Basics of Hellenism: The Philosophy of Pythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos was a Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who lived from 570BCE-495 BCE and founded of the school of Pythagoreanism in philosophy. The teaching that is most securely identified with him is metempsychosis, or the “transmigration of souls,” which states that all souls are immortal and, upon the death of a person, their soul moves into a new body. He is credited with the doctrine of musica universalis, “universal music,” which states that the planets move according to mathematical equations and therefore produce an inaudible symphony of music. There is question about whether or not the mathematical and numerological teachings attributed to him are actually his, or if they are the work of his later followers like Philolaus of Croton. He is said to have influenced Xenophanes, Plato, and Empedocles.
It is said that Plato was the first man to call himself a philosopher (lit. “lover of wisdom”) and that he developed the concepts of the five regular solids, the theory of proportions, the Pythagorean theorem, the identification of the morning and evening stars as the planet Venus, the sphericity of the Earth, and the five climactic zones. His conception of mathematical perfection further impacted Ancient Greek art.
Metempsychosis
Metempsychosis is the belief that all souls are immortal. Further, it is the belief that all souls, after death, transfer to new bodies. This concept is referenced by Xenophanes, Ion of Chios, and Herodotus, though there is nothing known about the nature or mechanism by which Pythagoras believed it to occur. He supposedly told people that his soul had lived multiple previous lives, four of which he could remember in detail. He said that his first life was as Aethalides, the son of Hermes, who granted him the ability to remember all of his past incarnations. The second was Euphorbus, a Trojan War hero briefly mentioned in the Iliad. Third was the philosopher Hermotimus, and lastly was as Pyrrhus, a fisherman from Delos.
Mysticism
Pythagoras developed the “harmony of spheres,” which argued that the planets and the stars move according to mathematical equations, which correspond to musical notes, producing an inaudible symphony. Pythagoras supposedly taught that the seven Muses were actually the seven planets singing together. Aristotle, in his Protrepticus, quotes Pythagoras as saying that the reason that humans exist is “to observe the heavens,” and that he was an observer of nature because of this.
Pythagoras was also said to practice divination and prophecy, appearing in his visits to different places as a religious man or as a lawgiver.
Numerology
Aristotle claims that Pythagoreans--those who followed the teachings of Pythagoras--used mathematics for mystical reasons that were devoid of practical applications.
Pythagoreans believed that all things were made of numbers.
The number one, the monad, represented the origin of all things. The number two, the dyad, represented matter. The number three was said to be an “ideal” number because it had a beginning, middle, and an end, and it was the smallest number of points that could be used to define a plane triangle, a revered symbol of Apollo among Pythagoreans. The number four signified the four seasons and the four elements. The number five symbolized marriage, because it was the sum of two and three. Odd numbers were considered masculine, and even numbers were considered feminine. The number seven was considered exceptionally sacred because it was the number of planets in the universe, the number of strings on a lyre, and the number of the day of the month that Apollo’s birthday was celebrated.
Ten was considered the most sacred number, the “perfect number” and as such, the Pythagoreans honored it by never gathering in groups that were larger than ten. Pythagoras is credited with devising the tetractys, a triangular figure of four rows which add up to ten and was regarded as a symbol of utmost mystical importance. According to Iamblichus, tetractys was “so admirable, and so divinised by those who understood [it]” that Pythagoreans would swear oaths by it.
Image: tetractys triangle that is comprised of four rows of dots: four on the bottom, three on the second row, two on the third row, and one at the top. Each row has a series of triangles that in total add up to 9 triangles on the inside of the larger triangle.
Communal Lifestyles of Pythagoreanism
Pythagoras was most well-known in ancient times for his foundation of a new way of life in Ancient Greece. Pythagoras founded a school in Croton that, really, was more of a monastery. Those who came to the school were bound by a vow to Pythagoras and to each other that they were there to pursue religious and ascetic observances and study Pythagoras’ religious and philosophical theories. All possessions were shared between members and were devoted to the exclusion of outsiders. Like the Spartans, Pythagoreans ate meals in common. One of the most important Pythagorean maxims was “All things in common among friends.”
Pythagoreanism, in its early stages, was divided into two groups: methematikoi (the learners), and akousmatikoi (the listeners). The akousmatikoi were considered the “old believers” in mysticism, numerology, and religious teachings, whereas the methematikoi were traditionally identified as a more intellectual, modernist faction who were more rationalist and scientific.
Pythagoreans believed that music was a purification for the soul, just as medicine is a purification for the body. They placed emphasis on the importance of physical exercise, and therapeutic dancing, daily morning walks, and athletics were major components of the lifestyle of Pythagoreans.
Pythagorean teachings were called “symbola,” or symbols, and members of the Pythagorean school took a vow of silence to not reveal the symbola to non-members of the school. Anyone who was part of the school who did not follow the community laws was expelled and treated by the school as if they were dead.
Pythagorean Maxims
The Pythagorean maxims were a series of rules, or symbola, that Pythagoreans were required to live by in order to achieve a good and pure life according to Pythagoras and his early followers. While the meanings of many of the maxims have likely been lost to time, there are some which are easily understood even today.
Go not beyond the balance
Sit down not on the bushel
Tear not to pieces the crown
Eat not the heart
Do not poke the fire with a sword
Having arrived at the frontiers, turn not back
Do not go by the popular route
Suffer no swallows around thy house
Wear not the image of deity on thy ring
Do not unload people, but load them up.
Do not easily shake hands with anyone.
Leave not the least imprint of the pot on the ashes.
Sow mallows, but never eat them
Wipe not out the place of the torch
Wear not a tight ring
Feed not the animals with crooked claws
Abstain from voting with beans
Eat not fish whose tails are black
Never eat the Gunard fish
Eat not the womb of animals
Abstain from flesh of animals that die of themselves
Abstain from eating animals
Always place salt on the table
Never parcel off the loaf
Do not spill oil on the seat
Put no food in a foul vessel
Feed the cock, but sacrifice it not, for it is sacred to the sun and the mood
Break not the teeth
Keep far from thyself the vinegar cruet
Spit upon the clippings of thy nails, and on the trimmings of thy hair.
Do not urinate against the sun
Speak not in the face of the sun
Do not sleep at noon
Make the bed as soon as ye arise, leaving no imprint of thy body
Never sing without harp accompaniment
Always keep thy things packed up
Quit not thy post without thy overseer’s order
Cut not wood on a public road
Roast not what is boiled
Avoid the two-edged sword
Pick not up what has fallen from the table
Abstain even from the cypress chest
To the celestial gods offer an odd number of oblations, but to the infernal an even
Offer not to the deities the wine of an unpruned vine
Never sacrifice without cakes
Adore the deities, and sacrifice barefoot
Turn around when ye worship
Sit down when ye worship
Pare not thy nails during the sacrifice
When it thunders, touch the ground
Do not primp by torch light
One, two
Honor symbols of dignity, the throne, and the ternary
When the wind blows, adore echo
Eat not in the chariot
Put on thy right shoe first, and wash the left foot first
Eat not the brain
Plant not the palm tree
Make thy libations to the deities by the ear
Never catch the Cuttlefish
Hesitate not at the threshold
Give way to a flock that goes by
Avoid the weasel
Refuse the weapons a woman offers thee
Kill not the serpent who chances to fall within thy walls
It is a crime to throw stones into fountains
Feed not thyself with thy left hand
It is a horrible crime to wipe off the seat with iron
Stick not iron into footsteps
Sleep not on a grave
Lay not the whole log on the fire
Leap not from a vehicle with thy feet close together
Threaten not the stars
Place not the candle against the wall
Write not in the snow














