There’s a brief mention of the Epicureans and Stoics in the New Testament. Specifically, in “The Acts of the Apostles,” it is said that “certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks” encountered Paul the Apostle (Source: Acts 17:18). I will leave the discussion of this famous encounter to my footnote in this blog post. But suffice it to say here that they were two of the most popular philosophical schools of the classical world. Many Greeks and Romans came from these schools.
So who were these “Stoics” and “Epicureans”? That is the subject of this audiobook. Strangely, they do not mention Paul’s famous encounter with them in Athens, as I do. Given that this is the most famous mention of them, I don’t know why they chose to omit it here. But I suppose that they may have wanted to broaden their appeal to others besides the Christians. Certainly Christians are not the only ones to be interested in their philosophy, since there are many others who study their ideas today (at least, within the world of academic philosophy).
Paul’s sermon in the Areopagus in Athens (mentioned above)
So first, let me discuss the Epicureans. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy says that “The philosophy of Epicurus (341–270 B.C.E.) was a complete and interdependent system, involving a view of the goal of human life (happiness, resulting from absence of physical pain and mental disturbance), an empiricist theory of knowledge (sensations, together with the perception of pleasure and pain, are infallible criteria), a description of nature based on atomistic materialism, and a naturalistic account of evolution, from the formation of the world to the emergence of human societies” (Source: Entry on “Epicurus”). It is sometimes misrepresented as believing that only bodily pleasures are worth pursuing – when in fact they also believed in the value of other kinds of pleasures such as learning.
Epicurus, the founder of Epicureanism (mentioned above)
Now let me discuss the Stoics. On this subject, a Bible Dictionary notes that they were “A school of philosophers, founded by Zeno, about 300 B.C. They taught that the practice of virtue was the first duty of man and that the only real things are those that the bodily senses can perceive. They were therefore what we should call materialists. So far as religious belief was concerned they were pantheists, holding that all things come from God and will be at last absorbed into Him again. They were also fatalists, holding that the universe is governed by absolutely fixed laws and that the private needs of individuals are of no concern to Providence. The way for the individual to be happy was to bring himself into harmony with the course of the universe. Suicide was held to be always lawful, and at times a duty. The Stoic tried to be proudly independent of externals and to bear evils with indifference” (Source: Entry on “Stoics”).
Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism (mentioned above)
So far, I have relied extensively on what others have said about these two schools. Now let me add a few comments of my own. This audiobook is a good introduction to both of these schools, and tells you about why they were so popular in their own time. It is more than two-and-a-half hours long, and is thus able to go into much more detail than I have in this post. Specifically, this is a good overview of their history in antiquity, which was the height of their popularity. They give some brief background on what else was going on in the Greco-Roman world at this time, but the focus is on their ideas – and, to some degree, how these ideas would evolve over time.
Cicero, a famous commentator on Stoicism
Of all of the commentators on Stoicism, the one that I would most like to read at some point is Cicero. I’m not sure that I’ll ever get around to reading him in any language, but I’m sure that I would enjoy him if I did. This audiobook mentions Cicero briefly, when quoting from some of his commentaries on Stoicism. But I’m sure that I would learn much from philosophers in either of these schools, and this is a good introduction to some of the major ones in these two traditions. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who wants to learn about either school. It is much easier than actually reading any of their works, although that is a worthwhile task for anyone who wishes to do so.
“Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him [Paul]. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection … Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”
If you liked this post, you might also like:
A review of “Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire” (History Channel)
A review of “Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire” (BBC)
A review of “The Roman Empire in the First Century” (PBS Empires)
A review of “Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire” (BBC)
A review of “The Roman Empire in the First Century” (PBS Empires)
Part of the audiobook series
The World of Philosophy
Stoics and Epicureans
Avicenna and Medieval Muslim PhilosophyOthers to be covered later
See also the audiobook series
The Giants of Philosophy
Others to be covered later
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