Epictetus, Favored Roman Stoic Philosopher

Today we will learn and reflect on the writings of Epictetus,
who was a former slave of a former slave, and is my favorite
Roman Stoic philosopher. The Stoics were the self-help gurus
of the ancient world.
To Epictetus, only the good can be truly happy, only the good
can truly be free. Tyrants may take all you own, but they can
never take your most prized possession, your freedom of will;
tyrants can throw you in jail, but they can never take away the
freedom of your mind; tyrants can take your life, but they
never have any power over your soul.

You may ask, how will studying Epictetus improve my soul?
Living a godly and moral life is all that mattered to the Stoic
philosophers. Epictetus in many places sounds like he is rephrasing
the moral teachings Epistles and the Gospels, so much so that if you
read Epictetus, you will also become a more genuine Christian.
At the end of our talk, we will discuss the sources used for this video,
and my blogs that also cover this topic. Please, we welcome
interesting questions in the comments, sometimes these will generate
short videos of their own. Let us learn and reflect together!

YouTube Video:
Epictetus - My Favorite Roman Stoic
Philosopher
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Epictetus was a former slave of a former slave, his former master
allowed him to study under the philosopher Musonius Rufus. We do
not know his birth name, Epictetus in Greek means “gained” or
“acquired.” Epictetus gained his freedom after the death of Nero in
68 AD, later when the Emperor Domitian abolished philosophers from
Rome he moved to Epirus in Greece.
Epictetus lived a simple life in poverty with few possessions.
Epictetus never put down his philosophy to writing, his sayings were
passed down to us as class notes taken by his students.
Epictetus preserved the teachings of Musonius Rufus, much like Plato
preserved the teachings of Socrates.

Musonius Rufus and Epictetus lived in the same
general timeframe as St Paul.
Musonius Rufus, born 20-30 AD, died 101 AD.
Epictetus, born 50 AD, died 135 AD.
St Paul, born 5 AD, died 64-67 AD.
There is no direct evidence that they read each
others’ writings. In an age of copying documents, it
could take years for them to circulate.
However, they all contributed to the philosophical
discussions of the Roman Empire.
EPICTETUS: ROMAN STOIC PHILOSOPHER

We must presume that if given a choice you would choose hearing
from Epictetus himself rather my rambling on about Epictetus, so we
will go heavy on the actual sayings of Epictetus and go a little bit light
on the assorted Bruceisms.

Epictetus boldly asks of God, “Send now, O God,
any trial that Thou wishes; for You have given me
the means and the power to acquit myself with
honor through whatever trials come to pass!”
What is piety towards God? Trusting that God
“governs the Universe with goodness and justice,”
not finding fault with God, never accusing God of
neglecting you, obeying God always, “submitting
cheerfully in whatever may happen.”

Epictetus does not try to demonstrate that God
exists. Rather, Epictetus demonstrates that our
choice of these beliefs about God tells the world far
more about ourselves than about God.
His students wrongly ask: “If there is no God, how is
it our proper end to follow Him?”
“If there is a God, but He does not care about us,
how will it be right to follow Him?”
If there is a God, and He does care, but he does not
care about us, what does it matter what we do?
But Epictetus teaches that these speculations do
not matter: The good man consents and submits to
God to obey His commandments in all matters, as a
good citizen obeys the laws of the state.

What the stoics do not doubt is that all men have the duty to live
godly lives, and that living a godly life is its own reward.
Whether we are awarded or abused by our neighbors and friends for
living a godly life really does not matter.
Epictetus is a true stoic philosopher, and the question of Why do bad
things happen to good people?
Is simply absurd to a stoic.
Not only did Epictetus live in poverty, he was a former slave of a
former slave, and to boot he was crippled, which is why his picture
often shows his crutch, crippled in his service to his former master.

“God has not only gifted us the ability to bear
everything that comes to pass without being
crushed or depressed, but like a good King and
Father, He has given us this without any hindrance,
without impediment, without restraint.” God grants
us “endurance and greatness of soul.” “But do we
use these gifts of forbearance? No, we don’t
perceive this gift of endurance, but rather “sit
moaning and groaning, blind to the Giver,”
complaining and accusing God.

The stoics, and the Christian monastics who follow them, teach us
that it is unwise to complain.
This does not mean that we should tolerate injustice when we can
improve the lives of those around us, or vote for candidates who wish
to help the poor and needy rather than te rich and powerful.

Epictetus says this: “Are you not scorched by the
rain? Are you not pressed by the crowd? Are you
not wet when it rains?” Has not the Lord granted
you the strength to endure all the trial life may
bring? “Have you not received greatness of soul?
Have you not received manliness? Have you not
received endurance? Why trouble yourself about
anything if you possess greatness of soul?” What
should our attitude be when facing life’s difficulties?
Should we cower like cowards in the face adversity?
Do not cower, “bring now, O Lord, any difficulty that
thou pleases,” for You have given me the means
and power to bring honor to myself through the
difficulties I endure.”

Let us compare two passages, one from Epictetus that is a negative
admonition that it is unwise to complain about our sufferings with a
positive admonition from St Paul that we strengthen our character
through patient endurance of our sufferings.

Epictetus upbraids his students, “there you sit,
trembling for fear for what may come to pass, and
moaning and groaning and lamenting over what
does come to pass. And then blame the Almighty
God. Such meanness of spirit can have but one
result – impiety.”
St Paul in Romans 5: “We boast in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance, and
endurance produces character, and character
produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

The Church Fathers teach that living a godly life is leading a
life of constant improvement through spiritual discipline
through good habits, right thoughts, kind words, and
generous deeds.
The modern analogy is the proper way to diet. You should
diet slow and steady, you should not binge diet, you should
not starve yourself, but you should rather change your
habits so you lose a pound a week until you reach a healthy
weight, and maintain it, exercising every day. Above all,
you should avoid harmful habits like smoking, because, as
you know, without exception, everyone who smokes
eventually dies.

Epictetus says, “if you would make anything a habit,
do it; if you would not make it a habit, do not do it.”
Epictetus talks about good habits, “With respect to
the affections of the soul, when you have been
angry, you must know that not only has this evil
befallen you, but that you have also increased the
habit, and in a manner thrown fuel upon fire.” “If you
do not wish to have an angry temper, do not feed
the fire, throw nothing on it that will increase it. At
first keep quiet, and count the days you have
avoided anger. . . When you have not been angry for
thirty days, praise God! For the habit first begins to
be weakened, and then is completely destroyed.”

Some people think the Serenity prayer was coined by Epictetus, but
this is partially true.

Serenity prayer was composed by Reinhold Niebuhr,
20th Century American theologian:
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I
cannot change, courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.“
Epictetus says something similar:
"Make the best use of what is in your power and take
the rest as it happens. Some things we can influence,
and others we cannot. Our opinions, and our
impulses, desires, and aversions we control. We have
little control over our bodies, nor our possessions,
our reputations, or our public offices."

Discuss “We have little control over our bodies, nor our
possessions, our reputations, or our public offices.”
Stoicism and early Christianity taught that we should not complain, that
we should judge and try to improve ourselves and be hesitant to judge
our neighbors, especially if we are not their parents or if they are not
under our authority (teachers, preachers, counselors, judges,
supervisors at work, etc.)
One aspect where the modern world differs from the ancient world is
we have more control over our health and prosperity. Living a healthy
life should be part of living a godly life, although not (ancient world).
Likewise, we should seek a good education when young so we can have
a good career that will better enable us to be good parents and citizens.

We will compare two passages, on from Epictetus and one from St
Paul, that describe the moral life as a spiritual battle:

Epictetus compares the philosopher to the “true
athlete, the man who exercises himself against
appearances. Stay, wretch, and do not be carried
away. Great is the combat, divine is the work; it is for
kingship, for freedom, for happiness, for freedom
from perturbation. Remember God, call on Him as
helper and protector. . . For what is a greater storm
than that which comes from appearances which are
violent and drive away your reason? What is the
storm, other than an appearance? Take away the
fear of death, take away the thunder and lightning,
and you will know true calm and serenity.”

Compare this with St Paul, 2 Timothy 4:7-8
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up
for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day,
and not only to me but also to all who have loved his
appearing.”

The Church Fathers have their list of vices we
should avoid, and Epictetus has a similar list, he
bids us to “purge away from your mind not
robbers and monsters, but Fear, Desire, Envy,
Malignity, Avarice, Effeminacy, Intemperance.
And these may not be cast out, except by looking
to God alone, by fixing thy affections on Him
only, and by consecrating thyself to His
commands.”

Epictetus tells us of someone who stole his lamp
one night, he got the better end of the exchange.
For Epictetus only lost his lamp, but he kept his
faith. The man who stole his lamp, in exchange for
the lamp he consented to become a thief,
becoming faithless.

My local paper ran a story about how Walmart called the
police on an unemployed single mom who shoplifting
groceries. The policewoman discovered this was her first
offense and really did not feel like throwing her in jail. The
policewoman paid her groceries and helped her navigate
the welfare system and get the help she needed. Epictetus
would have been proud.

“Ought not the robber and adulterer be destroyed?
By no means say so, but speak rather in this way:
This man who has been mistaken and deceived
about the most important things, and blinded, not
in the ability to distinguish black from white, but
blind to the difference between right and wrong,
should we not destroy him?
If you speak thus you will see how inhumane this is,
it is like saying, Ought not we destroy this blind and
deaf man?”

Applying the logic of Epictetus to our current day, we can
ask the question:
When we send a criminal to prison, should we seek retribution,
should we seek to be cruel to the prisoners making his life as
miserable as possible, condemning them to meals of baloney
sandwiches and mystery meat?
Or should we seek rehabilitation, should we be seek to be kind to the
prisoner, giving them hope for their future with meaningful job
training and schooling?

“Why are we angry at the thief? Is it because we
value so much those things the robbers steal from
us? Do not admire your clothes, and then you will
not be angry with the thief.” “The thief does not
know, he thinks a man’s worth is determined by the
clothes he wears.”

But if the greatest harm comes in keeping from men
their most valuable possession, and man’s greatest
possession is his free will, and if a man is deprived
by his addictions of his free will, why would you be
angry with him?
Rather, “pity him, drop this readiness to be offended
and to hate, and those words which many utter,
‘Those good for nothing scoundrels.’ How have you
become so wise at once? Why are you so peevish?
Why are you so angry?”

Do we own our possessions, or do our possessions own us?
When we study the Decalogue, we are reminded that envy is often
the sin that precedes many other sins.
Our envy for our neighbor’s wife can lead to adultery.
Our envy for our neighbor’s possessions or position in life can lead to
theft or our harming our neighbor.
BREAK HERE

Epictetus asks, “What is the divine law?” To
keep that which is yours, not to envy or claim
that which belongs to your neighbor, “to use
what has been given to you, and when it has
not been given to you, not to desire it; when
something is taken away from you, to give it
up readily and immediately, and to the
thankful for the time when you enjoyed that
which you owned.”

Matthew 5:38-42
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an
eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil.
But if any one strikes you on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also; and if any one
would sue you and take your coat, let him have
your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to
go one mile, go with him two miles.
Give to him who begs from you, and do not
refuse him who would borrow from you.

Epictetus tells us, “Forgiveness is better than
revenge. Forgiveness shows gentleness, revenge
shows savagery.”
“Is my neighbor bad? Bad to himself, but good to
me, for he brings my good temper, my gentleness
into play. Is my father bad? Bad to himself, but
good to me. This is the rod of Hermes, touch what
you will with it, and it will turn into gold. Bring what
you will, I will transmute it into good. Bring
sickness, bring death, bring poverty and reproach,
bring poverty for life, all these things through the
rod of Hermes shall be turned to profit.”

Epictetus finds it easy to forgive his neighbor since he harms himself
more than he can ever hurt you. This teaching is reflected in many
Christian teachings.
When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his
neighbor, Jesus said, Not seven time, but seventy times seven times.
St Maximus the Confessor teaches us that if we truly love our
neighbor, we should also be EAGER to forgive him if he wrongs.
Likewise, St Ephrem’s prayer prays to our “Lord and King to grant me
to see my own sins and faults and not judge my brother.”

What does Epictetus say about friendship and love?
“He who knows good knows how to love, but he
who cannot tell good from bad, nor tell what is
neither good nor bad from both, how can he love?
Only the wise know how to love.”
How does Epictetus describe the true friend? “He
will bear with the man who is unlike himself, he will
be kind to him, gentle, ready to pardon on account
of his ignorance, not being harsh to any man, being
convinced of Plato’s doctrine that every mind is
deprived of truth unwillingly.”

Epictetus strongly condemned the attitudes of the Epicureans, who
believed that hanging out with friends, seeking pleasure in
moderation, was the most important thing in life, Epicurus
furthermore said that the philosopher should withdraw from public
life, as if living a godly life was not that important. Only the wealthy
could afford to live the life of Epicurean leisure, and as Epictetus lived
a humble life of poverty, he despised the moral laziness of Epicurus.

Epictetus warns us that men should not behave like
beasts. “It is enough for beasts to eat and drink and
copulate and all the other things they do. But for us
men, to whom God has gifted the intellect, these
things are not sufficient, for unless we act in a
proper and orderly manner according to our nature,
we shall never attain our true end.” God has a
purpose for each animal, some to be eaten, some
to pull a plow, some to supply milk and cheese.

But man was intended to be a “spectator of God
and His works, not only a spectator, but also an
interpreter. For this reason, it is shameful for man
to begin and end where irrational animals do;
but rather man ought to begin where they begin,
and to end where nature should end, in
contemplation and understanding.”

Some helpful insights on the differing anxieties felt by the people of the modern
and ancient worlds have been provided by Professor Philip Carey, Augustinian
scholar with Teaching Company.
People in the modern world are concerned about how technology and robots
may one day replace us, our anxiety is we will become too much like robots.
People in the ancient world had the opposite anxiety. The ancient world had few
really large cities. This was a world where wild beasts roam the forests, and you
do not go out after dark for fear of being attacked and devoured by wild animals.
The anxiety people in the ancient world is that they will become too much like
the beast, who cannot control their emotions.
However, uncontrolled passions can cause problems even for us in the modern
world. We should be more concerned with controlling our passions, rather than
allowing our passions control us.

How should the true stoic face the storm when he is
on a ship in the middle of the sea, what should he do
when the storm surges and the ship sinks?

Epictetus tells us how to face the sinking ships in
the surging storm, “I do the only thing I can, I don’t
drown full of fear, I don’t dare drown screaming or
blaming God, but I drown knowing that all living
things must one day perish, for I am not an
immortal being, but a man, a part of the whole as
an hour is a part of the day. What difference does it
make to me how I pass away, whether by drowning
or by a fever?”

The stoics believed that you should lead a godly life,
so at the end of your life you can die a good death,
free of remorse and regrets, free of fear and terror,
full of courage and character.

SOURCES:
I first learned of Epictetus from a series of Teaching
Company lectures on Greek Moral Philosophers by
Professor Timothy Luke Johnson. This a series of
lectures that deeply affected me, and is one of my
favorites.
Likewise, the stoic philosophers are greatly treasured by
Professor Johnson. He had by chance picked up a used
book containing the writings of Epictetus and was
deeply influenced by his teachings. It is puzzling why
the stoic philosophers are so often neglected by modern
scholars, they were far more highly prized in antiquity
and by the early Christians and Church Fathers.

From Amazon, Marcus Aurelius translation is not good,
purchased this book for him.
Another edition: with paragraph and book numbers.
These writings can also be downloaded for free in many
places on the internet, and the Loeb classical library,
available on an affordable annual subscription, has many
ancient works with their Greek and Latin originals.
PLEASE click on the link for our blogs for the Greek Stoic Philosophers
Epictetus.
And on the links for our YouTube videos on the Greek Cynics and Stoic
philosophers, and other interesting videos that will broaden your
knowledge and improve your soul.

YouTube Video:
Epictetus - My Favorite Roman Stoic
Philosopher
https://youtu.be/Dhd543kov-E
Blogs:
http://www.seekingvirtueandwisdom.com/
NOTE: YouTube video corrections may not
be reflected on the slides, and the blog may
differ somewhat in content.
© Copyright 2021
https://amzn.to/36KNo8T
YouTube Channel (please subscribe):
Reflections on Morality, Philosophy, and History:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLqDkfFbWhXOnzdjp__YZtg
https://amzn.to/3rmSlOx

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in the phrase to the search box in
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Epictetus, Favored Roman Stoic Philosopher

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Epictetus, Favored Roman Stoic Philosopher