God is Pantheistic

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Epictetus’s god is pantheistic

Because his teachings can be interpreted in different ways, Epictetus’s view of god is unclear. It is unclear whether Epictetus’s god is a pantheistic god who is one with the universe or whether his god is a personal god that answers prayers and watches over his people like the god of monotheism. While there is little doubt that Epictetus views god as all powerful and all good, I will argue that his texts also indicate that Epictetus views god as a pantheistic god possessing none of the defining characteristics of a personal god.

There is a significant difference between what Epictetus means by being all good and what monotheism defines as all good. What monotheism defines as all good is perfect morals while Epictetus defines the true nature of good as intelligence, knowledge, and right reason (Discourses 8:2). According to Epictetus, the true nature of good cannot be found in irrational creatures such as animals and plants. Rather, it can only be found in what is rational (Discourses 8:3). Only what possesses rationality can have the true nature of good and since the true nature of god is where the true nature of good is, one can only conclude that the true nature of god is rationality (Discourses 8:1). Epictetus’s god does not merely possess these qualities, but he is goodness, he is rationality itself. That is the defining difference between the good of Epictetus’s god and that of a personal god.

The texts make it clear that Epictetus sees god as all powerful. He describes god as being the artificer of the universe and that no one could possibly possess power equal to god (Discourses 6:10, 14:11). This could be interpreted as a personification of god because being an “artificer” and the ab...

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...e of ourselves, but simply to preserve ourselves as nature intended (Discourses 8:23). Epictetus’s god is not a caring, personal god as a cursory glance at the texts might have someone believe.

While at first glance it may seem as though Epictetus’s god appears to be a personal god, a closer look at the texts reveal that his god is a pantheistic one who is not at all like the personal god of monotheism. His god is one with the universe and the true essence of his god is the rationality of intelligence, right reason, and knowledge while a personal god is a separate entity from the world but cares and watches over from above. Although both Epictetus’s god and the personal god of monotheism are both all good and all powerful, they are so in very different ways. Epictetus’s god is clearly a pantheistic god possessing none of the traits which define a personal god.

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