The Stoa was the philosophical school for Stoic teaching.
Stoicism began more than 2300 years ago, beginning with
Zeno of Citium who was the founder of Stoic philosophy.
He taught at the great Stoa in Athens, and the philosophy
spread through the likes of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus
Aurelius. It's a philosophy that is based on the practice
of Virtue. And like its ancient companion, Platonism, it
also features the "Logos" as the Godhead or Cosmic Plenum.
Without going into detail, much of the writing coming forth
out of the Ancient Stoa would sound very familiar to some
Christians. Why? Mainly because many of the Fathers of Early
Christianity were classically trained, thus quite aware of
Stoic principles and inputed some of them into their own
teachings. Indeed many Stoics, themselves, joined the early
Church whilst bringing along their Stoic manuals.
Thus, as noted by scholars, some of Stoic philosophy therefore
entered into the thinking of the early Christian Fathers. And
as has been put, the Stoa was the nursing mother to the Early
Church--meaning that it helped prepare part of the foundation
for the Church to come.
(For a more detailed study of how the Stoa impacted not only
on the Church, but also how it impacts our modern life today,
check my links to "Stoic Spirit" or "Roman Trek").
