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| Mosaic of the Seven Sages of Ancient Greece |
Chapter One: B) Comparing the Christian Commandment of "Love" With Pittacus, Solon and Thales
a) Pittacus of Mytilene died in 570 BC. This "sage" from among the famous "seven" is credited with many edifying sayings, instructive for any time. Among these are, for example, are the following: "forgiveness is better than revenge", "do not slander not only a friend, but also an enemy", "do not do what you condemn in others", "love your neighbor, even if he slightly oppresses you", "forgiveness is better than repentance", "even the thought of evil will not be hidden from the gods", "know thyself" and many others.[28][29] Honor to this pagan thinker, who rises against revenge, against slander, against even evil thoughts. This is a profound sermon! Honor to him, who preaches forgiveness, love for one’s neighbor (even if one does not reciprocate love in return), self-knowledge, and an equal standard for evaluating one’s own and others' actions.
All of this is remarkable, provided that the aforementioned sayings truly belong to Pittacus,[30] and not to a later period, as some suppose — namely, not to any other individuals (for instance, the saying 'know thyself' is also attributed to Chilon, 560–556 B.C.).[31] However, what is interesting for us is the very content of the sayings, which we will now turn to.
Despite the appealing nature of the aforementioned views, as noted previously, there are no axioms among them that unequivocally urge individuals to love their neighbor as themselves. The recommendation to exhibit love towards an adversary is only suggested in instances where the hostility is minimal towards the individual in question. In cases of significant oppression, where the opponent can be classified as a genuine enemy, it is implied that the concept of love no longer applies. Then it will be enough just “not to speak evil of the enemy” - no more.[32] Pittacus articulates this notion succinctly: "do not regard an enemy as a friend," and "refrain from speaking poorly of a friend, or favorably of an enemy, as this does not align with rational thought."[33] It is as clear as day that Pittacus’s views on love are far from being Christian (as characterized earlier when discussing Confucius), and that the latter are completely new in comparison to those of Pittacus. After this, there is no need to mention that the idea of self-sacrifice for the sake of one's neighbor (the highest manifestation of Christian love) is even more foreign and utterly incomprehensible to the consciousness of the wise Pittacus, who, among other things, preaches "nothing in excess",[34] thus adhering to the conventional ancient Greek spirit of "moderation" and "measure", avoiding extremes.[35]
b) Solon issued laws during his tenure as archon in 594 BC.[36] His sayings are often quite remarkable and do him honor. Sometimes he calls for the worship of the gods, for the reverence of parents, asserting that parricide is even inconceivable; at other times, he enjoins obedience to the laws, advises to restrain anger, to shy away from wicked individuals, to remain indifferent to insults, to not envy, to not lie, to not gossip; he also takes a stand against idleness, against the violation of women's honor, against the drunkenness of leaders, and urges adherence to the dictates of reason, to be prudent, to care for one's integrity, to treat the deceased with respect, and so on.[37] It is by no means superfluous to heed the advice of this famous ancient sage even today. Indeed, isn't Solon's advice that "no one should speak ill of the dead" quite instructive?[38] Is not such a statement about him enlightening: "When someone spat on him, he endured it; and when another began to reproach him for such indifference to his honor, he said, 'Fishermen endure when splashes come flying at them from the sea in order to catch a char, why should I not endure something similar to catch a man?'"[39] Or this saying: "Never seek to acquire a friend who cannot do you good in matters of the soul or body," and so on. All this and similar teachings, we say, is instructive and edifying.
However, we do not find in Solon any discourse of loving one's neighbor as oneself. He also does not speak of loving one's enemies, of blessing those who curse us, of doing good to those who hate us, or of praying for those who harm or persecute us – all of which are fundamental to Christianity. Furthermore, Solon offers no mention even of applying the same standard to others' actions as to our own (as, for instance, the Pythagorean principle states, "do not do yourself what you blame in others"). All of this, however, is still not sufficient. The matter is that in Solon we encounter outright unappealing propositions, barbaric and harsh, that sound rather odd coming from his own mouth. In particular, he is an advocate of the principle "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," which was abolished by the Savior (Matthew 5:38 et seq.), and is therefore not Christian. "If a man puts out a man's only eye," says Salon, "both eyes must be put out,"[40] in other words, he who has caused blindness to his neighbor must pay in the same way. Further, Solon is a supporter of even more cruel principles, completely inhuman principles. "What you have not laid down, do not take up, otherwise you shall be subject to the punishment of death."[41] "He who seizes an adulterer in the act is permitted to kill him."[42] Death – for adultery, for theft, for drunkenness! How different this is from Christian teaching! Everyone knows how the Lord reacted to the adulteress brought to Him by the scribes and Pharisees: "And I," He said, "do not condemn you. Go and sin no more" (John 8:3-11). As for "thieves, extortionists, drunkards, and predators," Christianity makes it clear (just like with "fornicators, adulterers, effeminate, and sodomites") that they "shall not inherit the Kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:9–10). Therefore, they are promised deprivation of the latter after death, as a natural consequence of their immoral lives on Earth, where they have been granted the freedom to arrange their conduct at their discretion – certainly without the death penalty for drunkenness and theft. As noted above, while preaching respect for parents, Solon nonetheless understands love for them rather restrictively when he states, for instance, that "a son should not be compelled to provide for a father who has not taught him any trade."[43] When children, according to the fifth commandment of the Decalogue, honor their parents and love them, then, it is naturally understood, any thought of any form of "coercion" in the manner of Solon completely evaporates. With such love, children will naturally and always, driven by their inner inclination, take care of their parents' sustenance, and will not weigh the degree of their parents' merits beforehand, nor will they be swayed by a crude commercial perspective that fears to give more than what has been paid by the buyer. In general, Solon's moral rules are permeated with a spirit of practical calculation and coarse utilitarianism, which is wholly uncharacteristic, as we have seen, of Christian ethics. "Do not sit in judgment, lest you become detestable to the accused," says Solon; "do not mock your son or daughter, so that you do not weep afterward," "what you see, do not speak of," "if you know anything, remain silent," and so forth. For Solon, it is therefore important that the personal interests of the individual to whom he is giving advice are not harmed – their tranquility, etc. – rather than justice itself, the interests of truth in isolation, or ideal relationships between parents and children in isolation, and so on. In light of this, it is already superfluous to note such peculiarities of Solon's views as the prevailing Greek custom of that epoch to advocate for "nothing in excess" and other similar maxims.
When children, according to the fifth commandment of the Decalogue, honor their parents, love them, then, it goes without saying, any thought of any “coercion” like Solon’s completely disappears. With that love, children will naturally and always, by their own inner inclination, take care of their parents’ livelihood, and will not in this case weigh in advance the degree of their parents’ own merits before them, will not be carried away by the crude commercial point of view, afraid to give more than what the buyer has paid. And in general, Solon’s moral rules are imbued with the spirit of practical calculation, crude utilitarianism, so alien, as we have seen, to Christian ethics. “Do not sit as a judge, otherwise you will be hated by the accused,” says Solon; "Do not laugh at your son or daughter, lest you cry later," "Do not speak of what you see," "Knowing something, keep silent"[44] etc. For Solon, therefore, it is important that the personal interests of the person to whom he gives advice do not suffer - his peace of mind, etc., and not justice in itself, not the interests of truth in themselves, not the ideal relationship of parents to children in themselves, etc. After what has been said, it is superfluous to note such features of Solon's views as the invitation "nothing in excess"[45] and so on, which was common to the Greeks of that era.
It is now quite obvious that Solon was completely in vain disturbed by Haeckel and Saladin, since between his views and the Christian teaching on love, the essential features of which were noted above, there is a whole abyss, which is clear, it seems, even to a blind man.
c) Thales was born in 640 B.C.[46] Many of his sayings are highly admirable. He instructively speaks of honoring parents, of the relationship with friends, against excess, idleness, and lies, in favor of peace and truth, and self-control. He advises a person to always be "equal to oneself" and so forth.[47] "What is the most beneficial thing?" he asks and responds: "Virtue, for if used well, it makes everything else beneficial." "What is the most harmful thing? Vice; for when manifested, it causes great harm."[48] "Will a man doing evil hide from the gods? Not even one contemplating evil will hide."[49] "A false oath is no better than adultery."[50] "Cast out of your house a person who whispers slander against others."[51] "Under what condition will we live the best and most just life? If we do not do what we forbid others to do."[52] All of this (especially, for instance, the last saying) is good and edifying.
But that is not enough. The teachings of loving one's neighbor as oneself, and even more so the teachings of self-sacrifice for one's neighbor, of loving one's enemies, and so forth, which, in fact, constitute the center of Christian morality, are not observed. And this is too characteristic and significant. Yet we will be even more convinced of the distinctly non-Christian, indeed anti-Christian nature of Thales's views if we pay attention to the following assertions of his: "Strive to earn praise from everyone." "Seek glory." Thales "thanked fate," among other things, "for being born a man and not a woman, and for being born a Greek and not a barbarian."[53] How strange all of this sounds to the Christian ear, hearing the words of the Lord: "Woe to you when all men speak well of you" (Luke 6:26); "The world hated Me" (John 7:7); "Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake" (Matthew 5:11; Luke 6:22; 1 Peter 4:14); "I do not receive glory from men" (John 5:41); "I do not seek My own glory" (John 8:50); "Human glory" is dangerous and harmful. "Even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42–43). "How can you believe," says the Savior, "when you receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?" (John 5:44) "All human glory is like the flower on the grass; the grass withers, and its flower falls away" (1 Pet. 1:24). In Christ, all people are equal and have no advantages over one another: "There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28; Rom. 10:12). Therefore, a Christian has no grounds to "thank" let alone "destiny", which has no meaning in Christianity (cf. also the Old Testament book of Job 34:13), for being born a "man" or a "Greek". Indeed, Thales' viewpoint is an anti-Christian perspective, as we shall further confirm (if what has been said is not already sufficient) when we pay attention to this "wise man's" discourse on our relationships with enemies, to whom, according to Christian teaching, as we have seen, we should relate only with love and kindness. "Under what condition," Thales asks, "can a person most easily endure misfortune? If he sees his enemies in an even worse position."[54] Or again, "One should not believe in the truth of what enemies say, while one should believe in the truthfulness of friends even when they are wrong."[55] Is any further commentary needed? The Christian perspective on enemies has already been clarified; it is completely opposed to Thales' view. As for the question of "the unrighteousness of men," it suffices to recall the words of the Apostle, stating that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18), regardless of where this unrighteousness may originate, whether from friends or anyone else. Having said this, it is unnecessary to remind that Thales also teaches about maintaining "measure"[56] and other similar principles; all these positions are quite innocent compared to those just examined, although by themselves, as previously established, they are far from being so, i.e., they are not Christian at all.
The final conclusion is clear: Thales is alien to the Christian teaching about love, which in Christianity remains completely new even after this “sage”.
And so, Haeckel’s assertion that Pittacus, Solon and Thales allegedly also preached about love for one’s neighbor, and that later our Lord did the same, is a completely incorrect and grossly ignorant assertion, testifying to Haeckel’s (Saladin’s too) ignorance of either Christian doctrine or the views of the “wise men” involved in the matter.
Notes:
28. We have no need to introduce all the sayings that have survived and are attributed to Pittacus and others. We introduce only those that are characteristic of this or that thinker, which is what is required of us by the essence of our task. We ask that you take this into account.
29. “Sayings of the most ancient Greek thinkers, selected from the works of Diogenes Laërtius, Plutarch, Stobaeus, and others” – prof. I. N. Korsunsky , Kharkov 1887, pp. 30–36 (“Pittacus of Mytilene”).
30. Ibid., p. 32
31. This consideration must also be kept in mind with regard to the sayings attributed to Solon, Thales and the rest of the “seven” wise men.
32. Ibid, pp. 10–11, 29 (in Kors-go).
33. Ibid., p. 35.
34. Ibid, p. 36 The saying is also attributed to others, for example, to Solon (p. 22), Chilon (p. 26), Cleovulus (“moderation in everything is the best”, p. 44), Thales (“observe the measure”, p. 16), and in general to the “seven wise men” (p. 52 “nothing in excess”).
35. See above our speech on Confucianism. See details in the citations above in my work "Aristotle" etc.
36. “The ancient Greek utters the thought.” – op. cit., p. 17.
37. Ibid, pp. 19–25.
38. Ibid., p. 20.
39. Ibid., pp. 23–24.
40. Ibid., p. 23.
41. Ibid., 19.
42. Ibid.
43. Ibid., p. 20.
44. Ibid., p. 24.
45. Compare above: we are talking about Pittacus.
46. "sayings of ancient Greek thinkers". op cit, p. 12.
47. See for his sayings ibid, generally on pp. 13–17.
48. Ibid., p. 15.
49. Ibid., p. 13.
50. Ibid.
51. Ibid., p. 17.
52. Ibid., p. 14.
53. Ibid, pp. 17, 16, 14.
54. Ibid., p. 14.
55. Ibid., p. 16.
56. Ibid., p. 16.
Chapter One: C)