Epictetus' God is PantheisticBecause his teachings can be interpreted in different ways, Epictetus's view of God is unclear. It is unclear whether Epictetus' god is a pantheistic god who is one with the universe or whether his god is a personal god who answers prayers and watches over his people like the god of monotheism. While there is no doubt that Epictetus views God as all-powerful and all-good, I will argue that his texts also indicate that Epictetus views God as a pantheistic god possessing none of the defining characteristics of a personal god. Epictetus means by being all good and what monotheism defines as all good. What monotheism defines as all good is perfect morality, while Epictetus defines the true nature of good as intelligence, knowledge, and good reason (Discourse 8:2). According to Epictetus, the true nature of good cannot be found in irrational creatures such as animals and plants. Rather, it can only be found in what is rational (Discourse 8:3). Only that which possesses rationality can have the true nature of good and since the true nature of God is where the true nature of good is found, one can only conclude that the true nature of God is rationality (Discourse 8:1 ). Epictetus' god not only possesses these qualities, but he is goodness, he is rationality itself. This is the decisive difference between the good of Epictetus' god and that of a personal god. The texts clearly indicate that Epictetus considers God to be all-powerful. He describes God as the maker of the universe and that no one could possess power equal to God (Discourses 6:10, 14:11). This could be interpreted as a personification of God because being a "craftsman" and the ab...... middle of paper ......e of ourselves, but simply to preserve us like nature foresaw it (Discourse 8:23). Epictetus' god is not a personal, caring god, as a quick glance at the texts might lead one to believe. Although at first glance it may seem that Epictetus' god appears to be a personal god, a closer examination of the texts reveals that his god is a pantheist who does not at all resemble the personal god of monotheism. His god is one with the universe and the true essence of his god is the rationality of intelligence, good reason and knowledge, while a personal god is an entity distinct from the world but cares and watches from above. Although Epictetus' god and monotheism's personal god are both good and all-powerful, they are so in very different ways. Epictetus' god is clearly a pantheistic god possessing none of the traits that define a personal god..