The Consolations of Travel:Reading Seneca's Ad Marciam vis-à-vis Paul of Tarsus

Abstract

The chapter compares the use of travel vocabulary and imagery in Seneca, with a specific focus on the Ad Marciam, and Paul. It also discusses comparative methodology. Two extended travel narratives take a surprising space in Seneca’s Ad Marciam (nearly a fifth of the text), while there is a surprising scarcity of travel vocabulary in Paul. The chapter argues that we cannot explain this difference by interpreting Paul as mostly interested in the journeys of “the inner human being” and Seneca as mostly interested in the “superficially visible.” It explains the key role of the two travel narratives in the context of Seneca’s consolatory project, aimed at the spiritual transformation of his addressee. The chapter argues for a properly contextualized, bi-directional comparative strategy, which investigates not only the underpinning worldviews that might lead to contrasting motifs and concepts, but also how different concepts and theories fulfil comparable functions in the context of different worldviews. In this vein the chapter points to fundamental differences between Seneca and Paul regarding the nature and scope of cosmic permanence and human immortality, but also to differences between Seneca’s and Paul’s axiologies, as factors determining the relative neglect of travel motifs in Paul compared to Seneca. The structure of Paul’s overall theology and mission allow us to understand why he tends to avoid travel metaphors, since they aggregate positive and negative aspects of travel. Paul “offloads” the negative aspects of travelling on to the word field of “work,” and is thus able to address his communities with a more positive, flattering message than could be achieved with the word field of “travel.