"Cling fast to (virtus), I beg you men of Rome, it is a heritage that your ancestors bequeathed you. All else is false and doubtful, ephemeral and changeful; only virtus stands firmly fixed, its roots run deep, it can never be shaken by any violence, never moved from its place.”
~ Cicero
According to the article, What Virtues Were Important to the Ancient Greeks?
Courage, or fortitude, is the ability to confront fear, intimidation, danger, difficulty and uncertainty. It is the ability to face a challenge without cowardice. In ancient Greece, courage was regarded as a military virtue, a character trait of soldiers waging war on the battlefield. Both Plato and Aristotle held military excellence in the utmost regard. The soldier was the Greek model for courage and heroism.
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According to the article Virtus’ in Ancient Rome
Posted on May 3, 2019
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”). … 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. … Originally virtus was used to describe specifically martial courage …
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The article goes on to point out the overtime virtus grew to mean more than being a brave warrior and more about being a good and civilized man. It then states that in the ancient world
Valor, courage, and manliness are not things that can be pursued in the private sphere of the individual or the individual’s private concerns. There could be no virtue in exploiting one’s manliness in the pursuit of personal wealth, for example. Virtus is exercised in the pursuit of gloria for the benefit of the res publica resulting in the winning of eternal “memoria”. …
… For Sallust and Cicero alike, virtus is situated in the winning of glory by the execution of illustrious deeds (egregia facinora) and the observance of right conduct through bonae artes.[6]
… The concept of virtus also tended to be a concept of morality as far as politics were concerned. This could range from the very literal definition of manliness seen in aggression and the ruthless acquisition of money, land, and power, or the lighter, more idealistic political meaning which almost took on the extended meaning of “pietas”, a man who was morally upright and concerned with the matters of the state.[16] …
…. Although the two concepts are related, virtus, for the Roman, did not necessarily emphasize the behavior that the associations of the present-day English term ‘virtue’ suggest. Virtus was to be found in the context of ‘outstanding deeds’ (egregia facinora), and brave deeds were the accomplishments which brought gloria (‘a reputation’). This gloria was attached to two ideas: fama (‘what people think of you’) and dignitas (‘one’s standing in the community’). The struggle for virtus in Rome was above all a struggle for public office (honos), since it was through aspiring to high office, to which one was elected by the People, that a man could best show his manliness by means of military achievement which would in turn cultivate a reputation and votes. It was the duty of every aristocrat and would-be aristocrat to maintain the dignitas which his family had already achieved and to extend it to the greatest possible degree, through higher political office and military victories. This system resulted in a strong built-in impetus in Roman society to engage in military expansion and conquest at all times.
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Even the Mormon critic cannot deny that Joseph Smith had virtus. If you believe that Joseph Smith himself wrote the Book of Mormon, then it's clear that the spirit of virtus (or valor) is written all throughout that text. In fact, from the perspective of virtus what Joseph Smith did in all of his scriptural productions was synthesize virtus in the Hebrew Bible with the peacemaking egalitarianism of the New Testament (See War in the Bible and God in Conflict: Images of the Divine Warrior in Ancient Jewish and Early Christian Texts). After synthesizing Virtus and Agape Love in the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith then became the General of his own Army and when violently attacked by a mob he did not cower in a corner but fired back with a gun before being assassinated. In other words, Joseph Smith was more like a Moses figure than a frail Gandhi. Yet, a thorough reading of Joseph Smith from multiple biographers as diverse as Dan Vogel on one hand and Richard Bushman on the other, reveals that Smith was quite effective in balancing both the Christian virtues with manly virtus. Maybe not a perfect example of this balancing act yet anyone who has given a fair hearing to both sides of his character cannot deny that he manifested both Christian virtues and manly valor.
In the book Nauvoo: the City Beautiful by Susan Easton Black, Glenn Rawson, and Dennis Lyman, on page 8 they write about when Joseph Smith spoke of building a city that
Old habitants scoffed at such a notion [of building a city]: " We will be damned if you can." Joseph wrote, "I prophesied that I would build up a city, and the inhabitants prophesied that I could not."
Then he went on to exercise his willpower and build a city. If that is not an example of manly confidence and valor in the face of adversity, I don't know what is. I am reminded of Arnold Schwarzenegger discussing how his own agents as an actor and Movie Makers telling him he could never make it in Hollywood. Schwarzenegger refers to these people as the naysayers and he refused to listen to them.
On page 10 of Nauvoo: the City Beautiful, they write:
"My house has been a home and resting-place for thousands, and my family many times obliged to do with food, after having fed all they had to visitors."
They go on to point out an incident where a member referred to Joseph Smith as doing "woman's work." Smith countered by rebuffing the member and pointing out that one should basically appreciate his wife.
On page 27 they discuss the melting pot of the city of Nauvoo and its Grand Theater. The writers quote a Mormon poet at the time:
Oh, tell me not of ancient Rome,
of Athens, or of Troy: Gone, gone is all their greatness,
without one gleam of joy, Nor speak ye yet, more modern names,
though fair and lovely too; What is their beauty, what their fame,
compared to fair Nauvoo?
From this we can see that Joseph Smith had the courage, confidence and unifying abilities that led to the founding of a city and those within compared it to Rome and Athens. This is no small thing for a poor farm boy to accomplish in his lifetime. The critic can certainly find much to condemn in Smith for if they want to (as he was imperfect as he himself admitted), but I don't think they can deny the power of his manly character and virtus.
On page 32 they quote Latter-Day Saint Wandle Mace, who asked Joseph to speak and heard him say, " The pleasing joys of family ties and associations, ... contributes to the happiness, power and dominion of those who attain to the celestial glory."
I see in this Joseph Smith's greatest strength in unifying both the Christian Virtues Of Family Ties (and unified relationships) with the innate manly drive to thrive and gain dominion and power. From a psychological and anthropological perspective what Joseph Smith did was unify both our biological drives to overcome and thrive and combined it with the higher ideals of peacemaking and egalitarian care for the poor and unfortunate.
