Less than meets the eye …

… A Stoic Primer. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

More puzzling is the absence of modern thinkers in the Stoic tradition, for example the 17thcentury Neostoics, or 21st century writers in philosophy and psychology who have tried to make Stoicism newly relevant. An older example would be the complete absence of St. Paul, very possibly the most quoted Stoic of them all. Any meaningful discussion of Stoic thought seems to require at least some attention to its compatibility with Christian thought. Paul’s reconciliation of his Stoic training with his Christian faith has had an enduring influence on the Western world. It is not just that a neophyte could read this book and never get a hint that Paul had deep knowledge of Stoicism. It is that one could read the book and fail to understand how Stoicism might contribute to or be compatible with Christian doctrine.