life with paul and epictetus

27 May 2007

the life of epictetus

a word on historiography
Ask nearly anyone who has tried to reconstruct the life of any historical figure, and they will tell you that it is certainly not a novice activity. This endeavor becomes fraught with danger when the additional variable of "ancient" is thrown into the equation. The danger quickly induces a mental exhaustion when one finds the necessary historical data for such a reconstruction to be scant at best.

This is the dilemma when considering the life of Epictetus, and this is especially the case with the apostle Paul. The present post will attempt to reconstruct the former while the next post will focus on the latter. It should be noted right up front: what is provided in these two posts is simply a general survey of what can be (tentatively) known about both individuals based on the available material.

the early life of epictetus
These are the aspects of Epictetus' early life that are widely held to be "historical". He was born in a city known as Hierapolis, which, for some time, was a no-name city in the region of Phrygian region. Some scholars will point out that, after the Persian invasion of this area, Phrygia became synonymous with submissiveness and stupidity;[1] though, others will argue that it received a new reputation after it was obtained by the Greeks (and Romans).[2] This renown was one of religiosity due to the excessive worship of imperial gods and/or emperors. Phrygia also became recognized as one of the primary seats of Stoic philosophy during the Graeco-Roman period.

Epictetus was born (c. 55 AD)[3] as a slave and remained as such for a fair amount of his formidable years. While this environment would seem to be anything less than ideal, Epictetus was fortunate enough to have as an owner a close associate of the Roman Emperor, Nero. The fortuitousness of this is the fact that the owner, Epaphroditus, once he recognized Epictetus' intellectual abilities, had the means to send him to Rome for higher education. Yet, for every mountain there must be a valley; and the valley in this case was the treatment given to Epictetus by his owner. Epaphroditus is said to have beaten Epictetus so severely that he remained crippled for the rest of his life.[4]

the transitional years
As was just noted, Epictetus, at a very young age, surprised his owner with his wisdom and philosophizing--an ability not commonly expected with slaves.[5] The result of this was that Epaphroditus (essentially) paid the way for Epictetus to travel and study in Rome in order to enhance his natural abilities. Once in Rome, Epictetus came under the supervision of an imminent Stoic philosopher named, Gaius Musonius Rufus. It is believed by many that Epictetus was able to gain his freedom through his connection with Gaius. The thinking is that Gaius was so impressed with Epictetus' abilities that he somehow leveraged his freedom.

Under the tutorage of Gaius, and backed by his inborn intellectual prowess, Epictetus became a teacher of Stoic philosophy in Rome for some time. Neither the beginning of this career nor its duration can be known with any certainty; yet, the point at which it came to a grinding halt can be tentatively ascertained. (However, scholars are not in full agreement on this issue). Gaius was banished from Rome in 66 AD due to his alleged involvement in a conspiracy against Rome and the emperor.[6] He is believed to have returned to Rome during the time of Vespasian (c. 68 AD) and was able to remain there for some time. Supposedly, there was another banishing that occurred during the time of Domitian. It was during this time that nearly every philosopher was exiled from Rome, which either occurred in 89 or 94 AD.[7] Epictetus would have been subjected to this massive exile.

final years of epictetus
Immediately following his exile, Epictetus found himself (in more ways than one) in the northwest region of Greece in a town called, Nicopolis--a city of great renown. By remaining true to his Stoic foundations, Epictetus did not view this forced transition negatively--he unwaveringly sought the good and quickly obtained it. While in this new environment, Epictetus "created" a Stoic philosophical school and successfully promoted his teachings until the end of his life, which was c. 135 AD. It was during this time that much of his literary career took shape; though, it must be noted that he is believed to have not written anything himself--he may have dictated much of his material.

One of Epictetus' students, Flavius Arrian, is the individual who is generally accredited with composing much of Epictetus' writings. The Discourses is a collection of notes taken by Arrian while he learned at the feet of Epictetus; and the Enchiridion could be viewed as a primer, again written by Arrian, for the material found in the Discourses. Supposedly, Arrian wrote a biography (of sorts) on his favorite teacher; yet, this work is largely unknown--if not missing altogether. It might be safe to say that the material found in the two above mentioned works serves as an intellectual biography of Epictetus, for they represent the more profound and effectual teachings of this great philosopher. These instructions were powerful enough that they came to be revered by the great emperor Marcus Aurelius.[8] In fact, much of the philosophy latent within Aurelius' Meditations could be easily connected with the thought processes of Epictetus.

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[1]
HT Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898).
[2] E. Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 3rd ed (2003).
[3]
The introductory chapter of the "Classics Club" edition of Epictetus' Discourses, has the birth at 50 BC, which is odd, and his death at 30 AD, which is even more odd. The primary reason for the oddity of this chronology is that the writer states the Epictetus "was brought up as a slave in the home of a freedman of Nero" (x). The problem is that Nero began his reign in 54 AD.
[4] There is a story told by the early church father, Origen, that implicitly links the torture of Epictetus with his later physical state.
[5] See the ancient Egyptian story, The Eloquent Peasant, which speaks to the same idea.
[6] The Roman historian, Tacitus, states the Gaius went into exile because of his name "Rufus"; for another "Rufus" was the true target of Nero's attack--Gaius left in order to avoid being confused with the real culprit (see, The Histories, 15.70-71).
[7] Some suggest that Gaius was able to remain in Rome during this exile due to his relationship with Vespasian; though, this suggestion is built on the assumption that Vespasian was the one who performed this exiling process. The above given dates are probably the more likely; though, it is not for sure which date is the more likely.
[8]
Some say that Marcus Aurelius was a student of Epictetus (S. Lebell, The Art of Living: Epictetus [1995]); yet, the evidence to support this contention is surprisingly lacking. It is better to see that Marcus Aurelius was "indirectly" taught by Epictetus via his writings.