Marcus Aurelius and Christian Persecutions: Friend or Foe?

Marcus Aurelius was truly the philosopher-king that Plato dreamed of, he was both one of the good Roman Emperors and a Stoic Philosopher who ruled out of a sense of duty while living the modest stoic life.
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The paradox of Marcus Aurelius is that as Roman Emperor he likely oversaw the brutal persecution of Christians, but as a Stoic philosopher his main work, the Meditations, offers a Stoic philosophy that reflects many Christian values and teachings. This paradox led some ancient Christians to hope that he indeed was a friend to Christians, including Tertullian and St Justin the Martyr, who was himself martyred under the reign of Marcus Aurelius. This paradox was explored by the ancient church historian Eusebius in his work Church History or Ecclesiastical History.
We review the history behind Marcus Aurelius, how he was the adopted son of his predecessor, Antonius Pius, who had been adopted by Hadrian. We learn how his marriage to the daughter of Antonius Pius, Faustina, led to the birth of Commodus, who succeeded him as emperor and began the decline of the Roman Empire due to his neglect of his responsibilities, he preferred performing as a gladiator to serving as a stoic Roman Emperor.
We review the history of the persecutions from Nero to Diocletian, and the series of letters between Pliny and Trajan discussing how Christians should be properly persecuted.
We review how modern historians view this paradox, including Henry Chadwick, Walter Kaufman, Matthew Arnold, Copleston, and McGuckin.
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Meditations (Dover Thrift Editions), by Marcus Aurelius
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A History of Philosophy, Vol. 1: Greece and Rome From the Pre-Socratics to Plotinus, by Frederick Copleston
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The History of the Church: From Christ to Constantine, by Eusebius (263-339), Penguin Classic, introduction by Andrew Louth
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The Path of Christianity: The First Thousand Years Hardcover, by John Anthony McGuckin
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As Socrates teaches us, the examined life is a life worth living. We would be fools if we did not desire to learn from our multitude of friends whose words live in the works of the classics that have survived from past centuries and millennia. The Stoic and moral philosophers of Greece and Rome saw philosophy as an evangelical enterprise, seeking to spread the joy of living a godly life for its own sake.
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This is original content based on research by Bruce Strom and his blogs. Images in the Public Domain, many from Wikipedia, some from the National Archives, are selected to provide illustration. When images of the actual topic or event are not available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. The ancient world was a warrior culture out of necessity, to learn from the distant past we should not only judge them from our modern perspective but also from their own ancient perspective on their own terms.