Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

EPICUREANS

Those who followed the teachings of the Greek philosopher Epicurus (342–270 BC). Paul encountered some of them while in Athens (Acts 17:18).

Epicurus spent his childhood on the island of Samos, near the western coast of what is today Turkey. In his late teens he moved to Athens for military service. After his tour of duty, he devoted his time to the study and teaching of philosophy. This work took him from Athens, but he returned in 307 BC to found a school. He attracted a considerable following, and his disciples spread his message throughout the civilized world. The fact that Paul met Epicureans over three centuries after the death of Epicurus shows both the attractiveness of his teachings and the commitment of his disciples. In the first century BC these teachings found expression in the writing of the Roman poet Lucretius. His On the Nature of Things is a helpful guide to understanding Epicurus, especially since only fragments of Epicurus’s own writings remain.

The Epicureans were empiricists; they relied upon sense experience for knowledge. This put them in opposition to those who chose to make statements about the world on the basis of reason alone, distrusting or rejecting the data of the senses. Epicureans were concerned with natural evidence and with practicalities, thus showing a somewhat scientific character. They were unenthusiastic about mathematics because of what they took to be its abstract quality, having little to do with the important matters of living. Ethics, the study of right behavior, was their focus.

The Epicurean judged the value of an action or thing in terms of the pleasure or pain it brought—a position called hedonism. It was egoistic hedonism because the person sought his own pleasure rather than the pleasure of others. This description can bring to mind the image of an irresponsible glutton or lover of wild parties, but this image, encouraged by the modern sense of the word “epicurean,” is misleading. Epicurus rejected just such behavior. He realized that momentary pleasure can lead to enduring pain and that some pain can be beneficial. He viewed pleasure more as a quality of life than a series of thrills. What he sought is better called happiness. Basing his counsel on experience, he urged moderation, calm, friendship, a simple life. He avoided feasting, sexual passion, and strife. In fact, he avoided pain more than he sought pleasure. The pleasure of tranquillity, of peace, could be found in the absence of pain, and this was his aim. To ensure tranquillity, a man must tend to his stomach, but he must also attend to his mind, directing it toward wisdom.

Epicurus saw belief in gods as a serious threat to tranquillity. Gods were generally viewed as meddling and powerful beings who terrified ordinary mortals—sources of insecurity, not peace and happiness. Epicurus taught that the gods were not, in fact, like this but were tranquil hedonists who stayed away from men. They avoided the strife involved in contact with people on earth. In short, they were nothing to fear.

Epicurus taught that we, and everything in our world, are made up of atoms of different qualities. For example, the atoms of the human soul are smooth and round. Although atomic theories often lead to the conviction that all human actions are determined by the laws that rule the motion of atoms, Epicurus’s theory did not. He allowed for human freedom by claiming that some atoms spontaneously leave their straight paths, thus setting off an unpredictable chain of collisions. Man’s behavior is then free and not machinelike.

In spite of his freedom, man is still a collection of atoms, and when the atoms separate, the man ceases to exist; he is not immortal. Epicurus saw this as reason no longer to fear death. For after death, all experience ceases. There will be no pain, and so there is no cause for anxiety.

Epicurean themes can be found in the Bible—for example, moderation (Phil 4:5) and the peace that comes from the exercise of wisdom (Prv 3:13-18). But the differences are clear. The Bible reveals a God who is intimately involved in the world; the immortality of man’s soul; and the truth that genuine happiness depends upon communion with and service to God (Phil 4:6-7).