Marcus Aurelius was truly the philosopher-king that Plato dreamed of, he was both one of the good Roman Emperors and a Stoic Philosopher who ruled out of a sense of duty while living the modest stoic life. The paradox of Marcus Aurelius is that as Roman Emperor he likely oversaw the brutal persecution of Christians, but as a Stoic philosopher his main work, the Meditations, offers a Stoic philosophy that reflects many Christian values and teachings. This paradox led some ancient Christians to hope that he indeed was a friend to Christians, including Tertullian and St Justin the Martyr, who was himself martyred under the reign of Marcus Aurelius. This paradox was explored by the ancient church historian Eusebius in his work Church History or Ecclesiastical History. We review the history behind Marcus Aurelius, how he was the adopted son of his predecessor, Antonius Pius, who had been adopted by Hadrian. We learn how his marriage to the daughter of Antonius Pius, Faustina, led to the birth of Commodus, who succeeded him as emperor and began the decline of the Roman Empire due to his neglect of his responsibilities, he preferred performing as a gladiator to serving as a stoic Roman Emperor. We review the history of the persecutions from Nero to Diocletian, and the series of letters between Pliny and Trajan discussing how Christians should be properly persecuted. We review how modern historians view this paradox, including Henry Chadwick, Walter Kaufman, Matthew Arnold, Copleston, and McGuckin. YouTube video: https://youtu.be/-uQxq1O9xSY Our blog: https://wp.me/pachSU-aC Please support our channel, purchase these from Amazon, we earn a small affiliate commission: Meditations (Dover Thrift Editions), by Marcus Aurelius https://amzn.to/2W3nxqt Practical Philosophy: The Greco-Roman Moralists https://amzn.to/3rmSlOx Famous Romans, Audiobook, by J. Rufus Fears, The Great Courses https://amzn.to/3D6mMgE The Meditations of Marcus Auerlius: Selections Annotated & Explained (SkyLight Illuminations) https://amzn.to/3BsYgWR A History of Philosophy, Vol. 1: Greece and Rome From the Pre-Socratics to Plotinus, by Frederick Copleston https://amzn.to/2Wuh6wX The History of the Church: From Christ to Constantine, by Eusebius (263-339), Penguin Classic, introduction by Andrew Louth https://amzn.to/3eRbZgK The Path of Christianity: The First Thousand Years Hardcover, by John Anthony McGuckin https://amzn.to/2UHXMeW The Early Church, by Henry Chadwick https://amzn.to/36W9OUB

2. Today we will learn and reflect on the life and history of one of
the good Roman Emperors and Stoic philosopher, who was the
philosopher-king described by Plato, this was Marcus Aurelius.
In particular, in this video we will reflect on the important
question of whether Marcus Aurelius was a persecutor or a
friend of Christians, which is an important question asked by
those of us who find inspiration in stoicism and in the ancient
world. In particular, this was a question asked by Eusebius, a
renowned church historian in the time of the first Christian
emperor Constantine the Great.

3. So we have a real dilemma of this Roman Emperor who likely
oversaw the brutal persecution of Christians, but whose Stoic
main work, the Meditations, offers a Stoic philosophy that
reflects many of the Christian teachings in both the Pauline
Epistles and the Gospels. To provide some examples of this
dilemma, these are some quotations from the Meditations
selected in the Copleston History of Philosophy:

4. YouTube Video:
Marcus Aurelius,
Friend or Foe of Christians?
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6. “Love mankind, follow God,” which is very
close to: Love God, and love your neighbor.
“It is man’s special gift to love even those
who fall into blunders, that sin is ignorance
and unintentional, that in a little wile we
shall both be dead, and above all, no injury
has been done to us; our inner self is not
made worse than it was before.”
Marcus Aurelius: From Meditations
Showing clemency to barbarians

7. This last quote is quite similar to the last
section of the early Christian prayer of St
Ephrem the Syrian:

8. Prayer of St Ephrem
"O Lord and Master of my life, grant me
not a spirit of sloth, despondency, love of
power, and idle talk.
But give to me, your servant, a spirit of
sober-mindedness, humility, patience, and
love.
Yes, O Lord and King, grant me to see my
own faults and not to judge my brother,
since you are blessed to the ages of ages."

9. We have another video sharing many of the stoic
sayings from Marcus Aurelius work, the Mediations.
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!

12. First, we need to review the history and timelines around the time of
Marcus Aurelius. You can see that he succeeded the generation that
included the previous well-known Roman stoic philosophers, and St
Paul, and also the emperor from a hundred years previous, Nero.

13. Marcus Aurelius, born 121 AD, Emperor 161–180 AD
St Paul, born 5 AD, died 64-67 AD.
Stoic philosophers:
Seneca, tutor of Nero, born 4 BC, died 65 AD
Seneca was executed by Emperor Nero.
Musonius Rufus, born 20-30 AD, died 101 AD.
Epictetus, born 50 AD, died 135 AD.
In his Meditations, Marcus Aurelius expresses his
admiration for the philosophical works of Epictetus.
Nero, Emperor 54 – 68 AD.
Historical Timeframes
Epictetus, former slave of a former slave

14. In his Meditations, Marcus Aurelius expresses his admiration for the
philosophical works of Epictetus, and it is very likely that he read
the works of Seneca. We can presume that he never read the actual
Epistles of Paul, nor the Gospels.
We know that Marcus Aurelius has several less than complimentary
references to Christians in his Meditations, and we know that St
Justin the Martyr and other early Christians wrote apologies
addressed to Emperor Aurelius. Since is stoic philosophy is so close
to Christian teachings, we can presume that he never actually read
any of the Christian gospels, epistles, or apologies, because if he
closely studied them, would he have persecuted the Christians?

15. Unfortunately, the great Roman historians preceded Marcus Aurelius,
there are not any first-class sources for the life and reign of Marcus
Aurelius, so we are uncertain about many of the details of his life,
including any role he might have had in persecuting the Christians.
Marcus Aurelius was a serious student of Stoic philosophy, and he
wrote his Meditations in excellent Greek.
The Emperor Hadrian selected Antonius Pius to be the next emperor,
adopting him as his son, and requested that he, in turn, adopt Marcus
Aurelius as his son, to secure a peaceful succession. To seal the
succession, Marcus Aurelius married Faustina, the daughter of
Antonius Pius. If her name, Faustina, seems prophetic, it certainly is
prophetic, for she is indirectly responsible for the decline of the
Roman Empire.

16. Marcus Aurelius agreed to be emperor out of Stoic duty, he
would have preferred to remain as a philosopher. During his
reign the Germanic border tribes were in rebellion, he was in
the field of battle more than he was in Rome during his reign,
which means he may not have been personally involved in the
Christian persecutions.

17. Predecessor Emperor
Antonius Pius
Wife Faustina, daughter of
Emperor Antonius Pius
Marcus Aurelius and his
co-emperor

18. Now, let us fill in the background on the history of the
Christian persecutions. There was never a thorough
and systematic persecution of Christians in the
entirety of the Roman Empire like there was in
Orthodox Russia after the Communist Revolution.
Emperor Nero briefly and brutally persecuted the
Christians, blaming them for the fire than burned
down so much of Rome, but likely only the high-
profile Christians were picked up. The brutality of
Nero no doubt caused many Romans to sympathize
with the Christians so willing to die for their faith.

19. Nero’s Torches, painting by Henryk Siemiradzki

20. There was not a general persecution of Christians
throughout the Roman Empire until over two hundred
later under Emperor Diocletian, but even then many
provincial governors were sympathetic to Christians
and were not eager to execute citizens whom they
saw as harmless. Between these two emperors,
Christians were persecuted sporadically.

21. The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1863–1883, Walters Art Museum). A fanciful scene of
damnatio ad bestias in ancient Rome's Circus Maximus beneath the Palatine Hill.

22. The severity of the persecutions against the Christians depended on
how hostile the provincial governors and local officials were against
the Christians. Around the year 250 AD we have a remarkable series
of letters preserved between a provincial governor, Pliny the
Younger, and Emperor Trajan, which is doubly remarkable because
we so rarely have preserved both sides of the correspondence.
Pliny asks Trajan if he is following the proper legal procedure in his
persecutions of the Christians in his province. He explains that he
does not seek out the Christians, but when there is a complaint he
brings the Christian before him, and if the Christian shows reverence
to the ancestral gods by sprinkling incense before a bust of the
emperor, he releases them, but only if they refuse does he execute
them for “atheism.”

23. Pliny’s letter to Emperor Trajan on how to handle actions
against Christians, and the reply are the earliest Roman
references to Christianity.
Trajan’s short reply to Pliny affirms Pliny’s overall procedure
and gives four orders:
Do not seek out the Christians for trial.
Trajan adds this due process procedure: Anonymous
accusations should not be considered.
If the accused are found guilty of being Christian, then they
must be punished.
If the accused deny they are Christians and show proof that
they are not by worshipping the gods, then they must be
pardoned.
Quote from Wikipedia: Pliny the Younger on Christians
Pliny asks Trajan for proper legal procedures
for persecuting Christians

24. Now that we have some general background history on Marcus
Aurelius and the Roman Empire, we can consider further the question
of whether Marcus Aurelius is a friend or foe of Christianity.
By far, our most important source is the Ecclesiastical History, or
Church History by Eusebius, who was an important bishop during the
reign of the first Christian emperor Constantine.
Like modern historians, Eusebius considers that there a strong case for
the position that Marcus Aurelius did personally persecute the
Christians to some extent, but unlike emperors like Nero, he would
not have enjoyed watching them, maybe he watched them out of a
sense of duty. Eusbius begins Chapter 5 with detailed gruesome
accounts of Christians being tortured and executed over periods of
many days during the reign of Marcus Aurelius.
But then he follows tis with a remarkable account of how God helped
the soldiers of Marcus Aurelius defeat the enemy with a miracle:

25. Soldiers of Marcus Aurelius granted victory by a
miracle when they pray to the Christian God:
“While his predecessor Antonius Pius was still on the
throne,” Marcus Aurelius faced the German tribes in
battle. His soldier in the Melitene Legion, facing the
enemy, knelt in prayer, “and turned to God in
supplication. The enemy was astonished at the sight,”
and immediately “a thunderbolt drove the enemy to
flight and destruction, while rain fell on the army which
had called on the Almighty, reviving it when the entire
force was on the point of perishing from thirst.”
He says that Tertullian witnesses to this miracle in his
work titled Apology, or In Defense of the Faith.
Eusebius concludes: “Everyone must make up his own
mind about these matters.”
Church History by Eusebius

26. In addition to these two sources, there is another
account which probably refers to the same incident.

27. Appended to the First Apology to the Emperor by St Justin
the Martyr, an early Christian philosopher, is a curious work:
an Epistle of Marcus Aurelius to the Roman Senate. This
epistle appears to be referring to the same story.
In this Epistle, Marcus Aurelius recounts a miracle in a
campaign where the Roman army found itself in desperate
straits in their campaigns against the German barbarians
threating the borders of the empire. The emperor prayed
to the pagan gods for deliverance, and when he learned
that many of his soldiers were Christians he asked that they
pray to their God as well. This epistle tells us of these
Christians, how they “began the battle, not by preparing
weapons, nor arms, nor bugles; for such preparation is
hateful for them, on account of the God they bear about in
their conscience.”
Epistle of Marcus Aurelius to the Roman Senate
Saint Justin Martyr by
Theophanes the Cretan

28. St Justin was martyred in Rome when the pagan Cynic philosopher
Crescens agitated for his execution. In this martyr account Marcus
Aurelius is not mentioned.
There is likely no scholar who really thinks that Marcus Aurelius was
the author of this curious Epistle, and many scholars can prove that
some of the history recounted by Eusebius is more like myth and
legends. But whether or not these accounts are historical is not the
point, the main point is that some early Christians wanted Marcus
Aurelius to be a friend of the Christians, recognizing the wisdom of
his stoic teachings.
This means that modern Christians should have no reservations
whatsoever in reading the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius for their
great spiritual benefit.
Unfortunately, several quotes by Marcus Aurelius himself suggest that
maybe he was not a friend of the Christians.

29. Marcus Aurelius has a critical view of the resurrection of
the body in Book IV.
“If souls continue to exist, how does the air contain them
from eternity?” He then speculates that souls eventually
diffuse to make room for other souls. Then he adds, “we
must not only think of the bodies that are buried, but also
the animals that are eater by us and the other
animals. For these animals that are consumed are also
buried in the bodies of those who feed on them!”
Simlilarly, when St. Paul preaches to the Athenians in Acts
17, it is the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead that
the Greeks have trouble accepting, and John 6.
Marcus Aurelius comments on Christians in the Meditations

30. This comment from Meditations suggests that maybe
Marcus Aurelius did witness some martyrdoms:
“A great soul is ready, at any requisite moment, to be
separated from the body and then to be extinguished or
dispersed or continue to exist. But this readiness must
come from a man’s own judgement, not from mere
obstinacy, as with Christians, but considerately and with
dignity and in a way to persuade another, without tragic
show.”
However, many bishops from this period discouraged their
flock from volunteering for martyrdom.
Marcus Aurelius comments on Christians in the Meditations

31. Modern scholars have also puzzled about this
paradox of Marcus Aurelius, whether he is a
friend or foe of the Christians.

32. Henry Chadwick notes in his history, the Early
Church, that “Marcus Aurelius regarded suicide
as ethically unobjectionable, but felt that it must
be done in good style ‘not, like the Christians in a
spirit of theatricality.’
Henry Chadwick says with certainty that Marcus
Aurelius ordered the persecution of Christians in
Gaul, today’s France, writing that “the emperor
Marcus Aurelius directed that the Christians
should be tortured to death, and no refinement
of cruelty was spared.”
Modern scholars comment on Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

33. Walter Kaufman in his Introduction: “Marcus
Aurelius, for reasons of state, possibly sanctioned
the persecutions of Christians, achieved a
genuinely Christian depth of humility.”
In the words of Matthew Arnold, “What an affinity
for Christianity had this persecutor of
Christians! The effusion of Christianity, its
relieving tears, its happy self-sacrifice, were the
very element, one feels, for which his soul
longed; they were near him, they brushed him,
he touched them, he passed them by.”
Modern scholars comment on Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

34. Copleston: “Marcus Aurelius was punctiliously
observant of the forms of polytheistic worship, which
partially explains why he persecuted the Christians
during his reign, since he clearly” viewed the pagan
religious rites of “state-worship as implied in good
citizenship.”
McGuckin: “Marcus Aurelius mentioned Christians
with the distaste reserved for secretive and maleficent
magic sects.) (p. 1015, Path of Christianity, the First Thousand Years)
Modern scholars comment on Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

35. However wise and kind Marcus Aurelius had been as
a competent and good Roman Emperor, all his
striving and kindness would be overshadowed by
the stain left by his son, his petty, vicious, and lazy
narcissist son, the Emperor Commodus, whose
character far more closely resembled that of Nero
rather than his father.
Nero wanted to practice the arts, but was an awful
musician and athlete, while Commodus wanted to be
a gladiator, and was quite good at being a gladiator,
but does this make for a successful emperor?

36. There were credible rumors that Commodus was not his son,
that his mother Faustinus had an affair with a gladiator when
Marcus Aurelius was fighting the Germanic tribesmen.
Marcus Aurelius was the last of the seven good Roman
Emperors, and most of these good emperors were adopted by
their predecessor.
But he chose Commodus as his co-emperor, although he knew
that Commodus was irresponsible, and did not want to adopt
the stoic virtues.
When Marcus Aurelius died on the front, Commodus abandoned
the war, negotiating a quick peace, and retreated to Rome to
pose as a gladiator. Commodus was more like Nero than his
father Marcus Aurelius, he was eventually assassinated after he
started murdering his closest associates. His reign began many
decades of political inaction and instability when Rome was
assaulted by both German tribesmen and Persians.
His son Commodus: NOT a good emperor

37. Emperor Commodus: Posing as Gladiator
The Emperor Commodus Leaving the Arena at the Head of the Gladiators (detail) by Edwin Howland
Blashfield (1848–1936), Hermitage Museum and Gardens, Norfolk, Virginia.

38. SOURCES:
Dover Thrift Edition from Amazon, I found the translation in the Stoic
Six Pack to be undecipherable. Marcus Aurelius is quite readable, you
should purchase this book and read it yourself.
Rufus Fears has a highly entertaining lecture on Marcus Aurelius in his
Teaching Company lecture series. He has persuasive arguments that
this philosopher-king was more of a philosopher than a king, that he
“lacked the will to power” that would have enabled a greater
emperor to establish an “enduing legacy of imperial power.”
He faults Marcus Aurelius for not putting aside his unfaithful wife
Faustina and his vicious and incompetent son Commodus for the good
of the empire, and should have followed tradition and adopted a
qualified emperor instead.

39. .
Also available on Amazon.

40. SOURCES:
Eusebius, History of the Church, an ancient source.
Henry Chadwick, The Early Church, a modern source.
These are the two most important early church histories.
Frederick Copleston, History of Philosophy, Vol 1, Greece and Rome
Used in Catholic seminaries, can get used copies very inexpensively.
St Justin the Martyr, Anti-Nicene Fathers, CBD perpetual special, but
these are also available for free on the internet, and also on Amazon
Kindle. We have a blog on this library, and tips on how to read and
interpret the early Church Fathers.
Meditations, annotated and explained, great introduction and
comments, okay

42. PLEASE click on the link for our blogs on Marcus Aurelius.
And on the links for our YouTube videos on the Greek Cynics and Stoic
philosophers, and for our blogs on St Justin the Martyr when they are
released, and other interesting videos that will broaden your
knowledge and improve your soul.

43. YouTube Video:
Marcus Aurelius,
Friend or Foe of Christians?
https://youtu.be/-uQxq1O9xSY
Blog:
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
Purchase from Amazon:
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45. To find the source of any direct
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