The fundamental belief in Matthew's "Sermon on the Mount" and Virgil's The Aeneid is that of Pietas. It is piety to the gods, to ones family and to the state. A piety meaning not only faith but obedience. It is acknowledgment of duty. Piety is that which will ultimately lead to one's entrance to their "Kingdom" - their empire without end" In both the "Sermon on the Mount and in The Aeneid, the kingdom was promised and fated. It was not however only divine intervention that would guarantee entrance but also, the choices and actions that one makes in their journey that secures their place in such dominion. It is also through Virgil and Matthew that one sees that man's destiny is something larger than himself. It is through the serving of others and the serving of one's God, that a "nation" of people achieves salvation. In Virgil's, The Aeneid, one of the Trojan War's most famous heroes, Aeneas escapes the captured city of Troy with his father and son to sail away to a new home, a new Kingdom. The epic, which has often been thought to be written to celebrate Augustus and his rule of the Roman Empire, is the story of one man's commitment to duty and a fulfillment of a fate predetermined by the gods. In his pursuit of trying to do what he should, his cooperation with fate leads him to confusing choices, painful losses and insurmountable obstacles. Aeneas' obedience and careful attention to the will of the gods is done with gravitas, a seriousness of purpose, and with pietas, not only to the gods, but to his family and to his state as well. Jupiter reminds Aeneas that no matter what his personal feelings are, he has something greater than himself to accomplish. It is only when Aeneas ultimately makes a personal choice to accept his destiny that he is able to find the Kingdom that was promised him. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains how those in His kingdom should live their lives.