The golden verses of PythagorasFabre d'Olivet, Antoine
Religion
The golden verses of Pythagoras
Fabre d'Olivet, Antoine
Poetry -- History and criticism; Pythagoras and Pythagorean school
Yet Pythagoras did not conceive friendship as a simple individual
affection, but as an universal benevolence which should be extended to
all men in general, and to all good people.[293] At that time he gave
to this virtue the name of philanthropy. It is the virtue which, under
the name of charity, serves as foundation for the Christian religion.
Jesus offers it to his disciples immediately after divine love, and as
equal to piety.[294] Zoroaster places it after sincerity[295]; he
wished that man might be pure in thought, speech, and action; that he
might speak the truth, and that he might do good to all men. Kong-Tse
as well as Pythagoras commended it after filial piety.[296] “All
morals,” he said, “can be reduced to the observation of three
fundamental laws, of the relations between sovereigns and subjects,
between parents and children, between husbands and wives; and to the
strict practice of the five capital virtues, of which the first is
humanity, that is to say, that universal charity, that expansion of
the soul which binds man to man without distinction.”
6. _If thou canst at least: for a most rigid law
Binds Power to Necessity._
Here is the proof of what I said just now, that Pythagoras recognized
two motives of human actions, the first, issuing from a constrained
nature, called Necessity; the second emanating from a free nature,
called Power, and both dependent upon an implied primordial law. This
doctrine was that of the ancient Egyptians, among whom Pythagoras had
imbibed it. “Man is mortal with reference to the body,” they said,
“but he is immortal with reference to the soul which constitutes
essential man. As immortal he has authority over all things; but
relative to the material and mortal part of himself, he is subject to
destiny.”[297]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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