▁century ▁and ▁decis ively ▁sh aped ▁early ▁American ▁political ▁culture ." ▁Cic ero ' s ▁description ▁of ▁the ▁imm utable , ▁et ernal , ▁and ▁universal ▁natural ▁law ▁was ▁quoted ▁by ▁B url ama qui ▁and ▁later ▁by ▁the ▁American ▁revolution ary ▁legal ▁scholar ▁James ▁Wilson . ▁Cic ero ▁became ▁John ▁Adams ' s ▁" for em ost ▁model ▁of ▁public ▁service , ▁republic an ▁virtue , ▁and ▁for ens ic ▁el o quence ." ▁Adams ▁wrote ▁of ▁Cic ero ▁that ▁" as ▁all ▁the ▁ages ▁of ▁the ▁world ▁have ▁not ▁produced ▁a ▁greater ▁states man ▁and ▁phil os opher ▁un ited ▁in ▁the ▁same ▁character , ▁his ▁authority ▁should ▁have ▁great ▁weight ." ▁Thomas ▁Jefferson ▁" first ▁encountered ▁Cic ero ▁as ▁a ▁school boy ▁while ▁learning ▁Latin , ▁and ▁continued ▁to ▁read ▁his ▁letters ▁and ▁disc ourses ▁throughout ▁his ▁life . ▁He ▁adm ired ▁him ▁as ▁a ▁patri ot , ▁val ued ▁his ▁opinions ▁as ▁a ▁moral ▁phil os opher , ▁and ▁there ▁is ▁little ▁doubt ▁that ▁he ▁looked ▁upon ▁Cic ero ' s ▁life , ▁with ▁his ▁love ▁of ▁study ▁and ▁arist ocr atic ▁country ▁life , ▁as ▁a ▁model ▁for ▁his ▁own ." ▁Jefferson ▁described ▁Cic ero ▁as ▁" the ▁father ▁of ▁el o quence ▁and ▁philosophy ." ▁ ▁Christian ity ▁The ▁New ▁Testament ▁car ries ▁a ▁further ▁ex position ▁on ▁the ▁Abraham ic ▁dialog ue ▁and ▁links ▁to ▁the ▁later ▁Greek ▁ex position ▁on ▁the ▁subject , ▁when ▁Paul ' s ▁Ep ist le ▁to ▁the ▁Rom ans ▁states