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The word virtue presents various definitions with different meanings according to particular contexts. Generally, a virtue is a trait or behavior that depicts morality or good behavior. In Stoicism, virtue entails ethics, physics, logic, courage, wisdom, justice, and moderation. Physics and logic may seem scientific rather than moral terms in modern times, but stoics consider it a representation of the intellectual ability to be virtuous. Early Christians view virtues as merciful, humility, generosity, and selflessness while considering God’s laws. Therefore, a virtuous person must have courage, wisdom, generosity, self-control, kindness, honesty, and modesty, among other righteous deeds. This paper analyses and compares the stoic and early Christian views on virtues with biblical teachings.
According to stoics, virtue includes justice, courage, logical intelligence, justice, moderation, and wisdom. In stoics’ logical view, virtue comes from inner thought rather than external displays of morality. Stoics argue that being wealthy, beautiful, strong, famous, and engaging in pleasurable activities are all material things that are neither good nor bad because one can either use them to do right or wrong. 1 Since these virtues involve good things and bad ones, they are not good assets to a virtuous man because virtuousness represents perfection, harmony, and happiness, which does not include being wealthy or finding pleasure for the sake of it. The stoics’ argument regards virtue as a concept that comes from the courage to think wisely in every action.
In the Bible, Jesus tells his disciples, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” 2 According to the verse, righteousness is not a physical display of good deeds but an inner thought. In his sermon, Jesus challenges Christians to purify their thoughts which will then reflect in their actions. Therefore, the stoics’ logical argument of virtue is similar to biblical teachings on having a pure heart to show righteousness.
On the other hand, early Christians regard virtue as being selfless and independent of physical possession. Early Christians believed in humility and accepting suffering for the sake of upholding their Christian virtues. Just like the stoics, Early Christians had a devotion to their religion by practicing virtuous deeds. In early Christianity, virtues include justice, being merciful, selfless, and humility. Early Christians believed that virtues came from being meek and obeying the laws of God and those of the land. In the epistle of Diagnotes, the author writes that when Christians live in a foreign country, they must follow the people’s way of living while remaining true to their faith by not following the evil vices. In the Bible, Jesus tells his disciples to be meek to have everlasting life on earth. If one considers being meek as following the authority’s rules and living a righteous life, the early Christians are biblically virtuous.
In the epistle to Diagnotes, the author describes Christianity as not having any physical attachments to possessions, kinship, geographical origins, or ethnicity. According to the epistle, human beings are sojourners on earth. 3 Therefore, upholding Christian virtues requires detachment from claiming part of the ordinary way of living and following a path that recognizes heaven as the only home. In his apology, Justin beseeches the Greco-Roman authority to consider the Christian way of judgment, which involves a thorough investigation before judging one’s wrongs. In Justin Martyr’s apology, the apologist beseeches the Greco-Roman authority to consider the Christian morals of justice. Martyr tells the pagans that they can kill their bodies but not the spirit because it is pure from all evil.
According to Martyr, he is not guilty but is not afraid of prosecution for the false charges as the Christian virtue allows sacrifice for the sake of the truth. The Stoics also believe that justice is a moral virtue and urges authorities to give thorough investigations before making wise decisions. The Bible states that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are persecuted for being righteous. 4 If one considers the teaching of Jesus, then early Christians were virtuous by accepting persecution while preaching for justice.
In Tertullian’s apology, the apologist presents his Christian ideology to the pagans as people who believe in unity, hope, and mercy. Tertullian emphasizes the Christian way of virtue of mercy which involves helping the needy, desolate, poor, and old in society by offering voluntary gifts from one’s heart. 5 Tertullian describes the Christians’ unity which includes reading sacred writing together and praying together for world peace, demonstrating their desire for righteousness. Jesus preaches in Mathew chapter five that those who hunger for righteousness shall receive satisfaction while those who pray for peace shall be God’s sons. Therefore, the early Christians’ demonstration of virtue matches the biblical teachings of a righteous man.
In conclusion, both stoicism and early Christianity’s demonstration of moral virtues is per the Bible’s teachings in the New Testament. Stoics’ belief of virtue as being just, courageous, wise, and thoughtful matches the teachings of Jesus in the book of Mathew. This is where Jesus urges his disciples to be pure at heart and hunger for spiritual satisfaction rather than physical possessions. Early Christians’ demonstration of virtue which includes humility, selflessness, and mercy, also reflects Jesus’s teachings on being meek and merciful to inherit the kingdom of God. Therefore, Christians should strive to show justice, compassion, wisdom, and humility in their way of life to demonstrate righteousness before God.
References
Christianity.com. “What Were Early Christians Like?”. Christianity.Com, 2021. Web.
King James Bible. “Matthew Chapter 5 KJV”. Kingjamesbibleonline.Org, 2021. Web.
Marcus, Aurelius. “Daily Life Through History – Username”. Dailylife.Abc-Clio.Com, 2021. Web.
Footnotes
- Marcus, Aurelius. “Daily Life Through History – Username”. Dailylife.Abc-Clio.Com, Web.
- King James Bible. “Matthew Chapter 5 KJV”. Kingjamesbibleonline.Org, Web.
- Christianity.com. “What Were Early Christians Like?”. Christianity.Com, Web.
- King James Bible. “Matthew Chapter 5 KJV”. Kingjamesbibleonline.Org, Web.
- Christianity.com. “What Were Early Christians Like?”. Christianity.Com, Web.
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