Von ART. V.-Das Christliche im Plato und in der Platonischen Philosophie entwickelt und hervorgehoben. DR. C. ACKERMANN, Archdiaconus zu Jena. Hamburg: The Christian in Plato and in the Platonic Philosophy developed and presented. By DR. C. ACKERMANN, Archdeacon of Jena. THERE are two classes of writers upon religion and philosophy. The most numerous seek to distinguish and separate; the smaller to join and identify. The former seek diversity; the latter unity. Both find what they seek; for if the remark of the artist, that men only see what they have antecedently in their mind, be at all true when applied to objects of sense, it is eminently more true when applied to objects of thought. The writer of the work named at the head of this article belongs to the latter class. He seeks the True and the Holy, in all systems of Philosophy and Religion; and often discovers it when least expected. He is never disgusted at the oldness of a truth, nor alarmed at its new garb. He confesses his fondness for seeking after the harmony of systems apparently the most discordant. Yet he is never fantastic in his principles, nor capricious in applying them. Dr. Ackermann does not attempt to determine the relation of Platonism to Christianity; much less with some of the early Christian writers to place them on the same level; but simply to point out the resemblance in doctrine, even in language, in design, and in the general spirit, between the teachings of Plato and the New Testament. He does not seek for this similarity in form only, or in philosophical or theological doctrines, but in the spirit which characterizes the writings of Plato. This work is one of singular beauty; it is distinguished by critical acuteness, justness of perception, a delicacy of religious sentiment, and a thoroughly Christian spirit. The author usually avoids the errors of his countrymen, who are so often learned without wisdom, and profound without clearness, and rarely envelopes himself in a mist. In the remainder of this article we propose to treat of the same subject, giving mainly his views and sometimes translating literally from his beautiful pages. The author shows that Plato was highly esteemed by the Christian fathers. They found his teachings congenial with those of Jesus, and the doctrines of the Old Testament; but forgetting that all profound, and simple-hearted inquirers closely resemble one another, they attempted to explain this congeniality by pretending that he drew from the writings of Scripture. "What is Plato but Moses atticising," says Josephus. The opponents of Christianity, on the contrary, pretended that Jesus had borrowed his best sayings from Plato; that Christianity was derived from Platonism, which was in part misunderstood, and in part perverted. The folly of both parties is evident. Justin, with more probability, refers their agreement to the primal revelation, the light which once enlightened the whole earth. Clement of Alexandria deduced the True and the Beautiful in the Greek philosophy from the primitive fountain of Wisdom. He delighted to trace the similarity between Platonism and Christianity. To him, Faith was no less the foundation of knowledge than of the Christian life. But this faith was to be enlightened by philosophy; belief to be converted to knowledge. True Religion and true Platonism he considered identical; the union of the head and the heart. The Greeks had their imperfect philosophy, and the Jews had their imperfect law, as a schoolmaster to bring them to Christianity. Nay, more, this philosophy was a sort of Christ, to justify them before God. He seems to have thought that Christianity was Platonism, purified from all its errors, raised to perfection, and applied to life. The Platonic Ideal was refined and actualized. He was somewhat wary in expressing this belief; but it appears, says the author, in his writings and even in those of the rigid Augustine. "That," says the latter, "which we now call the Christian religion, was among the ancients. It never failed from the beginning of Man till Christ came in the flesh. Then the true Religion, previously existing, was called Christianity."* In his confessions he thanks God, that he first became acquainted with Plato, then with the Gospel. Origen, still more friendly to Platonism, transferred the whole Academy into the Christian church. But this partiality arose from no division of their hearts between the new religion and the old philosophy. They hon * City of God, VIII. 8. This book, says some one, is the purest fruit of the hearty union of Platonism and Christianity. ored Plato for the Christian denial so conspicuous in his character and writings. He was the servant, he held the same place with Moses, and prepared the way to Christ. His Philosophy was appointed by God for the gradual redemption of man. But had he lived in the time of Jesus, he would have been a Christian. When the New Platonists fantastically attempted to elevate their master above the Savior, then the Christian Platonists were ready to attack them. There were, however, always some teachers in the Christian Church who abjured all philosophy, considering it as the work of the great Patriarch of lies. But the greatest minds in Christian antiquity were ever desirous of bringing Plato within the pale of their Church; they wished to show how Christian he was. The younger Apollinaris even attempted to change the whole New Testament into Platonic dialogues. From this desire of the Fathers arose the popular legend that when Christ descended to the lower world, he conversed with Plato, redeemed him, and restored him to happiness. Dr. Ackermann traces the progress of Christian Platonism, in the middle ages. We will pass briefly over this subject. Aristotle drove Plato from the field. The Scholastics were not acquainted with Greek, and Plato was still clothed in his own imperial purple, and not in the rags of a Latin version. The prevalent reverence for Augustine, and the mysticism which obtained during the middle ages, conspired to fan the embers of the Platonic fire. The writings of the pretended Dionysius the Areopagite contain a system of Neo-Platonism translated into Christian language. Scotus Esigena, by his beautiful Latin version of the books of Dionysius, gave a still wider extension to his doctrines. The author brings the history of Christian Platonism down to our times, and collects numerous passages from the writings of Plato, which, as he says, "have a Christian sound." We shall transfer a few of them to these pages, trusting they will recall to the reader the similar passages of holy writ. "It is impossible to be rich and at the same time to be very good." "It is worse to do wrong than to suffer wrong." "To do wrong is far worse than death." "I must rather obey God, than you men." "He that does what is right and well pleasing to God, he is righteous and well pleasing to God." "It is impossible to possess great wealth, and at the same time moderaVOL. XXV. - 3D s. VOL. VII. NO. III. 47 66 'Only the lawful runner can "If now we hold fast tion; one must be renounced." reach the goal, and win the crown." this conviction, and believe that the soul is immortal, and able to endure all the Evil and all the Good of life, we shall then ever pursue the upward way, and shall strive after righteousness and wisdom, by all means; thereby we shall be friends to ourselves and to the gods while we remain here, and then, like conquerors, we shall be honored with the recompense for the struggle, and shall be truly happy." Charity removes all disaffection towards others; fills us with esteem for them. It removes rudeness; gives us gentleness. It persists in well wishing, and abstains from ill-wishing. It is friendly, self-denying, agreeable to God and man." "Do we not know that to him, who is beloved of God, all evil which comes from the gods is for the best? - Yea, thus must we think of right doing, that if he falls into poverty, or into sickness, or into any other of the so called evils, that at the end they will conduct to some good, in life, or in death." The Attic and the Jewish Moses have many precepts in common. Both forbid men to take the name of God in vain. "Honor thy parents by word and by deed," says Plato. "If any man have in his house father or mother, or men weak with age, hold it for certain that he has no reliques more precious, though he is never so rich." "The child shall not suffer for its father's sin." The similarity between Platonism and Christianity consists more in tone and spirit, than in words and sentences. "Of the most excellent portion of the soul it must be said, God has given it to each man as a seal of divinity, which may elevate us from the earth to an affinity with Heaven; for we are not sprung from the earth but from Heaven." "They who thoughtless, and without virtue, are given to dainties and similar things, are soon drawn into the deep; thence they arise to a certain medium; and between these they fluctuate all their life. Above this medium, they never rise; they never look to the truly lofty, nor feel attracted to it. They never satisfy the essential condition of life; they never taste pure and permanent enjoyment; but like brute beasts they look down, and bow down to the earth and to their food; they wear out their lives in intemperance, and with unappeasable desires." -- The beauty of life is the subjection of the animal to the human, or rather to divine power in man. But the deformity of life is a slavery, where the better influence is subjected to the worse. "Can it be of use to a man to get gold by injustice? Nay; thereby he subjects the Beautiful in his nature to the Contemptible, and so becomes wretched. Would it be accounted a righteous gain, if a man were to sell his son, or daughter as a slave to a cruel or violent master, though he received never so much money therefrom? Now, when a man causes the Divine in him to serve the Ungodly, and has no compassion on himself, is he not most of all to be pitied?" It is impossible to escape the justice of God. With him every day is yesterday's day of judgment, itself to be judged by tomorrow. Only the Holy and the True are truly blessed. They who only seem holy enjoy only the semblance of happiness. Hollow men of Seeming collapse under God's Justice; only real men of Being can stand with him. Plato speaks of the Sophists as Jesus speaks of the Scribes and Pharisees. They were the Pharisees of Athens. There is a coincidence between the dogmas and ethical doctrines of Plato and of Jesus, quite as remarkable as the similarity of their thoughts and expressions. He speaks of the existence, attributes, names, and works of the Supreme Being in a Christian sense. The same spirit marks his doctrines upon the nature and value of the soul; the power of sin; the beauty and loftiness of virtue; the perfection of divine justice; the duration and completeness of rewards and punishments after death. Neither Plato nor the writers of the Bible ever attempt to prove the existence of God. Both start with this admission. There is an immediate consciousness of God, as inseparable from the soul as self-consciousness. To him, to the Scripture, God is past finding out. "It is difficult to find out the Maker and Father of the All, and when found it is impossible to communicate a knowledge of Him to all men." The nearest approach to a knowledge of God is in the idea of goodness, or as John says, "God is Love." "Knowledge," says Plato, "is not conceivable without the idea of God." From him knowledge proceeds; to him it tends; in him it rests. God is the beginning and the end of all. He is the measure of all Being. Theology, therefore, is anterior to Philosophy.* as * An Indian Philosopher, at Athens, once asked Socrates, how he should begin to philosophize. Socrates replied, By reflecting on human |
