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Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE) was a Roman writer, speaker,
philosopher and politician. His work was closely studied and
praised until scholarship in the 19th century revealed that
Cicero deftly stole from previous work by Greek philosopher and
rhetoricians. Augustine studied him closely, and it is mostly
through this scholarship that the writer continued in
popularity. He was considered by many to be a “Christian” pagan
in his philosophy, so the Roman Catholic Church placed a high
value on Cicero’s work. One must read Cicero with skepticism,
since he was an ambitious politician, and his gifted writing
represents attempts to achieve his political goals. His skilled
writing and philosophy where a means to a political end, which
was placement in a high position in the Empire. Though Cicero
was born wealthy, he was not of a high enough class to simply
enter and succeed in Roman politics. Like many American
politicians he studied and practiced law as a way t