It is a rare Roman emperor whose book is read today for its spiritual impact. But such a one was Marcus Aurelius. His ‘Meditations’ found favour with individuals and church authorities. His son Commodus kicked his reputation to pieces but Aurelius had a continuing influence on people of many outlooks. He founded chairs of philosophy in Aathens for Platonic, Stoic, Peripatetic and Epicurean in the second century CE. His breadth of mind appealed to many of his contemporaries and Stoicism has continued to this day.
Stoicism is not a religion. It is a code of behaviour. It believes that humans should behave rationally without allowing emotion to degrade their composure. It is the siff upper lip that underlay the British Empire and its temperate effect on the English idea of virtue/ That has gone beyond schools like Haileybury which inherited an emphasis on turning out men to rule the Empire, men who could keep calm and carry on in time of war and other troubles.
It is tempting – though probably vain – to speculate on what future Stoicism might have had without the advent of Christianity. It is likely to have favoured a level playing-field and it might have assuaged the nationalism and aggression that have befouled the modern world. But Stoicism, like Christianity, has to deal with flawed human nature.
Perhaps it it more profitable to look into the influence of Stoicism on present-day Christian faith. Christians and Stoics alike (and sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the two) may well cite the saying ‘What can’t be cured must be endured’ Zeno started something when he brought Stoicism into the world. It’s called Stoicism from the Greek word ‘stoa’ meaning porch, from the place where he did his teaching.
WOMAN IN PURPLE SUIT
A church that can feature a woman in a purple suit as it remembers Lydia, the dealer in purple we read of in ‘Acts’, deserves a salute. The painting on the website of the diocese of Aberdeen amd Orkney (which includes the Shetlands in its territory). The woman in the picture is unknown and comes from the 1950s. The portrait may be that of a member of the Scottish Episcopal church.
H and P
Hymns and Pimms are an afternoon event on the programme of a jubilee fete on Sunday. AT St Mary’s church, Cottingham, East Yorkshire. There will also be readings and prayers in what looks like a full programme. Nicola Bown became Rector in the middle of lockdown 2020.
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