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Epictetus: Discourses, Books 3-4. The Encheiridion. (Loeb Classical Library No. 218)

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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).

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.

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.

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.

This wonderful book is a clear, lucid practical guide to everyday life. It really helped me get through a hard period of my life, opening new doors to me. It gave me a clear, hard edged perspective.

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 is to 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.