Quo Vadis (opera)
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''Quo vadis?'' (, ) is a
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
phrase meaning "Where are you going?". It is commonly translated, quoting the
KJV The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...
translation of John 13:36, as "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
tradition regarding
Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
's first words to the risen Christ during their encounter along the
Appian Way The Appian Way (Latin and Italian language, Italian: Via Appia) is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient Roman Republic, republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is in ...
. According to the
apocrypha Apocrypha () are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to ...
l
Acts of Peter The Acts of Peter is one of the earliest of the apocryphal Acts of the Apostles (genre), Acts of the Apostles in Christianity, dating to the late 2nd century AD. The majority of the text has survived only in the Vetus Latina, Latin translation of ...
(
Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...
Acts XXXV; late 2nd century AD), as Peter flees from
crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...
in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
at the hands of the government, he meets the risen
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
along the road outside the city. In the Latin translation, Peter asks Jesus, "''Quo vadis?''" He replies, "''Romam eo iterum crucifigī''" ("I am going to Rome to be crucified again"). Peter then gains the courage to continue his ministry and returns to the city, where he is
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
ed by being crucified upside-down. The Church of Domine Quo Vadis in Rome is built where the meeting between Peter and Jesus traditionally took place. The words "quo vadis" as a question also occur at least seven times in the Latin
Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Diocese of ...
.


Meaning as used idiomatically

When used idiomatically, in ordinary day-to-day language, the phrase usually is spoken or written to inquire about someone's purpose, ambitions, or decisions in a particular situation. It may also be employed to encourage introspection or to express surprise or confusion regarding someone's actions or decisions. In general, this phrase prompts individuals to consider their direction and purpose specially when questionable urging them to reflect on their goals or to assess the consequences of their choices. The reply of
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
"''Romam eo iterum crucifigī''" is also used idiomatically in modern language to symbolize the return to something that is harmful or hurtful to oneself. Just how Jesus in the
apocrypha Apocrypha () are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to ...
l story is returning to Rome to be crucified again, it is used in the same way where an individual, though knowing that a certain place, person, or thing has been a cause of hurt or harm in the past, they still return to it. Thus, one might say that an individual is "returning to Rome" when that individual is knowingly returning to something which causes either physical or mental harm, akin to how Jesus was returning to Rome to be crucified again.


In culture

The Polish writer
Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish epic writer. He is remembered for his historical novels, such as The Trilogy, the Trilogy series and especially ...
wrote the novel '' Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero'' (published in installments between 1895 and 96). The book in turn has been made into motion pictures several times, including a 1951 version that was nominated for eight
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
. For this and other novels, Sienkiewicz received the 1905 Nobel Prize for Literature. In a season four episode of ''
M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...
'' entitled "
Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler? "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?" was the 81st episode of the ''M*A*S*H'' television series, and the ninth of season four. The episode aired on November 7, 1975. "Quo Vadis" is Latin for "Where are you going?" and is a reference to a conversation ...
" the reference pertains to Jesus Christ. A shellshocked officer arrives at the hospital believing he is the Christ. He has numerous conversations with the characters, including
Father Mulcahy This is a list of characters from the '' M*A*S*H'' franchise created by Richard Hooker, covering the various fictional characters appearing in the novel '' MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors'' (1968) and its sequels '' M*A*S*H Goes to Mai ...
. He ultimately leaves the MASH unit for an evacuation hospital, still unrecovered. ''
Quo Vadis, Aida? ''Quo Vadis, Aida?'' ( ''Where are you going, Aida?'') is a 2020 internationally co-produced war drama film written, produced and directed by Jasmila Žbanić. An international co-production of twelve production companies, the film was shown in ...
'' is a film by director
Jasmila Žbanić Jasmila Žbanić (; born 19 December 1974) is a Bosnian film director, screenwriter and producer. She has received numerous accolades, including nominations for the Academy Awards, Academy Award and two British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Awards. ...
about the
Srebrenica massacre The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, was the July 1995 genocidal killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in and around the town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War. It was mainly perpetrated by unit ...
. Quo Vadis has also been used as a name by many companies and groups.
Quo Vadis ''Quo vadis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you going?". It is commonly translated, quoting the KJV translation of John 13:36, as "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Peter's fi ...
is the name of a restaurant in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. A students' club at
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
, established in 1944 to give tours of the
Nationality Rooms The Nationality Rooms are a group of 31 classrooms in the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning depicting and donated by the national and ethnic groups that helped build the city of Pittsburgh. The rooms are designated as a Pittsb ...
, is called Quo Vadis.


References


External links

* * {{Commons category-inline, Quo vadis Latin words and phrases Saint Peter Vulgate Latin words and phrases Articles titled with a question