Between Heathenism and Christianity - College of Stoic Philosophers
Between Heathenism and Christianity - College of Stoic Philosophers
Between Heathenism and Christianity - College of Stoic Philosophers
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Plutarch <strong>and</strong> the Greece <strong>of</strong> His Age<br />
so poor that ho did not own at least one slave.<br />
To be<br />
a slave-owner was a badge <strong>of</strong> respectability even for<br />
those who were riot citizens. In the Greek states, so<br />
long as they were free polities, war <strong>and</strong> religion oc<br />
cupied all the time <strong>and</strong> attention <strong>of</strong> the citizens, ex<br />
cept that small body that were interested in philo<br />
sophical pursuits. When they were no longer free<br />
<strong>and</strong> no longer had serious affairs in which to employ<br />
their time, they spent most <strong>of</strong> it in idle gossip or as<br />
the Acts tell us, "in hearing or telling some new<br />
What<br />
thing." legislation they were still permitted<br />
to engage in never concerned matters <strong>of</strong> grave im<br />
port. They decreed crowns <strong>and</strong> statues to real or sup<br />
posed benefactors, only to annul their decrees when<br />
those whom they were intended to honor happened<br />
to incur the displeasure <strong>of</strong> the legislators or to<br />
fall into disgrace with the higher powers. Then<br />
there were deputations between different states about<br />
boundary disputes, about festivals, about claims <strong>and</strong><br />
counter claims <strong>of</strong> all sorts, the sending <strong>of</strong> which was<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten debated with a solemnity that makes us wonder<br />
how the participants could themselves fail to see their<br />
farcical character. Generally the game<br />
the favor <strong>of</strong> the emperor, each party striving<br />
at stake was<br />
to out<br />
bid the other in pr<strong>of</strong>essions <strong>of</strong> loyalty or to outvie it<br />
in the length <strong>of</strong> its bill for services rendered. When,<br />
as was frequently the case, these delegations did not<br />
find the emperor in Rome, they had, <strong>of</strong> course, to follow<br />
him into provinces or to await his return. This re<br />
quired time that, we may be sure, was in most cases<br />
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