Companion to Musonius Rufus

Many years in the making, my colleague Liz Gloyn and I have finally finished the manuscript for Brill’s Companion to Musonius Rufus. It has now been through peer review, revised, and copyedited. Publication is planned for 2026. The first idea for this book came out of a workshop we ran in 2019. Rather than simply publish a collection of papers from the event, we both thought it would be far more useful to try to offer comprehensive coverage - something that had never been done before. The book has a chapter on each of the 21 longer Discourses, as well as discussion of the shorter fragments and the publication of some newly discovered fragments too. All this is prefaced with some orienting essays. 

Here’s the full table of contents: 

PART ONE: LIFE AND CONTEXT

Musonius Rufus: Philosophy as a Way of Life? Sarah Lawrence 

Musonius’ Philosophical Affiliation Gretchen Reydams-Schils 

Musonius Rufus’ Social/Political Context Catharine Edwards 

Texts and Transmission John Sellars 

PART TWO: THE DISCOURSES

Discourse 1 That there is no Need of Giving Many Proofs for One Problem Robert Heller 

Discourse 2 That we are Born with an Inclination Towards Virtue Benjamin Harriman 

Discourse 3 That Women too Should Study Philosophy Georgia Tsouni 

Discourse 4 Should Daughters Receive the Same Education as Sons? Sophia Connell 

Discourse 5 Which is More Effective, Theory or Practice? Mark Gatten 

Discourse 6 On Training: A Case Study of Influence in Roman Stoicism Jean-Baptiste Gourinat 

Discourse 7 That One Should Consider Suffering to be Unimportant Sophie Ngan 

Discourse 8 Musonius Rufus on Kingship Carol Atack 

Discourse 9 That Exile is Not an Evil Attila Németh 

Discourse 10 Will the Philosopher Prosecute Anyone for Personal Injury? Kurt Lampe 

Discourse 11 What Means of Livelihood is Appropriate for a Philosopher? Tomohiko Kondo 

Discourse 12 Sexual Indulgence in Musonius Rufus Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides 

Discourse 13 What is the Chief End of Marriage? Valéry Laurand 

Discourse 14 Is Marriage a Handicap for the Pursuit of Philosophy? Valéry Laurand 

Discourse 15 ‘Should Every Child That Is Born Be Raised?’ The Ethics of Infant Exposure and Childrearing in Early Imperial Rome Mairéad McAuley 

Discourse 16 Must One Obey One’s Parents Under all Circumstances? Liz Gloyn 

Discourse 17 What is the Best Viaticum for Old Age? Barbara Del Giovani 

Discourses 18A-B On Food William O Stephens 

Discourse 19 On Clothing and Shelter Robin Weiss 

Discourse 20 On Furnishings Will Desmond 

Discourse 21 On Cutting the Hair William O Stephens 

PART THREE: THE FRAGMENTS

The Fragments Max Bergamo 

New Fragments Max Bergamo