For five centuries, Stoicism was the dominant philosophy of the Romano-Hellenic world. Rome's educated elite found this import much to its taste. Stoicism was admirably suited to the builders of empire. It urged a dutiful self-discipline, detachment from the feckless passions, steadfastness in friendship and fortitude in adversity. It reasoned that all men were the offspring of God and therefore brothers, each deserving of compassion and justice. Stoicism made no vain promises of a life beyond the grave, though some Stoics thought it a possibility. Happiness was to be found within, in this life. Stoicism was manly, rational, and temperate. Its reward was virtue – "the highest good" – and perhaps the honour of a noble house.
Stoicism originated on the island of Cyprus with Zeno of Citium at the zenith of Greek expansion in the late 4th century BC, when the old gods were already in decay and rational thought in the ascendant. It took its name from the 'Stoa', or colonnade, at Athens where Zeno taught. Though pantheistic – conjecturing God as present in all things and not transcendent – Stoicism provided many of the building blocks out of which the early Christians built their religion.
Indeed, the first "pagan" Christians had trained in the Stoic tradition (Pantaenus, Clement, et al) and carried into the new faith the asceticism, seclusion, coarse dress and hirsute appearance which were all the marks of the Stoic sage on his way to "Perfection".
Stoicism furnished the Christians with theory as well as practice. Zeno's primary agent of creation, a material "Mind" in the guise of an ethereal yet vivifying "fire", had by the age of Cleanthes (mid-3rd century BC), become "pneuma" or "spirit" – and would show up as the "fiery Holy Spirit" of Pentecost.
Now Let Us Start With Some Stoic Quotes:"If a man lies with his wife as if she were another man's wife, he will be an adulterer, though she will not be an adulteress."
– Seneca, On Firmness, vii.
"God is near you, he is with you, he is within you. This is what I mean, Lucilius: a holy spirit indwells within us, one who marks our good and bad deeds, and is our guardian. As we treat this spirit, so are we treated by it. Indeed, no man can be good without the help of God. Can one rise superior to fortune unless God helps him to rise? "
– Seneca, Epistle 41.
"If you want to be loved, love." - Seneca, Epistulae Morales 9.
"Take care not to harm others, so others won't harm you." - Seneca, Epistulae Morale 103.
"No one can lead a happy life if he thinks only of himself and turns everything to his own purposes. You should live for the other person if you wish to live for yourself." – Seneca, Epistulae Morales 48
"When those about you are venting their censure or malice upon you or raising any other sort of injurious clamour ... it is still your duty to think kindly of them; for nature has made them to be your friends."
– Marcus Aurelius (161-180) 'Meditations'.
"We should not say ‘I am an Athenian’ or ‘I am a Roman’ but ‘I am a citizen of the Universe." – Marcus Aurelius, 'Meditations'.
" Do not, my Lucilius, attend the games, I pray you. Either you will be corrupted by the multitude, or, if you show disgust, be hated by them. So stay away."
– Seneca, Epistulae Morales 7
"Who is there among us who does not admire Lykourgos of Sparta, in his response to being blinded in one eye by a fellow-citizen. The people handed the young man over to him, to take whatever vengeance he wanted. He refrained from any retaliation in kind, but educated him and made a good man of him."
– Epictetus, Encheiridion 5.
"Someone gets angry with you. Challenge him with kindness in return. Enmity immediately tumbles away when one side lets it fall." – Seneca, De Ira, 2
"It's a pitiably small-minded person who gives bite for bite." - Seneca, De Ira, 11
" We shall never desist from working for the common good, helping one another, and even our enemies, till our helping hand is stricken with age."
- Seneca, De Otio
"It is a denial of justice not to stretch out a helping hand to the fallen; that is the common right of humanity."
– Seneca the Elder
"The greatest wealth is a poverty of desires."
– Seneca, Epistulae Morales 70.
"It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor."
– Seneca, Epistulae Morales 64.
"Only the person who has despised wealth is worthy of God."
- Seneca, Epistulae Morales 58.
"We are told that Jesus judged the rich with the saying 'It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of god.'
Yet we know that Plato expressed this very idea in a purer form when he said,
'It is impossible for an exceptionally good man to be exceptionally rich.'
Is one utterance more inspired than the other?"
– Celsus, On the True Doctrine.
" 'They are slaves,' people declare. NO, rather they are men.
'Slaves! NO, comrades.
'Slaves! NO, they are unpretentious friends.
'Slaves! NO, they are our fellow-slaves, if one reflects that Fortune has equal rights over slaves and free men alike. That is why I smile at those who think it degrading for a man to dine with his slave.
But why should they think it degrading? It is only purse-proud etiquette ... All night long they must stand about hungry and dumb ... They are not enemies when we acquire them; we make them enemies ... This is the kernel of my advice: Treat your inferiors as you would be treated by your betters.
'He is a slave.' His soul, however, may be that of a free man."
– Seneca the Younger, Epistulae Morales, 47.
How about Philosophy instead? The Stoics for example:A Couple Introductions:Here is an audio book on Stoicism by George Stock.:
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link to archive.org (secure)]
Here is a video:
Marcus Aurelius Meditations Various Versions:George Long Translation:
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link to archive.org (secure)]
Gregory Hays Translation
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link to www.krauselabs.net]
A Third Version I just found:
Excerpts from Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus:
Lucius Annaeus Seneca or Seneca the YoungerOf Peace of Mind
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link to archive.org (secure)]
On the Shortness of Life
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link to archive.org (secure)]
On the Shortness of Life and Of a Happy Life
Right Click and save target as
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link to www.copyleftaudiobooks.com]
Seneca the Younger Epistles 1-5:
Seneca the Younger Epistles 6-10:
Seneca the Younger Epistles 11-15:
Seneca the Younger Epistles 16-20:
you can covert these with this:
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link to www.listentoyoutube.com]
EpictetusEnchiridion
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link to archive.org (secure)]
Enchiridion alternate:
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus:
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link to archive.org (secure)]
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link to www.youtube.com]
Modern Stoicism
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link to www.newstoa.com]
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link to www.youtube.com]
This is interesting to say the least. Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus, the brother of Lucius Annaeus Seneca also known as Seneca the Younger listed above, was in the biblical Book of Acts. Interesting in the sense that Seneca's works and Paul's have an uncanny resemblance. Seneca FYI was also the tutor and later advisor to Roman Emperor Nero.
Wiki link for Gallio: [link to en.wikipedia.org]
Gallio in the Book of Acts 18:12–17 NLT
12 But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. 13 They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”
14 But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. 15 But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” 16 And he threw them out of the courtroom.
17 The crowd[a] then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.
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