Marcus Aurelius was the first philosopher-king of Rome
the verdict
INSUFFICIENT LEANING
refutedsupported
the weight of evidence
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AS REPORTEDno primary record reached; this is what the reporting says
The retrieved sources confirm that Marcus Aurelius was associated with the concept of a philosopher-king, but they do not establish that he was the first philosopher-king of Rome.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( or-EE-lee-əs; Latin: [ˈmaːrkʊs au̯ˈreːli.us antoːˈniːnʊs]; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace, calm, and stability for the Roman Empire lasting fr
The Emperor Marcus was an eager disciple of Sextus the Boeotian philosopher, being often in his company and frequenting his house. Lucius, who had just come to Rome, asked the Emperor, whom he met on his way, where he was going to and on what errand, and Marcus answered, 'it is good even for an old man to learn; I am now on my way to Sextus the philosopher to learn what I do not yet know.' And Lucius, raising his hand to heaven, said, ' O Zeus, the king of the Romans in his old age takes up his tablets and goes to school.'
After Antoninus died in 161, Marcus was effectively sole ruler of the Empire. The formalities of the position would follow. The Senate would soon grant him the name Augustus and the title imperator, and he would soon be formally elected as pontifex maximus, chief priest of the official cults. Marcus made some show of resistance: the biographer writes that he was 'compelled' to take imperial power. This may have been a genuine horror imperii, 'fear of imperial power'. Marcus, with his preference for the philosophic life, found the imperial office unappealing. His training as a Stoic however, had made the choice clear to him that it was his duty.
Although Marcus showed no personal affection for Hadrian (significantly, he does not thank him in the first book of his Meditations), he presumably believed it his duty to enact the man's succession plans. Thus, although the Senate planned to confirm Marcus alone, he refused to take office unless Lucius received equal powers. The Senate accepted, granting Lucius the imperium, the tribunician power, and the title
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( or-EE-lee-əs; Latin: [ˈmaːrkʊs au̯ˈreːli.us antoːˈniːnʊs]; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace, calm, and stability
The Antonine Plague broke out in 165 or 166 and devastated the population of the Roman Empire, causing the deaths of five to ten million people. Lucius Verus may have died from the plague in 169. When Marcus himself died in 180, he was succeeded by his son Commodus. Commodus's succession after Marcus has been a subject of debate among both contemporary and modern historians. The column and equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius still stand in Rome, where they were erected in celebration of his military victories. As a philosopher, his work Meditations is one of the most important sources for the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy.
These writings have been praised by fellow writers, philosophers, monarchs, and politicians centuries after his death. == Sources == The major sources depicting the life and rule of Marcus Aurelius are patchy and frequently unreliable. The most important group of sources, the biographies contained in the Historia Augusta, claimed to be written by a group of authors at the turn of the 4th century AD, but it is believed they were in fact written by a single author (referred to here as 'the biographer') from about 395.
Lucius, who had just come to Rome, asked the Emperor, whom he met on his way, where he was going to and on what errand, and Marcus answered, 'it is good even for an old man to learn; I am now on my way to Sextus the philosopher to learn what I do not yet know.' And Lucius, raising his hand to heaven, said, ' O Zeus, the king of the Romans in his old age takes up his tablets and goes to school.' === Birth and death === On 30 November 147, Faustina gave birth to a girl named Domitia Faustina. She was the first of at least thirteen children (including two sets of twins) that Faustina would bear over the next twenty-three years.
It must be associated with deliberation and dignity and, if others too are to be convinced, with nothing like stage-heroics." A letter purportedly from Marcus Aurelius to the Roman Senate, included in Justin Martyr's First Apology, describes a battlefield incident where Marcus allegedly credited Christian prayer with saving his army when "water poured from heaven," and subsequently requested that the Senate cease persecution of Christians. However, modern scholars widely consider this letter to be inauthentic, likely composed by Justin Martyr or another Christian author rather than by Marcus Aurelius himself.
This matter must be our next topic; for our history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust, as affairs did for the Romans of that day. –Dio lxxi. 36.3–4 Dio adds that from Marcus's first days as counsellor to Antoninus to his final days as emperor of Rome, "he remained the same [person] and did not change in the least." Michael Grant, in The Climax of Rome, writes of Commodus: The youth turned out to be very erratic, or at least so anti-traditional that disaster was inevitable.
It survived in the scholarly traditions of the Eastern Church, and the first surviving quotes of the book, as well as the first known reference to it by name (Marcus's writings to himself) are from Arethas of Caesarea in the 10th century and in the Byzantine Suda (perhaps inserted by Arethas himself). It was first published in 1558 in Zurich by Wilhelm Xylander, from a manuscript reportedly lost shortly afterwards. The oldest surviving complete manuscript copy is in the Vatican library and dates to the 14th century. Marcus acquired the reputation of a philosopher king within his lifetime, and the title would remain after his death; both Dio and the biographer call him "the philosopher".
... first jointly and then on his own , for twenty years . He was praised by contemporaries and later Roman historians for his moderate lifestyle and justice , and considered the last of the so ... Philosopher King: Marcus Aurelius.
A history of philosophy without any gaps. Volume 2, Philosophy in the Hellenistic and Roman worlds by Peter Adamson (2015).
Considerable attention is paid also to the wider historical context, for instance by looking at the ascetic movement in Christianity and how it drew on ideas from Hellenic philosophy. From the counter-cultural witticisms of Diogenes the Cynic to the subtle skepticism of Sextus Empiricus, from the irreverent atheism of the Epicureans to the ambitious metaphysical speculation of Neoplatonism, from the ethical teachings of Marcus Aurelius to the political philosophy of Augustine, the book gathers together all aspects of later ancient thought in an accessible and entertaining way.
Peter Adamson Pratinjau terbatas - 2015 Philosophy in the Hellenistic and Roman Worlds: A history of ..., Volume 2 Peter Adamson Pratinjau terbatas - 2015 Istilah dan frasa umum Alexander Alexandria already Ammonius ancient philosophy argument Aristippus Aristotelian Aristotle Aristotle's astrology Athens atoms Augustine Augustine's belief body Boethius called Cambridge Carneades century Chapter Christian Chrysippus Church Fathers Cicero claim Classical Philosophy commentary cosmos course Cynics Cyrenaics Damascius death dialogues Diogenes Dionysius divine doctrine emperor Empire Epictetus Epicureans Epicurus eternal ethical evil exist explain fact fate Forms Galen giraffe Gnostics gods Greek Gregory Hellenistic schools history of philosophy human Iamblichus idea impressions instance Intellect Irenaeus kind knowledge Lactantius late antiquity later Latin lived logic Lucretius Marcus means medieval metaphysical Middle Platonists mind named nature Neoplatonism Neoplatonists Origen Oxford pagan Philo Philoponus physical Plato Plato and Aristotle pleasure Plotinus Plutarch Porphyry principle Proclus Pyrrho Roman Rome section number seems Seneca Sextus Skeptics Socrates soul Stoicism Stoics teaching tells texts theology theory things thinkers thought Timaeus tradition trans translation treatise Trinity virtue word writings wrote Tentang pengarang (2015) Peter Adamson took his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame and first worked at King's College London.
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-Emperor from 161 until Verus' death in 169.[1]
He was the last of the Five Good Emperors, and is considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers. Marcus Aurelius' work Meditations, written in Greek while on campaign between 170 and 180, is still revered. It serves as an example of how Aurelius approached the Platonic ideal of a philosopher–king, and how he symbolized much of what was best about Roman civilization.[2]
Continuous warfare
At the start of his reign, the Empire, under the joint rule of Marcus and Lucius Verus, defeated a revitalized Parthian Empire in a war from 161 to 166. The unforeseen consequences for the Empire were great. The returning troops brought with them a plague (the so-called Antonine Plague), which may have been smallpox. It would eventually kill about 5 million people,[3] and severely weaken the Empire. Aurelius fought the German tribes during a long war from 166 to 180. The pressure from the Goths moving west pushed settled Germanic tribes into invading Roman client states in Gaul, and across the Danube.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( or-EE-lee-əs; Latin: [ˈmaːrkʊs au̯ˈreːli.us antoːˈniːnʊs]; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace, calm, and stability for the Roman Empire lasting from 27 BC to 180 AD. He served as Roman consul in 140, 145, and 161. Marcus Aurelius was the son of the praetor Marcus Annius Verus and his wife Domitia Calvilla. He was related through marriage to the emperors Trajan and Hadrian.
The Antonine Plague broke out in 165 or 166 and devastated the population of the Roman Empire, causing the deaths of five to ten million people. Lucius Verus may have died from the plague in 169. When Marcus himself died in 180, he was succeeded by his son Commodus. Commodus's succession after Marcus has been a subject of debate among both contemporary and modern historians. The column and equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius still stand in Rome, where they were erected in celebration of his military victories. As a philosopher, his work Meditations is one of the most important sources for the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy.
These writings have been praised by fellow writers, philosophers, monarchs, and politicians centuries after his death. == Sources == The major sources depicting the life and rule of Marcus Aurelius are patchy and frequently unreliable. The most important group of sources, the biographies contained in the Historia Augusta, claimed to be written by a group of authors at the turn of the 4th century AD, but it is believed they were in fact written by a single author (referred to here as 'the biographer') from about 395.
Lucius, who had just come to Rome, asked the Emperor, whom he met on his way, where he was going to and on what errand, and Marcus answered, 'it is good even for an old man to learn; I am now on my way to Sextus the philosopher to learn what I do not yet know.' And Lucius, raising his hand to heaven, said, ' O Zeus, the king of the Romans in his old age takes up his tablets and goes to school.' === Birth and death === On 30 November 147, Faustina gave birth to a girl named Domitia Faustina. She was the first of at least thirteen children (including two sets of twins) that Faustina would bear over the next twenty-three years.
It must be associated with deliberation and dignity and, if others too are to be convinced, with nothing like stage-heroics." A letter purportedly from Marcus Aurelius to the Roman Senate, included in Justin Martyr's First Apology, describes a battlefield incident where Marcus allegedly credited Christian prayer with saving his army when "water poured from heaven," and subsequently requested that the Senate cease persecution of Christians. However, modern scholars widely consider this letter to be inauthentic, likely composed by Justin Martyr or another Christian author rather than by Marcus Aurelius himself.
Contemporary non-Christian sources, including the historian Cassius Dio, attribute the same "rain miracle" to an Egyptian magician named Harnuphis who accompanied the Roman legions. === Death and succession (180) === Marcus Aurelius died at the age of 58 on 17 March 180 of unknown causes in his military quarters either in the city of Vindobona (province of Pannonia Superior, today Vienna) or near Sirmium (province of Pannonia Inferior, modern Sremska Mitrovica). He was immediately deified and his ashes were returned to Rome, where they
This matter must be our next topic; for our history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust, as affairs did for the Romans of that day. –Dio lxxi. 36.3–4 Dio adds that from Marcus's first days as counsellor to Antoninus to his final days as emperor of Rome, "he remained the same [person] and did not change in the least." Michael Grant, in The Climax of Rome, writes of Commodus: The youth turned out to be very erratic, or at least so anti-traditional that disaster was inevitable.
It survived in the scholarly traditions of the Eastern Church, and the first surviving quotes of the book, as well as the first known reference to it by name (Marcus's writings to himself) are from Arethas of Caesarea in the 10th century and in the Byzantine Suda (perhaps inserted by Arethas himself). It was first published in 1558 in Zurich by Wilhelm Xylander, from a manuscript reportedly lost shortly afterwards. The oldest surviving complete manuscript copy is in the Vatican library and dates to the 14th century. Marcus acquired the reputation of a philosopher king within his lifetime, and the title would remain after his death; both Dio and the biographer call him "the philosopher".
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