The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
Thursday, April 3, 2025
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” – Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ruled as emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 AD and is known as the last of the Five Good Emperors. He was also the last emperor of the Pax Romana, a period of relative peace and stability that lasted from 27 BC to 180 AD.
During his reign, Marcus Aurelius fought and won the Parthian War, but costly uprisings in the eastern part of the empire forced him to reduce the silver purity of the Roman currency. He also had to deal with the Antonine Plague, which claimed the lives of 5-10 million people.
Whereas the persecution of Christians may have increased during his rule, it is highly doubtful that Marcus Aurelius had anything to do with that since he was praised by early church fathers Justin Martyr and Tertullian. In fact, Justin Martyr once referenced a letter sent by Marcus Aurelius to the Roman Senate describing a battlefield incident in which he claimed that Christian prayer had saved his army from thirst when "water poured from heaven" after which, "immediately we recognized the presence of God." In the same letter, Marcus Aurelius asked the Senate to cease and desist from persecuting Christians.
Marcus Aurelius was not a Christian, but rather a Stoic, someone who believed that we are called to live a virtuous life by practicing prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice. Lofty ambitions indeed, but ones that fall short of godly perfection (see Romans 3:23). And yet, we would do well to adopt those same attributes as Christians – not to obtain our salvation, but as evidence of it.
Here are some other quotes by Marcus Aurelius from his monumental work, Meditations, that are worth contemplating and copying…
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...”
“The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”
“If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.”
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 (BSB)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
