Summary
Summary of The Sentences of Sextus
Key ideas
Key idea 1
Short sayings guide a disciplined life
The Sentences of Sextus offers brief instructions for a calm, disciplined and God-centred life. Instead of telling a story or building a long argument, it considers how a wise person thinks, speaks, eats, owns things and prays. Its guidance reaches into ordinary habits rather than staying with abstract beliefs.
Written in Greek by an unknown author, the collection survives in several languages. Its short sayings place attention on individual choices, making daily conduct the setting for a life directed toward God.
Key idea 2
Greek philosophy meets Christian faith
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Key idea 3
Wisdom means living toward God
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Key idea 4
Self mastery begins with your thoughts
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Key idea 5
Let care come before speech
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Key idea 6
Want less to remain free
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Key idea 7
Valued advice was not scripture
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Key idea 8
Small practices carry the teaching
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The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
For readers who enjoy ancient wisdom, early Christian history or the roots of Western self-discipline, and who like to think over one saying at a time.
What this book is
The Sentences of Sextus is a collection of short sayings that guide a person toward a calm, disciplined and God-centred life. It was written in Greek, most likely in the late second century, by an author nobody can name. It has no plot and no long argument. It is a string of brief instructions, one after another, on how the wise person thinks, speaks, eats, owns things and prays.
The work survives in several languages. The fullest early form is a Latin translation of 451 sayings made by Rufinus around the end of the fourth century. Greek, Syriac, Armenian and Georgian versions also exist, and a damaged Coptic copy of part of it was found among the Nag Hammadi books in Egypt. That Coptic text is a fragment, and the Latin and Greek forms fill in the rest. In this summary you will hear where the book came from, what it asks of the reader, and why it was loved and also argued over. First, the question of who made it and for whom.
In this summary
- 1A Greek wisdom book with no known authorFree
- 2The wise person is the faithful person
- 3Master yourself before anything else
- 4Guard your tongue and prefer silence
- 5Hold possessions and the body loosely
- 6Why it travelled, and why it stands outside the Bible
Key point 1 of 6
A Greek wisdom book with no known author
The Sentences of Sextus is a work of the Roman period, written in Greek. Most scholars place it in the second century, probably toward its end, though the exact date and place are not settled. Egypt, Syria and Rome have all been suggested, and the question remains open.
The name Sextus belongs to the collection, but nobody knows who he was. Some ancient readers linked the name to Sextus, or Sixtus, a bishop of Rome. Others linked it to a Roman philosopher named Sextius, whose sayings the Stoic writer Seneca admired. Modern scholars treat the author as anonymous, and the name as a label that was attached to the book.
The writer clearly knew Greek philosophy. Many sayings echo the Pythagorean and Stoic habits of thought, such as simple living, control of desire and the care of the soul. Yet the collection is also at home in Christian circles, since it speaks of the faithful and the chosen, and its ideas about God run close to biblical teaching. The author seems to belong to a milieu where these two streams had already met.
The form is the key to the book. A sentence here means a single saying, often only a line long. The sayings are not arranged in a strict plan, though neighbours sometimes share a theme. A reader is meant to take one, think about it, and return to it through the day.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Check yourself
How does the collection say a person should honour God?
Right. “Our task is to honour God by a pure mind and a good life, not by gifts or display.”Not quite. “Our task is to honour God by a pure mind and a good life, not by gifts or display.”
Why does the collection encourage freedom from craving?
Right. “The idea is that freedom from craving is what leaves a person able to love, to help and to pray.”Not quite. “The idea is that freedom from craving is what leaves a person able to love, to help and to pray.”
Why did The Sentences of Sextus remain outside the Bible?
Right. “The text never entered the Bible because it was never counted as scripture.”Not quite. “The text never entered the Bible because it was never counted as scripture.”
Questions about The Sentences of Sextus
What is the Sentences of Sextus about?
It is a collection of short sayings on how to live wisely. The main topics are self-control, careful speech, simple living, mastery of the body and the hope of becoming like God. It gives advice, not a story.
Who was Sextus?
Nobody knows. The name was attached to the book, and some ancient readers thought of a Roman bishop named Sixtus, while others thought of a pagan philosopher. Modern scholars treat the author as anonymous.
Why is it in the Nag Hammadi library?
A Coptic copy of part of the text was found in Codex XII among the books discovered in Egypt in 1945. Its presence shows it was read in Egyptian Christian circles, but it is not a Gnostic work.
Is the Sentences of Sextus in the Bible?
No. It was never counted as scripture. It is a book of moral advice that early Christians read and valued, and Origen knew it, but churches did not place it among the sacred books.
When was the Sentences of Sextus written?
Most scholars date it to the second century, probably late in it, and think it was written in Greek somewhere in the eastern Mediterranean. The exact date and place are still debated.
