Stoicism group: Marcus Aurelius and the Christians (Live Read)

What was Marcus Aurelius’ opinion about the Christians? How much attention did he give to them? Was Marcus’ only explicit mention of them in his Meditations truly his writing, or a later addition? What does the Greek text reveal to us?

“The resolute soul: Resolute in separation from the body. And then in dissolution or fragmentation—or continuity. But the resolution has to be the result of its own decision, not just in response to outside forces [like the Christians]. It has to be considered and serious, persuasive to other people. Without dramatics.” ~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 11.3

Marcus’ mentions of Christianity in his work have been much debated. Some translators are even omitting sections from their texts completely, because they believe they were later additions. Although we will never know for sure whether it was truly Marcus’ writing, the inquiry will teach us a lot about Marcus’ Stoicism and his relation with the Christians, and Christians in the 2nd century in general.

The article “Marcus Aurelius and the Christians” is one of the articles found in a compilation book called “Studies in Stoicism”. Written by one of the greatest authorities of Stoicism of our time, P.A. Brunt, it is seen by many as the best source about Marcus’ complicated relation to Christianity.

“Studies in Stoicism” appears in every bibliography of serious contemporary books about Stoicism. Even though this book is very hard to aquire, we were finally able to get hold of a copy after months of waiting.

For our meetig no advanced reading is required. Nevertheless, you are of course free to do so. The readings can be found on https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8hehcb8oda7gc1k/AAC1YE5jwQ7VZK3_mEwkzbCDa?dl=0 in the “readings” directory.

In every Zoom session, will read 4-8 pages as a group and discuss them in detail. We usually prefer to go through the readings slowly and focus on comprehension rather than speed.

This group focuses on a close reading of the texts with attention for philosophical arguments and historical detail.

We will read translated versions of the original texts, but we sometimes consult the original texts as well, thanks to our members familiar with Ancient Greek.

An acquaintance with the basics of Stoicism would be very helpful, as this group has been meeting for some time and most people are already familiar with the key writers and their ideas.

The event host is Luciano.

You can join us on Zoom every Sunday at 11:00 AM ET.