Letters from a Stoic

Seneca, who was both a politician and a philosopher, struggled to maintain his Stoic beliefs despite his wealth and power. Seneca's philosophy provided Rome with a passable bridge to Christianity during the first century A. D. , a period that was marked by numerous conflicts. Although he did not originate the Stoic philosophy, he spiritualized and humanized it in order to make it more appealing to the Romans. In these letters from Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium, Seneca extolls the good way of life as seen from his standpoint, which was wise and well-reasoned. Even though he wrote this material for posterity, his writings had a philosophical tone and were designed to be read in the Silver Age of Latin prose (1st–2nd century A. D. ). Even though Seneca criticized the harsh treatment of slaves, he himself owned many slaves; it is speculated by some scholars that this fact may have contributed to his death.