A Man Went from a Slave to One of the Wisest Philosophers (Enchiridion Pt. 1)
One of the main books left to us today pertaining to Stoic philosophy is the Enchiridion, which is Greek for “The Handbook.” Essentially, it is a series of short points to remind a person of Stoic ethics, virtues, and practices.
This series will cover the Enchiridion and how we can apply it to our lives in today’s modern era. Before I break down its concepts (which will be in the next article), however, I first have to tell you the background of the author behind the book.
As with any book, it’s important to understand the author and their background, as it can help a reader better understand the work. When it come to the Enchiridion, we first need to understand a little bit about its author, the slave-turned-freedman-turned-philospher, Epictetus.
Author Background
Stoic philosopher Epictetus was born to a slave in Greece in 50 CE. The name his parents gave him has been lost to time. Today, we know him as Epictetus, stemming from the Greek word Epiktetos, meaning “gained” or “acquired.”
As a consequence of his early brith, he wasn’t a ‘free man’ in the literal sense, being born into slavery. In his early life, Epictetus was to endure the malice of an abusive master. Either as a result of his master’s abuse, a birth defect, or an illness, Epictetus also suffered from a lame leg.
Fate had it, though, that his fortunes would change. His master, Epaphroditos, a wealthy freedman serving as secretary to Emperor Nero — yes, that Nero — allowed Epictetus to study philosophy under the Stoic, Musonius Rufus.
Epictetus eventually gained his freedom. Though, due to a ruling by Emperor Domitian in 89 CE, he and other philosophers were expelled from from Rome.
After his expulsion, Epictetus went on to live the rest of his life in the Grecian city of Nicopolis. He established his own philosophy school, and in doing so, became one of the most influential philosophers to have ever lived. He lived to the old age of 85, dying in 135 CE, still teaching, lecturing, and living the philosophy he believed in.
His works are constantly quoted by Marcus Aurelius in his book, Meditations, and is also commended by numerous early Christian thinkers, due to the religious tone of his teachings.
As far as historians know, Epictetus never wrote anything. One of his pupils, Arrian, took it upon himself to transcribe Epictetus’ teachings into two works: the Enchiridion, and Discourses, of which the Enchiridion is a condensed version.
Today, four out of the eight books of Discourses and the entirety of the Enchiridion have survived. Despite there only being half of the original doctrine present, what we have today is full of wit, heartfelt poetry, and deep philosophical insights.
Robert Dobbin, a modern scholar of Epictetus, is quoted saying that
[h]e [Epictetus] wants his students to make a clean break with received patterns of thinking and behaving, to reject popular morality and put conventional notions of good and bad behind them; in short, he aims to inspire in his readers something like a religious conversion, only not by appeal to any articles of faith or promise of life in the hereafter…but by reason alone.
Despite the wisdom given to us from Epictetus, we would be wrong in assuming that he had a great life. In fact, one could say that he didn’t. He grew up enslaved with an abusive master, had physical disabilities, and even though he gained his freedom, Epictetus lived the rest of his life impoverished, physically lame, and in ill health.
However, it was from this adversity and hardship that the works he’s known for were created, and these readings contain vast amounts of wisdom that we can apply to our lives today.
In this, we can say that he lived a meaningful life. He lived one that strived to live in balance with nature as best as possible and bring harmony to himself and those around him.
Just by looking at his life, I think we can grasp a notable concept: it’s not only about what happens to you, but rather how you respond to them and what you do in spite of these events.
It’s this concept, as we’ll find out in future articles, that is prevalent in the Enchiridion, and is something that we can use to live a more meaningful life, even if it’s not one that we would normally classify as “good.”
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