Freethought & Rationalism Archive

04-20-2004, 06:00 PM

Greetings all,

Vorkosigan asked me to revisit the ancient analogy I noted between
crucifixion
and
being nailed to the body (by earthly passions)

So,
here are some sources I found which show this connection :

Firstly, the original comment by Plato :

" How is that? Why, because each pleasure and pain is a sort of nail which nails and rivets the soul to the body, and engrosses her and makes her believe that to be true which the body affirms to be true; and from agreeing with the body and having the same delights she is obliged to have the same habits and ways, and is not likely ever to be pure at her departure to the world below, but is always saturated with the body; so that she soon sinks into another body and there germinates and grows, and has therefore no part in the communion of the divine and pure and simple."
Plato, Phaedo

Next, our old friend Philo ( Mr Love in modern terms

) writing just before the advent of the Christian stories, explicitly likens crucifixion to souls being attached to (bodies of) matter :

' (61) ...for it follows of necessity, that the body must be thought akin to the souls that love the body, and that external good things must be exceedingly admired by them, and all the souls which have this kind of disposition depend on dead things, and, like persons who are crucified, are attached to corruptible matter till the day of their death. '
Philo, On the Posterity of Cain and His Exile

Later, Clement notes Plato's analogy, but then uses "crucify" to mean "disconnect" or "cut" and explains "cross" to mean "separate" :

'"For the minds of those even who are deemed grave, pleasure makes waxen," according to Plato; since "each pleasure and pain nails to the body the soul" of the man, that does not sever and crucify himself from the passions. "He that loses his life," says the Lord, "shall save it;" either giving it up by exposing it to danger for the Lord's sake, as He did for us, or loosing it from fellowship with its habitual life. For if you would loose, and withdraw, and separate (for this is what the cross means) your soul from the delight and pleasure that is in this life, you will possess it, found and resting in the looked-for hope '
Clement, Miscellanies 2, Ch. XX

A later comment from Gregory of Nyssa shows the general concept of souls being rivetted to the lower, earthly things :
" The constant endeavour in such a course is to prevent the nobility of the soul from being lowered by those sensual outbreaks, in which the mind no longer maintains its heavenly thoughts and upward gaze, but sinks down to the emotions belonging to the flesh and blood. "
Gregory of Nyssa, On Virginity, Ch. V

A comment from John Chrysostom seems to liken bodies to "planks of wood" :
" For if even now men form to themselves images, since they cannot keep the body (for neither is it possible, but whether they will or no it glides and hurries from them), and are rivetted to the planks of wood; "
John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew X. 23

Its not much, but it does help to show how Paul may have been refering to esoteric principles of body and soul when he mentions crucifixion and the cross, rather than a historical event.

Iasion

04-20-2004, 06:00 PM	#1
Iasion Guest Posts: n/a	Crucified = nailed to the body Greetings all, Vorkosigan asked me to revisit the ancient analogy I noted between crucifixion and being nailed to the body (by earthly passions) So, here are some sources I found which show this connection : Firstly, the original comment by Plato : " How is that? Why, because each pleasure and pain is a sort of nail which nails and rivets the soul to the body, and engrosses her and makes her believe that to be true which the body affirms to be true; and from agreeing with the body and having the same delights she is obliged to have the same habits and ways, and is not likely ever to be pure at her departure to the world below, but is always saturated with the body; so that she soon sinks into another body and there germinates and grows, and has therefore no part in the communion of the divine and pure and simple." Plato, Phaedo Next, our old friend Philo ( Mr Love in modern terms ) writing just before the advent of the Christian stories, explicitly likens crucifixion to souls being attached to (bodies of) matter : ' (61) ...for it follows of necessity, that the body must be thought akin to the souls that love the body, and that external good things must be exceedingly admired by them, and all the souls which have this kind of disposition depend on dead things, and, like persons who are crucified, are attached to corruptible matter till the day of their death. ' Philo, On the Posterity of Cain and His Exile Later, Clement notes Plato's analogy, but then uses "crucify" to mean "disconnect" or "cut" and explains "cross" to mean "separate" : '"For the minds of those even who are deemed grave, pleasure makes waxen," according to Plato; since "each pleasure and pain nails to the body the soul" of the man, that does not sever and crucify himself from the passions. "He that loses his life," says the Lord, "shall save it;" either giving it up by exposing it to danger for the Lord's sake, as He did for us, or loosing it from fellowship with its habitual life. For if you would loose, and withdraw, and separate (for this is what the cross means) your soul from the delight and pleasure that is in this life, you will possess it, found and resting in the looked-for hope ' Clement, Miscellanies 2, Ch. XX A later comment from Gregory of Nyssa shows the general concept of souls being rivetted to the lower, earthly things : " The constant endeavour in such a course is to prevent the nobility of the soul from being lowered by those sensual outbreaks, in which the mind no longer maintains its heavenly thoughts and upward gaze, but sinks down to the emotions belonging to the flesh and blood. " Gregory of Nyssa, On Virginity, Ch. V A comment from John Chrysostom seems to liken bodies to "planks of wood" : " For if even now men form to themselves images, since they cannot keep the body (for neither is it possible, but whether they will or no it glides and hurries from them), and are rivetted to the planks of wood; " John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew X. 23 Its not much, but it does help to show how Paul may have been refering to esoteric principles of body and soul when he mentions crucifixion and the cross, rather than a historical event. Iasion

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