The Shepherd, October 2008
Don’t just read about virtue: practise it!
Almost all the Pagan writers with some reputation for wisdom have spoken in praise of virtue in their writings, to one degree or another, each according to his ability. We should listen to these men, and indeed try to put their teachings into practice. If a man proves his devotion to wisdom by his actions, when everyone else merely speaks about it, then as Hippolytus10 says: “He alone has understanding, while the others flutter about in shadows.” Suppose an artist had painted a picture of a man possessing a quite marvellous beauty; and suppose that the man himself was, in reality, as beautiful as the picture. The harmony between what we claim to believe, and how we actually live, is something like that, in my opinion.
However, to praise virtue splendidly in public, and make long speeches about it, but then in private to value pleasure above discipline, and self-interest above justice - this is just play-acting. It is like an actor who appears as a king or a ruler in a play, although he is neither a king nor a ruler in reality, and perhaps he is even a slave! A musician would not agree to have his harp out of tune, would he? Nor would the leader of a choir be willing that the choir sing out of harmony. Well, then: shall the individual be at odds with himself, and live a life that contradicts what he says he believes? In the words of Euripides,11 “the tongue has sworn an oath, but the mind has not.” That is, to appear in the eyes of others like a good man, rather than actually being good, is the aim of such a person. But this is the worst extreme of injustice, according to Plato: “to seem to be just, without really being just.”12
Noble examples from the recorded lives of the Pagans:
the patience of Pericles and Eucleides
So then, let us accept the passages in Pagan literature which exhort us to good things. We also have the virtuous deeds of Pagans recorded in history, either through stories passed down by word of mouth in an unbroken chain, or set down in books by poets or writers of prose. Let us not fail to reap benefit from these also! For example, there was a fellow hanging about in the market place who kept heaping abuse on Pericles,13 but Pericles paid no attention. The fellow kept it up all day long, covering Pericles with cruel insults, and still Pericles took no notice. When evening fell and it grew dark, the man was even now raging away; and yet Pericles escorted him home with a lamp! You see, Pericles did not want his own training in philosophy to come to nothing.
Then there was a man who became enraged with Eucleides of Megara,14 making death-threats against him, even swearing an oath to that effect. Eucleides, however, took an opposite oath: he swore that he would calm the man down and make him put aside his wrath. How valuable to remember such an example, if we are trembling on the brink of a fit of passion! We should not put a simple-minded trust in the tragic play that says, “Anger puts a weapon in your hand against enemies.”15 On the contrary, we must not let ourselves be inflamed to anger at all. If we cannot manage that, we should at least apply reason to our anger, and restrain it, not allowing it to carry us away beyond all bounds.
Another noble example: Socrates turns the other cheek
But let us continue our discussion of Pagan examples of virtuous deeds. There was a fellow who kept on hitting Socrates, son of Sophroniscus, full in the face.16 He gave Socrates a merciless bashing. But Socrates did not resist; he allowed the drunkard to exhaust his rage, so that Socrates’ face was soon swollen and bruised from all the blows. Once the man had stopped hitting him, all Socrates did was write across his own forehead the words, “So-and-so (naming the man) did this,” like a sculptor’s name on a statue. That was the full extent of Socrates’ revenge!
These examples are virtually identical with our own Christian precepts; therefore I maintain that great value lies in you youngsters imitating them. This example of Socrates is very like our Christian precept that if someone strikes us on one cheek, we should offer him the other cheek, rather than retaliating. And the example of Pericles or Eucleides is very like our precept that we should submit to those who persecute us, and gently suffer their anger. It also reminds us of our precept that we should not curse our enemies, but pray for blessings upon them. Whoever has been first instructed in those Pagan examples, cannot then distrust our Christian precepts as though they were impossible to obey.
Two more noble examples: Alexander conquers lust,
and Cleinias refuses to swear an oath
I should not pass over the example of Alexander the Great,17 when he took prisoner the daughters of king Darius who, it was said, possessed a wondrous beauty. But Alexander did not think it right even to look upon them. He judged that it would be shameful for a conqueror of men to be conquered by women! This example runs parallel to our famous precept that a man who looks lustfully on a woman is guilty, because he has received the sinful desire into his heart, even though he does not commit the immoral act. And then there was the action of Cleinias, a disciple of Pythagoras.18 It is hard to believe that it matches up with our principles by chance, rather than by deliberate imitation! What did Cleinias do? He could have escaped paying a fine of three talents by taking an oath, yet he paid rather than swear - even though it would have been a true oath that he would have sworn. It makes me think he must have heard our command that forbids the taking of oaths!19
To be Completed in the Next Issue…
Footnotes:
1 Hesiod, one of the greatest of the Pagan Greek poets. He lived probably in the 8th century BC.
2 By “mysteries”, St Basil and the early Church Fathers mean divinely revealed truths that awaken a sense of “awe & wonder and baited breath” in our minds, as we realise that they are too deep for us to fathom intellectually. The Trinity, the incarnation, & the atonement would be prime examples. St Basil says that the youth (either physical or spiritual) of his “children” makes it especially hard for them to approach these mysteries.
3 Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s great poem The Odyssey. Odysseus is also a key character in Homer’s other great poem, The Iliad. St Basil refers to the episode in The Odyssey where Odysseus refused to be lured to his death by the enchanting songs of the Sirens. They were sea nymphs who lived on an island surrounded by dangerous rocks. Sailors were bewitched by their songs, & shipwrecked on the rocks. See note 5 for Homer.
4 One of the main groups of the Greek people, living in Crete, Rhodes, and southern parts of mainland Greece.
5 Homer, the greatest Pagan Greek poet. He lived probably some time in the 8th century BC, according to most scholars. His Iliad and Odyssey were the ultimate “cult classics” of Pagan Greek literature.
6 Solon (roughly 639-559 BC), great statesman and lawgiver of Athens.
7 Theognis was a Greek poet who lived in the 6th century BC.
8 Prodicus was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 5th century BC.
9 Hercules was the most popular hero of Greek mythology, the son of Zeus by a mortal woman. He was famed for courage and superhuman strength.
10 In the play Hippolytus by Euripides (485 or 480-406 BC), one of the greatest Greek poets.
11 See previous footnote.
12 Plato (born around 427, died 347 BC), the greatest of the Pagan Greek philosophers. It is often said that Western philosophy is simply “a series of footnotes to Plato.” Many early Christians were converted Platonists.
13 Pericles (born around 495, died 429 BC), a great Athenian statesman.
14 Eucleides (roughly 435-365 BC), a Greek philosopher.
15 The source of this quotation is unknown.
16 Socrates (469-399 BC), Athenian philosopher, one of the most influential personalities of Pagan Greece. He appears as the chief speaker in Plato’s writings.
17 Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), king of Macedon, who in his brief life conquered much of the Middle East and Asia.
18 Pythagoras (roughly 582-507 BC), one of the greatest Greek philosophers prior to Plato. His disciple Cleinias was a contemporary of Plato (late 5th, early 4th century BC).
19 Since Cleinias lived some 400 years before Christ, he could hardly have heard of Christ’s command to “Swear not at all” (Matthew 5:34). St Basil is probably joking when he says this.
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