Aurelius - Meditations 4:16: Become Godlike in Ten Days?!

The Stoic Jew

4:16 – Within ten days you will appear a god even to those to whom today you seem a beast or a baboon, if you return to your principles and your reverence of reason.
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Farquharson - Commentary on Meditations 4:16
This is the only passage in the Meditations where the writer speaks as if a man might become a god, a mode of speech often employed both by Stoics and Epicureans. He clearly means you may become really good, and so appear godlike where you now seem like a beast or an ape, as not governed by reason.
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Pesachim 50b, Nazir 23b, Sotah 22b and 47a, Sanhedrin 105b, Horiyos 10b, Erachin 16b
A person should always be involved in Torah even she’lo lishmah, for from she’lo lishmah he will come to lishmah.
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Rambam – Intro to Chelek
We say to him, “Learn in order to become a rabbi and a judge. People will honor you; they will stand up in your presence; your words will be established and your reputation will grow during your lifetime and after your death, like so-and-so.” Then he will learn and strive in order to achieve that level of distinction, and the ultimate objective – to him – will be that people should honor him, exalt him, and praise him.
Here's my translation of the excerpt in its entirety.
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
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Stoic texts:
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
Letters from a Stoic Master (Seneca)
The Discourses of Epictetus
The Enchiridion (Handbook) of Epictetus
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