. About ten years or so after Mr. S. received the Nobel Prize in 1905, the triumphalism or the hope of it was, at the least, sidetracked by World War I and concurrent and subsequent cataclysms. The result is that QV seems antiquated and outdated in a way that other 19th and early 20th century works are not. QV is an old buggy collecti...more I think that Mr. Sienkiewicz produced in Quo Vadis one of the last books of the triumphalism of the West, certainly of the triumphalism of the Roman Catholic Church. About ten years or so after Mr. S. received the Nobel Prize in 1905, the triumphalism or the hope of it was, at the least, sidetracked by World War I and concurrent and subsequent cataclysms. The result is that QV seems antiquated and outdated in a way that other 19th and early 20th century works are not. QV is an old buggy collecting dust and growing mold; the horses are gone. It has only historical value, in my view.

Given the heaviness of the theme of triumphalism, Mr. S. could only create a romantic epic fiction that would serve the theme. The result is that I felt I would have enjoyed the story more if I'd been watching QV as an "epic movie" of the 1950's. But when Mr. S wrote QV, there were no movies. For grandeur, for the big gesture, and for crowd scenes, Mr. S. had to rely on stylistic excesses --- words piled on words, salads of words, anthills of words, lists, repetitions, unending descriptions of feasts, barbarities, and pure goodness, etc., etc. And, structurally, QV was not an exciting book. It dawdled, while slowly progressing on a very-low grade hill until, at the persecution scenes, it reached a level of frenzy interspersed with Vinicius' ever frustrated and repetitive attempts to rescue Lygia, the transforming model of goodness, virginity, and holy matrimony.

But I think that the real failure of QV is that it makes its characters serve Mr. S's world of ideas. His characters could have had more interest, more to tell us, if they had not been flattened by overriding abstract themes. Since he did not do this, I focused on the surface grandeur, the grotesque, and the cruel. Here is an example. I think that the book has an excellent climax point for me in the scene of the garden of the human torches where Chilo, the repulsive Greek, is converted. Here, real personhood comes forward, and, given the heft of QV, it seems ironic that I should care more about this conversion than about the essentially planar Vinicius, Lygia, and Petronius. [Indeed, I seemed to care much more about the minor characters like Ursus (quite likeable) and Eunice (beautiful as marble, but clearly flesh and blood).]

There are some interesting themes that Mr. S. merely touches on and that a general reader might not otherwise give much thought to. These are the intra-Christian conflicts of spirituality: the scrupulosity and judgmental attitudes of Crispus as opposed to St. Peter's and St. Paul's emphasis on love and understanding of human weakness. More important though, in my view, is the attempt to describe paganism's alien values. If Mr. S. had focused on the latter a little more, we might inquire about the reality of ancient culture while recognizing how our views of it are distorted by our own Western/Christian heritage.

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Nov 09, 2012 Bethany Duemler rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Quo Vadis" tells a compelling story of the spread of the early church in sharp contrast to the extravagance and decadence of Roman culture. The romance between Lygia and Marcus, which is at the heart of the story, demonstrates the culture clash of poverty and purity against wealth and indulgence; it is in these characters that the reader is able to see conversion as the death of the self leading to true life. The book's most interesting character in my estimation is Petronius, Marcu's uncle a h...more

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Jul 11, 2010 Gina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, borrowed, fiction, historical-fiction, religion

First of all, this is not another I, Claudius. Not even close. The characters are really not very interesting and the book was clearly written with An Agenda. I'm mostly okay with that, since you might say I share in that particular agenda, but I don't like being beaten over the head with it.

With a very old book there are things that give a pass to that I wouldn't for something written more recently. If the romance is melodramatic and everything else is slightly over-the-top, I just chalk it up...more

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About Henryk Sienkiewicz

Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz (also known as "Litwos"; May 5, 1846–November 15, 1916) was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. He was one of the most popular Polish writers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his "outstanding merits as an epic writer."

Born into an impoverished gentry family in the Podlasie vi...more

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Quotes from Quo Vadis

“But I think happiness springs from another source, a far deeper one that doesn't depend on will because it comes from love.” — 25 people liked it

“I know, 0 Caesar, that thou art awaiting my arrival with impatience, that thy true heart of a friend is yearning day and night for me. I know that thou art ready to cover me with gifts, make me prefect of the pretorian guards, and command Tigellinus to be that which the gods made him, a mule-driver in those lands which thou didst inherit after poisoning Domitius. Pardon me, however, for I swear to thee by Hades, and by the shades of thy mother, thy wife, thy brother, and Seneca, that I cannot go to thee. Life is a great treasure. I have taken the most precious jewels from that treasure, but in life there are many things which I cannot endure any longer. Do not suppose, I pray, that I am offended because thou didst kill thy mother, thy wife, and thy brother; that thou didst burn Eome and send to Erebus all the honest men in thy dominions. No, grandson of Chronos. Death is the inheritance of man; from thee other deeds could not have been expected. But to destroy one's ear for whole years with thy poetry, to see thy belly of a Domitius on slim legs whirled about in a Pyrrhic dance; to hear thy music, thy declamation, thy doggerel verses, wretched poet of the suburbs, — is a thing surpassing my power, and it has roused in me the wish to die. Eome stuffs its ears when it hears thee; the world reviles thee. I can blush for thee no longer, and I have no wish to do so. The howls of Cerberus, though resembling thy music, will be less offensive to me, for I have never been the friend of Cerberus, and I need not be ashamed of his howling. Farewell, but make no music; commit murder, but write no verses; poison people, but dance not; be an incendiary, but play not on a cithara. This is the wish and the last friendly counsel sent thee by the — Arbiter Elegantiae.” — 4 people liked it

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