Socrates
Socrates, a Greek philosopher, believed in virtue and that there was a right way for men to act. He spent his life seeking knowledge of what is right through dialogue (conversation between two or more persons) to arrive at truth. His ideas and methods had a lasting influence on Western philosophy, especially his concern with moral behavior, use of logic in questioning, and examination of a subject until discovering what appeared to be universal truth.
According to tradition, Socrates was the son of a stonecutter and as a young man, he decided to spend his life seeking wisdom. He professed to be completely ignorant himself and began conversing with leading Athenians, asking questions that invariably led his respondents into contradictions and confusion. The respondents were furious at being humiliated in this manner, and Socrates made enemies of many powerful and influential people in Athens. However, he won the admiration of many young men who became his pupils.
Socrates did not open a school or take fees for teaching but lived in poverty in contrast to the Sophists who were paid teachers. Although on the public mind Socrates was identified as an eccentric Sophist presumed to hold traditional religious beliefs in contempt like the Sophists did, he was very pious.
Socrates was a conscientious citizen and fulfilled his military duty during the Peloponnesian War. He firmly believed that power should only be held by those who possessed wisdom, and it was evident to everyone that he questioned the competence of Athens’s political leaders after the death of the great statesman Pericles.
When Athens lost the war, its citizens sought someone to blame. Socrates had been the teacher of both Alcibiades, a general who turned traitor, and Critias, a self-serving political leader who had hundreds of Athenians put to death. The old philosopher was charged with impiety and corrupting youth and was brought to trial before a tribunal of 501 citizens. He was condemned to die by drinking hemlock poison. Despite the possibility of saving his life through making a serious plea for leniency, Socrates refused to do so. Surrounded by his friends, he drank the poison and met death with serenity.
Socrates’ trial, imprisonment, and death are described in detail in Plato’s Apology, Crito, and Phaedo. However, it cannot be known with complete accuracy.
Socrates wrote nothing and is only known through the works of others. The historian-soldier Xenophon, a pupil of Socrates, wrote his recollections of him. The playwright Aristophanes ridiculed Socrates in his play Clouds.” However, most information about Socrates comes from the philosopher Plato, who was also a pupil of his. Plato’s writings are in the form of dialogues where Socrates asks questions. Scholars realized that Plato adopted this form to express his own ideas but they were actually those of Socrates.
Socrates believed in virtue and his method consisted of asking a pupil about a particular circumstance and skillfully questioning them to lead them to a general definition of virtue. He believed that if a person knew what was good, they would do good. In contrast to the Sophists who taught by example and especially valued the power of words to establish meaning only.
Although a pupil of Plato is considered the founder of logic, it actually began with Socrates. His pretense at being ignorant is known as Socratic irony which reflected his belief that an individual must recognize their own ignorance in order to free their mind for knowledge that will emerge through the use of logic.
Plato was profoundly affected by Socratic teaching and passed on his interpretation to Aristotle. Other followers included Antisthenes who founded the Cynic School Of Philosophers and Aristopus who founded Hedonist or Cyrenaic school; these philosophies influenced Stoicism and Epicureanism.
Jesus
Jesus is the founder of Christianity. The name Jesus comes from the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means God saves.” Christ is a title that comes from the Greek term for Messiah, which in Hebrew means “the Anointed One.”
There are two basic conceptions of Jesus Christ as the founder of Christianity. The first is that he is the Son of God, one in the Trinity. The second is that God sent him into the world to live as human beings live, to suffer as they suffer, to die for man’s redemption, and to rise on glory from the grave. John 3:16 states For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” The belief is that Jesus Christ was both divine and human – conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He was tempted as men are tempted but lived without sin.
Christians regard Jesus as a Redeemer and Savior who was sent to atone for mankind’s sins and open the door to eternal life for everyone. They believe he will come again at Last Judgment to judge both living and dead while bringing an end to our present world order.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a village in Palestine that was under Roman domination with Herod the Great as its puppet leader. There is no way to reckon Jesus’ exact birth date. The Christian Calendar, devised in the sixth century, places the Nativity in the year 1 A.D. However, most scholars believe that Herod died in 4 B.C. and that Jesus was born two or three years earlier. The Nativity has been celebrated on December 25 since the fourth century A.D.
When Jesus was about 30 years old, he was baptized by his cousin John the Baptist and rejected three temptations. His work as a prophet, teacher, and healer is known as his ministry. He began his ministry shortly after returning from the wilderness. While it’s commonly believed that he taught for three years, some scholars think it only lasted one year. The accounts of his ministry differ, so it cannot be traced in detail.
Jesus spent most of his time in Galilee, particularly in Capernaum and around the Sea of Galilee. He preached in synagogues, homes, on hillsides and along the lakeshore. Much of his teachings were through parables like the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus also performed many miracles such as healing numerous sick people and raising Lazarus from the dead.
Jesus preached about the existence of the Kingdom of God, which is a society that is divinely constituted and controlled. Although it was to arrive in the future, it already exists within men’s souls. The Kingdom will come suddenly but will grow as quietly as a mustard seed. The Sermon on Mount (Matthew 5-7) describes the character and conduct of citizens in this Kingdom. This sermon includes the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Golden attitudes which contrast with the old law within the law of love. Love is at the center of Jesus’ system.
There were many who opposed Jesus, including the Pharisees who denounced him for taking liberties with the Law and associating with sinners. He also faced opposition from Herod Antipas and other powerful figures. In the evening, while in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was arrested. His disciples could not intervene as he had asked them to simply pray and continue spreading his Gospel. Judas, one of his disciples, betrayed Jesus.
Jesus was taken to Caiaphas, the high priest, and then to Sanhedrin – the supreme Jewish council – where he was condemned to death for blasphemy after being accused of claiming he was the Son of God. The sentence had to be confirmed by Pontius Pilate, Roman Procurator. Since Rome did not concern itself with religious offenses, Jesus’ enemies devised a political charge against him; they claimed that he intended to set himself up as King of Jews.
Pilate wished to avoid trouble with religious leaders so he condemned Jesus to be crucified.
On Calvary, or Golgotha, which is a hill outside Jerusalem, Jesus was crucified between two thieves. The Four Gospels report the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and record his simple Seven Last Words” from the cross. Jesus was crucified at noon (the sixth hour) and died at 3 pm (the ninth hour). On Sunday morning, two women went to the tomb to anoint his body but found it empty. On that day, which was the First Easter, Christ presented himself in glorified but recognizable form to several of his followers. On his final appearance before ascending into Heaven, Christ commissioned his disciples to be witnesses on earth.
Reference:
Blum, A. F. (1978). Socrates: The Original and its Image. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
