Passions and moral progress in Greco-Roman thought PDF
Preview Passions and moral progress in Greco-Roman thought
PASSIONS AND MORAL PROGRESS IN GRECO-ROMAN THOUGHT Thisbookcontainsacollectionofessaysonthetopicofthepath(cid:2)e andprokop(cid:2)e,ortherelationshipbetweenthepassionsandmoral advancement in Greek and Roman thought. Recognizing that emotions playeda keyrole inwhether individuals livedhappily, ancientphilosophersextensivelydiscussedthenatureofthepas- sions,showinghowthosewhomanagedtheiremotionsproperly mademoralprogress. The ‘‘passions’’ refer to those passionate emotions which can turn crucially destructive if left unchecked – for example, unbridled anger, uncontrolled desire, or overwhelming grief. TheseessaysexplorethedifferentGreco-Romanperspectiveson thepassionsandmoralprogressandhowtheyfeltbesttomanage themtopreserveandadvancetheirownmorality. More comprehensive and multi-disciplinary than many other books on the subject, this book encompasses philosophy, litera- ture, and religion, containing the efforts of thirteen leading specialists from various fields including classics, ancient philo- sophy and literature, Hellenistic Judaism, and New Testament scholarship. The contributions are preceded by a full and acces- sibleintroductiontothesubjectbyJohnT.Fitzgerald. Writers discussed include the Cynics, the Neopythagoreans, Aristotle,Theophrastus,Ovid,Paul,andClementofAlexandria. John T. Fitzgerald is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at theUniversityofMiami.Hisresearchconcentratesonthewaysin whichJewsandChristiansinteractedwithGreco-Romanculture andappropriatedphilosophicalmaterialsforreligioususe. PASSIONS AND MORAL PROGRESS IN GRECO-ROMAN THOUGHT Edited by John T. Fitzgerald Firstpublished2008 byRoutledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN SimultaneouslypublishedintheUSAandCanada byRoutledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2007. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup, aninformabusiness # 2008 John T. Fitzgerald for selection and editorial matter; individualchapters,theircontributors TypesetinSabonby IntegraSoftwareServicesPvt.Ltd,Pondicherry,India PrintedandboundinGreatBritainby BiddlesLtd,King’sLynn Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedor reproducedorutilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic, mechanical,orothermeans,nowknownorhereafter invented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orinany informationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissionin writingfromthepublishers. BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData Acataloguerecordforthisbookisavailable fromtheBritishLibrary LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData Passions and moral progress in Greco-Roman thought / ed[ited by]JohnT.Fitzgerald. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Philosophy, Ancient. 2. Emotions—History. 3. Ethics—History. I.Fitzgerald,JohnT.,1948– B171.P372008 1280.370938—dc22 2007021588 ISBN 0-203-93612-4 Master e-book ISBN ISBN10:0–415–28069–9(hbk) ISBN10:0–203–93612–4(ebk) ISBN13: 978–0–415–28069–3 (hbk) ISBN13:978–0–203–93612–2(ebk) CONTENTS ListofContributors vii Preface ix ListofAbbreviations xi 1 Thepassionsandmoralprogress:anintroduction 1 JOHNT.FITZGERALD PART I Philosophy 27 2 AristotleandTheophrastusontheemotions 29 WILLIAMW.FORTENBAUGH 3 TheproblemofthepassionsinCynicism 48 DAVIDE.AUNE 4 ThepassionsinNeopythagoreanwritings 67 JOHANC.THOM 5 ‘‘Beangryandsinnot’’:PhilodemusversustheStoicsonnatural bitesandnaturalemotions 79 DAVIDARMSTRONG 6 (cid:2)a´yZand’Apa´yeiainearlyRomanempireStoics 122 EDGARM.KRENTZ 7 Plutarchonmoralprogress 136 RICHARDA.WRIGHT PART II Philosophyandliterature 151 8 PassionandprogressinOvid’sMetamorphoses 153 S.GEORGIANUGENT v CONTENTS 9 ThepassionsinGalenandthenovelsofCharitonandXenophon 175 LOVEDAYC.A.ALEXANDER PART III Philosophyandreligion 199 10 PhiloofAlexandriaontherationalandirrationalemotions 201 DAVIDWINSTON 11 PassionsinthePaulineepistles:thecurrentstateofresearch 221 DAVIDCHARLESAUNE 12 ThelogicofactioninPaul:howdoeshedifferfromthemoral philosophersonspiritualandmoralprogressionandregression? 238 TROELSENGBERG-PEDERSEN 13 MoralprogressanddivinepowerinSenecaandPaul 267 JAMESWARE 14 Moralpathology:passions,progress,andprotrepticinClement ofAlexandria 284 L.MICHAELWHITE SelectedBibliography 322 IndexofAncientAuthorsandTexts 356 IndexofModernScholars 386 vi LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS LovedayC.A.AlexanderisProfessorofBiblicalStudiesattheUniversityof Sheffield,Sheffield,England. DavidArmstrongisProfessorEmeritusofClassicsatTheUniversityofTexas atAustin,Austin,Texas. DavidCharlesAuneisAssociateProfessorofReligionatAshlandUniversity, Ashland,Ohio. David E. Aune is Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at the UniversityofNotreDame,NotreDame,Indiana. Troels Engberg-Pedersen is Professor of New Testament at the Section of Biblical Studies, Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen,Denmark. JohnT.FitzgeraldisAssociateProfessorofReligiousStudiesattheUniversity ofMiami,CoralGables,Florida. William W. Fortenbaugh is Professor Emeritus of Classics and Editor of RutgersUniversityStudiesinClassicalHumanitiesatRutgersUniversity, NewBrunswick,NewJersey. Edgar M. Krentz is Christ Seminary-Seminex Professor of New Testament, Emeritus,attheLutheranSchoolofTheologyatChicago,Chicago,Illinois. S.GeorgiaNugentisPresidentofKenyonCollege,Gambier,Ohio. Johan C. Thom is Professor of Classics at the University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch,SouthAfrica. JamesWareisAssociateProfessorofReligionattheUniversityofEvansville, Evansville,Indiana. L.MichaelWhiteisR.N.SmithProfessorofClassicsandDirector,Institute vii LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins at The University of TexasatAustin,Austin,Texas. DavidWinstonisProfessorEmeritusofHellenisticandJudaicStudiesatthe GraduateTheologicalUnion,Berkeley,California. Richard A. Wright is Assistant Professor of Bible at Oklahoma Christian University,OklahomaCity,Oklahoma. viii PREFACE ThisvolumehasitsoriginsintheworkoftheHellenisticMoralPhilosophy and Early Christianity Section, a program unit of the Society of Biblical Literature.Fromtheoutsetthegrouphashadaninterdisciplinarycharacter, comprisingclassicists,expertsinancientphilosophy,specialistsinHellenistic Judaism, New Testament scholars, and others who are interested in early Christianity and the Greco-Roman world. Over the years we have investi- gated a number of texts, topics, techniques, and authors, and the results of ourresearchhavebeenpublishedinonetranslation(Konstanetal.1998)and in four previous collections of essays (Fitzgerald 1996; 1997; Fitzgerald, Olbricht,andWhite2003;Fitzgerald,Obbink,andHolland2004). Ourinterestinthe‘‘passionsandmoralprogress’’wassparkednotonlyby thewidespreadcurrentinterestintheemotionsbutalsogrewoutofourwork onfriendship(philia)andfranknessofspeech(parrhe¯sia).Atanearlystagein ourresearchwediscoveredthattherewasastronglinkageinancientthought betweenfriendshipandfrankspeech.Whereastheflatterertendedtolavish praiseandtoavoidcriticisminhisdealingswithhis‘‘friends,’’thetruefriend waswillingtospeakfranklytohiscompanionwhenthelattermeritedcandid criticismandcouldprofitfromit.Inthisregardthepassions(pathe¯)werea chiefareaofconcern.Individualswhoweregiventooutburstsofanger,who couldnotcontroltheirdesires,orwhowereparalyzedbygriefoverthedeath of a loved one were engaged in conduct that was self-destructive. Genuine friendscouldnotsitidlybyandletthathappentoapersontheycaredabout (compare the modern American slogan used in efforts to prevent driving while intoxicated: ‘‘Friends don’t let friends drive drunk’’). By speaking candidlytotheirangryorgrievingcompanions,truefriendshopedtopersuade suchindividualstoceasefromtheirruinousbehaviorandtherebytoimprove thequalityoftheirlives.Althoughthosewhousedfrankspeechrantheriskof angeringtheirfriendsandjeopardizingtheirrelationship,theirwillingnessto dosowascrucialtotheirfriendsfulfillingtheirpotentialaspeople.Without self-control in regard to the passions, there could be no moral or spiritual progress(prokope¯);indeed,withoutfrankspeech,therewouldonlyberegress inthemoralandspirituallife. ix
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