Does any good man fear that he shall fail to have food? To the blind it does not fail, to the lame it does not: shall it fail to a good man? And to a good soldier there does not fail to be one who gives him pay, nor to a labourer, nor to a shoemaker: and to the good man shall there be wanting such a person? Does God thus neglect the things that he has established, his ministers, his witnesses, whom alone he employs as examples to the uninstructed, both that he exists, and administers well the whole, and does not neglect human affairs, and that to a good man there is no evil either when he is living or when he is dead? What then when he does not
supply him with food? What else does he do than like a good general he has given me the signal to retreat? I obey, I follow, assenting to the words of the commander, praising his acts: for I came when it pleased him, and I will also go away when it pleases him; and while I lived, it was my duty to praise God both, by myself, and to each person severally and to many. He does not supply me with many things, nor with abundance, he does not will me to live luxuriously. . . .
What then, if I shall be sick? You will be sick in such a way as you ought to be.—Who will take care of me?—God; your friends—I shall lie down on a hard bed—But you will lie down like a man—I shall not have a convenient chamber—You will be sick in an inconvenient chamber—Who will provide for me the necessary food?—Those who provide for others also. You will be sick like Manes.3—And what also will be the end of the sickness? Any other than death?—Do you then consider that this the chief of all evils to man and the chief mark of mean spirit and of cowardice is not death, but rather the fear of death? Against this fear then I advise you to exercise yourself: to this let all your reasoning tend, your exercises, and reading; and you will know that thus only are men made free.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Why does Epictetus believe that it is shameful to be afraid of poverty? What metaphors does he use to communicate shamefulness?
Why does he believe that poverty is not, in fact, shameful? What kinds of things should and should not produce shame, according to Epictetus?
Why do you think that Epictetus adopts such an angry and condescending tone toward the hypothetical person afraid of poverty? Why does he say that this person has failed to learn anything from philosophy?
According to Epictetus, what is the real fear of those who say they are afraid of hunger? How does he conceptualize the difference between a necessity and a luxury?
Why does Epictetus believe that it is irrational to fear a lack of enough food?
How, according to Epictetus, should a person who has resolved to accept the inevitability of death respond to life events that lead to death?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Unlike the readings in this chapter by Gandhi (p. 560), Hardin (p. 582), and Stiglitz (p. 594), Epictetus addresses his remarks to one who fears poverty, rather than to wealthy or middle-class people trying to address the poverty of others. How might this rhetorical choice account for the distinct tone and content of his message?
Both Epictetus and Seneca were considered Stoics, but their approach to Stoicism was very different. What does Seneca praise in "On Liberal and Vocational Studies" (p. 13) that Epictetus would probably reject?
Manes: the honored spirits of the dead.
3. How does the question-and-answer format of "To Those Who Fear Want" compare with the dialogue form of Plato's Gorgias (p. 166)? Why do you think that each philosopher chose to structure his argument this way?
WRITING ABOUT THE TEXT
Evaluate Epictetus's use of logical arguments in "To Those Who Fear Want." Identify and critique possible logical fallacies that he commits.
Pick a category of person with which you are familiar (i.e., "Those Who Play Music Very Loud at Night" or "Those Who Answer Every Question in Class") and write an open letter to them in the style of Epictetus.
Write a research paper on Stoicism in the ancient world using Epictetus as your primary example of the Stoic philosophy. Draw on "To Those Who Fear Want" for examples of the core Stoic beliefs.
new testament
Luke, Chapter 16
[CIRCA 90 CE]
AFTER THE CITY OF JERUSALEM was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 bce, the region known as Judea was ruled, in succession, by the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. By the year 30 ce, nearly a thousand years after the golden age of King David (the first ruler of a united Israel), Judea had become a province of Rome. Though the Roman authorities allowed local populations a high degree of religious autonomy, the Jews chafed under foreign rule. Spurred on by prophecies of a "Messiah" who would restore Israel's independence and former glory, a number of revolutionary sects arose in Judea during the first century of Roman rule, culminating in a massive, though ultimately unsuccessful, Jewish revolt in 66 ce. Into this environment, Jesus of Nazareth was born.
Very little about Jesus is known beyond the accounts in the New Testament. His followers clearly believed that he was the Messiah of Hebrew prophecy (the name "Christ" is simply a Greek rendering of the Hebrew word "Messiah"). Just as clearly, Jesus often clashed with the Jewish clergy of his day. The scriptural record contains numerous examples of Jesus's criticizing the priestly class in Jerusalem for focusing on the outward trappings of religious observance and ignoring the true nature of religion, which, for Jesus, was centered around personal devotion and charitable action.
Of the four Gospels, or narratives chronicling the life of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Luke is the most detailed, and its accounts satisfy the requirements of objective history better than any other scriptural source. The Gospel of Luke also contains the fullest account anywhere of Jesus's parables. A parable is a brief, highly metaphorical narrative used to teach a principle or illustrate a point. In all, the New Testament contains accounts of some forty parables Jesus used to convey important theological points. Fully one-third of Jesus's words in the Synoptic (or biographical) Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke; the Gospel of John, significantly different in form and content, was probably the last to be written) occur in the form of parables. Some of these parables—such as those of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), the Lost Sheep (Matt. 18:12-14, Luke 15:3-7), and the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)—are now among the central metaphors of Western culture.
The following selections from Chapter 16 of the Book of Luke present two parables relating to wealth and poverty. In the first, the Parable of the Unjust Steward, Jesus uses the example of a dishonest steward (or estate manager) to make a point about the moral uses of wealth. In the second, the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus tells of a reversal of fortunes that typifies many of his parables and other teachings, which emphasize that material prosperity does not indicate God's
favor; that people should seek heavenly, rather than earthly, rewards; and that wealth often presents a stumbling block on the way to salvation.
As a rhetorical device, the parable is related to arguments that use analogy and examples to support and develop a claim. While most such arguments draw on existing comparisons, however, the parable constructs its own example or analogy in the form of a narrative. The parables of Jesus are among the most famous examples of this rhetorical device in any culture.
And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.[265]
Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.[266]