Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

THE GREEK PHILOSOPHY.413teaching, for he left not a word written. It wasin fact a religious order of life which he first practisedin his own person, and then endeavoured tocommunicate to others. Into this order trial foreveryone preceded reception.67 His scholars werefor a long period required to practise silent obedienceand unconditional submission to the authorityof the doctrine delivered to them. Severedaily examination was imposed upon all. Thepublishing of his doctrine, especially his speculationas to the nature of God, was strictly forbidden.The upright life, the learning which thencould only be attained by personal inquiry, thepersuasiveness of Pythagoras, were together so effectivethat he succeeded in establishing such acommunity both in Crotona and in other cities ofSouthern Italy. It was persecuted and sufferedcontinual disasters, but still this Pythagorean community,bearing on its founder's doctrines andmanner of life, existed for several generations afterhis death, during which many of the most distinguishedGreeks belonged to it. Such was the poet^Eschylus, whose mind was formed on Pythagoreanprinciples. In Plato's time the Pythagorean Ar-chytas was at the head of the state of Tarentum :and Plato himself was largely imbued with Pythagoreantenets.6867 Ueberweg, i. p. 50. Plato calls it bUv two. jSiou, for which Pythagorasavr6s re 8ias frycwnrjflT?, Kal ol vcnepov ert Kal vvv Uvday6p¬iovrp6irov Inpo/icfjbrrcs TOV fiiov Sm^cu/eZ? TTTJ SOKOVVIV elvat. Polit. x. p. 600.68 Grote, PZato, i. p. 221.