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Date Posted: 13:11:14 11/14/02 Thu
Author: Edmund Wenceseslas Augustus Von Fock
Author Host/IP: NoHost / 193.114.111.26
Subject: The Greek Influence

Hello all,

So far as Christianity is concerned, the one thing about Christian philosophy that has interested me is its similarity to Stoicism. I don't know whether any of you have ever read Aurelius, Seneca, Cicero, Epictetus et al but if you can you cannot help but feel the similarity.

In my opinion, many Christian philosophical beliefs came from Greece. During the "Archaic" period of Greek history between the fall of the Mycenean era until the Classical era, Greek city states colonised many sites around the Med, including Syrian sites and what later became Judea ("like frogs around a pond" as Plato said) and, naturally, brought their customs and beliefs with them. From this time on, Greece and the colonies exchanged ideas as well as goods and it is partly through this that Stocism (from the 3rd century BC) began to spread.

At a later period, Stoic ideas began to spread throughout the Roman Republic, then the Empire. Roman elites were often sent to Greek universities in much the same way as American elites send their offspring to Oxford and Cambridge. These Roman elites were quick to pick up Stoic philosophy as a useful aid to a contented life in turbulent times.

Stoic ideas became immensely popular around the hundred years prior to Christ's birth and the two hundred years after and it is quite probable that the compilers of the gospels were familiar with Stoicism. It is also very probable that St Paul knew of Stoicism and, indeed, there were letters purporting to have been written between St Paul and Seneca, the latter of whom was at the time both a Stoic and Nero's tutor. Whether or not these letters are genuine is a matter of debate, whether or not Paul as a Greek intellectual knew of Stoicism is almost certain.

None of this is to suggest there is anything at all wrong with Christianity. I am and remain a Christian but, by equal token, I am and will remain fascinated by the roots of Christianity.

I would be interested to hear others' views on the Stoic influence on Christianity as I believe this influenced Christianity almost as much as Judaism.

Von Fock

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