"He did not make the rule against the Christians, for Trajan did that; and if we admit that he would have been willing to let the Christians alone, we cannot affirm that it was in his power, for it would be a great mistake to suppose that Antoninus had the unlimited authority, which some modern sovereigns have had. His power was limited by certain constitutional forms, by the senate, and by the precedents of his predecessors. We cannot admit that such a man was an active prosecutor, for there is no evidence that he was, though it is certain that he had no good opinion of the Christians, as appears from his own words. But he knew nothing of them except their hostility to the Roman religion, and probably thought they were dangerous to the state."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Long_(scholar)
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
George Long (scholar)
1844 – 1848
George Long (November 4, 1800 – August 10, 1879) was an English classical scholar, historian and translator. Among other works, he translated of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (1862), the Discourses of Epictetus (1877), Plutarch's Lives (1844–1848) and was the author of the Decline of the Roman Republic (1864–1874), the Civil Wars of Rome, and the Summary of Herodotus (1829).
64 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by George Long (scholar) →
Related Quotes
"In the wretched times from the death of Augustus to the murder of Domitian, there was nothing but the Stoic philosoph…"
"The doctrines of Epictetus and Antoninus are the same, and Epictetus is the best authority for the explanation of the…"
"Epictetus addressed himself to his hearers in a continuous discourse and in a familiar and simple manner. Antoninus w…"
"The Stoics made three divisions of philosophy, Physic, Ethic, and Logic. ...It appears, however, that this division w…"
"Cleanthes, a Stoic, subdivided the three divisions, and made six: Dialectic and Rhetoric, comprised in Logic; Ethic a…"
"Even among the earliest Stoics, Logic or Dialectic does not occupy the same place as in Plato: it is considered only …"
"According to the subdivision of Cleanthes, Physic and Theology go together, or the study of the nature of Things, and…"
"Cleanthes also connects Ethic and Politic, or the study of the principles of morals and the study of the constitution…"
"Antoninus does not treat of Politic. His subject is Ethic, and Ethic in its practical application to his own conduct …"
"He [Marcus Aurelius Antoninus] advises us to examine well all the impressions on our minds and to form a right judgme…"