WAWERU JAMES MAINA

HBIT-016-0073/2008

PHILOSOPHY ASSIGNMENT 1

COMPARISON BETWEEN SOCRATES AND JESUS.

Before even getting into the specifics of their teachings one can find surprising parallels in the

life of these much revered figures. Socrates is thought to have been the son of a stone-carver.

Jesus was thought to have been the son of a carpenter. Both were witnessing the disintegration of

their people's way of life (Socrates, the city-state; Jesus, the temple-state). Both were teachers,

but they wrote no books. What we know about their life and death, we receive from their

disciples.

The similarities crescendo when you take a look at their last days on earth as both died at the

hand of the authorities as a result of the challenge they represented. Motivated by politics, the

Athenian rulers hauled the philosopher into court and accused him of two things: corrupting the

youth with dangerous teaching, and committing blasphemy by introducing new gods.

Correspondingly, Herod Pilate, the Sadducees and the Pharisees accused Jesus of two things:

teaching dangerous things about the temple, and committing blasphemy by claiming to be the

Son of God. What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem? Both sacrificed their best citizens.

Socrates was tried by an Athenian jury of 501 men. Jesus was tried by the Sanhedrin council of

71 men. Jesus when condemned to die claimed, "Let this cup pass me by" (Matthew 26:38) but

despite his unwillingness to give up, he too, like Socrates drank the last drink.
Now turning to the teachings we will find that in essence the principles they wanted to promote

are the same; however, since they are termed differently they vary in perspective. Socrates

attempted to show people how to get face to face with the truth through dialogue and posing

haunting questions such as: What is the highest good? What good is it for you if you gain the

whole world, but lose your very soul? Socrates tried to elucidate a way of life in synchronicity

with ethics and wisdom by stimulating the mind of the individual to refer to his own self and

reach his own conclusions.

In reading the Gospels we find that Jesus has come like a philosopher king but does not limit

himself in sharing what he knows but in fact as an entity represents in himself the search within

the human mind or spirit for the higher plane. Somewhat authoritatively he states that “[He is]

the way, and the truth, and the life;” (John 14:6) however, like Socrates, Jesus freely taught to

anyone that was willing to listen to what he had to say. Jesus though also goes on to reaffirm that

he is (the) only guide ‘through’ which the individual can find the inner light-the remnant of the

divine in the human soul.

For Jesus and Socrates, the true life is not a destination, it is a journey. True living involves the

unveiling in an attempt to reach the higher plane. Jesus made it clear that the kingdom was not to

be found without these steps: (1) its existence being revealed to the individual, (2) the personal

decision to seek it and go toward it, (3) to share the secret with others, (3) the consummation of

the kingdom. Jesus and Socrates had the same vision of authenticity in life, which has been

diluted and transformed by myth, greed, and politics. In order to achieve the first Jesus needs to

conquer ignorance of the kingdom and righteousness. By utilizing parables he attempts to depict

in terms to which his followers could relate and be enlightened that the kingdom of God lies
inside each individual. In the same manner Socrates used profoundly effective imagery like the

allegory of the cave to illustrate the different stages one has to go through to reach the truth.

Moreover, the means which provide the thread that link all the steps together but also provide the

medium on which the individual must rely on to make a successful way through the journey at

first seem to relate but in practice are different. For Socrates it is Eros towards knowledge that

will act as the driving force and supply its possessor with great motive to fathom the virtues at

even higher levers. According to the teachings of Jesus it is agape that the individual must

exhibit towards all that surrounds him in the same way the Divine Logos is embracing him. Eros

can be understood as an “ascending love” and agape a “descending love.”

In Socratic philosophy although everyone is encouraged to partake in the quest for knowledge it

is understood that only a few will attain success. The rest were recognized for the position (class)

they managed to situate themselves in but it is those who from start to the end were naturally

disposed to exhibit all the virtues that are valued. In other words Socrates promoted an elitist

(aristocratic) society.

On the other hand, Jesus did not advocate for such discrimination. It is true that the way to reach

the ‘kingdom of the heavens’ required continuous effort but it does not matter at which level or

when one starts off neither where one ends at. Besides, the end does not seem far away as divine

logos has ‘chosen you’ (John 15:16) and covers part of the distance by approaching the

individual. Lastly, we find a totally new idea, that of Forgiveness that opposes the theme of a

naturally virtuous disposition that must exhibit all the virtues equally. This serves as the ultimate

chance for an individual that has been led astray and is possible the most necessary quality all

individuals are required to posses. The wisdom of Socrates might be able to make good people
better, but only Jesus could make bad people holy (righteous). He helps us to forgive others, and

even ourselves. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Socrates, great as he was, could only think about the human condition, but Jesus called to save it.

Socrates could reflect about good and evil, but Jesus called to overcome evil with good. Thus,

the kingdom of God of which Jesus spoke was a theological and compassionate version of

Socrates' idea of wisdom or Socrates’ land of Forms that has come to supplement it for the

benefit of all mankind.