Jacquelyn Rowe
HIEU 201-B02
September 21, 2020
Evaluative Essay 1: Religion and Philosophy
Evaluative Essay 1: Religion and Philosophy
Introduction
Virtue, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is defined as “behavior showing high moral
standards”. When thinking of religion, virtue is an attribute that is both fundamental and
valuable. In this paper, I will examine the beliefs of the Early Christian Church and that of
Stoicism. When examining both Stoicism and Christianity, virtue is highly regarded especially in
the realm of morality, however, how each group adds virtue into certain aspects of their lives
creates divisions in their particular philosophies.
Stoicism
While exploring the beliefs of the Stoics, virtue reigns supreme in importance. The main
aspect of their beliefs is that everything that comes to them in life is through a person’s virtue or
even a lack of virtue. In his work, Meditations, Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor, discusses
the teachings of Zeno, the founding philosopher of Stoicism. Zeno taught that the most important
possession for life was virtue and that if one had it, then they could face anything life brought.
For the person with virtue, things such as pain, failure, poverty, even death did not matter
because the only "real" thing was virtue. In Book I, Aurelius teaches how it is important for men
to “consider himself no more than any other citizen”. This statement is even prominent in today’s
time as a reminder that no one person is better than the other regardless of where they are in life.
Aurelius also discusses what Romans virtue is supposed to be according to the teachings of
Zeno. He states,“every moment think steadily as a Roman and a man to do what you have in
hand with perfect and simple dignity, and feeling of affection, and freedom, and justice; and to
give yourself relief from all other thoughts”. This is presented as an example and definition of
virtue to the Romans. Aurelius used his power as Emperor in a positive way to exhibit a life lived
in a meaningful way, one that is full of moral excellence. In Book II, Aurelius exclaims, “how
quickly all things disappear, in the universe the bodies themselves, but in time the remembrance
of them; what is the nature of all sensible things, and particularly those which attract with the
bait of pleasure or terrify by pain, or are noised abroad by vapoury fame; how worthless, and
contemptible, and sordid, and perishable, and dead they are”. This statement is similar to the
words of Christ in the book of Matthew, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will
never pass away”.1 Stoics were aware that things of the world are temporary as Christ taught.
This is also echoed in Book 3 when Aurelius states: “Short then is the time which every man
lives, and small the nook of the earth where he lives; and short too the longest posthumous fame,
and even this only continued by a succession of poor human beings, who will very soon die, and
who know not even themselves, much less him who died long ago.”
Early Christianity
The early days of the church began after the resurrection of Jesus and Christianity created
a dynamic shake up within the Roman Empire. An early philosopher named Justin Martyr took it
upon himself to write to the Emperor at the time, Antonius Pius, around 150 AD to come to the
defense of the Christians as they were being heavily persecuted. In this letter, Martyr said, “It is
our task, therefore, to provide to all an opportunity of inspecting our life and teachings”. He
asked for the same respect to be extended to Christians to be able to follow and worship Jesus
just as the Romans were allowed to worship in their way. Early Christians were described by an
anonymous writer in the Epistle of Diognetes as “loving all men and are persecuted by all”.2
Christianity helped provide charity to those in desperate need and most importantly provided
hope for those who saw no hope at all. In Matthew 5, we see that Jesus taught the people about
being a “light to the world.” As Christians, we are called to live a life with good morals and be
1 Matthew 24:35 (CSB)
2 Written in the 2nd century; gives description of Christian living
set apart from the rest of the world. As Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount3 He spoke the
Beatitudes and called his disciples to break out of vicious cycles that lead to a dead-end lifestyle
and embrace kingdom values that move toward reconciled relationships and life-giving patterns.
Similarities between Stoicism and Christianity
We see through the writings of Marcus Aurelius as well as Scripture that they both
address one deity. In Meditations, Aurelius starts Book 1 with “In my father.” To me, this is
indicative of a monotheistic belief. Christians also believe in God as the one Father and Creator
of the Earth and that He sent Jesus, his son, to die for our sins and be our Savior. Stoics and the
early Christians both sought to lead a virtuous life as the foundation of their beliefs. Another
similarity noticed when comparing Stoicism and Christianity is the overwhelming need to tell
others about their beliefs. Reading Aurelius’ work, he uses his beliefs of virtuous living to also
rule over his people in such a way. In Scripture, we see the apostles “were giving testimony to
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them”.4 Sharing the gospel of Jesus
is part of the great commission extended by Jesus before His ascension.
Differences between Stoicism and Chrisianity
For the Stoics, a relationship with a deity is philosophical and based on the ideas of duty
and virtue. There is no prayer to the higher being in times of trouble for help because everything
is strictly based on moral excellence In Christianity, a relationship with God is personal. Prayer
is how Christians connect to the Father and receive help in hopeless times. Stoics believe that
nature provides grounds for reasoning to decipher how to live a dutiful and moral correct life.
However, Christians know that we as humans are corrupt in nature and rely on God’s grace to
extend to us.
3 Sermon on the Mount can be found in Matthew 5:1-12
4 Acts 4:32
Conclusion
Virtue is an important attribute to the followers of Stoicism and Christianity. While these
two belief systems are fundamentally similar, there are also stark differences. Zeno, the founder
of Stoicism, taught that the most important possession for life was virtue and that if one
possessed it they could face any circumstances. However, the relationship with their deity is one
of philosophy and duties rather than a personal relationship as in Christianity. Virtue is highly
regarded especially in the realm of morality, however, how each group adds virtue into certain
aspects of their lives creates divisions in their particular philosophies.
Bibliography
Aurelius, Marcus: Meditations (CE 167). (2020). In Daily Life through History. Retrieved from
http://dailylife2.abc-clio.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/Search/Display/1529153
Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. 2009. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/virtue
"What Were Early Christians Like?" Christianity.com. April 28, 2010.
https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/what-were-early-
christians-like-11629560.html (accessed September 21, 2020).
