Essay on Christianity and Stoicism

Stoicism made the transition from an intriguing foreign philosophy to a popular practice because it was taken up by several high profile figures. Scipio Africanus, the original esteemed Roman Stoic died in 129 BCE, but about 40 years later a new crop of celebrated Romans took up the Stoic practice. During the fall of the Roman Republic a group of famed orators, generals, and statesmen including Marcus Junius Brutus (85-42 BCE), Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE), Pompey the Great (106-48 BCE), and Cato the Younger (95-46 BCE) all professed themselves Stoics. This group of powerful statesmen and leaders practicing Stoicism disseminated it throughout Rome. Octavian (63 BC- 14 AD) who later became Caesar Augustus had a Stoic tutor and many

Stoicism allows us to put things in perspective by telling us to focus on the things we have control over. It tells us to accept the external world as it is because we do not have control. Stoicism can be a positive in a person’s life because it can help them live a mores stress free and relaxed life. By not worrying about the things out of their control a person is able to focus more on themselves and improving the things that they do have control over. There are not all positives with stoicism. This thinking that of not worrying about everything that is out of our control can lead to people becoming complacent and working or fighting for something because they think that almost everything is out of there control so why should they waste their efforts. This is when stoicism can have a negative impact on a person’s life. They will not try to improve things because they will think there is no point because everything is out of their control. This can happen when people think that everything, not just external things, are out of their control. When following the teachings of stoicism it is important to be aware of these positives and negatives so it can be used effectively.

The single most important philosophy in Rome was Stoicism, which originated in Hellenistic Greece. The contents of the philosophy were easily persuaded to the Roman worldview, especially to repeat what the Romans considered their crowning achievement. The centrepiece of Stoic philosophy was the concept of the logos. The universe is ordered by God and this order is the logos, which means ?meaning of the universe?. Rome at its beginning was basically agricultural and martial culture. As a result, the earliest Romans stressed effortlessness, strength, and toughness, which are all requirements of both the agricultural and martial lifestyles.

An omnibenevolent God created a man with the capacity to sin; as Augustine has addressed, the evil in man resides from his will. Augustine, however, does not address how evil stems also from the human nature of temptation that was a consequence of the original fall from Eden. Augustine touches on this theme when accounting for the origins of his sin, but he never fully declares it. “I loved to excuse my soul,” Augustine begins, “and to accuse something else inside me (I knew not what) but which was not I. But, assuredly, it was I, and it was my impiety that had divided me against myself” (62). Here, Augustine admits to denying his own human nature to sin, and blames it on something beyond his will, such as a result of creation. Bonner,

Born of different backgrounds, upbringings, and experiences, Epictetus and Seneca are Roman philosophers who outwardly appear very different. Epictetus spent most of his youth as a slave while Seneca was born into money and became a tutor of Nero. Although these two men seem to be very dissimilar, they each shared a common purpose in studying philosophy and teaching people on how to live well. Each suggested different paths for how to do so. Epictetus suggests in his book, The Discourses and The Enchiridion, that living a life in accordance with nature could be achieved by living moderately. Seneca suggests in his work, Letters from a Stoic, that a happy man is self-sufficient and realizes that happiness depends only on interior perfection. Despite the differences, both Epictetus and Seneca are considered Stoics because of their shared belief in the idea that character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness. The world outside ourselves will never give us happiness, nor will it be responsible for our unhappiness. It doesn’t matter what’s happening outside ourselves, Epictetus and Seneca claim that the only thing that matters is how we interpret those events. Further evaluating Seneca’s, Letters from a Stoic and Epictetus’s, The Discourses and The Enchiridion, we will clearly be able to differentiate the two in their ideas and opinions regarding stoicism and the keys to living a well, happy life.

McGiffert, A. (1909). The Influence of Christianity upon the Roman Empire. The Harvard Theological Review, 2(1), 28-49. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1507353

In “The Handbook”, Epictetus provides a way of life a stoic should follow to be a good member of the society, which is a life detached from things one cannot change and focused instead on things that can be improved. For instance, he asked people to care none about the way others would judge them as he quoted “If anyone tells you that such a person speaks ill of you, don't make excuses about what is said of you, but answer: "He does not know my other faults, else he would not have mentioned only these."” Through this quote, Epictetus wanted all stoics to know all their faults better than anyone else can say about them. Hence, the person would not be disturbed by the way the society view him or her as well as would be able to control and fix

Alleck, W., Glass, K., & Macdonald, M. E. (2012). The Limitations of Language: Male Participants, Stoicism, and the Qualiative Research Interview. American Journal of Men's Health , 155 - 162.

The author Marcus Aurelius helped bring together Stoicism and Christianity with his book Meditations which highlighted ideas shared by the gospel of John from the New Testament. In this book Aurelius discusses Logos, which describes a person’s purpose and place in this world as well as the next. Groups of ideas that are meant to cultivate the soul and rely on daily inner reflection, also known as askesis, are appealing to me. Knowing about the sack on Jerusalem and how the Jews were slaughtered and starved as told by Titus Flavius Josephus makes Christianity less appealing for me. I do not want to be treated like a Jewish person and be murdered for my beliefs. Because the religions are so closely related I would constantly have to point out the differences in my faith and character and still I would be persecuted by the Romans. My family has a long tradition of honoring the Roman Gods and this practice has never treated me poorly, so why should I switch

pagan) works can be approached differently through comparison of Christianity and paganism as a whole, along with the idea that Christ perfects all. Chesterton writes, “The primary fact about Christianity and Paganism is that one came after the other” (Heretics 53). Therefore, the pagan Roman works remain pagan, but are also “pre-Christian.” Combined with the fact that philosophy’s dissatisfaction was completed by Christ, it follows that a Christian can uncover more depth in Christianity by studying pagan works with eyes of faith. Chesterton observes, “A pagan was generally a man with about half a dozen” religions (53). Augustine saw the “wholesomeness of the Christian religion” as satisfaction for the ancient pagan thinkers, who desperately tested these “half a dozen” religions in vain, one after another (City of God 2.28). This “wholesomeness” also offers overwhelming freedom. Chesterton writes, “It is a curious fact that the moderns have mostly rebuked historic Christianity, not for being narrow, but for being broad. They have rebuked it because it did prove itself the desire of all nations, because it did satisfy the cravings of many creeds, because it did prove itself to idolaters as something as magic as their idols, or did prove itself to patriots something as lovable as their native land” (The New Jerusalem 112). Chesterton believed the “Church was infamous because it satisfied the Greek intellect and wielded the Roman power” (112). Continuing the notion that Christianity perfects all, Augustine writes that if philosophers “have said aught that is true and in harmony with our faith, we are not only not to shrink from it, but to claim it for our own use from those who have unlawful possession of it” (Christian Doctrine 2.40). Augustine shows that if men like Moses received pagan knowledge, pagan works contain not only “false and superstitious fancies” but also “liberal instruction which is better adapted

In the early period of Christianity, the influence of Plato's philosophical criticisms of art can be seen in effect in Augustine's view of the imagination as profane. One can question as to whether Augustine's view of original sin would have been so negative if he had not imbibed the Platonic conception of the Fall of the soul. The combination of Biblical and Hellenic elements made Christian philosophy,

After the death of Aristotle, philosophy that targeted greater complex depths was outrun by philosophy that focused on mere everyday lives. With the rise and fall of Skepticism, Cynicism, and Epicureanism there was an influence that survived years impacting life and that was Stoicism. Zeno of Citium who believed that the world had an ultimate plan and everything--including nature, animals, and humans, were there for a reason (Hergenhahn & Henley, 2014, p. 66). The reason Stoicism was easily used is because it was well-suited with the way Romans highlighted their law and order giving the extensive coverage displayed by many philosophers, including Marcus Aurelius.

Stoicism owes its origin to Zeno of Citium that not only lived in Athens but also actively taught. This was way back in 300 BC. His ideals gained enormous popularity amongst the ruling Romanian class. As a matter of fact, a majority of the surviving Stoic books were authored by Roman Stoics, more especially, Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. Epictetus more particularly provides interesting ideas that help understand the role of stoicism in human life (Aetius, 1879).

This essay investigates the role of religion and the importance of Roman society and politics. It will show the origin of Roman Religion, such as the pantheon, origin myths and the effect of foreign influence on Rome. This paper will also go into immense study of how religion affected Roman society through the likes of cult worship and domestic religion. It will also show the importance of politics on Roman religion, such as, the Imperial Cult, Vestal Virgins but more or less will also expose the persecution of Christians that were in opposition to Roman paganism.

The first part of this paper will explore the mystery-religions, the reasons behind their popularity, and the Hellenistic world in which they grew that began with Alexander the Great. Next, their characteristics and connections first with Judaism and later with Christianity will be more deeply discussed. In the second part it will be shown that the mystery-religions helped to clear the pathway for the Christianization of the Greco-Roman world by men such as Paul the Apostle. Finally, the Emperor Constantine’s role in this story will be mentioned, during whose reign the mystery-religions declined and Christianity became the major religion of Europe and the near east. The paper will conclude with a brief speculation about the significance of