Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

THE FORMATION OP CHRISTENDOMof Tiberius. Though of delicate constitution, he gavehimself up with zeal to study, especially to philosophy,in which Sotion of Alexandria, the pupil of Sextius,and Attains the Stoic, instructed him. He subsequentlybecame a lawyer, married, and was rich andfortunate in his condition. After being threatenedby Caligula, he was banished to Corsica, underClaudius, at the instigation of Messalina. Here heremained about eight years, and only upon her fallwas recalled by the influence of Agrippina in the year49. He was then made prastor, and for five yearsconducted the education of Nero. On Nero's accessionhe became with Burrhus the chief minister ofthat emperor, and to these two men the famous quinquenniumof Nero is probably due. ut with thedeath of Burrhus Seneca's influence came to an end.Afte r a * per iod during which he was treated with. . . -r».jealousy and suspicion, the conspiracy of Piso in theyear 65 gave Nero an opportunity to get rid of onewhom he feared probably as well as hated, and thephilosopher with courage and equanimity put himselfto death at the command of Nero.Now as it would require a large space to draw outthe doctrine of Seneca, let us dip into the strata of hismind on three principal points. The first shall bethe office which he assigns to philosophy ; the second,his conception of God; the third, his conception ofm an.As to the function of philosophy he says, " Themind is made perfect by one only thing, a fixedunchanging knowledge of goods and evils, and thisbelongs to philosophy alone. . . . One study only isthere truly liberal, which makes man free, the studyof wisdom, source of sublimity, fortitude, and mag-