starting over

Late last year, this blog was created with the hope of trying to find common-ground connections between the apostle Paul and the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. This hope has not changed; but hopefully(!), what will change--aside from the ascetics of the blog--will be the frequency with which posts are given. I admit that I failed in my past attempts to post regularly and in keeping with the subject at hand. One of the controlling reasons behind the failed attempts has to do with the subject itself and the time required from me. I simply just did not have the time I wanted to give it. My sister blog, found here (if you really want to read it), was easier for me to maintain simply because it did not require much deep-thinking. The whole tenor of that blog was nothing more than "shooting-from-the-hip". This one, however, is a bit different and cannot be maintained with such cavalier audacity.

As mentioned before, the intent of this blog will remain the same: to consider the approaches to life as defined by Paul and Epictetus with special concern for the intriguing connections between them. What I mean by this is quite simple: while both Paul and Epictetus have their own presuppositions from which they define how life is to be understood and lived; there are several points of overlap (or, agreement) in their presentations concerning life. These points of overlap are the primary concern for me in this blog. This does not mean that the points of distinction will be ignored, for to do so would be to miss how and why there is overlap in the first place. Therefore, while the common-ground is the chief concern here; the respective starting points for each person will be given due attention.

Three more things (in no particular order) and then I will close out this post:

1. From time to time, other Stoic philosophers will be considered for clarity sake or for the sake of providing additional insight missed by Epictetus. When only Epictetus is in mind, however, I will be drawing mostly from two separate works: The Discourses of Epictetus, which can be found here in basic form;[1] and The Enchiridion, which can be found here. Whenever I happen to quote from either of these two works, I will try and keep the reference simple so that you can easily find it in the sites noted.
   
2. I have removed the previous posts from this blog so that the whole notion of "starting over" is complete. I have copied the posts to a Word file, so if you really want to see them, just ask. They really were not anything major, however--only rantings about the theory that Jesus walked on an ice-shelf instead of actual water. (Oddly enough, there has been [to my knowledge] absolutely no coverage of the article since it hit the media last year).
   
3. The outline for how this blog will proceed is quite simple: first, a brief historical overview of each person; second, a brief explanation of defining terms; and third, the intent of this blog will be carried out by considering the contributions made by Paul and Epictetus. I welcome additional insight from anyone (who happens to be reading this) with respect to details and/or ideas I may miss along the way. I make no claim to be an expert on either Paul or Epictetus, so the process of learning has only begun for me.
   

That is all I have for now. Thank you for your patience and I look forward to doing more with this blog, which I hope will generate fruitful dialogue. Have a great weekend.
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[1] By "basic form" I mean the translation itself as well as the overall presentation. (This version lacks the divisions that would be found in other editions such as the one found in the Loeb Classical Library). The same site that holds The Enchiridion also has a version The Discourses, which is a bit more nuanced in its translation than the other site noted.