Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Part 1 Prolegomena
- Part 2 The Graeco-Roman belly
- 2 The belly as a sign – ancient physiognomics
- 3 The belly in ancient moral philosophy
- 4 Ancient critique of Epicureanism
- 5 Banquets – opportunities for the belly
- Part 3 The appropriated belly
- Part 4 Belly-worship and body according to Paul
- Part 5 The earliest expositors of Paul
- Part 6 Conclusions
- Bibliography
- Index of modern authors
- Index of Graeco-Roman sources
- Index of Old Testament, Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha and other Jewish writings
- Index of New Testament and early Christian writings
4 - Ancient critique of Epicureanism
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Part 1 Prolegomena
- Part 2 The Graeco-Roman belly
- 2 The belly as a sign – ancient physiognomics
- 3 The belly in ancient moral philosophy
- 4 Ancient critique of Epicureanism
- 5 Banquets – opportunities for the belly
- Part 3 The appropriated belly
- Part 4 Belly-worship and body according to Paul
- Part 5 The earliest expositors of Paul
- Part 6 Conclusions
- Bibliography
- Index of modern authors
- Index of Graeco-Roman sources
- Index of Old Testament, Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha and other Jewish writings
- Index of New Testament and early Christian writings
Summary
Epicurus – the popularity and reputation of a doctrine
We have seen that that the belly-topos worked within the ancient discussions on mastery of pleasures. The belly was a catchword for a life controlled by pleasures. The discussion on mastering the passions was closely linked to the question of the highest good (τὸ ἀγαθόν, τὸ ἄριστον, summum bonum) and happy life. This is the focus of lengthy discussions among the moral philosophers, and in particular between Stoics and Epicureans. In brief, the Stoics claimed that virtue was the highest good, and a reliable guide to a happy life. Epicurus and his followers claimed that this role was played by pleasure and living without pain.Since we have already seen that Epicurus' philosophy is a rather important element of the discussion on mastering the desires, it is natural now to turn to the impact of his philosophy.
Epicurus was born on the island of Samos in the eastern Aegean in 341 BC. He established his school in Athens (306 BC), the so-called ‘Garden Philosophy’, which might be taken to denote the master's emphasis on a pleasant life as well as a secluded life. Epicurus died about 270 BC. In his last will and testament, the philosopher entrusts his property to his friends, so as to preserve the life of the Garden (Diogenes Laertius, Philosophers 10:16–22). Very little of Epicurus' writings is extant. Diogenes Laertius devotes Book 10 in his Lives of the Eminent Philosophers to Epicurus.
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- Belly and Body in the Pauline Epistles , pp. 61 - 78Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2002