Much of the knowledge relating to virtue is the result of the work of the Stoics, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Marcus Aurelius. Stoicism can be called the foundation of Christianity, however, the lack of a personal relationship with "The One" or God prevents the souls of Stoics from reaching their great potential. Primarily, the Stoics fundamentally believed that “every event that occurs in the cosmos, from the most important to the most trivial, was destined to occur and determined to occur” (Brennan, 235). They were fatalists. Furthermore, the Stoics, as a whole, tended to see the physical and intellectual world in analytical and logical terms. Stoicism and its influence, RM Wenley points out that “the Stoics attempted to formulate a theory of the physical universe, of individual man as he finds himself forced into this universe and , combining the two, to formulate a rule of life in accordance with Reason” (75). Accordingly, the Stoics wanted to achieve an otherworldly understanding of the physical and intellectual world in which they resided. Furthermore, the most important contribution to their central argument was that the highest good lies in virtue and that man's ultimate goal is to achieve happiness. To achieve such good, many Stoics, like Plato, believed that a careful process focused primarily on education and meditation was necessary. Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and Stoic, believed that by “following things produced according to nature” one could begin to develop a virtuous soul, as shown in his Meditations (Book III:2). Continuing his discussion of Platonic and Aristotelian principles, in Book II, line 7, Aurelius advises his reader to “give yourself time to learn something new and good, a… medium of paper… (Romans 16: 25-27). In addition to reading these sacred texts, Christians had to abandon logic and reason and simply rely on their faith to achieve this happiness. In conclusion, the wisdom achieved through Stoic principles is the foundation of the Christian religion. However, the impersonal relationship central to Stoic philosophy prevents its followers from achieving the glorious afterlife known to Christians. The element of reason woven into the foundation of Stoicism greatly hindered the potential of its believers. Unlike the Stoics, Christians' personal relationship with their monotheistic God not only provides them with the necessary instructions for daily life, but also eliminates any mystery regarding the afterlife. Christians know without a shred of doubt that their eternal life with their monotheistic God will be filled with peace and bliss.