One HONOR & SHAME Connecting Personhood to Group Values The culture of the first-century world was built on the foundational social values of honor and dishonor. Seneca, a first-century Roman statesman and philosopher, wrote: “The one firm conviction from which we move to the proof of other points is this: that which is honorable is held dear for no other reason than because it is honorable” (Ben. 4.16.2). Seneca claims that his peers regard honor as desirable in and of itself, and dishonor as