Latest / Marcus Aurelius: Rome's Philosopher King — Fexingo History / Marcus Aurelius and the Stoic's Philosopher Tutor Apollonius of Chalcedon
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Marcus Aurelius as the philosopher emperor, but we haven't really looked at who taught him. I mean, he had several tutors, but one stands out — Apollonius of Chalcedon. Luna: Apollonius of Chalcedon — that's the Stoic philosopher Marcus brought from Greece? Lucas: Exactly. Marcus was in his early twenties when he asked Apollonius to come to Rome as his philosophy tutor. And Apollonius wasn't just any teacher — he was a respected Stoic who had taught in Athens, part of that Second Sophistic wave of Greek intellectuals. But here's the thing: Apollonius didn't exactly jump at the chance to tutor a future emperor. Lucas: According to the Historia Augusta, Marcus had to send a personal request, and even then Apollonius made him wait. He wasn't going to be a court flatterer. He wanted Marcus to come to him as a student, not a Caesar. Luna: So he basically said, 'If you want to learn, you come to me — I don't come to you'? Lucas: That's the spirit of it. And Marcus respected that deeply. In his Meditations, he credits Apollonius with teaching him 'to be truly free of dependence on others' and 'to hold nothing in such high regard as to be ruled by it.' That's a direct echo of Apollonius's influence. But it wasn't always smooth. Marcus wrote letters to his other teacher, Fronto, complaining that Apollonius was too strict, too focused on dry logic. Luna: Fronto, the rhetoric teacher — Marcus was close to him, wasn't he? Lucas: Very close. Fronto was like a second father. And you can see the tension in Marcus's letters: he loved Fronto's eloquence, but Apollonius pushed him toward a harder, more disciplined philosophy. At one point Marcus writes to Fronto that Apollonius is 'torturing' him with Stoic paradoxes. But he stuck with it. Lucas: And that's what's impressive. Marcus didn't just dabble in Stoicism — he submitted to a rigorous curriculum. Apollonius taught him that philosophy wasn't just about ethics or how to rule. It was about physics, too — understanding the nature of the universe, the logos that governs everything. That's why the Meditations is full of lines like 'The universe is transformation; life is opinion.' Luna: So Apollonius gave him the whole Stoic package, not just the self-help part. Lucas: Exactly. And there's a wonderful story — maybe apocryphal, but telling. When Apollonius finally arrived in Rome, Marcus went to meet him at the door. Apollonius reportedly said, 'The emperor should come to the philosopher, not the philosopher to the emperor.' Marcus turned around, went back inside, and then came out again — this time as a student, not a ruler. That's the ideal he tried to live by. Luna: That's a powerful image. But how long did Apollonius stay in Rome? Did he remain a constant presence? Lucas: We don't know the exact timeline. Apollonius probably stayed for a few years, then returned to Greece. Marcus kept in touch, and later, when Marcus was emperor and facing the Marcomannic Wars, he still considered Apollonius a mentor. But the tutor didn't follow him to the front lines. By then, Marcus had internalized the lessons. Lucas: And that's the thing about Marcus — he didn't just study philosophy; he practiced it. The Meditations were written in camp, on campaign, in the mud and blood of the Danube. That's Apollonius's legacy: a ruler who could quote Chrysippus while commanding legions. Luna: It makes you wonder — if Marcus had had a different tutor, would he have been a different emperor? Lucas: Probably. If he'd stuck with Fronto's rhetoric alone, he might have been a more conventional ruler — good at speeches, but maybe without that inner compass. Apollonius gave him the framework to see himself as part of a larger whole, to accept his fate without complaint. That's why, when the Antonine Plague hit or when he faced the rebellion of Avidius Cassius, Marcus didn't crumble. Luna: He had that Stoic backbone. Lucas: Right. And you know, it's interesting — we spend so much time talking about Marcus's own writings, but his teachers are often overlooked. Apollonius is one of those figures who shaped history from the shadows. And I think that's worth remembering, especially because we deliberately don't run ads on these episodes. That choice — to keep this ad-free — is something we can only do if listeners who value it decide to support the show. If that's you, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: It's a small way to keep conversations like this going without any commercial breaks. Lucas: Exactly. So back to Apollonius — one last thing. When Marcus died in 180, the Meditations ended up being passed down through the centuries. But Apollonius's own writings are lost. We only know him through Marcus's gratitude. And maybe that's fitting: the student became the voice, and the teacher remained the quiet foundation. Luna: Like the uncredited philosopher who taught the philosopher king. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a lesson in itself — influence doesn't always leave a direct trace. Sometimes it's just the echo in someone else's words.