70 Transactions. 
absurd. M. Antoninus, in his ‘“ Meditations” (I. 7), says ett 
“T owe to Rusticus that I read the commentaries of Epictetus 
which he communicated to me out of his own library.” He also 
quotes from his ‘‘ Discourses” several times. The only 
acquaintance the Antonines could have had with the philosopher 
was with his books, and there is no evidence that the elder 
Antonine had any knowledge even of them. The popularity of 
this philosopher is attested by Origen (lib. VI. adversus 
Celsum) :—‘“‘ Therefore we can see that Plato is in the hands of 
those who are esteemed learned ; but Epictetus is admired by the 
ordinary folk, and by those who have a desire of improving, since 
they feel that they become better from his discourses.” These 
are all the materials which we have for a life of Epictetus. He 
was born about the middle of the first century at Hierapolis, in 
Phrygia, about five miles north of Laodicea, between the 
Meander and its branch the Lycus. It is mentioned by St. 
Paul in Colossians IV., 13, as the seat of a Christian Church. 
It has been conjectured that the parents of Epictetus were poor, 
and that they sold their boy into slavery. But whether this 
were so or not, one of the few facts we know of him is that he 
was a slave in Rome, and that his master was the notorious 
Epaphroditus. This man was a favourite freedman of Nero 
mentioned by Tacitus (Annals XV., 55). He is called by 
Suetonius a libellis, the officer whose duty it was to receive 
petitions. He was one of the four men who accompanied Nero 
in his flight, and he it was who assisted him to commit suicide 
(Suetonius’ ‘Life of Nero,” 49 ch.). For this service to his lord, he 
was many years after put to death by Domitian (Suetonius’ “ Life 
of Domitian,” 14—Dio Cassius 67, 14). It has been erroneously 
supposed by some that he was identical with the Epaphroditus 
whom St. Paul in Philippians II., 25, calls ‘‘my brother and 
fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, and your messenger and minister 
to my need.” He has also been identified with the Epaphroditus 
to whom Josephus dedicated his works ; but this is impossible, as 
the latter Epaphroditus was alive and in office under Trajan. 
Grotius says he was a freedinan and procurator of that emperor. 
We do not know much about Epaphroditus, the secretary of Nero, 
and the master of Hpictetus. He seems to have placed his slave 
under the tuition of one or more philosophers at Rome, as we find 
that Epictetus attended the lectures of Musonius Rufus, a famous 
Stoic philosopher. Some interesting remarks were communicated 
