Ancient Roman Literature Flashcards
Written in Greek by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher
Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher
Marcus Aurelius
offers a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises, developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe
Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
a timeless work that has been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers, and readers throughout the centuries
Meditations
was a Roman emperor who tried to live out his philosophy of life and used a diary to do this
Marcus Aurelius
He was known to have written many notable quotes about his day-to-day, discursive, fragmentary political thoughts in Greek in untitled writings that came to be known as his 12-volume “Meditations.”
Marcus Aurelius
Emperor of Rome who is also the adoptive father of Marcus Aurelius
Antoninus Pius
kept the empire safe from the Parthians and Germans but is best known for his intellectual pursuits.
Marcus Aurelius
Aside from the Meditations Marcus’ extant works include some edicts, official letters, and some private correspondence, including a lengthy correspondence with his rhetoric teacher and lifelong friend, ______________
Fronto
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius contains “___________________”,
notes to himself
a gospel for those who do not believe in the supernatural
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Meditations was described by philosopher and biblical scholar _______________ as “a gospel for those who do not believe in the supernatural,”
Ernst Renan
is a series of fragments, aphorisms, arguments, and injunctions that were written at different moments in the final years of Marcus’ life.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Many revere Meditations by Aurelius as one of the world’s greatest works of philosophy and a significant contributor to the modern understanding of ancient ____________.
Stoicism
s an ancient philosophy that was once one of the most popular civic disciplines in the West and a tool in the pursuit of self-mastery, perseverance, and wisdom.
Stoicism
Aurelius practiced _____________, and his writings reflect this philosophy of service and duty, finding balance, and reaching a state of stability and composure in the face of conflict
Stoicism
Marcus became a Stoic at the age of ___________ and remained a dedicated follower of stoicism for the rest of his life.
eleven
In Aurelius’ work, there are main interlocking themes:
death, the transitory nature of human life, transience in nature, and the purely physical or material aspects of human existence
The Meditations comprises over _____ fragments, divided into ___ books.
400; 12
emancipated slave turned philosopher, ___________, whom Marcus greatly admired
Epictetus
The Stoics propose that what they call “________” is the only good
virtue
In many respects, Stoicism bears a remarkable similarity to the ethical teaching of _________________ (c. 563 - 483 B.C.) and _______________
Siddhartha Gautama; Buddhism
In many respects, it bears a remarkable similarity to the ethical teaching of Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563 - 483 B.C.) and Buddhism, which is grounded in the four noble truths:
1) all life has suffering; 2) suffering is rooted in passion and desire; 3) happiness is freedom from the passions; 4) moral restraint and self-discipline is the means by which one becomes free from suffering
An important aspect of Stoicism involves improving the individual’s ethical and moral well-being by having a will which is in agreement with ___________, and by practicing the four cardinal virtues (derived from the teachings of __________):
Nature; Plato; wisdom (“sophia”), courage (“andreia”), justice (“dikaiosyne”) and temperance (“sophrosyne”)
