Saying Goodbye to the Gods

16 October 2023

Saying Goodbye to the Gods

I recently had an intuition (more like a possible intuition) into the last words of Socrates, the words about owing a cock to Asclepius.  What I want to suggest is that Socrates at that moment was saying goodbye to the Gods in the same way that he had just said goodbye to his family, his friends, his jailer, to Athens, to Crito specifically, to this realm of becoming and begoning.  I base this on the idea that the Gods dwell in the realm of becoming and begoning, just as we do.  That is to say that Gods are born and they pass away; they are a lifeform found in the third hypostasis.  Socrates was on his way to the Noetic realm, the second hypostasis, or possibly the source of all, the Good and the One.  That means that Socrates was leaving behind all that was embedded in genesis, in samsara.  Here are a few comments:

1.  Why was Socrates charged with impiety?  It doesn’t look like Socrates was impious; he sacrificed regularly, he didn’t reject the existence of Gods and Goddesses of various types, and he had a personal daemon who was his trusted guide.  I have read that Socrates may have introduced Gods that were not part of the civic pantheon of Athens to his young students and that is the connection between impiety and corrupting the youth.  That may be; it wouldn’t surprise me.

But I have one other suggestion; what if Socrates taught that the Gods were mortal, that they were a part of becoming and begoning, that they were born and that they would die.  This is a radical teaching and one that would have offended those who thought of the Gods as immortal.  From that perspective such a teaching would be ‘impious.’

2.  In the last part of Phaedo (115B) Socrates says to Crito that Crito and the followers of Socrates should follow the teachings Socrates had presented over his life ‘step by step’ and that if they do their lives will be worthwhile.  Crito then asks about how Socrates should be buried.  Socrates responds that Crito should do what he thinks best because Socrates will no longer be there, having separated from the body.  Socrates briefly mentions his trial and indicates that he is fine with what has happened.

Then Socrates bathes, a standard ritual that is symbolic of purification, an act of separating himself from this world.  This is followed by his interaction with his children and the women of his family to whom he gives his final instructions.

Then the jailer appears and he and Socrates express admiration for each other.  There is a notable absence of rancor or ill will.

The poison is brought to Socrates and Socrates asks if it is OK for him to offer a libation to ‘some god’ but this is not possible because they have made only enough for the execution.  Socrates complies.  I see Socrates wanting to offer a libation as similar to Socrates giving instructions to his children and family, and before that, giving instruction to his students and followers about sticking to the path ‘step by step.’  A libation is usually combined with a prayer of some kind; it might be a formula or it might be particular to the occasion.  I see Socrates as wanting to let the Gods know that they need not be concerned about him, just as he indicated to his students, followers, and family to not be concerned.

When Socrates drinks the poison and everyone bursts into tears, he tells them to ‘keep quiet and be brave.’  I take this as a general instruction for their lives, not just an instruction for the moment.

Then Socrates speaks his last words to Crito about owing a cock to Asclepius.  Notice that it was only in the instance of the Gods that Socrates was thwarted in his efforts to speak to them.  In the case of his followers and students, in the case of his friend Crito, in the case of his family and children, not only was he able to connect with them and speak to them, but this contact was actively facilitated by jailers and other personnel.  Again, it was only in the case of the Gods that this was thwarted.  My intuition is that in order to overcome that, he turned once again to his good friend Crito and asked him to complete the closing of his life by communicating with the Gods on his behalf.  Look at it this way: if meeting with his family had been thwarted, I could see Socrates asking Crito to say some final words to them. 

3.  It might seem odd to think of Socrates as looking for an opportunity to speak to the Gods so that he could explain to the Gods that they should not worry about him.  This means that Socrates was in the position of teaching the Gods about higher realities. 

There is precedence for this.  In the Theravada Suttas there is a collection of short Suttas where the Buddha teaches the Devas, explaining higher realities to them.  The implication is that the Devas need to be freed from their attachments to the world of becoming and begoning, to samsara.  I believe that this applies equally to the Gods of the culture in which Socrates lived.

4.  I see Socrates telling Crito about the cock being owed to Asclepius as an allegory for the gods in general.  This is supported by Socrates first saying that he wanted to offer a libation to ‘some god’, a general statement.  Socrates is saying that he owed the Gods a teaching, just as he felt an obligation to give a final teaching to all those others who were present.  My feeling is that Crito, and the others who were present, would understand that he was speaking analogically and also understand what it was that he was requesting.  That’s why no one is puzzled and bewildered by these last words at the time they were spoken.

5.  I cannot prove that this is ‘in fact’ what was going on.  But I think it is consistent with what precedes.  And it makes sense if one understands the Gods as also in need of teaching and instruction so that they also can find the road, which they can travel ‘step by step’, that leads to the Good and the One.