Why did Marcus Aurelius persecute christians when he had more in common than disagreement with them?>It is peculiar to man to love even those who do wrong.>Do good to others without expecting anything in return.>Do not be anxious about the future. You will meet it, if you must, with the same reason that now arms you against the present.>When you have the power to do good, why delay?This was written by Marcus Aurelius and could easily pass for something said by Jesus or some apostle.
>>18064437>he had more in commonHe didn't want to obey a genitally mutilated pharisaic rabbi mohel jew, and he didn't want to worship the tribal spirit of international jewry as the creator of the cosmos.
>>18064437>dark hair, brown eyeWtf I think he was nordic??
He knew they were weak minded and would inevitably burn books that disagreed with them and destroy statues claiming idolatry.
Because Christians didn't pay tribute to the Roman gods, which was seen as inimical of Roman rule.
>>18065229>Christians didn't pay tribute to the Roman gods, which was seen as inimical of Roman rule.Christians still don't pay tribute to the gods, which is inimical to European civilization.
>>18064437It was just sort of done. There was a lot of rumors about Christians like they were cannibals. It was a different time, you wouldn't understand.
>>18064437>It is peculiar to man to love even those who do wrong.I think he would heavily disagree with the whole hell if you don't believr in Jesus thing.
Stoic's hope isn't christian cope.Marcus was based and duty-pilled. He was the state. Christians were literal seditioncels who refused to acknowledge the divine emperor or protect the empire. Their "kingdom not of this world" was a direct threat to the cosmopolis. Loving those who wrong you is beta. His job was to love and secure the state from those wronging it.Read Meditations/ He literally says to destroy obstacles to the common good. Christians were the ultimate obstacle. They weren't being persecuted for their cringe moral philosophy, but for being treasonous atheists who destabilized everything.
>>18064437Probably because they were going around murdering people, vandalising temples and icons etc.
I don't think he had an extensive knowledge of Christian thought. He probably thought of it as a treasonous cult worshiping a Jewish rebel and accordingly viewed them as a threat to the state. (or didn't even think about them and just kept prior policies in place, it's not like Roman persecution of Christians started on his watch.)
>>18066429Stoicism has no specific hope to offer.Christians hope for a beautiful afterlife, whereas Stoicism makes no encouraging promise of this sort
>>18066879Maybe because stoicism wasn't designed from the ground up to sound appealing to slaves, women and dullards so as to make them obey the demands of a genitally mutilated pharisaic rabbi mohel jew from Asia Minor?
