In the year 33, a philosopher was executed by the Roman authorities. This was not an uncommon thing back then.
But this man, referred to as Christus in Tacitus’ writing, l was first beaten and then after being forced to carry the weight of the tools of his annihilation to the site of his ultimate demise, was brutally crucified on full display. But then, after he was entombed–and this is where his story is said to diverge from the Stoics we mentioned above–three days later, Christus, supposedly rose again.
Now, whether or not you consider the events of Jesus’s death to be holy or not, totally true or not, there is nevertheless a powerful lesson in them. A man went bravely to his death. A man with his last words said, “Forgive them father, for they know not what they do.” A man died willingly, believing he would absolve mankind for its sins. And then, from this loss, he and mankind were given a clean slate.
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And in today's audiobook reading, Ryan presents part one of the biography of another great man: Zeno of Citium (Hellenistic philosopher and the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy). Written by the prolific biographer of the Greek philosophers Diogenes Laertius, this first half of the biography tells of Zeno's demeanor, physical stature, rigorous study, travels, and more.
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