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Epictetus was a crippled Greek slave of Phrygia during Nero's reign (54–68 CE) who heard lectures by the Stoic Musonius before he was freed. Expelled with other philosophers by the emperor Domitian in 89 or 92 he settled permanently in Nicopolis in Epirus. There, in a school which he called 'healing place for sick souls', he taught a practical philosophy, details of which were recorded by Arrian, a student of his, and survive in four books of Discourses and a smaller Encheiridion, a handbook which gives briefly the chief doctrines of the Discourses. He apparently lived into the reign of Hadrian (117–138 CE).

Epictetus was a teacher of Stoic ethics, broad and firm in method, sublime in thought, and now humorous, now sad or severe in spirit. How should one live righteously? Our god-given will is our paramount possession, and we must not covet others'. We must not resist fortune. Man is part of a system; humans are reasoning beings (in feeble bodies) and must conform to god's mind and the will of nature. Epictetus presents us also with a pungent picture of the perfect (Stoic) man.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Epictetus is in two volumes.

Customer Reviews (6)

Part II of best edition available today.
This is the second of the two volume Loeb Classical Library edition of Epictetus' Discourses, with Greek and W. A. Oldfather's English translation on facing pages. For those who have no intgerest in the Greek, purchasing this volume may seem like a bit of overkill when compared with inexpensive reprints such as the one from NuVision Publications (September 19, 2006). As someone who bought the reprint first, I must tell you I tried to use it once and was immediately disappointed. Just as with my copies of Homer, Plato, Aristotle, and practically every other classic author, I rarely read them or parts of them from start to finish. Rather, I look up sections when I find references to them in commentaries on, for example, parts of the Old or New Testaments. In order to find the appropriate passage, one must use the established section and paragraph numbering. Unfortunately, this numbering is entirely missing from the reprint, which I have donated to my nearest library after receiving my Loeb copies. These little gems cost about four times the reprint, but for that, you get a book you will be proud to own, and even show off a bit on your bookshelf, plus a great little commentary on the Discourses, as well as the 'Fragments' and 'The Encheiridion', a summary of Epictetus thoughts by his secretary, Arrian. The reprint has none of this and, for the third time, I suggest it is less than useless, as it gives the illusion of value, and you will be disappointed when you find it missing.

very useful to New Testament Greek readers
I bought this book to help me improve my New Testament Greek because I was told that Epictetus' koine Greek is fairly easy.It was a good choice because although no Greek is really easy, this is much easier than say Plato or even some of the Church Father's I have tried.I have read through the Encheiridion and have found the vocabulary, and, to a lesser exent, the syntax, to be very similar to the New Testament.This is important because for those of us whose goal is to read the Greek New Testament well, we don't want to spend a lot of time learning vocabulary not found in the N.T.Almost every word I had to look up in the Encheiridion is either in the N.T. or has a similar cognate that is.Epictetus uses several words that appear in the N.T. only once or twice quite often, which means that if you read and re-read Epictetus you will begin to master rare N.T. words.The other problem with finding good non-biblical Greek to read is that a lot of it is either worthless or anti-Christian or both, but Stoicism is a worthy philosophy in its own right and does not conflict with the Christian faith.It is of great comfort and the Encheiridion is that rare book that one wants to read over and over again, which, like reading the New Testament over and over again, is the only way that I seem to be able to master Greek to the limited extent I have.
The Loeb classical library is renowned but not exactly ideal.Having a tranlsation on the facing page is a must for non-biblical Greek, because again one does not WANT to master every word or construction if it is not found in the N.T.What I do isto annotate my copy with vocabulary words I am trying to learn or cross reference to similary N.T. words.Oldfeather's translation is not the best, nor even is it literal enough to unpack the Greek, but it is okay and the main thing a reader of this book would want is a Greek text.The book's small size allows one to carry it around easily, although a larger Greek font would always be appreciated.The footnotes are adequate.Bottom line; this is one of the greatest works of philosophy and very helpful to those learning New Testament Greek.

The Grassroots Continue
In the first volume, Arrian builds up a few foundational concepts while tearing down a few others. In the second volume, comprising Books 3 and 4, along with the Encheiridion, Arrian's Epictetus continues an in depth broadside on many topics.

The book deals with a huge array of topics, from the very interesting calling of a Cynic, the type of training one should cultivate, the attitude to news, to circumstances and so on. This book contains such a large variety of teachings from Epictetus, I think one could spend a lifetime implementing it all. It would certainly, like the previous volume, deserve additional readings.

Throughout, Arrian's Epictetus maintains his direct, forthright verbal assault on a variety of characters who have both high and humble positions and stations in life. Epictetus' style is very much "in-your-face", and he leaves no doubt as to what his opinions are.

In short, if you have read the first volume, you get a lot more from this one in terms of practical every day living. This volume goes beyond the basics and the foundation, and takes you into the real world of everyday life. It is a great book, and one that will soon have you asking for more.

A wonderful book on many levels
I found epictetus' guide for living in a bookstore, and I had to read more. Discourses is wonderful book on many levels. It is disorganized and at times anachronistic, but it is well worth reading.

It is one of the most comforting books to read if you having trouble in your life.It should be required reading for anyone who is depressed.His simple lessons allow one to overcome fear and recognize real priorities.His style ranges from brilliant clear logic to deeply and beautifully spiritual.Thus he reaches the skeptical critical thinker as well as the more emotional type.

The book is also a window into the mindset of the Roman Empire in the first century.Though Epictetus was a pagan his concept of God is very Monotheistic.Clearly stoic thought and philosopy influenced early Christians.Interestingly Epictetus argues that we ought to live a way of life that is very similar to what Christianity prescribes.Forgivness of self and others is just one of the similarities.However, he argues not that each of us carries original sin, but that each of us carries a spark of divinity:We have been given understanding and intelligence to recognize right from wrong as well as the ability to choose.The shear wonder of this gift and of creation in general motivates us to choose right, not fear of Hell or desire for Heaven.

It is amazing to me that one who spoke so long ago can speak so clearly to the real life issues we face today.Read it to understand history.Read it for a fresh view on Judeochristian thought and morals.Read it for your own mental and spiritual health.Read it.

Not just the works
This is volume two of a two volume set. The first volume is "Epictetus : Discourses, Books 1 and 2 (Loeb Classical Library, No 131)". The contents for both volumes are as follows:

VOLUME I:

Introduction (editors)

Bibliography

Symbols

Discourses, Book I

Discourses, Book II

Index

VOLUME II:

Discourses, Book III

Discourses, Book IV

Fragments

Encheiridion

Index

The first thing worth noting is that although the titles of the volume refer to just the Discourses, the set is really a complete set of extant works, including fragments from other sources as well as a complete copy of the Encheiridion.

As is typical for the Loeb classical library books, the volumes are physically small, and the original text (Greek, for Epictetus) is given on the left hand page, with the English translation on the right.

The Introduction gives a brief biography of Epictetus and background information concerning Stoic philosophy. The Bibliography (which contains an update note from the original 1925 edition) gives the state of Epictetus scholarship. In the actual texts, footnotes are abundant and explain unfamiliar names, places, difficulties with translation, uncertainties about the source text, and Epictetus' quotes from earlier writers are more fully referenced. In summation, the background material supplied with these books is excellent.

As for the texts themselves, they were not actually written by Epictetus, but were notes taken by Arrian, one of his students (not unlike the Nicomachean Ethics, which were notes taken by a student of Aristotle). The Discourses are quite lively in style; Epictetus' personality and teaching style comes through vividly. This is not true of the Encheiridion, which Arrian abstracted from the Discourses and which had the life wrung out of it in the process.

The Discourses are not a well-organized body of work, as their origin might suggest. They are repetitive, and points that should have been grouped together logically are dispersed throughout.

The content is almost entirely ethical. Epictetus emphasizes the spark of divinity within man - that a man should always behave honourably. External things, such as wealth and power, are not things to be valued - they can be lost at any time, and are not worth a man's honour. Because his teachings are ethical, Epictetus is not concerned with what a man knows, but how he lives. The point isn't to understand his philosophy (which isn't hard), but to live it (which is). ... Read more

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Epictetus (AD. 55–AD. 135) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was probably born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present day Pamukkale, Turkey), and lived in Rome until his exile to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece, where he lived most of his life and died. His teachings were noted down and published by his pupil Arrian in his Discourses. Philosophy, he taught, is a way of life and not just a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external events are determined by fate, and are thus beyond our control, but we can accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. Individuals, however, are responsible for their own actions which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline. Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power. As part of the universal city that is the universe, human beings have a duty of care to all fellow humans. The person who followed these precepts would achieve happiness.
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For instance, the tyrant says, "I am master of all." And what can you do for me? Can you give me desire which shall have no hindrance? How can you? Have you the infallible power of avoiding what you would avoid? Have you the power of moving toward an object without error? And how do you possess this power? ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Beautiful Cover, but disappointing translation
The text was downloaded from some Internet site, enlarged, which is okay, but contains no references or commentary. Therefore, I decided to go with Harvard's Loeb Classics to purchase the two volumes of Epictetus' Discourses. They are fantastic, and you can get them through Amazon.com! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Stoicism: What does it have to offer?
I used this book for a paper I wrote on Stoicism.

Stoicism is a complex philosophical school.However, its ideas have come to be validated by modern psychology.

Everyone in America has to buck up, and not dwell on their problems.They need to realize that they do not need love, sex, money or friendship.The only thing you need is virtue.We need to stop whining about fairness; and try our best to be good people.These are some things Stoicism has to offer.

What is stoicism
It is form of christianity ... Read more

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The morality of a liberated slave
Epictetus was born in Hierpolis in Phrygia and came as slave to Rome. There he was freed when his master the notorious Epaphroditus was executed. He was forced to leave Rome when Domitian banished all philosophers from Rome in 90A.D. He founded a school in Epirus in Greece where he acquired a large following. His teachings connect him with the Stoic school of philosophy but he did not have the concern earlier Stoics did with logic and metaphysics. His whole teaching was a teaching about the way to live, or perhaps not live, and the way to be happy and avoid unhappiness. As a slave he had gone through and seen many horrible things, and his philosophy is more a philosophy of avoidance of pain rather than positive achievement. Essentially he teaches ' that the door is always open' if we are suffering i.e. that suicide is always there as a way out. He teaches that the human being is wise who knows how to avoid those kinds of actions which bring upon them suffering. He strongly cautions against the human being taking too much responsibility. And what he always insists upon is that the human being recognize that he really has no power over anything except his own will. And that therefore anything which happens in the world can be overcome by being dismissed as outside of one's own control. The happiness of the childless Epictetus is thus the happiness of the solitary individual and mind. In one passage of the Discourses he talks about how even something like the G-d forbid death of one's children should not upset one, or disturb one's equanimity. To me this whole line of thought sounds inhumane and inhuman. It demands of human beings more than they realistically are able to do, in terms of controlling their own feelings. Above all it cuts them off from their responsibilities in relationship to other human beings. What about kindness and caring for others? What about loving others and helping them? What about caring so much for others that we suffer when they do?
Epictetus is a very interesting writer but the ethic he represents seems to me to be not only an ethic of escape, but an ethic which is immoral. The great teacher of the Mishneh ,Hillel taught , ' If I am not for myself, who will be, But if I am for myself alone, then what am I? This seems to me a truer ethic and the more proper teaching for living the good life.
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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR’d book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Translated by George Long.This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1903 edition by G. Bell and Sons, London. ... Read more

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Presenting an evaluation of the tradition, this book describes Stoic philosophy. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1866.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more