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How Christian was Seneca? Seneca was born 4 years before Jesus Christ, so it was probable that the eventual teacher of Nero was influenced by the words of Jesus Christ. His first point was about the crowds and the abhorrent gaming going on everywhere. Nothing stopped this crowd from yelling for more as they saw a man get ripped apart by a lion or two men battle to the death with swords and spears.
He had experienced these games several times and found the blood lust hideous, to the point where he hated to be in crowds with humans. The outcome of every fight is death. If you live to fight again, somebody will eventually kill you. Men may say in defense of the games, that these are criminals that deserved to be punished. Seneca returned what have you done to deserve watching these games.
He meant sarcastically: these are such horrible things to witness, you must also be guilty of some wrongdoing. He knew though that these people just had bloodlust, a sin in itself, which made them guilty as well. They actually cut throats during the intermissions to keep the people happy or occupied. His second point had to do with how worried he was about the influence of these games on the young character. He said they must be rescues from the mob, because it is so easy to side with the masses. It only takes one time to harm us.
Even familiar friends can soften us (damage us morally) imperceptibly. Many thought you must either imitate the masses or loathe the world, in this regard, to avoid being taken in. He states that you must not do either. You cannot hate because someone is unlike you. Just withdraw yourself and find others like you, who can make you a better man. Seeking applause from a crowd by speaking publicly on your views in also undesirable.
I am unsure whether public speaking in defense or praise of Christ would have been considered OK for him. He ends with a very Christ-like statement by Democritus One man means as much to me as a multitude, and a multitude mean as much to me as one man. These are all statements on morality that go way beyond ordinary Roman thought. You can summarize this passage by saying that meaningless death and the influence of this bloodlust on young minds disgusted Seneca.
He also told us not to hate these people but turn inward and try to find a solution, by finding and joining others like us. He was most adamant about his equal love for one man and a crowd of men. These all belong to the Christian idea of love.
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