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— CH. 1 · IMPERIAL AUTHORSHIP AND CONTEXT —

Meditations

~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 5
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  • Marcus Aurelius wrote the twelve books of Meditations in Koine Greek while leading military campaigns along the Danube River between 170 and 180 CE. He composed portions of the text at Sirmium, a strategic city where he spent much time planning operations against Germanic tribes. Other sections emerged from his position at Aquincum on campaign in Pannonia, specifically when fighting the Quadi on the river Granova. The second book was written at Carnuntum, another forward base during these years of conflict. Iain King suggests the books may have been written for mental stimulation as Aurelius was removed from the cultural life of Rome for the first time in his life. These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs without any official title. It is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius ever intended the writings to be published since they served as private notes to himself.

  • A central theme to Meditations is the importance of analyzing one's judgment of self and others and developing a cosmic perspective. You have the power to strip away many superfluous troubles located wholly in your judgment according to the text itself. Aurelius advocates finding one's place in the universe and sees that everything came from nature and so everything shall return to it in due time. Another strong theme is maintaining focus and being without distraction all the while maintaining strong ethical principles such as Being a good man. His Stoic ideas often involve avoiding indulgence in sensory affections which will free a man from the pains and pleasures of the material world. He claims that the only way a man can be harmed by others is to allow his reaction to overpower him. An internal orderly and rational nature or logos permeates and guides all existence allowing one to live in harmony with the logos. Rationality and clear-mindedness allow one to rise above faulty perceptions of good and bad things out of one's control like fame and wealth are irrelevant.

  • The early history of the Meditations is unknown and its earliest clear mention by another writer dates from the early 10th century. The historian Herodian writing in the mid-3rd century makes mention of Marcus literary legacy saying he was second to no man Roman or Greek in love of ancient literature. The first direct mention of the work comes from Arethas of Caesarea who lived between 860 and 935 CE. At some date before 907 he sent a volume of the Meditations to Demetrius with a letter stating I have had for some time an old copy of the Emperor Marcus most profitable book so old indeed that it is altogether falling to pieces. Arethas also mentions the work in marginal notes where he refers to passages in the Treatise to Himself which was the title the book bore in the manuscript from which the first printed edition was made in the 16th century. The present-day text is based almost entirely upon two manuscripts including the Codex Vaticanus 1950 in the Vatican Library which passed there from the collection of Stefano Gradi in 1683. This is a 14th-century manuscript which survives in a very corrupt state and about forty-two lines have dropped out by accidental omissions.

  • The modern history of the Meditations dates from the issue of the first printed edition by Wilhelm Xylander in 1558 or 1559. It was published at the instigation of Conrad Gesner and printed by his cousin Andreas Gesner at Zürich. The book was bound with a work by Marinus Proclus vel De Felicitate which was also a first edition. To the Meditations was added a Latin translation by Xylander who also included brief notes. Conrad Gesner stated in his dedicatory letter that he received the books of Marcus from the gifted poet Michael Toxites from the library of Otto Heinrich Prince Palatine. His source was a manuscript from Heidelberg University provided by Michael Toxites. By 1568 when Xylander completed his second edition he no longer had access to the source and it has been lost ever since. The importance of this edition of the Meditations is that the manuscript from which it was printed is now lost so that it is one of the two principal sources of all modern texts.

  • The first English translation was published in 1634 by Meric Casaubon. Some popular English translations include Francis Hutcheson and James Moore publishing their version in 1742 followed by Richard Graves in 1792. George Long released an edition in 1862 which was reprinted many times including in Vol. 2 of the Harvard Classics. A. S. L. Farquharson produced a translation in 1944 while Maxwell Staniforth offered another in 1969 for Penguin. Gregory Hays published a widely read version with Random House in 2002 containing 181 pages. Robin Waterfield released an annotated edition through Basic Books in 2021. Wen Jiabao the former Prime Minister of China has said that he has read the Meditations a hundred times stating he was very deeply impressed by the work. It has been described as a favorite of former United States President Bill Clinton. Gilbert Murray compares the work to Jean-Jacques Rousseau Confessions and St. Augustine Confessions discussing its profound impact on Christianity.

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Marcus Aurelius

Common questions

Where did Marcus Aurelius write the twelve books of Meditations?

Marcus Aurelius wrote the twelve books of Meditations at Sirmium, Aquincum, and Carnuntum while leading military campaigns along the Danube River between 170 and 180 CE.

Did Marcus Aurelius intend for his private notes to be published after he died?

It is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius ever intended the writings to be published since they served as private notes to himself without any official title.

When was the first direct mention of the work by Arethas of Caesarea recorded?

The earliest clear mention of the work dates from the early 10th century when Arethas of Caesarea lived between 860 and 935 CE and sent a volume to Demetrius before 907.

Who printed the first edition of Meditations in 1558 or 1559?

Wilhelm Xylander issued the first printed edition of Meditations at Zürich with the help of Conrad Gesner and Andreas Gesner.

Which manuscript serves as one of the two principal sources for all modern texts of Meditations?

The present-day text relies on the Codex Vaticanus 1950 which is a 14th-century manuscript held in the Vatican Library and passed there from Stefano Gradi in 1683.

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All sources

24 references cited across the entry

  1. 1inlineIain King suggests the books may also have been written for mental stimulation, as Aurelius was removed from the cultural and intellectual life of Rome for the first time in his life. Source: Thinker
  2. 2inlineThe Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Translated from the Greek. By Jeremy Collier, London, 1887.
  3. 3inlineSellars, John. 23 October 2011. "Marcus Aurelius." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
  4. 4inlineRoberts, John, ed. 23 October 2011. "Aurēlius, Marcus." The Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World.
  5. 5harvnbHadot (1998) p. 22Hadot — 1998
  6. 6bookMarcus Aurelius: A BiographyAnthony Birley — Routledge — 2012
  7. 7harvnbFarquharson (1944) p. xvFarquharson — 1944
  8. 8harvnbHadot (1998) p. 24Hadot — 1998
  9. 9harvnbFarquharson (1944) p. xviFarquharson — 1944
  10. 10harvnbFarquharson (1944) p. xviiFarquharson — 1944
  11. 11harvnbFarquharson (1944) p. xviiiFarquharson — 1944
  12. 12harvnbHaines (1916) p. xvHaines — 1916
  13. 13harvnbFarquharson (1944) p. xxFarquharson — 1944
  14. 14book"Introduction" in Meditations: A New TranslationGregory Hays — The Modern Library — 2002
  15. 15harvnbHaines (1916) p. xviHaines — 1916
  16. 16harvnbFarquharson (1944) p. xixFarquharson — 1944
  17. 17bookA companion to classical textsFrederick William Hall — Clarendon Press — 1913
  18. 18harvnbFarquharson (1944) p. xxiiFarquharson — 1944
  19. 19harvnbFarquharson (1944) p. xxviiFarquharson — 1944
  20. 20bookFive Stages of Greek ReligionGilbert Murray — Dover Publications — 2002
  21. 21bookMeditationsMarcus Aurelius — Penguin Books — 1964
  22. 22inlineChinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao Interviewed, Newsweek
  23. 23webAn American reader: Bill Clinton2009-07-04
  24. 24inlineMarcus Aurelius, De seipso, seu vita sua, libri 12 ed. and trans. by Xylander. Zürich: Andreas Gessner, 1558.