In the last column, we took a look at Jesus’ teachings as a moral philosopher in comparison to Confucius and the Buddha. While we know from his own words that Jesus was not seeking simply to expound upon the questions of life with his own theories but was, in fact, claiming to bring salvation, it is still profitable to examine the strength of Jesus’ teachings before we can accept his authority. In order to do so, we are undertaking to compare his precepts to those of the most well-known philosophers in history. What is the relation between what he taught and what each of the others taught? In other words, for each philosopher concerned, what is the Jesus ratio?
Now certainly, there have been other great thinkers than those who will appear in our study; in fact, nearly everyone who has ever lived has been a philosopher in the sense of having their own ideas on how to live. But those we will learn from are those who have gone down in history for their remarkable teachings, which is an achievement in its own right. One quick note on this series: throughout this examination, where general knowledge has left gaps, both scholarly and non-scholarly sources, such as Yahoo, Wikipedia and Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy have been consulted.
Socrates (c. 469-399 BC)
How do you think it would go over if a University of Pittsburgh professor were to stand up in a lecture hall filled with students and frankly say, “I really don’t know anything at all; we can talk about the matter at hand if you want to – that would be very interesting – but the truth is, I can’t tell you if your answers are right or not?” He or she would draw a lot of blank stares and probably a bit of animosity from students who have just paid a good deal of money to take this class. Well, that’s exactly what Socrates taught his pupils. One of his most famous quotes is, “I know that I know nothing.” Kind of an odd position for a teacher to take, isn’t it?
Nonetheless, Socrates had some compelling ideas to put forth. Nearly everything we know about him is seen through the eyes and words of another, since most of his teachings were related by Plato, a philosopher in his own right and with his own interpretations (not unlike Jesus’ disciples). But we do know that Socrates essentially believed that it was more important for an individual to better himself than to work for glory or riches, which sounds like a pretty good starting point.
THE JESUS RATIO:
Jesus would have been pretty happy with this concept, too. In Matthew 6:19-21 he said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
However, he didn’t go around telling people, “I don’t know.” Each time someone approached him for an answer to a situation they were dealing with, he answered them frankly, as seen dozens of times throughout the gospels. He knew that he was looked to for instruction and he willingly accepted that role. As he said in John 10:14, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” He refused to leave his students without understanding, a characteristic which proved his concern and care for his flock.
Plato (c. 428-347 BC)
Plato, despite being a pupil of Socrates, had ideas very much his own. He held the curious belief that the concepts and notions an individual has are far and away more important than anything observable. He believed that much in the world was divinely inspired but he took it to the point of scorning science and learning. In Plato’s opinion, everything important came from what a person thought about in their own heads – even the act of imparting those ideas to others would have been rather questionable, because that would involve the other person learning and therefore, receiving information outside of their own minds. How he made his ideas known to the world without violating his own principles is beyond me, but let’s see how this interesting concept holds up to Jesus’ methodology.
THE JESUS RATIO:
Over and over again throughout the gospels, we see Jesus teaching. In fact, he barely did anything else. He taught in the temples, he taught on mountaintops, he taught in the desert, he taught in ships. At the end of his life on earth, his last instructions to his disciples were for them to do the same thing. In Matthew 28:19-20 he told them, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”
In each of the gospels, including in Luke 21, he preached on what the signs of the end times would be and told his followers to always watch diligently for these signs. Now, whether a person believes in the end times or not, doesn’t it make sense that in order to know things, you have to observe things? There isn’t a scientist in the world who would disagree.
Aristotle (384-322 BC)
Aristotle was Plato’s student and he must have been rather dissatisfied with his education (which probably shouldn’t have taken place anyway, according to Plato’s theory) because he went full swing in the opposite direction by believing that knowledge has to be learned. He believed that the main purpose of humanity is to be happy, which can only be achieved through virtue. The way Aristotle saw it, people have to start with the right teachers so they can learn what is virtuous, then later on they have to make the right choices based on what they’ve been taught.
Seems pretty solid. How does Jesus line up?
THE JESUS RATIO:
Jesus made a constant practice of upholding the ancient Jewish scriptures. Although he claimed to be God, he made sure that people were following the commandments that had already been set forth for them, before adding to them. Luke 24:27 says of Jesus, “Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” In verses 44-45 he said, “All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.” In Matthew 5:18 he taught, “One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
Jesus definitely believed in the importance of having the right teachers. But did he agree with Aristotle about taking what has been learned and making the right choices? In Mark 10:17-22 a man asked Jesus how to have eternal life. Jesus quoted part of the Ten Commandments to him. The man then replied that he already kept those commandments. Jesus told him to go one step further and sell his possessions – which we never find out if the man did. In Mark 12:28-34, a similar event takes place. A temple scribe inquires of Jesus what the most important commandments are. Jesus answers and the scribe agrees, elaborating on what he believes. Jesus then tells the man, “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” But he wasn’t quite there yet.
There really isn’t anything in the gospels to suggest that Jesus did not agree with what Aristotle believed. In fact in this instance, the two line up pretty well.
In summary
So far we have learned that Jesus accepted his moral responsibility as teacher to his followers, that he promoted virtuousness over wealth, that he believed in passing on one’s knowledge, that he encouraged the use of one’s powers of observation, that he valued the teachings of tradition and his predecessors and that he ascribed a significant role to personal choice. In the realm of philosophy, he certainly gave quite a lot of food for thought.
And that’s just the beginning.
To be continued….
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