CLAS / PHIL 2610 Paganism to Christianity

Lecture 10. Philosophy and Astrology: Pythagoreans, Platonists, Stoics

I. Theological Inquiry

A. What is a god? Self generating; independent; eternal

B Psyche: Soul (Intellect); Life (Energy); Breath (Element)

C. The Elements: Earth; water; fire; air

II. Pythagoras and Pythagoreanism

A. Life of Pythagoras: real historical figure

Born on Samos c. 550 BC to c. move to Italy [Croton] c. 530)

B. Pythagoreanism

-Number Theory: Pythagorean Theory; Musical Octave / Harmony

-Doctrine of Immortality: Metempsychosis (transmigration of souls = reincarnation)

-Rules for Life: Asceticism (vegetarian, wear white, no sitting on grain

-Communities destroyed c. 450 BC

III. Plato and Platonism

A. Life of Socrates (469 - 399 BC) and Plato (429-347 BC)

Academy: teaching rather than power

Anonymous dialogs: no doctrine but inquiry

B. Ethics: search for virtue = search for knowledge

C. Knowledge: abstract (mathematics) and outside empirical sphere; ideas (transcendant forms); true knowledge = recollection of forms; ultimate form = the good / beautiful (to kalon)

D. Ascent to divine: humans are part soul / part body; we can ascend to divine by freeing soul from body (Phaedrus chariot)

E. Cosmos (universal order):

demiourgos (craftsman) / god creates >>

world soul >>

fixed stars >>

lessser deities >>

man

nous (intellect) carries us back to divine; Timaeus = reincarnation every 10,000 years = progress to/from divine

Cosmos/star religion supplants/theologizes traditional polis/ sacrifice religion

IV. Zeno and Stoicism

A. Life of Zeno (333 - 262 BC): from Citium on Cyprus, immigrates to Athens; teaches in Stoa (hence Stoics)

B. Ethics: Virtue (arete) consists in knowing good / bad / indifferent

C. Harmony with cosmos: living consistently with nature; loving fellow man

D. Cosmos: God / reason and matter (Marcus Aurelius in L & M 8.1); conflagration

E. Cosmic Determinism: sympathy (mutual feeling); fate