Epictetus quotes

It is widely accepted that the Stoics had a decisive influence on historical Christian thought, particularly Christian ethics. But the nature of this influence is contested among contemporary scholars. Despite these complexities, the Stoics remain significant both for understanding the historical development of Christian thought and for contemporary Christian practice.

Cite Save. Cochran, Elizabeth Agnew. Edited by Brendan N. Wolfe et al. University of St Andrews, —.

Epictetus and christianity

Article published November 17, Cochran, E. In: B. St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology. University of St Andrews. In considering the Stoic influence on Christian thought, it is important to begin with a general account of the thinkers and positions associated with the Stoic school, as well as developments in this school over time. A general discussion of how the Stoics were received in later centuries is also instructive; different Stoics were read in certain historical eras and contexts, and the emphases of different thinkers shaped the ways in which Christians historically encountered and responded to Stoicism as a whole.

This section briefly identifies and differentiates the range of Stoic philosophers, makes note of the ways in which early and medieval Christian theology developed in conversation with Stoicism, and concludes with a discussion of the reception of Stoicism in modernity and its influence on Christian thinkers. Scholars commonly recognize three eras of Stoicism: the ancient Stoa, the middle Stoa, and the Roman Stoa.