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''Virtus'' was a specific virtue in Ancient Rome. It carries connotations of valor, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth, perceived as masculine strengths (from Latin ''vir'', "man"). It was thus a frequently stated virtue of Roman emperors, and was personified as a deity—Virtus. == Origins == The origins of the word ''virtus'' can be traced back to the Latin word ''vir'', "man". The common list of attributes associated with ''virtus'' are typically perceived masculine strengths, which may indicate its derivation from ''vir''. From the early to the later days of the Roman Empire, there appears to have been a development in how the concept was understood. Originally ''virtus'' was used to describe specifically martial courage, but it eventually grew to be used to describe a range of Roman virtues. It was often divided into different qualities including ''prudentia'' (prudence), ''iustitia'' (justice), ''temperantia'' (temperance, self-control), and ''fortitudo'' (courage). This division of virtue as a whole into cardinal virtues is today classified as virtue ethics, as described by Plato's ''Republic'' and Aristotle's ''Nicomachean Ethics''. It implies a link between ''virtus'' and the Greek concept of ''arete''. This inclusion leads to the belief that at one time ''virtus'' extended to cover a wide range of meanings that covered one general ethical ideal. The use of the word began to grow and shift to fit the new idea of what manliness meant. No longer did ''virtus'' mean that a person was a brave warrior but it could also mean that he was a good man, someone who did the right thing. During the time of the decline of the Roman elite ''virtus'' the Roman upper class no longer thought of themselves as unmanly if they did not serve in the military. Virtue as described by Aristotle was rediscovered in the medieval age by Muslim philosopher Averroes, which in turn impacted Thomas Aquinas to fuse virtue ethics with Christianity in connection with the Renaissance of the 12th century. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Virtus (virtue)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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