Marcus Aurelius and stoic philosophy

Marcus Aurelius was born in 121 a.D. To a wealthy and distinguished Roman family during height of the Empire's power and influence (Bunson). Due to the wealth and status of his family he had access to every educational opportunity. As a student, Marcus Aurelius was a dedicated and hard working and was trained in the classic Latin and Greek tradition. Part of his education was in philosophy and he eventually adopted the theories of stoicism. The Philosophy of Stoicism, which was originally developed by philosophers in Ancient Greece, emphasized fate, reason, and self-restraint. Marcus Aurelius was particularly influenced by the writings of the philosopher, Epictetus, who was a former slave who presented his thoughts in a book entitled, Discourses.

Because of his family background, Marcus Aurelius, was easily accepted into the political activities of the Roman Empire. After serving a number of years in the Senate, he became a Roman consul in 140. This would be the first of his three terms as consul but such service resulted in his receiving increasing more responsibilities and official powers in the Roman government. During this time, however, he continued his studies in philosophy and law which would serve him well as his power and influence expanded.

One of the side benefits enjoyed by Marcus Aurelius during his time in the Roman Senate was his being exposed to the watchful eyes of the Emperor Hadrian. Hadrian noticed that Marcus Aurelius was not only bright but also hard working. Hadrian took a special liking to Marcus and arranged for him to be adopted by the powerful Titus Aurelius Antoninus. The importance of this act by Hadrian was that it would eventually lead to Marcus Aurelius becoming named Emperor of the Roman Empire as Titus Aurelius Antoninus was Hadrian's hand-picked successor. Upon Titus' death, Marcus Aurelius and his brother, Lucius Aurelius Verus Augustus, succeeded their father as co-Emperor of the Roman Empire.

Marcus and his brother Verus were not blessed with the same peaceful conditions that had marked their father's reign. The entire joint reign of the two brothers was marked by war and disease. Shortly after assuming power, the Empire faced a challenge from the Parthian Empire for control of the eastern portion of the Roman Empire (Benario). In combating this challenge, Verus took command of the Roman military while Marcus remained in Rome to handle the political affairs. Verus actual command skills remain a question of debate but he was fortunately blessed with several good generals who were able to lead the Roman military successfully. One such general was Avidius Cassius who would later mount a significant challenge to Marcus Aurelius' authority.

Although Verus and his forces were successful in defeating the Parthians, the result was that the soldiers returned to Rome with an unidentified disease that subsequently wiped out a significant portion of the Roman population. Also, just as the Parthian War ended the Empire was forced to face a new challenge from German tribes from the north. This time both Verus and Marcus took joint command of the military and proceeded to fight off the German invasion. Unfortunately, in the process Verus died and Marcus was forced to go forward alone.

Upon his return from pushing back the challenge of the German invaders, Marcus Aurelius, assumed the position as the sole Emperor of the Roman Empire but one of his leading generals, the aforementioned Avidius Cassius, after learning that Marcus might be possibly ill openly proclaimed himself as Emperor. Cassius, after being named governor of Syria, had remained in the eastern portion of the Empire and so, in an effort to defeat Cassius' proclamation, Marcus Aurelius, traveled east with his armies. Fortunately, the Roman Empire was saved from the sufferings of a potential civil war as Cassius was murdered by his own men before any formal battle took place between the two forces.

In the later years of Marcus Aurelius' reign he made his son, Commodus, co-emperor. Father and son fought together briefly in an effort to forestall another German invasion in 177. The father-son co-rule was short-lived, however, as Marcus Aurelius died in 180 after ruling for 19 years.

Although Marcus Aurelius was a competent political leader and successful military leader, as well, perhaps his greatest contribution was in area of philosophy. As indicated earlier, Marcus was follower of the Stoics and he wrote a book entitled Meditations in which he set out what it meant to be a Stoic (Bowder). Like his mentor, Epictetus, Marcus professed the importance of two basic principles, Endurance and Abstinence. Further, he stressed that inner freedom is attained through a resignation to providence and a disregard for anything not in one's power.

Most of the content of Meditations was prepared in Marcus Aurelius' last years. The book is characterized by Aurelius' belief that the fate of most men is to die and be forgotten (Aurelius). He chose to live his daily live absent from passion as much as possible but he wanted to be remembered as a generous man who practiced generosity because it was the right thing to do and not from what his generosity might otherwise gain him. Like all stoics he wanted to live in harmony with nature.

Marcus Aurelius' general reputation as a ruler and human is a good one. The famous historian, Sir Edward Gibbon, lists Marcus Aurelius as one of the greatest of the Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius' attitude toward the growing Christian religion, however, would belie this reputation. Marcus Aurelius during his reign took an aggressive and staunch position. The persecution of Christians during his reign was quite oppressive and there is little evidence that he exhibited any mercy or basic understanding of the religion. Prior to his reign the Roman attitude toward the practice of different religions was one of tolerance but Marcus viewed the Christians as a potential threat to the social stability of the Empire. He envisioned no room for compromise. Having been raised as a traditional Roman, Marcus Aurelius believed strongly in the Roman religion and considered the Christians as fanatics. This explains how he could have adopted such a repressive view toward the Christians in his empire even though such view runs strongly against his otherwise enlightened and benevolent attitude.