| Yes, although apatheia was somewhat more technical, and implied something good, of course. Interestingly, in the Roman Empire a lot of rich people kept Stoics like spiritual counselors, to instruct them in philosophy and help them accept things. As time wore on, there was a tendency towards syncretism, and a combination of Stoic and Aristotelian concepts became the basis for the idea of the lex naturalis, the Natural Law. In "The Institutes of Justinian", the most comprehensive exposition of Roman jurisprudence ever produced, Natural Law is used as a benchmark against which to measure customary and enacted, or positive, law. Interestingly, the Roman jurists admit that slavery is against the Natural Law, and merely sanctioned through ubiquitous and long- standing usage........ |
