Seneca on good deeds. On good deeds (Lucius Annaeus Seneca). Introductory excerpt from the book

Among the many and varied errors of people who live recklessly and thoughtlessly, it seems to me, venerable Liberalius, there is almost nothing more dangerous than the fact that we do not know how to either give or receive benefits. Benefits given poorly are usually received poorly, and if they are not returned to us, then it is too late to complain: we lost them at the very moment when we gave them. And it is not surprising if among the most common and most serious vices, ingratitude is most often found. This obviously depends on many reasons, and, firstly, on the fact that we do not choose people who would be worthy of the benefit, but, having in mind to acquire debtors, we carefully collect information regarding their family estates and movable property. We do not throw seeds on depleted and barren soil, but rather indiscriminately scatter blessings than give. And it is not easy to say which is worse: not to recognize the benefit or to demand it back, for a benefit is a debt of such a kind that one should return from it only what is willingly returned; it is very shameful to be burdened by them for the reason that to justify trust (in this case) it is not material means that are needed, but the soul. The benefit is returned by the one who willingly recognizes it. But if the guilt lies with those who, even in their consciousness, do not give thanks, then we are not innocent either. We meet many ungrateful people, but we ourselves become even more so. In one case we are severely demanding and pretentious, in another we are frivolous and very soon repent of our good deeds, in the third we are grumpy and complain when we miss the slightest opportunity to pay us. Thus, we poison all gratitude not only after we have provided a benefit, but also at the very moment when we provide it. In fact, which of us has been satisfied when asked not hard enough or only once? Who, noticing that they wanted to turn to him with a request, did not frown his eyebrows, did not turn his face away, did not pretend to be busy and made long speeches, deliberately endless, did not reject the opportunity for a request, did not avoid, with the help of various tricks, people who resorted to him with your needs? Being caught in a hopeless situation, who did not try to delay time, giving a cautious refusal, or, although he promised, but through force, frowning his eyebrows, angrily and barely pronouncing the words? But no one willingly admits that he is a debtor in a case where he did not receive, but forced. Can anyone be grateful to that person who proudly threw away a benefit, threw it away with anger, or gave it after he was tired, just to avoid boredom? He is mistaken who hopes for gratitude from someone whom he has exhausted with delays, tormented with waiting... A benefit is received with the same feeling with which it is received; therefore it should not be rendered with disdain. After all, everyone owes only to himself what he received from another (as if) without his knowledge. You shouldn’t be slow either, because whoever did it slowly obviously didn’t have the desire to do it for a long time, and in any task the hunt is highly valued. In particular, beneficence should not be offensive. In fact, if nature has arranged it in such a way that insults leave a deeper mark than benefits, and the latter soon disappear from memory, while the former remain in it for a long time, then what can one expect who, while providing a benefit, causes an offense? Such a person is given due gratitude by the one who forgets his good deed. The mass of ungrateful people should not dampen our zeal for charity. For, firstly, we ourselves, as I said, increase it. Secondly, the immortal gods themselves are not disgusted by their generous charity, despite the existence of blasphemers and people who treat them with disdain. They continue to act in accordance with their nature and provide their help to everything, including those very people who poorly understand their benefits. Let us follow their example, as far as human frailty will allow; Let us give blessings, and not give in interest. He who, while giving, thinks about paying, is fully worthy of being deceived.

“The benefit is poorly received.” But after all, both children and spouses deceived our hopes, nevertheless we raise, and get married, and go against experience to such an extent that, once having experienced defeat, we again wage wars, once having been shipwrecked, we again set out to sea. How much more noble is it to be constant in good deeds! He who does not provide benefits for the reason that he does not receive them back, obviously provides them with the aim of returning them; with this he gives a plausible excuse for the ungrateful. However, it is shameful to deny benefits to these latter people, although they deserve it. How many are unworthy of light - but the day comes, how many complain that they were born, but nature produces new generations and tolerates the existence of those who themselves would rather not live at all! It is common for an exalted and kind soul to seek not the fruits of good deeds, but the good deeds themselves, and to find good ones among bad people. What greatness would there be in benefiting many if no one cheated? Virtue in this case consists of providing benefits without any expectation of their return. The fruits of good deeds are reaped immediately by a noble person. Ingratitude should not confuse us and instill apathy towards such a wonderful cause, so even if the hope of finding a grateful person were completely taken away from me, then even in this case I would prefer not to receive benefits back than not to provide them. For whoever does not do good deeds anticipates the transgression of an ungrateful person. I will express my thought: whoever does not return a benefit sins more; whoever does not provide it sins more quickly.

“When you begin to lavish good deeds on the crowd, you have to lose a lot of them in order to one day (do) put them back well.”

In the first verse we cannot agree with anything, firstly, because good deeds should not be lavished on the crowd, and secondly, because extravagance in general does not deserve praise, especially in good deeds. If you provide benefits without being guided by reason, then they cease to be such and receive some other name. The second verse deserves attention, where one good deed successfully performed is considered as a reward for the losses caused by the loss of many. But look, I ask you, whether it would not be closer to the truth, and more consistent with the dignity of a virtuous person, to advise him to provide benefits even in cases where there is no hope of performing any successfully. The fact is that the assumption that “many (good deeds) must be lost” is unfounded...

Not a single (good deed) is lost, since whoever loses it obviously counted in advance (on profit). The meaning of benefits is simple: they are only given; if something is returned, then it is a profit; if it is not returned, there is no loss. A benefit is given for the sake of a benefit. No one writes down good deeds in a debt book and reminds them of them every day and hour like a greedy lender. A good person never thinks about them unless he reminds them of the person repaying (the debt). Otherwise, the benefit takes the form of a loan. Recording good deeds as an expense is shameful usury. Whatever happens to your first gifts, continue to give them away; it is better if they are kept by ungrateful people, whom over time shame, or some accident, or imitation can make grateful. Do not retreat: continue your work and strive for the lot of a virtuous husband. Give help: to some with funds, to others with credit, to others with affection, to others with advice, to others with useful instructions. Animals are also aware of their responsibilities. There is not a single wild animal that cannot be tamed and bonded to oneself through careful care. So tamers touch the mouths of lions with impunity; wild elephants, with the help of food, are tamed to such an extent that they obediently go to work. Thus, constant benefits conquer even creatures devoid of reason and the ability to appreciate them. Did you treat your first good deed with ingratitude? The second one will not be treated that way. Forgot about both? The third will bring to memory and the forgotten!

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Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Biography

At an early age he was brought by his father to Rome. He studied with the Pythagorean Sotion, the Stoics Attalus, Sextius, Papinius.

Around, under the emperor, it becomes. - by the time of his accession to the throne, Seneca’s fame as an orator and writer increased so much that it aroused the envy of the emperor and in the end he ordered the death of Seneca. However, one of the emperor’s many concubines persuaded him not to do this, citing the fact that the philosopher, who was in poor health, would die soon anyway. - in the first year of his reign, he was exiled for involvement in palace intrigue and spent eight years in Corsica. - the wife of Emperor Claudius seeks Seneca’s return from exile and invites him to become a mentor to her son, the future Emperor Nero. - after the poisoning of Claudius, sixteen-year-old Nero comes to power. His mentors - Seneca - become the first advisers to the emperor. The influence of Seneca was especially great during this period. - receives the highest position of consul in the empire. His wealth at this time reaches a huge amount of 300 million. - forces Seneca and Burra to indirectly participate in the murder of their mother, Agrippina. Seneca writes for Nero a shameful text of a speech in the Senate justifying this crime. His relationship with the emperor is becoming increasingly strained. - after the death of Burra, Seneca submits his resignation and retires, leaving all his enormous fortune to the emperor. - Piso's conspiracy is revealed. This conspiracy did not have a positive program and united the participants only by fear and personal hatred of the emperor. Nero, feeling that the very personality of Seneca, who always embodied the norm and prohibition for him, was an obstacle in his path, could not miss the opportunity and ordered his mentor to commit suicide: by order of Nero, Seneca was sentenced to death with the right to choose the method of suicide.

He was the ideologist of the Senate opposition to the despotic tendencies of the first Roman emperors. During the emperor's youth, he was the de facto ruler of Rome, but was later pushed out of power when he refused to sanction repressions against Nero's opponents and against.

Death of Seneca

Committed suicide on orders to avoid the death penalty. Despite her husband's objections, Seneca's wife Paulina herself expressed a desire to die with him and demanded to be pierced with a sword.

Seneca answered her: “I pointed out to you the consolations that life can give, but you prefer to die. I won't resist. We will die together with the same courage, but you - with greater glory.".

Works

Philosophical dialogues

Books may have different titles in different translations.

• “Consolation to Marcia” (Ad Marciam, De consolatione)
• "On Anger" (De Ira)
• “Consolation to Helvia” (Ad Helviam matrem, De consolatione)
• "Consolation to Polybius" (De Consolatione ad Polybium)
• “On the shortness of life” (De Brevitate Vitae)
• "On Leisure" (De Otio)
• “On Peace of Mind” or “On Peace of Mind” (De tranquillitate animi)
• "On Providence" (De Providentia)
• "On the Fortitude of the Sage" (De Constantia Sapientis)
• “About a happy life” (De vita beata)

Artistic

• "The Pumpkin of the Divine Claudius" (Apocolocyntosis divi Claudii)
• tragedy "" (Agamemnon)
• tragedy “Mad” or “Hercules in Madness” (Hercules furens)
• tragedy "The Trojan Women" (Troades)
• tragedy "" (Medea)
• tragedy "" (Phaedra)
• tragedy "" (Thyestes)
• tragedy "Phoenicians" (Phoenissae)
• tragedy "" (Oedipus)
• tragedy "on Eta"

All these works are free adaptations of tragedies and their Roman imitators.

Epigrams

• Everything we see around...
• To my best friend.
• About simple life.
• Homeland about yourself.
• About the blessings of a simple life.
• About wealth and dishonor.
• About the beginning and end of love.
• About the death of a friend.
• About the ruins of Greece.
• About ringing in the ears.

Other

• "On Mercy" (De Clementia)
• “On beneficence” or “On thanksgiving” or “On good deeds” (De beneficiis)
• "Studies on Nature" or "Natural Philosophical Questions" (Naturales quaestiones)
• "Moral Letters to Lucilius" or "Letters to Lucilium" (Epistulae morales ad Lucilium)

Attributed

Some books were previously considered the works of Seneca, but now most researchers reject or doubt Seneca's authorship.

• tragedy (Octavia)
• tragedy "Hercules Oetaeus"
• ? “Correspondence of the Apostle Paul with Seneca” (Cujus etiam ad Paulum apostolum leguntur epistolae)

Seneca's appearance

There are two images of Seneca; one is a medieval drawing from a bust that has not survived, depicting a thin man of asthenic build; the second is a bust that has survived to this day, depicting a well-fed man with a stern and authoritative face. They obviously depict different people, and the question is which of them really refers to Seneca, and which is attributed to him by mistake.

Disputes about this have been going on for a long time and, in any case, no less long than the first version existed. And it owes its origin to the Italian humanist, historian F. Ursinus (-), with whose light hand a Roman copy of an ancient bust in 1598, when compared with a portrait on a contorniate, was identified as a portrait of a philosopher (both works have now been lost, but the idea of , what that bust looked like can be obtained from the image present in the group portrait of the brush), now the name “Pseudo-Seneca” is firmly attached to this sculpture, and researchers have come to the conclusion that this is a portrait.

The debate on this subject has already subsided - the decision has been made, but a kind of compromise, in the form of an ironic tribute to the past controversy, was found by the Spanish mint, which issued coins with a “hybrid” portrait of the philosopher.

Translations

Plays:

• Medea. / Per. N. Vinogradova. - Sergiev Posad, 1906. - 72 p.
• Tragedies. / Per. , entry Art. N. F. Deratani. (Series “Treasures of World Literature”). - M.-L.: Academia, 1932. - 433 p. (the edition includes 7 plays: “Medea”, “Phaedra”, “Oedipus”, “Thiestes”, “Agamemnon”, “Octavia”)
• Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Tragedies. / Per. and Art. , approx. E. G. Rabinovich. Rep. ed. M. L. Gasparov. (Series “Literary Monuments”). - M.: Nauka, 1983. - 432 p.

Treatises:

• About providence. / Per. V. Stovik and V. Stein. - Kerch, 1901. - 28 p.
• Consolation to Marcia. // Brush M. Classics of Philosophy. I. - St. Petersburg, 1907. - P. 311-330.
• About a happy life. / Per. S. Ts. Yanushevsky. - St. Petersburg: Hermes, 1913. - 35 p.
• About good deeds. / Per. P. Krasnova. // Roman Stoics. Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius. - M., 1995.
• Seneca. Consolation to Polybius. / Per. N. Kh. Kerasidi. // VDI. - 1991. - No. 4.
• Seneca. About the brevity of life. / Per. V. S. Durova. - St. Petersburg: Glagol, 1996. - 91 p.
• Seneca. About anger. / Per. T. Yu. Borodai. // VDI. - 1994. - No. 2; 1995. - No. 1.
• Treatise “On the Serenity of the Spirit” Lucia Annaea Seneca. (Introduction: article and translation by N. G. Tkachenko) // Proceedings of the Department of Ancient Languages. Issue 1. - St. Petersburg, 2000. - P.161-200.
• Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Philosophical treatises. / Per. T. Yu. Borodai. (Series “Ancient Library”. Section “Ancient Philosophy”). 1st ed. - St. Petersburg, 2000. 2nd ed. St. Petersburg: Aletheya, 2001. - 400 p. (the edition includes treatises: “On the Blissful Life”, “On the Transience of Life”, “On the Fortitude of the Sage”, “On Providence”, “On Anger” in 3 books, “On Nature” in 7 books)

"Letters to Lucilius"

• Selected letters to Lucilius. / Per. P. Krasnova. - St. Petersburg, 1893. - 258 p.
• Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Moral letters to Lucilius. / Transl., art. and approx. . Rep. ed. M. L. Gasparov. (Series “Literary Monuments”). - M.: Nauka, 1977. - 384 p. (reprinted)

Epigrams:

• Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Epigrams. / Per. M. Grabar-Passek and Y. Schultz. // Antique lyrics. (Series “Library of World Literature”. Vol. 4). - M., 1968. - P. 458-462.

Satire(Seneca's affiliation is disputed):

• Satire on the death of Emperor Claudius. / Per. V. Alekseeva. - St. Petersburg, 1891. - 35 p.
• Pseudo-apotheosis of Emperor Claudius. / Per. . - M., 1899. (appendix to volume 16 of the “Philological Review”)
• Apotheosis of the divine Claudius. / Per. . // Roman satire. - M., 1957. (republished: Roman Satire. - M., 1989. - P. 117-130, commentary by I. Kovaleva on pp. 458-465)

The edition in The Loeb classical library (Latin text with English translation) consists of 10 volumes:

• Volumes I-III. Moral essays.
  • Volume I. About providence. About consistency. About anger. About mercy.
  • Volume II. Consolation to Marcia. About a blessed life. About leisure. About peace of mind. About the brevity of life. Consolation to Polybius. Consolation to Helvia.
  • Volume III. About good deeds.
• Volumes IV-VI. Letters.
• Volumes VII, X. Natural questions.
• Volumes VIII-IX. Tragedies.

Publication in the “Collection Budé” series in 18 volumes: Senèque.

• L'Apocoloquintose du divin Claude. Texte établi et traduit par R. Waltz. XI, 46 p.
• De la clemence. Texte établi et traduit par F.-R. Chaumartin. Nouvelle edition 2005. XCII, 178 p.
• Des bienfaits. Tome I: Livres I-IV. Texte établi et traduit par F. Préchac. LV, 284 p.
• Des bienfaits. Tome II: Livres V-VII. Texte établi et traduit par F. Préchac. 228 p.
• Dialogues. T. I: De la colère. Texte établi et traduit par A. Bourgery. XXV, 217 p.
• Dialogues. T. II: De la vie heureuse. - De la brièveté de la vie. Texte établi et traduit par A. Bourgery. X, 150 p.
• Dialogues. T. III: Consolations. Texte établi et traduit par R. Waltz. X, 219 p.
• Dialogues. T. IV: De la provision. - De la constance du sage. - De la tranquillité de l'âme. - De l’oisiveté. Texte établi et traduit par R. Waltz. 221 p.
• Questions naturelles. T. I: Livres I-III. Texte établi et traduit par P. Oltramare. XXVII, 309 p.
• Questions naturelles. T. II: Livres IV-VII. Texte établi et traduit par P. Oltramare. 356 p.
• Lettres à Lucilius. T.I-V.
• Tragedies. T. I-III.

Memory

• The Seneca monument is located in Cordoba.

Notes

Literature

• Krasnov P. L. Annaeus Seneca, his life and philosophical activity. (Series “The Life of Remarkable People. Biographical Library of F. Pavlenkov”). - St. Petersburg, 1895. - 77 p.
• Faminsky V.I. Religious and moral views of the philosopher L. A. Seneca and their relationship to Christianity. At 3 o'clock - Kyiv, 1906. - 220+196+196 pp.
• Grimal P. Seneca, or the Conscience of the Empire. / Per. from fr. (ZhZL). - M., Young Guard, 2003.
• Titarenko I. N. The philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca and its connection with the teachings of the Early Stoa. - Rostov-on-Don, 2002.

Links

• Seneca in Russian translation on the website “History of Ancient Rome”

About good deeds Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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Title: About good deeds

About the book “On Benefits” by Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Lucius Annaeus Seneca is an outstanding ancient Roman philosopher and educator who had enormous influence in political circles of that time. He was a mentor and adviser to Emperor Nero, but by order of the same emperor he was forced to commit suicide. His works had a huge influence on the development of philosophical thought in subsequent centuries.

The book “On Good Deeds” is a real encyclopedia of morality. Here the author analyzed in detail the various manifestations of spirituality and the influence of emotions on people’s relationships. Lucius Annaeus Seneca more deeply than other ancient thinkers explored such an area of ​​morality as charity. This work should be read by everyone who wants to understand the nature of spirituality, to know all its laws and rules.

The central place in the book is given to the explanation of the concept of beneficence. The philosopher emphasizes that the meaning of this act lies not in the amount of help provided, but in the very desire to give it to others, in the emotional outburst of the soul.

The sensual component of human character is a whole kaleidoscope of internal energy and a vector that sets the direction for our every action. The ancient thinker explains the role of emotions in our lives, their positive and negative sides. The anatomy of the human soul has not changed - today we live according to the same internal principles as many centuries ago.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca compiled a whole scale of benefits. On the first level they put those actions without which we physically cannot live - they relate to saving lives. Then follow the deeds without which we should not live, because life without them turns into a martyr’s existence.

In third place are the benefits that we feel are our responsibility - a person gets used to them so much that he makes them his habit, a need, and not just a one-time desire to help (it is from such desires that arise constantly that a persistent need to follow one’s heart, helping others).

The philosophical treatise “On Good Deeds” covers many areas of human relationships. How should you treat your children and parents? What moral principles should you observe in relation to your lovers, friends, and strangers? The author does not ignore these and many other questions, but he draws the reader to think and does not always give unambiguous answers. After finishing reading this book, you will often think about the role of moral actions in the life of an individual and society.

Philosophical ideas in Seneca's treatise On Beneficence

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (the Younger) lived during the reign of the first five Roman emperors; Augustus (31 BC-14 AD), Tiberius (14-37), Caligula (37-41), Claudius (41-54), Nero (54-68). His father, Lucius Annaeus Seneca (the Elder), belonged to the equestrian class and was a famous rhetorician and historian. At the beginning of the reign of Tiberius, his father moved from Cordoba (Spain) to Rome to give his three sons (Gallio, Lucius, Mele) an education and help them in their public careers. Lucius is interested in philosophy. In those years, philosophical schools were widespread in Rome: Stoicism, Epicureanism, and skepticism. Lucius was strongly influenced by the Stoics Attalus, Sotion, and Sextius Nigris. Under their influence, he began to live almost like an ascetic. He followed a number of strict rules throughout his life: he did not use incense, did not take hot baths, slept on very hard mattresses, did not eat oysters and mushrooms, did not drink wine, believing that “drunkenness both inflames and exposes every vice, destroying shame.”

Thanks to his maternal aunt, whose husband was the governor of Egypt for many years, Lucius receives from Tiberius the position of quaestor (supervisor of finances), and soon becomes a senator. Under the influence of his father and with the help of the best teachers, Lucius masters the art of oratory. His speeches in the Senate are a success. At the same time, his talent as a writer emerged. Practices poetry, tragedies, and philosophical treatises. Becomes a frequent interlocutor of Tiberius.

In 37, after the violent death of Tiberius, his nephew, Caligula, was proclaimed emperor. It was, according to Seneca's description, a mentally ill monster. He enjoyed mocking everyone around him, reduced the Senate to servile obedience, and cohabited with his amazingly beautiful sisters - Drusilla, Agrippina and Livilla. Drusilla was actually his wife, she was given honors as an empress. Caligula considered himself the best orator. He did not tolerate rivals in this matter. After Seneca's brilliant performance in the Senate, Caligula orders his death. The emperor's concubine saves her.

Suetonius reports that Seneca under Caligula reached the zenith of fame. If this is indeed the case, then we must assume that by the forties he was known as the author of numerous treatises and tragedies. However, only one treatise by Seneca from the reign of Caligula has reached us. This treatise is known as "Consolation to Marcia."

The main philosophical problem of "Consolation to Marcia" is the problem of man. What is a person? In what state are the physical and spiritual in a person? What is the meaning of life? What is the nature of death and its meaning? What is the role of fate? What is the essence of immortality? Is there punishment after death or is it an invention of people?

In 41 Caligula was killed. Fifty-year-old Claudius becomes emperor (quite by chance). Senators reacted differently to Claudius's proclamation. Supporters of the republic wanted to obtain assurances from Claudius about the restoration of the role of the Senate and benefits for senators. Seneca, delighted by the change in the situation, was inflamed with the hope that he could now become a close associate of the emperor or even his first adviser. In this situation, he decided to write a treatise “On Anger,” hoping in this way to win over Claudius.

The seventeen-year-old empress held her old husband in her hands. Claudius loved her passionately, and Messalina cuckolded him almost every day. She was beautiful, cunning, vengeful, power-hungry. But her main vice is unbridled sexual depravity. She turned the palace into a real brothel. Claudius did not notice this, confirming the age-old truth that husbands are the last to know (if they know at all!) about their wife’s infidelity. Claudius believed his wife, trusted her with secrets, and was convinced that she cared about his honor and well-being. Messalina kept a vigilant eye on everyone who could somehow influence Claudius. She immediately took action, eliminating her opponent and rival. Noticing that Claudius was favorably disposed toward Livilla and Seneca, Messalina was at first wary and then decided to remove them. Her decision was apparently influenced by the fact that Livilla’s husband participated in a conspiracy against Caligula and was one of the contenders for the throne. Why the good Livilla dreams of becoming an empress, and the cunning Seneca helps her in this matter, Messalina thought.

Messalina invited Suillius to her place. He was a famous prosecutor. On her instructions, he fabricated charges of indecency against Seneca and Livilla. According to Roman law, it was forbidden for a representative of the equestrian class to enter into a love affair with a representative of the reigning house. The case was considered in the Senate. The Senate passed a resolution on the death penalty for Seneca and Livilla for adultery. However, Claudius replaced the sentence with exile. Seneca was exiled to Corsica, and Livilla to a small island, where she was soon starved to death.

Claudius executed his wife for rampant adultery. The fourth wife of sixty-year-old Claudius was his niece, Caligula’s sister, Agrippina, who was 32 years old. Having become empress, she first of all decided to find an intelligent and authoritative teacher for her son. Remembering Seneca, she returns him from exile (49). Returning to Rome, Seneca married Paulina and together with her wanted to leave forever for Athens to fully engage in creativity. However, Agrippina entrusts him with raising her son Nero - he had to agree with the empress. For five years he raises Nero. The treacherous Agrippina decided to make her son emperor. She married Nero to Claudius' daughter Octavia, then poisoned her husband and, with the help of the Praetorian Guard, proclaimed Nero emperor (54). Seneca becomes an adviser to the young emperor. He writes for him all the speeches that Nero made before the Senate and soldiers. In the first days of Nero's reign, Seneca writes a satire on Claudius, in which he denigrates his name in every possible way and extols the young Nero. Then he writes a treatise “On Mercy”, in which, following the example of Plato, he formulates the principles of ideal government in the hope that Nero will follow these advice. The ideal ruler, Seneca believes, is merciful, beneficent, generous, powerful in goodness, patron of innocence, truthful, not vengeful, tolerant of insult, wise, behaving in accordance with nature, aware of himself as the greatest and at the same time being all-good. If the ruler has such moral qualities, then good morals will be established in society:

moral purity, justice, chastity, safety, dignity. This will contribute to the prosperity of society and the emergence of an abundance of goods in society. The mercy of the ruler will cement society. There will be guilty people

judge not by the letter of the law, but “on the basis of right and good.” A trusting relationship will be established between the subjects and the ruler. The love of citizens will become the basis for the security of the ruler himself. Trying to please Nero, Seneca settles the emperor’s love affairs with the young heterosexual Acte. Having covered up the affair with a fictitious marriage between a hetaera and his young friend Seren, Seneca skillfully uses Acte in palace intrigues.

In 62, Seneca wrote a treatise “On the Constancy of the Sage.” Wisdom, in Seneca’s understanding, is knowledge about the foundations of the universe, about the essence of the world and man. Wisdom is an understanding of the meaning of life based on unraveling the mystery of man, the mystery of one’s destiny. And in this sense, wisdom is the highest intelligence. Wisdom is a kind of art. Wisdom is the art of correct, righteous, moral life. This is the art of such behavior, when all actions, bound by philanthropy, are under the control of reason. Wisdom, therefore, is morality, is goodness, is beneficence. Seneca combines all these and other properties of wisdom in the concept of good.

A struggle for influence over Nero began between Seneca and Agrippina. Seneca was supported by the head of the Praetorian Guard, Afranius Burrus. After the murder of Agrippina (59). Seneca, in alliance with Burr, actually manages the internal and foreign policy of the empire, carries out a number of reforms, strengthens the position of the Senate, improves the financial affairs of the state, not forgetting to acquire a huge personal fortune through bribes, imperial rewards and usurious transactions. Seneca, on behalf of the emperor, organizes mass spectacles and creative competitions, at which Nero himself actively performs with his poetic and musical works. Nero recruits the outstanding young poet Lucan, Seneca's nephew, to the competition. During these years, Seneca wrote his treatise “On the Happy Life.”

In understanding happiness, Seneca, of course, stands on the position of cosmic rigorism.

Duty to nature, to Logos, to the Cosmos is the starting position of Stoicism. And since the human mind is a piece of the Logos, a particular manifestation of the Logos, it follows that the human mind must wage a constant struggle with affects. The fight against affects is a particular manifestation of the struggle of Logos with Chaos. The source of virtue is the rational soul. The source of vice is passions, affects. In other words: the source of virtue is the soul, the source of vice is the body. Indulging in bodily needs leads to a violation of a person’s inner harmony.

In the early sixties, Nero fell madly in love with the noble and prudent married beauty Poppaea Sabina, who demanded that Nero divorce Octavia. Burr protested and died suddenly. Zephanius Tigellinus was appointed in his place. Seneca also speaks out against the divorce, angering Poppea. In 62, Nero divorced Octavia and married Poppea, falling completely under her influence. Finding himself in a situation of a hostile environment, Seneca asks for resignation. Nero grants the request, preserving Seneca's enormous fortune.

Seneca took the resignation calmly. The transition from stormy political life to private life even pleased him. Now you can really get creative. And, indeed, in his declining years (he was sixty-six years old), inspiration raged with unprecedented force, far from the noise of the restless capital. In a short period, he wrote four treatises - “On Leisure”, “On Providence”, “On Benefits”, “Questions of Nature”, a huge epistolary work that became a classic - “Moral Letters to Lucilius” and the historical drama “Octavia”.

Leisure, in Seneca’s understanding, is not idle rest, not withdrawal from civil affairs. Leisure is the most rational use of free time for studying science, philosophy, poetry, drama. Leisure is creative activity combined with good rest. “Leisure without studying science means death and burial alive.”

Leisure, like all life, is measured by what a person has created in the years following his retirement from government service. Once again, as in the treatise “On the Brevity of Life,” Seneca develops ideas about the density of time, about the value of time for a person.

“Moral Letters to Lucilius” is the final work in which the entire philosophy of Seneca is concentrated. In its external composition, it is a story about the upbringing of Seneca’s young friend Lucilius in the spirit of the philosophy of Stoicism. Lucilius adhered to Epicureanism. Seneca sets the task: to re-educate the Epicurean into a Stoic. To this end, he conducts a confidential conversation with Lucilius, proving to him the advantage of Stoic philosophy. In the end, Lucilius becomes a Stoic in his worldview. The goal has been achieved. Seneca is satisfied and Lucilius is grateful.

Behind the external composition of the “Letters” lies a multi-layered ideological concept. It should be borne in mind that the “Letters” were written by a man who was a wise philosopher, a sophisticated politician, a flexible diplomat, an experienced mentor, a subtle connoisseur of the human soul, and the author of numerous works in the field of philosophy and drama.

As a philosopher, Seneca provides a profound interpretation of the ethical philosophy of Stoicism. As a teacher, he develops a whole program for the education and self-education of the individual. As a citizen and politician, he contrasts cruelty and apathy with the ideas of philanthropy, the idea of ​​humanism. As a sage, he forms a new vision of human beauty - beauty not as bodily harmony, but as spiritual harmony, expressed in the greatness of purpose and action in the name of the world community and God.

In 64, a fire broke out in Rome. The flame destroyed over two-thirds of the city, a huge number of ancient manuscripts and works of art. Many people died. A persistent rumor spread that Rome was set on fire on the orders of Nero. Then the authorities blamed the tragedy on Christians, whose teachings quickly won supporters throughout the empire. Mass brutal executions began. This increased the growing discontent with Nero and his circle. Seneca and Burra and their clever rule of the empire were remembered with gratitude. In this situation, the Piso conspiracy (65) matured, the participants of which were mainly supporters of Stoicism. Some conspirators dreamed of seeing Seneca on the throne, who, having retired from politics, was in a state of creative inspiration. With the revelation of the conspiracy, the round dance of death began. The writer Petronius (author of the Satyricon), the poet Lucan, the Seneca brothers Gallion and Mela, and many supporters of Stoic philosophy were sentenced to execution. Nero decided

get rid of your teacher too. He ordered him to die. Seneca calmly opened his veins.
2. The time of creation of the treatise “On Benefits”

As already noted, Seneca worked on the treatise “On Benefits” approximately in 63-64, i.e. in the last period of his work, when he was in disgrace. Seneca withdraws from political life. Now the time has come for a deep understanding of the moral problems of human existence. Seneca is trying to understand and formulate the moral principles of life. He acts not just as a theorist, but rather as a teacher of life, as a mentor to humanity. “I don’t waste a single day in idleness, I even devote part of the night to studying. I don’t go to sleep, freed: no, sleep overcomes me, and I sit, staring at my work with eyes tired from being awake. I have withdrawn not only from people , but also from affairs, first of all, my own, and took up the affairs of my descendants. For them, I write down what can help them... I show others the moral path that I myself found so late, tired of wandering" (Letter 8, 1 - 2). The content, character, and philosophical basis of the treatise were influenced by many circumstances. Let's note some of them.

Firstly, it was a period of rapid spread of the Christian faith. Seneca was certainly familiar with the basic principles of this morality. Let us emphasize once again that the great moral philosopher, a brilliant propagandist of his teachings and an outstanding propagandist of Christianity in the person of the Apostle Paul could not help but influence each other. Many of the provisions of the treatise “On Good Deeds” echo the provisions formulated in the letters of the Apostle Paul. Seneca's treatise exudes the spirit of Christianity. On the other hand, it should be emphasized that Christian morality took up the baton of Senecan morality. And if Stoicism, as a philosophical movement, was consigned to oblivion, then many of its ethical positions, the teaching about the inner world of man, about man’s desire to rise in his spiritual development to the level of God, acquired their immortality thanks to Christianity.

Secondly, we should not forget the specific situation in which Seneca found himself. The first nobleman of the empire, the all-powerful politician, before whom everyone bowed (except the Emperor Nero), the great sage whom Rome idolized, the caring mentor of Nero, who publicly showed gratitude to his teacher, was now in disgrace. Seneca closed himself off. Many turned away from him, fearing contact with the disgraced politician-philosopher. Only close friends remained, who visited him occasionally. Nero turned from a grateful patron into a man who wanted to get rid of Seneca as quickly as possible. Nero attempted to poison Seneca. Sepek, having studied the insidious techniques of the reigning house, foresaw a similar move by the tyrant. He protected his body from poison. by habituating it by taking certain doses over a long period of time. As a psychologist. Seneca knew that ungrateful people often harbor the idea of ​​destroying someone who had shown him a benefit at one time. Later in the “Letters” he speaks out very sharply: “good deeds give rise to evil deeds, and instead of love, hatred grows... There is no hatred... more destructive than that... that is born of shame for an unpaid good deed” (4. 81, 5... 32). This turn of Nero once again made the thinker think about the nature of good and evil, about the essence of beneficence and vice, about the reasons for the manifestation of ingratitude towards a benefactor. The analysis of factual material and philosophical generalization were influenced by Seneca’s personal experiences.

Thirdly, it was necessary to summarize previous studies. The entire course of his creativity led Seneca to the drawing up of a unique code of charity, arising from the moral law he formulated, which is based on the principle of philanthropy. In a number of previous treatises, Seneca developed the doctrine of the sage, of the paths to ascent to wisdom as the highest stage of moral self-perfection. In the new treatise, he speaks not about sages, but about people in general. He tries to substantiate very simple and practically necessary rules of everyday behavior for every person through the prism of the law of beneficence. Again and

again Seneca convinces the reader that without observing the laws of beneficence, society will not be able to get out of the abyss of immorality, into which countless insidious vices have dragged people. The exact date of writing the treatise is unknown. There are various assumptions. The Polish scholar Leon Joachimowicz, who deeply studied the work of Seneca, believes that the treatise was completed in 64 during the period of the cruel tyranny of Nero (42, p. 78). In the treatise, the author points out, Seneca develops a philosophy of kindness and compassion, continuing the line begun in Greece. “Greek thought,” he continues, “worked on this issue, gradually developing, over the course of entire centuries. Its elements can already be found in Homer, Hesiod and the lyric poets, in the philosophical systems of Pythagoras, Democritus, Plato, Aristotle, poets of the classical era, from Epicurus. In the schools of rhetoricians. In addition to those mentioned, the main source for Seneca in the development of the topic was the Stoic Hekaton from Rhodes, the author of a treatise on duties, and to a lesser extent, as analysis shows, his teacher Panaetius from Rhodes, also the author of a treatise. about duties. From the contents of the letters to Lucilius, it can be concluded that Seneca read Hecaton, making extracts from him. His principles, quoted by Seneca in his letters, are the golden thread with which they are connected into a single whole. Some thoughts were borrowed from Chrysippus, Cleanthes, and philosophers. -Cynics - mainly Demetrius, Bion, Borysthenes. We find a lot of this in the works of Cicero on friendship and duties. Seneca was not, however, a slavish imitator, but remained an individual and independent thinker" (42, pp. 80-81).

The treatise consists of seven books. In each book, the author, considering certain aspects of the law of beneficence, formulates a whole series of rules, accompanying them with examples. Often Seneca is distracted from the instructions and begins to talk with the reader (addressing, of course, his friend Ebutius Liberalis) on a different issue. The logic of the main idea sometimes gets lost in these branches, causing certain difficulties for the reader. We have to return to what we read again to restore this logic. However, when

If you master all the work, you will experience true pleasure from the moral beauty of this philosophical labyrinth. Moreover, a long and difficult journey through the labyrinths of Senecan reasoning produces moral purifications in this, perhaps, the main advantage of the treatise, which makes it valuable even today.

In the first book, Seneca sets out his view of the essence of beneficence and reveals its various manifestations. In the second book, Seneca gives advice to the reader on how to provide benefits to people. In the third book, the philosopher discusses the question: “How should benefits be returned?” Here Seneca speaks of ingratitude as a vice. In the fourth book, based on vivid examples, Seneca polemicizes with Epicureanism. In the fifth book, Seneca again returns to the problem of ingratitude, analyzing it based on historical facts. In the sixth book, Seneca dwells on the question of whether it is worth accepting a benefit and if “yes,” then how to accept it. In the final book, Seneca, analyzing the ethics of his teacher Demetrius, convinces the reader that beneficence is a subtle art and this art must be learned.
3. Beneficence as a moral law
How does Seneca formulate the law of beneficence? “The law of beneficence connecting two persons is as follows: one must immediately forget about the benefit provided, the other must never forget about the benefit received” (II, 10). From this formulation it follows that the law of beneficence is moral precepts, moral obligations imposed on both parties: the benefactor and the recipient of the beneficence.

The law obliges each party to an interpersonal relationship to behave accordingly. Violation of the obligations of one of the parties leads to deviation from the law of beneficence, destroys the moral foundations of society, which inevitably leads to an increase in evil in society. Good and evil are irreconcilable. There is a struggle between good and evil in man. To suppress evil, one must adhere to the law of beneficence; to adhere to the law of beneficence, one must know it. Many observe the law of beneficence, without knowing it, an inner voice tells them. In fact, this is the Socratic principle: “Know yourself!” How many troubles humanity would be freed from if people knew themselves, knew the law of beneficence. Ignorance is the source of delusions and vicious actions. “Among the many and varied errors of people who live recklessly and thoughtlessly, it seems to me, venerable Liberalius,” Seneca addresses his friend, “there is almost nothing more dangerous than the fact that we do not know how to either give or accept benefits. If they are given poorly, they are usually received poorly, and if they are not returned to us, then it is too late to complain: we lost them at the very moment when we gave them. And it is not surprising if ingratitude is most often found among the most common and most serious vices" (I, 1). ). Trying to more clearly reveal the essence of moral obligations under the law of beneficence. Seneca reproduces the images of the three graces, depicting their moral obligations. Seneca’s use of mythological images here is very successful. “Now,” writes Seneca, “I will turn to the consideration of the essence and properties of good deeds, if you will allow me to first briefly mention something that is not directly related to the matter. Why are there three Graces? Why are they sisters to each other, why are they intertwined their hands, why do they smile, why are they (portrayed) as virgins and dressed in loose and transparent clothes?

Some argue that one of them depicts the giver of benefits, the other the recipient, and the third the returner. Others see in them the personification of three types of benefits: gifts, returns, and the gift of return together. But do you accept this or that explanation as true - what benefit will we have from this knowledge? What does the round dance of graces mean, their hands intertwined and their faces turned to one another? That. that benefits, passing in a sequential order from hand to hand, nevertheless, in the end, return again to the giver. This order is completely destroyed, as many times it is broken, and, on the contrary, it takes on an extremely beautiful form, as soon as the (consistency) reciprocity is preserved and maintained in it. The graces smile: This is for the reason that the faces of those who give and receive benefits are usually joyful. They are young, because the memory of a good deed should not grow old. They are virgins, for they (the good deeds) are immaculate, pure and holy to everyone. In good deeds there should be nothing involuntary, bound or forced - that’s why the graces are dressed in spacious tunics, and transparent ones at that, for good deeds require to be seen” (I, 3).

What moral obligations does Seneca impose on the first party, that is, on the benefactor?

Among the many, the following can be highlighted:

1). A good deed is done readily, willingly, at one’s own request;

2). In a good deed, the main thing is not how much you gave, but how you gave, with what frame of mind. You need to give with the desire to help, and not with the hope of getting something in return. Beneficence is for the sake of benefit;

3. A good person never thinks of recording good deeds in a debt book, otherwise the good deed takes the form of a loan “to record good deeds as an expense is shameful usury” (I. 2). “a good deed cannot be touched with the hand: it lies in the soul” (I, 5);

4). You need to give what the taker does not have, what he needs:

5). It is necessary to provide a benefit in the way the recipients themselves would like: willingly, quickly and without hesitation.

It seems to me that I am able to indicate the most convenient path. Let us give a benefit the way we would like to receive it ourselves: first of all, willingly, quickly and without any hesitation. When, having given a gift, they hold it in their hands for a long time and, apparently, have difficulty parting with it, but give it as if they were taking it away from themselves, the good deed can be unpleasant. Therefore, even if we had to slow down for some reason, we will use every possible means to avoid appearing in such a way that they might think that we are hesitating. To hesitate is almost the same as to refuse, and he who gives with hesitation does not deserve any gratitude. For just as in a good deed the desire of the giver is most pleasant, then the one who, through very slowness, declared his reluctance to give, actually did not give, but only showed weak resistance to the opposite attraction. And there are many who are made generous by weakness of character. The most pleasant are those benefits that are provided with readiness, eagerness, consideration and without any delay, except for that caused by the modesty of the recipient. The best thing is to prevent everyone’s desire, but it’s almost as good to follow it, although it’s still better to forestall a request, and here’s why: an honest person’s lips close and the color spreads across his face when he has to ask; therefore, the one who delivers him from this torture thereby multiplies his gift. It is not for nothing that the one who receives it after a request receives a benefit, for, in the opinion of the most worthy men, our ancestors, there is no object more valuable than that which was bought at the price of requests. People would send petitions less often if they had to be sent publicly, therefore even to the gods whom we worship with the greatest honor, we prefer to offer prayers in silence and within ourselves. “To hesitate is almost the same as to refuse, and he who gives with hesitation does not deserve any gratitude (II. I);

6). The best thing is when they are not late with a good deed. A person asking for help experiences an oppressive state of humiliation. “We must hurry: the one who showed it to those who asked was late in showing the benefit” (II, 2):

7). It is better to add kind words to good deeds and accompany the good deed with a kind, blessed conversation with the petitioner;

8) You should not remind about your good deed. Frequent reminders of services torment and depress the soul. In such cases one would like to exclaim what one man exclaimed, saved by one of Caesar’s friends from the proscription of the triumvirs, when he was unable to bear the arrogant treatment of his deliverer. “Give me over to Caesar. How long will you say: “I saved you, I took you away from death”? If I on my own remember this deliverance, then it seems to me like life, but if you evoke this memory in me, it seems like death! I owe you nothing if you saved me for the purpose of having someone to point to. How long will you have to show me off, how long will you not let me forget about my fate? After all, since I’ve already been led in a triumphal procession!” We should not talk about what we gave: whoever reminds demands back. You should not repeat the same things, you should not evoke memories, unless in the case when, by giving a new gift, you thereby remind you of the previous one. We shouldn't even tell strangers. Whoever has shown a benefit, let him remain silent, and whoever has received it, let him speak (about it). (II, 11);

9). It is necessary to avoid any kind of arrogance when providing a benefit to the one asking. If you want those to whom you do a favor to be treated with gratitude, then you must not only show benefits, but also love. Mainly, as I said, we will spare the hearing. A reminder causes grief, and a reproach causes hatred.

There is nothing more to be avoided when doing good deeds than arrogant treatment. Why this arrogant look, why these pompous speeches? The work itself elevates you. We must eliminate empty boasting: let actions speak, and we will remain silent. A benefit given with arrogance is not only unpleasant, but also hateful. (II. 11);

10) You must pay attention not only to the beginning, but also to the outcome of your good deeds and give what gives pleasure not only at the very moment of receiving, but also after it. “To yield to the pleas of those who ask for their own destruction is a destructive kindness” (II. 14):

11) We must not do anything that could lead to our dishonor;

12). There's no need to be reckless. We must foresee the consequences for the person asking and for ourselves. “I will give to the needy, but in such a way that I do not need it myself; I will resort to helping a person in danger, but in such a way that I myself do not perish, except in the case when the desire comes to sacrifice myself for a great man, or great thing" (II, 15);
13). It is necessary to pay attention to your abilities and strengths;

14), We should take into account the person to whom we give, the time when we give, the situation in which we provide the benefit.

Of course, all these tips echo those scattered in the works of Hekaton and Chrysippus. Cicero. They also echo the commandments of Christianity, as will be discussed below.

The law of beneficence, Seneca argues, imposes certain moral requirements on the person who accepts beneficence. Interpreting this part of the law. Seneca shows even greater severity. He believes that the greatest vice is ingratitude. If the one who has shown a benefit should quickly forget about his charity, then the one who has accepted the benefit is obliged to remember the benefactor. This is his moral duty. Among all peoples, Seneca emphasizes, ingratitude is condemned. Obliged to provide benefits and show spiritual gratitude in return - this is it. what binds people together into a healthy community.

However, many people suffer from the vice of ingratitude. “There are many categories of ungrateful people, like thieves and murderers; their (ungrateful) guilt is generally the same, however, in particulars there is great diversity. He is ungrateful who does not recognize himself as having received benefits that he actually received; he is ungrateful and the one who hides is the one who does not return; the one who forgets is the most ungrateful. All people, Seneca believes, can be divided into two types. The first type are those who show ingratitude, but have not yet completely lost shame and conscience. Someday this mechanism will work for them. The second type are those who have completely forgotten all the good deeds they have received. They don’t remember them, and their conscience doesn’t gnaw at them. And it flew out of their memory not due to forgetfulness, not due to the peculiarities of memory, but due to the absence of the very feeling of reciprocal gratitude, lack of conscience.

Ingratitude is a moral and psychological property of a person. Ingratitude is the greatest vice of people. Ingratitude divides people, destroys the foundation of society, and leads a community of people to destruction. Society is cemented by gratitude. Our security lies in the exchange of benefits (III, 18). A person cannot live alone. Loneliness is the death of a person and society. The strength of society lies in its unity, and unity is based on mutual respect, beneficence, and the exchange of benefits. Not evil, but good is the basis of society. It is not vice, but virtue that adorns and strengthens society. The strength of society lies not in disunity, but in unity. Separate us - what then will we be? Prey and sacrifice of animals, blood, worthless and very easily shed. While other animals have enough strength to protect themselves and all those who are born to wander and live an isolated life are armed, man is surrounded by weakness: neither the strength of his claws nor the strength of his teeth makes him terrible for others; unarmed and powerless, society protects him. (Nature) gave two forces that made a weak person very strong - reason and society; thanks to them, the one who, taken individually, cannot even be equal to anyone else, has peace. Society gave him power over all animals; he, born on earth, was brought into possession of a different nature and gave him the power to dominate all nature. It restrains attacks of illness, prepares support for old age, and provides consolation in sorrows; it makes us courageous because it allows us to call (ourselves to help) against fate. Destroy society and you destroy the unity of the human race - the unity by which life is supported; and it will be destroyed if you argue that a person should avoid ingratitude not for its own sake, but for the sake of the fact that he needs to fear something else. For (indeed) how many are there who can safely be ungrateful? Finally, I call anyone ungrateful who is grateful out of fear (III, 18).

How to deal with people who show ingratitude? Should people be punished for that vice that is condemned by everyone? Seneca's answer again brings him closer to Christian morality. Great is the man who does good, says Seneca. He deserves all respect too. who remembers in his soul the benefit shown to him. However, the first person is taller than the second. The first is equal to the gods. But if the one who has shown a benefit begins to demand back his benefit or demand to somehow compensate for it, then he instantly loses this divine quality and turns from a benefactor into a despicable lender-usurer. “Whoever does good deeds,” we read from Seneca, “ imitates the gods, and whoever demands them back - the usurers. Why, trying to protect the first (i.e., benefactors), do we place them (thus) among the most despicable people ( i.e. moneylenders)?" (6.111.15).

It is necessary to be consistent in your good deeds. Do not return evil for evil. Evil can only be defeated with good. Good has all-conquering power. Any vices can be conquered with goodness. We must learn to tolerate the ungrateful. Your patience, your consistency in good deeds will re-educate an ungrateful person and put him on the path of goodness. And this is the greatest task and the greatest feat of a noble man, noble not by origin, but by actions. And a slave can rise to the heights of a noble husband. For everyone there is one criterion - philanthropy and beneficence. “The task of a worthy and generous husband is to endure the ungrateful until you make him grateful. And this calculation will not deceive you. Vices submit to virtue, if you do not hurry quickly, treat them with hatred” (6. V. 1).

Discussing beneficence, its role in the life of man and society, Seneca in the final book, referring to the statements of Demetrius, emphasizes that beneficence must be learned. Beneficence is the art of soul and action. You need to love a person, help to provide a benefit in such a way as not to offend or humiliate the person to whom you are providing a benefit. Beneficence must exclude the desire to subjugate a person. We need to provide help in such a way that the person accepts it with joy and without obligation. However, in turn, the one who receives the benefit must learn gratitude. First, he must imbibe this moral feeling towards others in order to provide help when necessary. Secondly, never show ingratitude for a benefit.
4. The overlap between the ideas of the treatise and the “Moral Letters to Lucilius”

Simultaneously with the treatise “On Beneficence,” Seneca wrote “Moral Letters to Lucilius,” in which he analyzes the problem of beneficence from various positions. The unifying idea is the assertion that good deeds will definitely yield positive results. If you want to destroy evil, do good. Don't complain if you meet an ungrateful person. Conquer him with love and kindness. “You are complaining,” Seneca turns to Lucilius, “that you attacked an ungrateful person. If this is the first time, thank fate, or your own discretion. However, if caution here can do anything, it can make you unkind: after all, wanting to avoid such danger , you will refuse good deeds to everyone, and they will disappear through your fault, because of your fear, lest they be lost to others. But it is better not to see reciprocal good deeds than to refuse everyone. After all, you still have to sow after a bad harvest. often what was lost from the constant barrenness of bad soil is compensated by the abundance of one year. To find a grateful one, it is worth trying your luck with the ungrateful. A benefactor cannot have such a faithful hand that he never misses: but let the arrows fly by - as long as they do so. sometimes they hit the mark. And after a shipwreck they go to sea: the moneylender is not driven from the market by a deceiver. Life will soon become numb in idle peace if we have to give up everything that we don’t like. And let failures make you even more responsive: for that. a case whose outcome is unclear should be taken on more often so that someday it will work out" (4. 81, 1-2).

Seneca views the moral law as a regulator of moral relations between people. The law requires a person to respect the dignity of the person in another person. Man is a sacred being! Everyone is obliged to cultivate a great sense of philanthropy. “Love of humanity,” Seneca insisted, “prohibits being stingy; it is both in words and

in deeds and in feelings he shows gentleness and affection to everyone, does not consider anyone’s misfortune as someone else’s, loves his own good most of all when it serves the benefit of another” (4. 88, 30).

People are equal in dignity. But they are unequal in social status. This is where polarities arise. At one pole are the rich, at the other are the poor. Beneficence and philanthropy are not closed to anyone. In order to show philanthropy, you must be merciful. People are bound together by a sense of moral responsibility to each other. If people love each other, then the sense of responsibility of a person to people will increase: for love in itself is, first of all, caring for each other. This concern is selfless. Respect the humanity in a person. Love the person for who they are and care for them to be better. Give him your warmth, your kind heart, without demanding any reward from him. Your love will make you happy. Philanthropy will constantly force you to do good deeds. Your soul realizes that this is your sacred duty to people and God.

But man is at the same time a weak creature. He succumbs to temptation that comes from passions. Passions can push a person into the bosom of pleasures, and sometimes even perverted ones. We must keep passions in check with the help of reason. But reason can be weakened under the influence of the philosophy of pleasure, that is, the philosophy of Epicureanism. That's why we need to be critical of this infectious philosophy. And Seneca shows us how to wisely read the works of Epicurus and his followers. He devoted quite a few pages to this problem in his treatise.

Why does a person develop defects? Much, Seneca believes, is inherent in us from birth. But education, and especially self-education, plays a decisive role. For every person, a sage should serve as an ideal. The path to wisdom is tortuous and thorny. Rising to the heights of wisdom, a person simultaneously rises to moral perfection. Since a sage appears rarely in life (once every five centuries), the gods serve as a guide in moral improvement for us.

Seneca uses the word “god” in the singular and in the plural. This is not surprising. It should be borne in mind that in the first century of the New Era religious pluralism reigned in Rome. The international city was flooded with people who, in their own way, gave preference to one or another deity or a whole host of gods: Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Germanic and the like..

Without going into details now, what meaning Seneca put into “god,” we note that the philosopher often understood by God the World Mind, the Logos, Providence, the Demiurge, Fate, and Nature itself. In the treatise “On Good Deeds,” another important semantic load of the concept “god” emerges: God is moral perfection, that invisible example of morality to which a person should strive. Showing concern for one’s moral self-improvement, striving to rise to the highest level, i.e. before God, man still does not become God. The gods are immortal, man is mortal. God is multifunctional in his perfection. A person can become like God in his love for people, in his kindness, in his virtue. After all, the gods created everything, including people. They divided everything created into categories. The gods placed people above everyone else. “How much better it will be if we turn to the contemplation of such numerous and great blessings and thank the gods for the fact that they deigned to place us in this beautiful dwelling in second place after themselves and exalted us above all earthly things (6. II, 29). For us , people, God is the main teacher of morality (6. 4, 6). Don’t we find similar ideas in the New Testament?

Considering God in the spirit of a moral ideal, convincing people that they should make efforts to moral self-education, focusing on the ideal of the Heavenly Lord, Seneca reminded readers of man’s duties to God. The translator of the treatise in question, the Russian philosopher P. Krasnov, drew attention to this aspect: “Books “On Good Deeds” arouse mainly interest later)”, that after the letters to Lucilius, they most of all contain such thoughts that bring Seneca’s teaching closer to Christianity. In this regard, one should pay special attention to those places in the translated work that speak about the fifth duties of man to the Divine, which should consist of reverence, love, gratitude and a virtuous life - the desire to approach His infinite perfections: where it is advised to defeat evil with good, selflessly help others; where the doctrine of the infinite love of the Divine for the human race is revealed" - (6, p. 417).

As a father to a son, as a teacher to a student, Seneca teaches the reader about charity. In the treatise, philosophical and moral ideas are illustrated with vivid examples. Seneca really wants to be believed, so that his ideas become the reader’s worldview, so that the reader stands firmly on the noble path of charity. Increasing the number of people who will accept his teachings will have a beneficial effect on human society, mired in immorality. If everyone cleanses their soul, if everyone strives to help others, then society will become cleaner, kinder, more comfortable. Seneca believes this. But sometimes other notes slip through him. As a philosopher and politician, as a thinking artist, he sees the growth of lack of spirituality. His prognosis becomes disappointing and sometimes pessimistic. Seneca begins to say that evil is ineradicable. Both contemporaries and previous generations of people are guilty of this. In every new time, the vices of people, while remaining essentially the same, only take on new forms. The forces of good seem to be growing. But at the same time, the forces of evil are increasing. The clash between the forces of good and evil is taking on an increasingly titanic character. So it seems that the gods abandoned people to their fate. This is how Seneca depicts this tendency in society: “Therefore, let us conclude in conclusion that guilt should not fall on our age. And our ancestors complained, and we complain, and our descendants will complain that morals are corrupted, that evil reigns, that people are becoming worse and more lawless. But all these vices remain and will remain, undergoing only a slight change, just as the sea spreads far away at high tide, and at low tide it returns to the shores. other vices, and chastity will break the bonds, sometimes crazy feasts and culinary art will flourish - the most shameful destruction of (the father's) wealth. Sometimes excessive care of the body and care for appearance will be widespread, covering up spiritual ugliness. There will be a time when poorly managed freedom will pass. into insolence and insolence. From time to time, cruelty in private and public relations and frantic internecine wars will spread, during which everything great and holy is desecrated. There will be a time when drunkenness will become an honor and it will be considered a virtue to drink wine in large quantities. Vices do not wait in one place, they are mobile and varied; they are in turmoil, inciting and driving each other away. However, we must always declare the same thing about ourselves: we are evil, we were evil and, I reluctantly add, we will be evil. There will be murderers, tyrants, thieves, fornicators. robbers, sacrileges and traitors; ungrateful is the lowest of them all, if we do not admit that all the vices discussed come from an ungrateful soul, without which hardly any major crime would have increased" (I, 10).

All his life Seneca painfully searches for a way out. He believes that better times will come. But when? How to achieve this? One thing is clear to him: it is impossible to create a humane society in any one state. It is necessary to renew humanity as a whole. It is necessary to carry out moral cleansing of the soul of every person and the entire universe.

All researchers agree that the treatise “On Benevolence,” written in the last years of his life, differs from all previous ones in that in it one can detect the similarity of many of the author’s ideas with the spirit of Christian ethics. Back in the 30s of the last century, the German researcher Ferdinand Christian Baer wrote about Seneca: “There is not a single writer of antiquity from whose works one could imagine so many passages similar in thought to some passages of Holy Scripture, not one who in character showed so much that was Christian in his way of thinking.” What do such coincidences indicate? There are two points of view on this matter. First: Seneca in the last years of his life was influenced by Christianity. Not the least role was played here by the apostle. Paul, whom he may have known. Second: the figures of early Christianity, the Apostle Paul and the authors of the Gospels, having experienced the influence of Senecan ideas, borrowed some provisions from the works of Seneca, quoting them almost verbatim. Of course, these are extremes. Most likely, there was mutual influence, as generally happens in the development of spiritual culture.

Countless works have been written on the history of Christianity. All the details of the formation of Christianity are analyzed from a wide variety of methodological positions. It is not our task to critically review this literature.

Here it is only appropriate to emphasize the new things that Christianity has brought to the understanding of man and his relationship with various projections of the world.

Firstly, Greco-Roman thought viewed the world, the cosmos, as a similarity to man. The cosmos has both body and soul. The soul of the cosmos was called by different names, but it was still similar to the human soul with all its diverse functions. Christianity began to consider man as a creation of God, as the likeness of God, as a superior being in relation to all living things. For Christianity, the world is the creation of God. But this is a world that is ruled by God. God is not just a demiurge. He is a manager.

Secondly, among ancient philosophers, the relationship between man and the world is built on the principles of the logical coincidence of the human mind and the mind of the world (Logos), on the idea of ​​cognition of the world by man, cognition of the essence of the world in a rational way. In Christianity, the principle of the imperative, the principle of the prescription of the divine will, comes to the fore. Moreover, a person perceives the order as a voluntary desire to do what God commands. A true believer should not have a discrepancy between the will of God and the desire of man. Through faith, a person must, is obliged, and is able to transform the moral precepts of God into his own moral principles of life. And this is the duty of man. Thus, there is a change in the nature of the relationship between man and the Logos. In the ancient worldview, a person could rise to the heights of knowledge, to the level of a sage, and in the Christian worldview, to the level of a moral ideal embodied in Christ and his moral commandments.

Thirdly, Christianity has formulated the meaning of human life in a new way. It is expressed in a short formula: “Faith, Hope, Love.” From now on, love for God is in the foreground. Through this love a person can hope for salvation. Without faith in God, in salvation, without faith in the second coming of Christ, without faith in the resurrection, the meaning of life is lost. The formula “Faith, Hope, Love” is clothed in Christianity in the moral postulates of the Sermon on the Mount:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they They will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. : Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

2. L.A. Seneca Moral letters to Lucilius. Kemerovo, 1977.

3. Dialogue with Seneca. Taganrog, TRTU, 1995.

4. Philosophical heritage of antiquity. Taganrog, TRTU, 1999.

5. V.A. Ivliev. Small treatises of Seneca. Taganrog, TRTU, 1997.

“On Benefits” is a work by the Roman Stoic philosopher, poet and statesman Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC - 65).*** This is a philosophical treatise of seven books. The author sees the act of voluntary beneficence as the only reliable basis for relationships between people. For a person, every good deed is a virtuous act, the reward for which is in himself, even if the good deed is not repaid with gratitude. New generations recognized Seneca as “one of the most popular Roman writers in his own and subsequent times.” His teaching contains such elements of morality that cannot be found in any of the ancient writers and which bring him closer to the teachings of Christianity. The treatise “On Benefits,” according to Diderot’s fair remark, “is a most beautiful work, compiled for the benefit not of Nero and Liberalius alone, but of all people.”

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