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Language: English
THE RELIGION OF
PLUTARCH
A PAGAN CREED OF APOSTOLIC TIMES
AN ESSAY
BY
JOHN OAKESMITH, D.Litt., M.A.
Arist., Meta., i. 2.
CHAPTER I.
General character of Modern European Religions: their
cardinal appeal to Emotion—Roman Religion: its
sanctions chiefly rational: the causes of its failure: its
place as a factor in Morality taken by Greek Philosophy
—Early Greek Morality based partly on Religion, partly
on Reason, which, in the form of Philosophy, eventually
supplies the main inspiration to Goodness—Gradual
limitation of Philosophy to Ethics 1
CHAPTER II.
Importance of the ethical tendency in pre-Socratic Philosophy
generally under-estimated—Development of this
tendency from Thales to the Sophists, and from the
Sophists to the Stoics and Epicureans—Special
influence of these two Schools, aided by the failure of
political interest, in establishing a practicable ideal of
personal virtue—This ideal, conspicuous in Plutarch’s
“Ethics,” and inculcated by the philosophers of the early
Græco-Roman Empire generally 20
CHAPTER III.
Ethical aspect of Græco-Roman Society in the period of 43
Plutarch: difficulty of obtaining an impartial view of it—
Revival of moral earnestness concurrent with the
establishment of the Empire: the reforms of Augustus a
formal expression of actual tendencies—Evidences of
this in philosophical and general literature—The
differences between various Schools modified by the
importance of the ethical end to which all their efforts
were directed—Endeavour made to base morality on
sanctions already consecrated by the philosophies and
religious traditions of the Past—Plutarch’s “Ethics” the
result of such an endeavour
CHAPTER IV.
Plutarch’s attitude towards Pagan beliefs marked by a spirit
of reverent rationalism—The three recognized sources of
Religion: Poetry, Philosophy, and Law or Custom—The
contribution of each to be examined by Reason with the
object of avoiding both Superstition and Atheism:
Reason the “Mystagogue” of Religion—Provisional
examples of Plutarch’s method in the three spheres—His
reluctance to press rationalism too far—His piety partly
explained by his recognition of the divine mission of
Rome—Absence of dogmatism in his teaching 62
CHAPTER V.
Plutarch’s Theology—His conception of God not a pure
metaphysical abstraction, his presentment of it not
dogmatic—General acceptance of the attributes
recognized by Greek philosophy as essential to the idea
of God—God as Unity, Absolute Being, Eternity—
God as Intelligence: Personality of Plutarch’s God
intimately associated with his Intelligence—God’s
Intelligence brings him into contact with humanity: by it
he knows the events of the Future and the secrets of the
human heart—From his knowledge springs his
Providence—God as Father and Judge—the De Sera
Numinis Vindicta—Immortality of the Soul 87
CHAPTER VI.
Plutarch’s Dæmonology—Dæmonology as a means of 120
reconciliation between the traditional Polytheism and
Philosophic Monotheism—Dæmonlore in Greek
philosophers and in the popular faith—Growth of a
natural tendency to identify the gods of the polytheistic
tradition with the Dæmons—Emphasis thus given to the
philosophic conception of the Deity—Dæmons
responsible for all the crude and cruel superstitions
attaching to the popular gods—Function of the Dæmons
as mediators between God and man
CHAPTER VII.
Necessity for a Mediator between God and Man partly met by
Oracular Inspiration—General failure of Oracles in the
age of Plutarch—Plutarch’s “Delphian Essays”—The De
Pythiæ Oraculis: nature of Inspiration: oracles not
verbally inspired—The De Defectu Oraculorum—
Various explanations of Inspiration—Plutarch inclines to
accept that which assumes an original Divine afflatus
placed under the superintendence of Dæmons, whose
activities are subject to the operation of natural causes 138
CHAPTER VIII.
Sincerity of Plutarch’s belief in Dæmons—Function of the
Dæmons as Mediators not confined to oracular
inspiration—Dæmons in their personal relationship with
the human soul—The De Dæmonio Socratis—This
tract not a formal treatise on Dæmonology—Various
explanations of the Socratic “Dæmon”—Ethical value of
the conception of Dæmons as spiritual guardians of
individual men—“Men may rise on stepping-stones of
their dead selves to higher things”—Dangers of the
conception—Superstition: Plutarch’s general attitude
towards that Vice 163
CHAPTER IX.
Relation between Superstition and Atheism: Atheism an 179
intellectual error: Superstition an error involving the
passions: the De Superstitione—Moral fervour of
Plutarch’s attack on Superstition—His comparative
tolerance of Atheism—The greatest safeguard against