| Familial relationships in the Aeneid were studied from the perspective of family transcendence exemplified by the principle of pietas. Transcendence is introduced as a unifying theme shared by unique familial characteristics such as altruistic values, relationships as total persons, emotional intensity, nurturing governance, and more. This unifying dimension accounts for linking family members to the social and genetic heritage, providing meaning systems, ascribing status and opportunities, accepting obligations and a sense of order, providing an identity and future possibilities, and encountering the sacred within family contexts.;The study examined the three divisions of transcendence: (1) generational, exemplified by pietas in the familial relationships of father and son, husband and wife, and father and daughter; (2) social mediation, or beyond kinship ties extending to the community in the above familial relationships exemplified by pietas; and (3) a context for experiencing the sacred exemplified by pietas in the same relationships as mentioned. The conclusion shows that in the Aeneid transcendence is the essential familial connection to life and to the universe since family life is seen as experience in pietas that requires unity, intermingling, and devotion. The transcendence common to all these characteristics is shown to mean a reaching beyond the physical and tangible to metaphysical experience, giving a holistic view of life.;The study provides an alternative way for educators to relate the study of classical literature to contemporary interest in the nature of the family. Literary aspects of the epic can be taught in one or two sessions. Students can learn characteristics previously not considered in family studies, such as the generational nature that links families across generations, concern with total persons, which presents a combining and surpassing of individual roles, and the emphasis on altruism, which transcends self-interest and is set off from all other social relations by its moral dimension. |
