Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is
Stolen Egyptian Philosophy
by
George G. M. James, Ph.D.
University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff
This work was originally published in New York by Philosophical Library in 1954. The content
herein has been slightly edited to mark word corrections and in its organization to assist
readability.
The author, George Granville Monah James was born in Georgetown, Guyana, South America.
His parents were Reverend Linch B. and Margaret E. James. George studied at Durham
University in Britain and after a period at the University of London, he earned his doctorate at
Columbia University in New York, NY. He then qualified to teach Mathematics, Latin, and
Greek. Later he was professor of Logic and Greek at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North
Carolina for two years, before teaching at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff. The author has
also written the following pamphlets: 1. Health Week in New Castle; 2. Intermarriage (published
in London, England); 3. Black People Under Germany (published in New York); 4. The Need of
a New Education for the Subject Peoples of the World (published in Arkansas, U.S.A.); 5. The
Probable Causes of Religious Apathy in our Institutions of Higher Learning and the Proposal of
a New Naturalism (published in Arkansas, U.S.A). And second, he has also authored the
following articles, titled: The Church and the New Mentality; Religion is an Inductive and
Progressive Science; The Anti-Classical Wave; The First Step In Negro Reconstruction; Know
Thyself (a series of 12 articles published in the New York Age and the Zion Quarterly); The
Influence of Mathematics Upon the Mentality and Character of Students (published in the
Georgia Herald).
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Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy by George G. M. James
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Contents
Introduction
(A) Characteristics of Greek Philosophy; (B) The Aims of The Book
Part I
Chapter I
Greek Philosophy Is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy
1. The teachings of the Egyptian Mysteries reached other lands centuries before it reached
Athens; 2. The authorship of the individual doctrines is extremely doubtful; 3. The chronology
of Greek philosophers is mere speculation; 4. The compilation of the history of Greek
philosophy was the plan of Aristotle executed by his school.
Chapter II
So-called Greek Philosophy was Alien to the Greeks and their Conditions of Life
The period of Greek philosophy (640–322 B.C.) was a period of internal and external wars and
was unsuitable for producing philosophers.
Chapter III
Greek Philosophy was the Offspring of the Egyptian Mystery System
1. The Egyptian theory of salvation became the purpose of Greek philosophy; 2. Circumstances
of identity between the Egyptian and Greek systems are shown; 3. The abolition of Greek
philosophy with the Egyptian Mysteries identifies them; 4. How the African continent gave its
culture to the Western World.
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Chapter IV
The Egyptians Educated The Greeks
1. The effects of the Persian Conquest; 2. The effects of the Conquest of Egypt by Alexander
the Great; 3. The Egyptians were the first to civilize the Greeks; 4. Alexander visits the Oracle
of Ammon in the Oasis of Siwah.
Chapter V
The Pre-Socratic Philosophers and the Teachings Ascribed to Them
1. The earlier Ionion philosophers and their doctrines; 2. Pythagoras and his doctrines; 3. The
Eleatic philosophers and their doctrines. 4. The later Ionion philosophers and their doctrines; 5.
Summary of conclusions concerning the Pre-Socratic philosophers and the history of the Four
Qualities and Four Elements. (a) The doctrines of the early Ionic, the Eleatic and the later Ionic
philosophers and Pythagoras are traced to their Egyptian origin; (b) The doctrine of the Four
Qualities and Four Elements is traced to its Egyptian origin; (c) Plagiarism shown to be a
common practice among the Greek philosophers who borrowed from one another but chiefly
from Pythagoras who obtained his ideas from the Egyptians; (d) The doctrine of the Atom by
Democritus is traced to its Egyptian origin, as well as his large number of books. He taught
nothing new.
Chapter VI
The Athenian Philosophers
1. SOCRATES
1. His Life: (a) Date and place of birth; (b) His economic status and personality; (c) His trial
and death; (d) Crito's attempt to smuggle him out of prison; (e) Phaedo describes the final scene
before his death.
2. Doctrines: The doctrines of (a) The Nous; (b) The Supreme Good; (c) Opposites and
harmony; (d) The immortality of the soul and (e) Self knowledge.
3. Summary of Conclusions: (a) The doctrines of Socrates are traced to their Egyptian origin, as
he taught nothing new; (b) The importance of the farewell conversation of Socrates with his
pupils and friends is set forth.
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2. PLATO
(I) His early life; (II) His travels and academy; (III) His disputed writings; (IV) His doctrines.
1. The theory of ideas and its application to natural phenomena including (a) the real and
unreal; (b) the Nous and (c) creation.
2. The ethical doctrines concerning (a) the highest good; (b) definition of virtue and; (c) the
cardinal virtues.
3. The doctrine of the Ideal state whose attributes are compared with the attributes of the soul
and justice.
(V) Summary of Conclusions:
(a) The doctrines of Plato are traced to their Egyptian origin, as he taught nothing new;
(b) Magic is shown to be the key to the interpretation of ancient religion and philosophy;
(c) The authorship of his books is disputed by modern scholars, and ancient historians deny his
authorship of the Republic and Timeas;
(d) The allegory of the charioteer and winged steeds is traced to its Egyptian origin.
3. ARISTOTLE
(I) (a) His early life and training; (b) His own list of books; (c) Other list of books; (II)
Doctrines; (III) Summary of Conclusions.
A The doctrines are traced to their Egyptian origin, as he taught nothing new; B (1) The library
of Alexandria was the true source of Aristotle's large numbers of books; (2) The lack of
uniformity between the list of books points to doubtful authorship; C The discrepancies and
doubts in this life.
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Chapter VII
The Curriculum of The Egyptian Mystery System
1. The education of Egyptian Priests according to their Orders;
2. The education of the Egyptian Priests in: (a) The Seven Liberal Arts; (b) Secret systems of
languages and mathematical symbolism; (c) Magic.
3. A comparison of the curriculum of the Egyptian Mystery System with the list of books said
to be drawn up by Aristotle himself.
Chapter VIII:
The Memphite Theology is the Basis of all Important Doctrines of Greek Philosophy
1.
(a) The history, description and complete text of the Memphite Theology are given and the
subject matter is divided into three parts;
(b) The text of the first part is followed by the philosophy which the first part teaches;
(c) The text of the second part is followed by the philosophy which the second part teaches;
(d) The text of the third part is followed by the philosophy which the third part teaches.
2. The Memphite Theology is shown to be the source of modern scientific knowledge;
(a) The identity of the creation of the Ennead with the Nebular Hypothesis and;
(b) The identity of the Sun God Atom with the atom of Science.
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3. The Memphite Theology opens great possibilities for modern scientific research:
(a) The Greek concept of the atom is shown to be erroneous; (b) With the new interpretation of
the atom the Memphite Theology provides a vast field of scientific secrets yet to be discovered.
Part II
Chapter IX
Social Reformation through the New Philosophy of African Redemption
1. Social Reformation
The knowledge that the African continent gave civilization the Arts and Sciences, Religion and
Philosophy is des- tined to produce a change in the mentality both of the White and Black
people. 2. There are three persons in the drama of Greek philosophy: (a) Alexander the Great;
(b) Aristotle's School and; (c) The Ancient Roman Government who are responsible for a false
tradition about Africa and the social plight of its peoples; (3) Both the White and Black people
are common victims of a false tradition about Africa and this fact makes both races partners in
the solution of the problem of racial reformation. (4) The methods suggested for racial
reformation: (a) Reeducation of both groups by worldwide dissemination of Africa's
contribution to civilization; (b) The abandonment of the false worship of Greek intellect; (c)
Special attention must be given to the re-education of missionaries and a constant demand made
for a change in missionary policy.
2. The New Philosophy of African Redemption
1. A statement and explanation of the new philosophy of African Redemption are made; 2.
Black people must cultivate methods of counteraction against: (a) The false worship of Greek
intellect; (b) Missionary literature and exhibition and; (c) must demand a change in missionary
policy.
Appendix
Notes
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Introduction
Characteristics of Greek Philosophy
The term Greek philosophy, to begin with is a misnomer, for there is no such philosophy in
existence. The ancient Egyptians had developed a very complex religious system, called the
Mysteries, which was also the first system of salvation.
As such, it regarded the human body as a prison house of the soul, which could be liberated from
its bodily impediments, through the disciplines of the Arts and Sciences, and advanced from the
level of a mortal to that of a God. This was the notion of the summum bonum or greatest good, to
which all men must aspire, and it also became the basis of all ethical concepts. The Egyptian
Mystery System was also a Secret Order, and membership was gained by initiation and a pledge
to secrecy. The teaching was graded and delivered orally to the Neophyte; and under these
circumstances of secrecy, the Egyptians developed secret systems of writing and teaching, and
forbade their Initiates from writing what they had learnt.
After nearly five thousand years of prohibition against the Greeks, they were permitted to enter
Egypt for the purpose of their education. First through the Persian invasion and secondly through
the invasion of Alexander the Great. From the sixth century B.C. therefore to the death of
Aristotle (322 B.C.) the Greeks made the best of their chance to learn all they could about
Egyptian culture; most students received instructions directly from the Egyptian Priests, but after
the invasion by Alexander the Great, the Royal temples and libraries were plundered and
pillaged, and Aristotle's school converted the library at Alexandria into a research centre. There
is no wonder then, that the production of the unusually large number of books ascribed to
Aristotle has proved a physical impossibility, for any single man within a life time.
The history of Aristotle's life, has done him far more harm than good, since it carefully avoids
any statement relating to his visit to Egypt, either on his own account or in company with
Alexander the Great, when he invaded Egypt. This silence of history at once throws doubt upon
the life and achievements of Aristotle. He is said to have spent twenty years under the tutorship
of Plato, who is regarded as a Philosopher, yet he graduated as the greatest of Scientists of
Antiquity. Two questions might be asked: (a) how could Plato teach Aristotle what he himself
did not know?; and (b) why should Aristotle spend twenty years under a teacher from whom he
could learn nothing? This bit of history sounds incredible. Again, in order to avoid suspicion
over the extraordinary number of books ascribed to Aristotle, history tells us that Alexander the
Great, gave him a large sum of money to get the books. Here again the history sounds incredible,
and three statements must here be made.
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(a) In order to purchase books on science, they must have been in circulation so as to enable
Aristotle to secure them. (b) If the books were in circulation before Aristotle purchased them,
and since he is not supposed to have visited Egypt at all, then the books in question must have
been circulated among Greek philosophers. (c) If circulated among Greek philosophers, then we
would expect the subject matter of such books to have been known before Aristotle's time, and
consequently he could not be credited either with producing them or introducing new ideas of
science.
Another point of considerable interest to be accounted for was the attitude of the Athenian
government towards this so-called Greek philosophy, which it regarded as foreign in origin and
treated it accordingly. Only a brief study of history is necessary to show that Greek philosophers
were undesirable citizens, who throughout the period of their investigations were victims of
relentless persecution, at the hands of the Athenian government. Anaxagoras was imprisoned and
exiled; Socrates was executed; Plato was sold into slavery and Aristotle was indicted and exiled;
while the earliest of them all, Pythagoras, was expelled from Croton in Italy. Can we imagine the
Greeks making such an about turn, as to claim the very teachings which they had at first
persecuted and openly rejected? Certainly, they knew they were usurping what they had never
produced, and as we enter step by step into our study the greater do we discover evidence which
leads us to the conclusion that Greek philosophers were not the authors of Greek philosophy, but
the Egyptian Priests and Hierophants.
Aristotle died in 322 B.C. not many years after he had been aided by Alexander the Great to
secure the largest quantity of scientific books from the Royal Libraries and Temples of Egypt. In
spite however of such great intellectual treasure, the death of Aristotle marked the death of
philosophy among the Greeks, who did not seem to possess the natural ability to advance these
sciences. Consequently history informs us that the Greeks were forced to make a study of Ethics,
which they also borrowed from the Egyptian "summum bonum" or greatest good. The two other
Athenian Philosophers must be mentioned here, I mean Socrates and Plato; who also became
famous in history as philosophers and great thinkers. Every school boy believes that when he
hears or reads the command "know thyself", he is hearing or reading words which were uttered
by Socrates. But the truth is that the Egyptian temples carried inscriptions on the outside
addressed to Neophytes and among them was the injunction "know thyself". Socrates copied
these words from the Egyptian Temples, and was not the author. All mystery temples, inside and
outside of Egypt carried such inscriptions, just like the weekly bulletins of our modern Churches.
Similarly, every school boy believes that when he hears or reads the names of the four cardinal
virtues, he is hearing or reading names of virtues determined by Plato. Nothing has been more
misleading, for the Egyptian Mystery System contained ten virtues, and from this source Plato
copied what have been called the four cardinal virtues, justice, wisdom, temperance, and
courage. It is indeed surprising how, for centuries, the Greeks have been praised by the Western
World for intellectual accomplishments which belong without a doubt to the Egyptians or the
peoples of North Africa.
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Another noticeable characteristic of Greek philosophy is the fact that most of the Greek
philosophers used the teachings of Pythagoras as their model; and consequently they have
introduced nothing new in the field of philosophy. Included in the Pythagorean system we find
the doctrines of (a) opposites (b) Harmony (c) Fire (d) Mind, since it is composed of fire atoms,
(e) Immortality, expressed as transmigration of Souls, (f) The summum bonum or the purpose of
philosophy. And these of course are reflected in the systems of Heraclitus, Parmenides,
Democritus, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.
The next thing that is peculiar about Greek philosophy is its use in literature. The Egyptian
Mystery System was the first secret Order of History and the publication of its teachings was
strictly prohibited. This explains why Initiates like Socrates did not commit to writing their
philosophy, and why the Babylonians and Chaldaeans who were very closely associated with
them also refrained from publishing those teachings.
We can at once see how easy it was for an ambitious and even envious nation to claim a body of
unwritten knowledge which would make them great in the eyes of the primitive world. The
absurdity however, is easily recognized when we remember that the Greek language was used to
translate several systems of teachings which the Greeks could not succeed in claiming. Such
were the translation of Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, called the Septuagint; and the translation
of the Christian Gospels, Acts and the Epistles in Greek, still called the Greek New Testament. It
is only the unwritten philosophy of the Egyptians translated into Greek that has met with such an
unhappy fate: a legacy stolen by the Greeks.
On account of reasons already given, I have been compelled to handle the subject matter of this
book, in the way it has been handled: namely (a) with a frequency of repetition, because it is the
method of Greek philosophy, to use a common principle to explain several different doctrines,
and (b) the quotation and analysis of doctrines, because it is the object of this book to establish
the Egyptian Origin and this cannot be so satisfactorily done if the doctrines are not presented.
Greek philosophy is somewhat of a drama, whose chief actors were Alexander the Great,
Aristotle and his successors in the peripatetic school, and the Roman Emperor Justinian.
Alexander invaded Egypt and captured the Royal Library at Alexandria and plundered it.
Aristotle made a library of his own with plundered books, while his school occupied the building
and used it as a research centre. Finally, Justinian the Roman Emperor abolished the Temples
and schools of philosophy i.e. another name for the Egyptian Mysteries which the Greeks
claimed as their product, and on account of which, they have been falsely praised and honoured
for centuries by the world, as its greatest philosophers and thinkers.
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This contribution to civilization was really and truly made by the Egyptians and the African
continent, but not by the Greeks or the European continent. We sometimes wonder why the
people of African descent find themselves in such a social plight as they do, but the answer is
plain enough. Had it not been for this drama of Greek philosophy and its actors, the African
continent would have had a different reputation, and would have enjoyed a status of respect
among the nations of the world.
This unfortunate position of the African continent and its peoples appears to be the result of
misrepresentation upon which the structure of race prejudice has been built, i.e. the historical
world opinion that the African continent is backward, that its people are backward, and that
their civilization is also backward.
Finally, the dishonesty in the movement of the publication of a Greek philosophy, becomes very
glaring, when we refer to the fact, purposely that by calling the theorem of the Square on the
Hypotenuse, the Pythagorean theorem, it has concealed the truth for centuries from the world,
who ought to know that the Egyptians taught Pythagoras and the Greeks, what mathematics they
knew.
I want to mention here that among the many books which I found helpful in my present work are
"The Intellectual Adventure of Man" and "The Egyptian Religion" by Professor Henri Frankfort
and "The Mediterranean World in Ancient Times" by Professor Eva Sandford.
George G. M. James
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The Aim of the Book
The aim of the book is to establish better race relations in the world, by revealing a fundamental
truth concerning the contribution of the African continent to civilization. It must be borne in
mind that the first lesson in the humanities is to make a people aware of their contribution to
civilization; and the second lesson is to teach them about other civilizations. By this
dissemination of the truth about the civilization of individual peoples, a better understanding
among them, and a proper appraisal of each other should follow. This notion is based upon the
notion of the Great Master Mind: Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Consequently, the book is an attempt to show that the true authors of Greek philosophy were not
the Greeks; but the people of North Africa, commonly called the Egyptians; and the praise and
honor falsely given to the Greeks for centuries belong to the people of North Africa, and
therefore to the African continent . Consequently this theft of the African legacy by the Greeks
led to the erroneous world opinion that the African continent has made no contribution to
civilization, and that its people are naturally backward. This is the misrepresentation that has
become the basis of race prejudice, which has affected all people of color.
For centuries the world has been misled about the original source of the Arts and Sciences; for
centuries Socrates, Plato and Aristotle have been falsely idolized as models of intellectual
greatness; and for centuries the African continent has been called the Dark Continent, because
Europe coveted the honor of transmitting to the world, the Arts and Sciences.
I am happy to be able to bring this information to the attention of the world, so that on the one
hand, all races and creeds might know the truth and free themselves from those prejudices which
have corrupted human relations; and on the other hand, that the people of African origin might
be emancipated from their serfdom of inferiority complex, and enter upon a new era of freedom,
in which they would feel like free men, with full human rights and privileges.
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Part I
Chapter I: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy
1. The Teachings of the Egyptian Mysteries Reached Other Lands Many Centuries Before it
Reached Athens
According to history, Pythagoras after receiving his training in Egypt, returned to his native
island, Samos, where he established his order for a short time, after which he migrated to Croton
(540 B.C.) in Southern Italy, where his order grew to enormous proportions, until his final
expulsion from that country. We are also told that Thales (640 B.C.) who had also received his
education in Egypt, and his associates: Anaximander, and Anaximenes, were natives of Ionia in
Asia Minor, which was a stronghold of the Egyptian Mystery schools, which they carried on.
(Sandford's The Mediterranean World, p. 195–205). Similarly, we are told that Xenophanes (576
B.C.), Parmenides, Zeno and Melissus were also natives of Ionia and that they migrated to Elea
in Italy and established themselves and spread the teachings of the Mysteries.
In like manner we are informed that Heraclitus (530 B.C.), Empedocles, Anaxagoras and
Democritus were also natives of Ionia who were interested in physics. Hence in tracing the
course of the so-called Greek philosophy, we find that Ionian students after obtaining their
education from the Egyptian priests returned to their native land, while some of them migrated to
different parts of Italy, where they established themselves.
Consequently, history makes it clear that the surrounding neighbors of Egypt had all become
familiar with the teachings of Egyptian Mysteries many centuries before the Athenians, who in
399 B.C. sentenced Socrates to death (Zeller's Hist. of Phil., p. 112; 127; 170–172) and
subsequently caused Plato and Aristotle to flee for their lives from Athens, because philosophy
was something foreign and unknown to them. For this same reason, we would expect either the
Ionians or the Italians to exert their prior claim to philosophy, since it made contact with them
long before it did with the Athenians, who were always its greatest enemies, until Alexander's
conquest of Egypt, which provided for Aristotle free access to the Library of Alexandria.
The Ionians and Italians made no attempt to claim the authorship of philosophy, because they
were well aware that the Egyptians were the true authors. On the other hand, after the death of
Aristotle, his Athenian pupils, without the authority of the state, undertook to compile a history
of philosophy, recognized at that time as the Sophia or Wisdom of the Egyptians, which had
become current and traditional in the ancient world, which compilation, because it was produced
by pupils who had belonged to Aristotle's school, later history has erroneously called Greek
philosophy, in spite of the fact that the Greeks were its greatest enemies and persecutors, and had
persistently treated it as a foreign innovation.
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For this reason, the so-called Greek philosophy is stolen Egyptian philosophy, which first spread
to Ionia, thence to Italy and thence to Athens. And it must be remembered that at this remote
period of Greek history, i.e., Thales to Aristotle 640 B.C.–322 B.C., the Ionians were not Greek
citizens, but at first Egyptian subjects and later Persian subjects.
Zeller's Hist. of Phil.: p. 37; 46; 58; 66–83; 112; 127; 170172.
William Turner's Hist. of Phil.: p 34; 39; 45; 53.
Roger's Student Hist. of Phil.: p. 15.
B. D. Alexander's Hist. of Phil.: p. 13; 21.
Sandford's The Mediterranean World p. 157; 195–205.
A brief sketch of the ancient Egyptian Empire would also make it clear that Asia Minor or Ionia
was the ancient land of the Hittites, who were not known by any other name in ancient days.
According to Diodorus and Manetho, High Priest in Egypt, two columns were found at Nysa
Arabia; one of the Goddess Isis and the other of the God Osiris, on the latter of which the God
declared that he had led an army into India, to the sources of the Danube, and as far as the ocean.
This means of course, that the Egyptian Empire, at a very early date, included not only the
islands of the Aegean sea and Ionia, but also extended to the extremities of the East.
We are also informed that Senusert I, during the 12th Dynasty (i.e., about 1900 B.C.) conquered
the whole sea coast of India, beyond the Ganges to the Eastern ocean. He is also said to have
included the Cyclades and a great part of Europe in his conquests.
Secondly, the "Amarna Letters" found in the government offices of the Egyptian King, Iknaton,
testify to the fact, that the Egyptian Empire had extended to western Asia, Syria and Palestine,
and that for centuries Egyptian power had been supreme in the ancient world. This was in the
18th Dynasty i.e., about 1500 B.C.
We are also told that during the reign of Tuthmosis III, the dominion of Egypt extended not only
along the coast of Palestine: but also from Nubia to Northern Asia. (Breadsted's Conquest of
Civilization p. 84; Diodorus 128; Manetho; Strabo; Dicaearchus; John Kendrick's Ancient Egypt
vol. I).
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2. The Authorship of the Individual Doctrines is Extremely Doubtful
As one attempts to read the history of Greek philosophy, one discovers a complete absence of
essential information concerning the early life and training of the so-called Greek philosophers,
from Thales to Aristotle. No writer or historian professes to know anything about their early
education. All they tell us about them consists of (a) a doubtful date and place of birth and (b)
their doctrines; but the world is left to wonder who they were and from what source they got
their early education, and would naturally expect that men who rose to the position of a Teacher
among relatives, friends and associates, would be well-known, not only by them, but by the
whole community.
On the contrary, men who might well be placed among the earliest Teachers in history, who had
grown up from childhood to manhood, and had taught pupils, are represented as unknown, being
without any domestic, social or early educational traces.
This is unbelievable, and yet it is a fact that the history of Greek philosophy has presented to the
world a number of men whose lives it knows little or nothing about; but expects the world to
accept them as the true authors of the doctrines which are alleged to be theirs.
In the absence of essential evidence, the world hesitates to recognize them as such, because the
truth of this whole matter of Greek philosophy points to a very different direction.
The Book on nature entitled peri physeos was the common name under which Greek students
interested in nature-study wrote. The earliest copy is said to date back to the sixth century B.C.
and it is customary to refer to the remnants of peri physeos as the Fragments. (William Turner's
History of Philosophy p. 62). We do not believe that genuine Initiates produced the Book on
nature, since this was contrary to the rules of the Egyptian Mysteries, in connexion with which
the Philosophical Schools conducted their work. Egypt was the centre of the body of ancient
wisdom, and knowledge, religious, philosophical and scientific spread to other lands through
student Initiates. Such teachings remained for generations and centuries in the form of tradition,
until the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great, and the movement of Aristotle and his
school to compile Egyptian teaching and claim it as Greek philosophy. (Ancient Mysteries by C.
H. Vail p. 16.)
Consequently, as a source of authority of authorships, peri physeos, is of little value, if any, since
history mentions only four names as authors of it, namely, Anaximander, Heraclitus,
Parmenides, Anaxagoras; and asks the world to accept their authorship of philosophy, because
Theophrastus, Sextus, Proclus and Simplicius, of the school at Alexandria are said to have
preserved small remnants of it (the Fragments). If peri physeos is the criterion to the authorship
of Greek philosophy, then it falls short in its purpose by a long way, since only four philosophers
are alleged to have written this book, and to have remnants of their work.
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According to this idea all the other philosophers, who failed to write peri physeos and to have
remnants of it, also failed to write Greek philosophy. This is the reductio ad absurdum to which
peri physeos leads us.
The schools of philosophy, Chaldean, Greek and Persian, were part of the Ancient Mystery
System of Egypt. They were conducted in secrecy according to the demands of the Osiriaca,
whose teachings became common to all the schools. In keeping with the demands for secrecy,
the writing and publication of teachings were strictly forbidden and consequently, Initiates who
had developed satisfactorily in their training, and had been advanced to the rank of Master or
Teacher, refrained from publishing the teachings of the Mysteries or philosophy.
Consequently any publication of philosophy could not have come from the pen of the original
philosophers themselves, but either from their close friends who knew their views, as in the case
of Pythagoras and Socrates, or from interested persons who made a record of those philosophical
teachings that had become popular opinion and tradition. There is no wonder then, that in the
absence of original authorship, history has had to resort to the strategy of accepting Aristotle's
opinion as the sole authority in determining the authorship of Greek philosophy (Introduction to
Alfred Weber's History of Philosophy). It is for these reasons that great doubt surrounds the socalled Greek authorship of philosophy. (William Turner's History of Philosophy p. 35; 39; 47;
53; 62; 79; 210–211; 627. Ancient Mysteries by C. H. Vail p. 16. Theophrastus: Fragment 2
apud Diels. Introduction to Alfred Weber's History of Philosophy).
3. The Chronology of Greek Philosophers is Mere Speculation
History knows nothing about the early life and training of the Greek philosophers and this is true
not only of the pre-Socratic philosophers: but also of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, who appear in
history about the age of eighteen and begin to teach at forty.
As a body of men they were undesirable to the state, (personae non gratae) and were
consequently persecuted and driven into hiding and secrecy. Under such circumstances they kept
no records of their activities and this was done in order to conceal their identity. After the
conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great, and the seizure and looting of the Royal Library at
Alexandria, Aristotle's plan to usurp Egyptian philosophy, was subsequently carried out by
members of his school: Theophrastus, Andronicus of Rhodes and Eudemus, who soon found
themselves confronted with the problem of a chronology for a history of philosophy.
(Introduction of Zeller's Hist. of Phil. p. 13).
Throughout this effort there has been much speculation concerning the date of birth of
philosophers, whom the public knew very little about. As early as the third century B.C. (274–
194 B.C.) Eratosthenes, a Stoic drew up a chronology of Greek philosophers and in the second
century B.C. (140) Apollodorus also drew up another. The effort continued, and in the first
century B.C. (60–70 B.C.) Andronicus, the eleventh Head of the Peripatetic school, also drew up
another.
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This difficulty continued throughout the early centuries, and has come down to the present time
for it appears that all modern writers on Greek Philosophy are unable to agree on the dates that
should be assigned to the nativity of the philosophers. The only exception appears to occur with
reference to the three Athenian philosophers, i.e., Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the date of whose
nativity is believed to be certain, and concerning which there is general agreement among
historians.
However, when we come to deal with the pre-Socratic philosophers, we are confronted with
confusion and uncertainty, and a few examples would serve to illustrate the untrustworthy nature
of the chronology of Greek Philosophers.
(1) Diogenes Laertius places the birth of Thales at 640 B.C., while William Turner's History of
Philosophy places it as 620 B.C.; that of Frank Thilly at 624 B.C.; that of A. K. Rogers at early
in the sixth century B.C.; and that of W. G. Tennemann at 600 B.C.
(2) Diogenes Laertius places the birth of Anaximenes at 546 B.C.; while W. Windelbrand places
it at the sixth century B.C.; that of Frank Thilly at 588 B.C.; that of B. D. Alexander at 560 B.C.;
while that of A. K. Rogers at the sixth century B.C.
(3) Parmenides is credited by Diogenes as being born at 500 B.C.; while Fuller, Thilly and
Rogers omit a date of birth, because they say it is unknown.
(4) Zeller places the birth of Xenophanes at 576 B.C.; while Diogenes gives 570 B C.; and the
majority of the other historians declare that the date of birth is unknown.
(5) With reference to Xeno, Diogenes who does not know the date of his birth, says that he
flourished between B.C. 464–460; while William Turner places it at 490 B.C.; like Frank Thilly
and B. D. Alexander; while Fuller, A. K. Rogers and W. G. Tennemann declare it is unknown.
(6) With references to Heraclitus, Zeller makes the following suppositions: if he died in 475 B.C.
and if he was sixty years old when he died, then he must have been born in 535 B.C.; similarly
Diogenes supposes that he flourished between B.C. 504–500; and while William Turner places
his birth at 530 B.C.; Windelbrand places it at 536 B.C.; and Fuller and Tennemann declare that
he flourished in 500 B.C.
(7) With reference to Pythagoras, Zeller who does not know the date of his birth supposes that it
occurred between the years 580–570 B.C.; and while Diogenes also supposes that it occurred
between the years 582–500 B.C.; William Turner, Fuller, Rogers, and Tennemann declare that it
is unknown.
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(8) With reference to Empedocles, while Diogenes places his birth at 484 B.C.; Turner,
Windelbrand, Fuller, B. D. Alexander and Tennemann place it at 490 B.C.; while A. K. Rogers
and others declare it is unknown.
(9) With reference to Anaxagoras, while Zeller and Diogenes place his birth at 500 B.C.;
William Turner, A. G. Fuller, and Frank Thilly agree with them, while Alexander places it at 450
B.C. and A. K. Rogers and others declare it is unknown.
(10) With reference to Leucippus, all historians seem to be of the opinion that he has never
existed.
(11) Socrates (469–399 B.C.), Plato (427–347 B.C.), and Aristotle (384–322 B.C.) are the only
three philosophers the dates of whose nativity and death do not seem to have led to speculation
among historians; but the reason for this uniformity is probably clue to the fact that they were
Athenians and had been indicted by the Athenian Government who would naturally have
investigated them and kept a record of their cases. (A. K. Roger's Hist. of Phil. p. 104).
It must be noted from the preceding comparative study of the chronology of Greek philosophers
that (a) the variation in dates points to speculation (b) the pre-Socratic philosophers were
unknown because they were foreigners to the Athenian Government and probably never existed
(c) it follows that both the pre-Socratic philosophers together with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
were persecuted by the Athenian Government tor introducing foreign doctrines into Athens. (d)
In consequence of these facts, any subsequent claim by the Greeks to the ownership or
authorship of the same doctrines which they had rejected and persecuted, must be regarded as a
usurpation.
4. The Compilation of the History of Greek Philosophy was the plan of Aristotle executed by
his School
When Aristotle decided to compile a history of Greek Philosophy he must have made known his
wishes to his pupils Theophrastus and Eudemus: for no sooner did he produce his metaphysics,
than Theophrastus followed him by publishing eighteen books on the doctrines of the physicists.
Similarly, after Theophrastus had published his doctrines of the physicists, Eudemus produced
separate histories of Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy and also theology. This was an amazing
start, because of the large number of scientific books, and the wide range of subjects treated.
This situation has rightly aroused the suspicion of the world, as it questions the source of these
scientific works.
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Since Theophrastus and Eudemus were students under Aristotle at the same time, and since the
conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great, made the Egyptian Library at Alexandria available to
the Greeks for research, then it must be expected that the three men, Aristotle who was a close
friend of Alexander, Theophrastus and Eudemus not only did research at the Alexandrine Library
at the sane time, but must also have helped themselves to books, which enabled them to follow
each other so closely in the production of scientific works (William Turner's Hist. of Phil. p.
158–159), which were either a portion of the war booty taken from the Library or compilations
from them. (Note that Aristotle's works reveal the signs of note taking and that Theophrastus and
Eudemus were pupils attending Aristotle's school at the same time). William Turner's Hist. of
Phil. p. 127.
Just here it might be as well to mention the names of Aristotle's pupils who took an active part in
promoting the movement towards the compilation of a history of Greek philosophy:
(a) Theophrastus of Lesbos 371–286 B.C., who succeeded Aristotle as head of the peripatetic
school. As elsewhere mentioned, he is said to have produced eighteen books on the doctrines of
physicists. Who were these physicists? Greek or Egyptians? Just think of it.
(b) Eudemus of Rhodes a contemporary of Theophrastus with whom he also attended Aristotle's
school. He is said to have produced histories of Arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and theology,
as elsewhere mentioned. What was the source of the data of the histories of these sciences, which
must have taken any nation thousands of years to develop? Greece or Egypt? Just think of it.
(c) Andronicus of Rhodes, an Eclectic of Aristotle's school and editor of his works (B.C. 70).
These men's works together with Aristotle's metaphysics, which contained a critical summary of
the doctrines of all preceding philosophers, seem to form the nucleus of a compilation of what
has been called, the history of Greek philosophy (Zeller's Hist. of Greek Phil.: Introduction p. 7–
14).
The next movement was the organization of an association called "The learned study of
Aristotle's Writings", whose members were Theophrastus and Andronicus, who were both
closely connected with the school of Aristotle. The function of this association was to identify
the literature and doctrines of philosophy with their so-called respective authors, and in order to
accomplish this, the alumni of Aristotle's school and its friends were encouraged to enter upon a
research for Aristotle's works and to write commentaries on them.
In addition to this, the Learned Association also encouraged research for the recovery of what
has been named Fragments or remnants of a book, which is supposed to have once existed, and
to have borne the common title "Peri Physeos", i.e., concerning nature.
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Here again those who went out in search of "peri physeos" or its remnants were the alumni of
Aristotle's school and its friends: but their efforts to establish authorship was a failure.
(a) Theophrastus found only two lines of peri physeos, supposed to have been written by
Anaximander.
(b) Sextus and Proclus of the fifth century A.D., and Simplicius of the sixth century A.D. are said
to have found a copy of "peri physeos" supposed to have been produced by Parmenides.
(c) In addition, the name of Simplicius is also associated with a copy of "peri physeos", which is
supposed to have been produced by Anaxagoras.
So much for "peri physeos and the Fragments," and so much for the attempt of "The Learned
Association" for the study of Aristotle's works; which has failed because of lack of evidence, as
has elsewhere been pointed out.
The recovery of two copies and two lines of "peri physeos" is not proof that all Greek
Philosophers wrote "peri physeos", or even that the names assigned to them were their bona fide
authors. It certainly would appear that the object of the Learned Association was to beat
Aristotle's own drum and dance. It was Aristotle's idea to compile a history of philosophy, and it
was Aristotle's school and its alumni that carried out the idea, we are told.
Chapter II: So-called Greek Philosophy was Alien to the Greeks and their
Conditions of Life
1. The Period of Greek Philosophy (640–322 B.C.) was a Period of Internal and External
Wars, and was therefore Unsuitable for Producing Philosophers
History supports the fact that from the time of Thales. to the time of Aristotle, the Greeks were
victims of internal disunion, on the one hand, while on the other, they lived in constant fear of
invasion from the Persians who were a common enemy to the city states.
Consequently when they were not fighting with one another they found themselves busy fighting
the Persians, who soon dominated them and became their masters. From the 6th century B.C. the
territory from the coast of Asia Minor to the Indus Valley became united under the single power
of Persia, whose central territory Iran has survived as a national unit to the present day. Persian
expansion was like a nightmare to the Greeks who dreaded the Persians on account of their
invulnerable navy, and organized themselves into leagues and confederacies in order to resist
their enemy. (C. 12 p. 195; Sandford's Mediterranean World). There are three sources which
throw light on the chaotic and troublesome conditions of this period in Greek history.
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A. The Persian Conquests
After the Persians had conquered the Ionians (possibly ancient Hittites), and made them their
subjects, Polycrates (539–524 B.C.) seized the Island of Samos and made it a famous city.
(Sandford's Mediterranean World c. 9). Between 499 and 494 B.C. the Ionians revolted against
the Persians, who defeated them at Lade, while Cyprus and Miletus were also captured.
(Sandford's Mediterranean World c. 12). In the summer of 490 B.C. Greek and Persian forces
met at Marathon, but after a hand to hand fight, both belligerents withdrew, only to prepare
stronger forces in order to renew the conflict. Accordingly, after ten years had elapsed a Hellenic
League was organized against the Persians, and the Spartan King Leonides was sent with an
army to hold the pass at Thermopylae, until the fleet should win a decisive victory. (C. 12, p.
202; Sandford's Mediterranean World). Accordingly, during the month of August 481 B.C.
Persian ships under the command of Xerxes anchored in the gulf of Pagasae, while the Greeks
anchored off Cape Artemisium. Both sides awaited a favorable opportunity to attack. The
Persians began to force the pass while simultaneously one of their detachments was secretly
aided by a Greek traitor, along a steep mountain pass to the rear of the Greek position. Having
been taken by surprise, the Greek guards immediately withdrew without resistance. The Spartans
who were guarding Thermopylae were all slain and the pass captured by the Persians.
(Sandford's Mediterranean World C. 12 p. 202). Having been defeated at Thermopylae, the
Greeks withdrew to Salamis, where again they encountered a naval engagement with the
Persians. It was late in September 481 B.C., and the result was a wanton destruction of ships on
both sides, without any decision. Both belligerents withdrew: The Persians to Thessaly, and the
Greeks to Attica. (Sandford's Mediterranean World C. 12 p. 203).
With the persistent aim of freedom from Persian domination, Athens, together with the island
and coast cities (of the Aegean and Ionia) renewed their resistance of Persian rule. This was the
confederacy of Delos, which undertook several naval engagements, but with little or no success.
In 467 B.C. the battle of Eurymedon River was fought and lost with a great number of ships.
Eighteen years later (449 B.C.) another naval engagement took place off the island of Cyprus,
but again without decision, and consequently Persian sovereignty over the Greeks remained.
(Sandford's Mediterranean World C. 12 p. 205). In the meantime Sparta, under the terms of the
Treaty of Miletus (413 B.C.) obtained subsidies from Persia, for naval construction, on condition
that she recognize Persian sovereignty over the Ionians and their allies. This was done by Sparta
as a threat to Athenian ambitions.
However, it was not long after the Treaty of Miletus, that the Greeks themselves submitted to the
authority and dominance of the Persians. During the winter 387–386 B.C., the individual Ionian
cities, signed the peace terms of the Persian King, and finally accepted Persian rule. This Treaty
was negotiated by a Spartan envoy who was authorized by the Persian King to enforce its
provisions. (Sandford's Mediterranean World C. 13 and 15, p. 225 and 255).
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B. The Leagues
Apart from the resistance of a common foe, the Persians, a study of the function of the Leagues,
reveals the enmity and spirit of aggression which were characteristic of the relationship which
existed between the Greek city states themselves.
Accordingly in 505 B.C., the Peloponnesian states signed treaties among themselves, pledging
warfare against Sparta who had absorbed them under her influence. Meanwhile, Aristogoras
revived the Ionian League (499–494 B.C.) to resist Persian aggression, and friendship between
Athens and Aegina was restored by the Hellenic League (481 B.C.) which was afterward
converted into the Confederacy of Delos (478 B.C.) as mentioned elsewhere. In like manner,
Thebes also fell in line with the general temper of the age and organized the Boeotian League, a
federation of city states, for self-protection and aggression. (Sandford's Mediterranean World C.
9, P. 150; C. 12, P. 201).
In 377 B.C. a second Athenian Confederacy was organized, but this was to frustrate the aims of
the Lacedaemonians and to compel them to respect the right of the Athenians and their allies
(Sandford's Mediterranean World C. 15, P. 260). Likewise in 290 B C., the Aetolian League,
made up of the States of central Greece, gained control of Delphi, and frequently violated
Achaean rights in the Peloponnesus, while in 225 B.C. Antigonus Doson organized another
Hellenic League, with the purpose of obstructing the ambitions of Sparta and her Aetolian allies.
(Sandford's Mediterranean World C. 18, p. 317 and 319). (W. H. Couch's Hist. of Greece, p.
206–209, c. 11. Botsford & Robinson's Hellenic Hist., p. 115–121; 127–142. T. B. Bury's Hist.
of Greece, p. 216–229; 240–241; 259–269; 471472. The Tutorial Hist. of Greece by W. J.
Woodhouse, c. 18, 20 and 21).
C. The Peloponnesian Wars 460–445 B.C. and 431–421 B.C.
Owing to the ambitions of Athens to dominate the Ionians and other neighboring peoples,
Pericles launched a campaign of alliances and conquests extending from Thessaly to Argos, and
from Euboea to Naupactus, Achaea and the chief islands of the Ionian Sea.
The net results were as follows: (a) Athens established alliances with Boeotia, Phocis and Locris,
in spite of Sparta's opposition. (b) In 456 B.C. Aegina was captured and made tributary. (c) In
450 B.C. Athens failed in her attempt to invade Corinth. (d) In 451 friendship between Athens
and Sparta was restored through the instrumentality of Cimon, on the condition that Athenian
alliance with Argos was dissolved. (e) In 447 B.C. the exiled Oligarchs of Thebes defeated the
Athenians at Coronea, and reestablished the Boeotian League under Theban leadership. (f) In
445 B.C. the 30 years peace was signed and after the revolt of Euboea and Megara, Sparta
invaded Attica and Pericles sued for peace. Athens lost all her continent all her continental
holdings. (Sandford's Mediterranean World C. 13, P. 220).
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The second Peloponnesian war (431–421 B.C.) like that of the first arose through a general spirit
of rebellion among the Greek city states against Athenian imperialism, Sparta being the chief
enemy.
The net results were as follows:
(a) In 435 B.C. war between Corcyra and Corinth, Corcyra being aided by Athens.
(b) In 432 B.C.
(1) Athens blockaded Potidaea, because she refused to dismantle her Southern walls, and dismiss
her Corinthian Magistrates.
(2) Megara was excluded from Greek Markets, in order to reduce her to subjection.
(3) The Peloponnesian League planned war against Athens and Boeotia. Phocis and Locris were
to fight against Athens, Corcyra and a few Northern states.
(c) In 431 B.C.
(1) Thebes attacked Plataea, and while a Peloponnesian army occupied Attica, the Athenian fleet
raided Peloponnesus.
(2) Pericles being unable to defend Attica adequately transferred the civil population every
Spring to the area between the walls of Athens and the Peiraeus. In the meantime the Athenian
fleet operated against Potidaea, the Peloponnesian coast and Corinthian commerce.
(d) In 428 B.C.
(1) Mitylene and all the cities of Lesbos revolted.
(2) A brutal massacre of Oligarchs took place at Corcyra.
(e) In 425 B.C.
(1) A Laconian force at Pylos was captured and a fort was established through Demosthenes and
Cleon.
(2) Cythera and other stations were fortified against the Peloponnesians.
(3) Amphipolis was captured by Brasidas a Spartan, who had instigated rebellion among the
Athenian allies, and after Brasdias and Cleon had been killed in battle (422 B.C.), Athens
authorized Nicias to sue for peace. (Sandford's Mediterranean World C. 13, P. 220–221).
It is obvious from a study of the causes and effects of the Peloponnesian wars that:
(a) The Greek states were envious of each other and
(b) The desire for power and expansion led to constant aggression and warfare among
themselves.
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(c) The condition of constant warfare between the city states was unfavorable for the production
of philosophers.
Before passing on to consider my next proposition I would like to say that it is an accepted truth
that the development of philosophical thought requires an environment which is free from
disturbance and worries. The period commonly assigned to Greek philosophy (i.e. Thales to
Aristotle) was exactly the opposite to one of peace and tranquility, and therefore it could not be
expected to produce philosophy. The obstacles against the origin and development of Greek
philosophy, were not only the frequency of civil wars; and the constant defense against Persian
aggression; but also the threat of extermination from the Athenian government, its worst enemy.
(d) Philosophy Requires a Suitable Environment
I must now add the following quotation which depicts this period. "For although the natural ills
that beset mankind are many, we ourselves have added to them by wars and civil strife against
one another, so that some have been unjustly put to death in their own cities, others driven into
exile with their wives and children, and many have been compelled, for the sake of their daily
bread, to die fighting against their own people, for the sake of the enemy". (Isocrates) (Botsford
& Robinson's Hellenic Hist., c. XIII. Couch's Hist. of Greece, c. XXII. Bury's Hist. of Greece, c.
X. The Tutorial Hist. of Greece by W. J. Woodhouse, c. 27, 28 and 29).
Chapter III: Greek Philosophy was the Offspring of the Egyptian Mystery
System
1. The Egyptian Theory of Salvation Became the Purpose of Greek Philosophy
The earliest theory of salvation is the Egyptian theory. The Egyptian Mystery System had as its
most important object, the deification of man, and taught that the soul of man if liberated from its
bodily fetters, could enable him to become godlike and see the Gods in this life and attain the
beatific vision and hold communion with the Immortals (Ancient Mysteries, C. H. Vail, P. 25).
Plotinus defines this experience as the liberation of the mind from its finite consciousness, when
it becomes one and is identified with the Infinite. This liberation was not only freedom of the
soul from bodily impediments, but also from the wheel of reincarnation or rebirth. It involved a
process of disciplines or purification both for the body and the soul. Since the Mystery System
offered the salvation of the soul it also placed great emphasis upon its immortality. The Egyptian
Mystery System, like the modern University, was the centre of organized culture, and candidates
entered it as the leading source of ancient culture.
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According to Pietschmann, the Egyptian Mysteries had three grades of students (1) The Mortals
i.e., probationary students who were being instructed, but who had not yet experienced the inner
vision. (2) The Intelligences, i.e., those who had attained the inner vision, and had received mind
or nous and (3) The Creators or Sons of Light, who had become identified with or united with
the Light (i.e., true spiritual consciousness). W. Marsham Adams, in the "Book of the Master",
has described those grades as the equivalents of Initiation, Illumination and Perfection. For years
they underwent disciplinary intellectual exercises, and bodily asceticism with intervals of tests
and ordeals to determine their fitness to proceed to the more serious, solemn and awful process
of actual Initiation.
Their education consisted not only in the cultivation of the ten virtues, which were made a
condition to eternal happiness, but also of the seven Liberal Arts which were intended to liberate
the soul. There was also admission to the Greater Mysteries, where an esoteric philosophy was
taught to those who had demonstrated their proficiency. (Ancient Mysteries C. H. Vail p. 24–25).
Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic were disciplines of moral nature by means of which the irrational
tendencies of a human being were purged away, and he was trained to become a living witness of
the Divine Logos. Geometry and Arithmetic were sciences of transcendental space and
numeration, the comprehension of which provided the key not only to the problems of one's
being; but also to those physical ones, which are so baffling today, owing to our use of the
inductive methods. Astronomy dealt with the knowledge and distribution of latent forces in man,
and the destiny of individuals, laces and nations. Music (or Harmony) meant the living practice
of philosophy i.e., the adjustment of human life into harmony with God, until the personal soul
became identified with God, when it would hear and participate in the music of the spheres. It
was therapeutic, and was used by the Egyptian Priests in the cure of diseases. Such was the
Egyptian theory of salvation, through which the individual was trained to become godlike while
on earth, and at the same time qualified for everlasting happiness. This was accomplished
through the efforts of the individual, through the cultivation of the Arts and Sciences on the one
hand, and a life of virtue on the other. There was no mediator between man and his salvation, as
we find in the Christian theory. Reference will again be made to these subjects, as part of the
Curriculum of the Egyptian Mystery System.
Now that we have outlined the Egyptian theory of salvation and its purpose, let us examine
Greek philosophy and its purpose in order to discover whether there is an agreement between the
two systems, or not.
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2. Circumstances of Identity between the Egyptian and Greek Systems
A. The Indictment and Prosecution of Greek Philosophers
The indictment and prosecution of Greek philosophers is a circumstance which is familiar to us
all. Several philosophers, one after another, were indicted by the Athenian Government, on the
common charge of introducing strange divinities. Anaxagoras, Socrates, and Aristotle received
similar indictments for a similar offence. The most famous of these was that against Socrates
which reads as follows. "Socrates commits a crime by not believing in the Gods of the city, and
by introducing other new divinities. He also commits a crime by corrupting the youth". Now, in
order to find out what these new divinities were, we must go back to the popular opinion which
Aristophanes (423 B.C.) in the Clouds, aroused against him. It runs as follows: "Socrates is an
evildoer, who busies himself with investigating things beneath the earth and in the sky, and who
makes the worse appear the better reason, and who teaches others these same things (Plato's
Apology C. 1–10; Aristophanes' Frogs, 1071; Apology 18 B.C., 19 C. Apology 24 B).
It is clear then that Socrates offended the Athenian government simply because he pursued the
study of astronomy and probably that of geology; and that the other philosophers were
persecuted for the same reason. But the study of science was a required condition to membership
in the Egyptian Mystery System, and its purpose was the liberation of the Soul from the ten
bodily fetters, and if the Greek philosophers studied the sciences, then they were fulfilling a
required condition to membership in the Egyptian Mystery System and its purpose; either
through direct contact with Egypt or its schools or lodges outside its territory.
B. A Life of Virtue was a Condition required by the Egyptian Mysteries as Elsewhere Mentioned
The virtues were not mere abstractions or ethical sentiments, but were positive valours and
virility of the soul. Temperance meant complete control of the passional nature. Fortitude meant
such courage as would not allow adversity to turn us away from our goal. Prudence meant the
deep insight that befits the faculty of Seership. Justice meant the unswerving righteousness of
thought and action.
Furthermore, when we compare the two ethical systems, we discover that the greater includes the
less, and that it also suggests the origin of the latter. In the Egyptian Mysteries the Neophyte was
required to manifest the following soul attributes:
(1) Control of thought and (2) Control of action, the combination of which, Plato called Justice
(i.e., the unswerving righteousness of thought and action). (3) Steadfastness of purpose, which
was equivalent to Fortitude. (4) Identity with spiritual life or the higher ideals, which was
equivalent to Temperance an attribute attained when the individual had gained conquest over the
passional nature.
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(5) Evidence of having a mission in life and (6) Evidence of a call to spiritual Orders or the
Priesthood in the Mysteries: the combination of which was equivalent to Prudence or a deep
insight and graveness that befitted the faculty of Seership.
Other requirements in the ethical system of the Egyptian Mysteries were:
(7) Freedom from resentment, when under the experience of persecution and wrong. This was
known as courage. (8) Confidence in the power of the master (as Teacher), and (9) Confidence in
one's own ability to learn; both attributes being known as Fidelity. (10) Readiness or
preparedness for initiation. There has always been this principle of the ancient mysteries of
Egypt: "When the pupil is ready, then the master will appear". This was equivalent to a condition
of efficiency at all times for less than this pointed to a weakness. It is now quite clear that Plato
drew the four Cardinal virtues from the Egyptian ten; also that Greek philosophy is the offspring
of the Egyptian Mystery System.
C. (i) There was a Grand Lodge in Egypt which had associated Schools and Lodges in the
Ancient world
There were mystery schools, or what we would commonly call lodges in Greece and other lands,
outside of Egypt, whose work was carried on according to the Osiriaca, the Grand Lodge of
Egypt. Such schools have frequently been referred to as private or philosophic mysteries, and
their founders were Initiates of the Egyptian Mysteries; the Ionian temple at Didyma; the lodge
of Euclid at Megara; the lodge of Pythagoras at Crotona; and the Orphic temple at Delphi, with
the schools of Plato and Aristotle. Consequently we make a mistake when we suppose that the
so-called Greek philosophers formulated new doctrines of their own; for their philosophy had
been handed down by the great Egyptian Hierophants through the Mysteries. (Ancient Mysteries
C. H. Vail p. 59). In addition to the control of the mysteries, the Grand Lodge permitted an
exchange of visits between the various lodges, in order to ensure the progress of the brethren in
the secret science.
We are told in the Timaeus of Plato, that aspirants for mystical wisdom visited Egypt for
initiation and were told by the priests of Sais, "that you Greeks are but children" in the Secret
Doctrine, but were admitted to information enabling them to promote their spiritual
advancement. Likewise, we are told by Jamblichus of a correspondence between Anebo and
Porphyry, dealing with the fraternal relations, existing between the various schools or lodges of
instructions in different lands, how their members visited, greeted and assisted one another in the
secret science, the more advanced being obliged to afford assistance and instruction to their
brethren in the inferior Orders. (Jamblichus: correspondence between Anebo and Porphyry)
(Plato's Timaeus) (W. L. Wilmshurst on meaning of Masonry).
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Having stated that the Grand Lodge of ancient mysteries was situated in Egypt, with jurisdiction
over all lodges and schools of the ancient world, it now remains to show that such a Grand
Lodge, did actually and physically exist. In doing so, two things are necessary: first, a
description of the Egyptian temple, of which our modern mystery lodges (called by different
names) are copies, and second, a description of the actual remains of the Grand and Sublime
Lodge of Ancient Egypt.
C. (ii) A Description of the Egyptian Temple
Here I quote two authorities on the Egyptian temple, the first, C. H. Vail, on ancient mysteries p.
159 who says "that the Egyptian temples were surrounded with pillars recording the number of
the constellations and the signs of the Zodiac or the cycles of the planets. And each temple was
supposed to be a microcosm or a symbol of the temple of the Universe or of the starry vault
called temple". The next authority is Max Muller, who in his Egyptian Mythology P. 187–193,
has described Egyptian temples as follows:
"Egyptian temples were made of stone, the outer courts of mud bricks. Wide roads led to the
temples for the convenience of processions, while the immediate entrance was lined with statues,
consisting of sphinxes and other animals. The front wall formed two high tower like buildings,
called pylons, before which stood two granite obelisks. Immediately behind the pylons came a
large court where the congregation assembled and watched the sacrifices. Immediately next to
the hall of the congregation, came the hall of priests, and immediately following the hall of the
priests came the final chamber, called the Adytum, i.e., the Holy of Holies, which was entered
only by the high Priest. This was the place of the shrine and the abode of the God. Each temple
was a reproduction of the world. The ceilings were painted to represent the sky and the stars,
while the floor was green and blue like the meadows. Ceremonial cleanliness was at all times
imperative, and the people before entering the temple must carefully purify themselves in a
nearby stream. In later times, this became a ceremony of sprinkling with holy water before
entrance into the temple".
It is clear from the foregoing description that not only the modern masonic lodges, are copies of
the Egyptian temple, but also the ancient ones, for there is complete identity in their internal
decoration. But the minor or lower lodges including those outside of Egypt, must have had a
governing body, and so now, I proceed to quote C. H. Vail, who in his Ancient Mysteries, pages
182 and 183, describes fully the location and remains of the famous Grand Lodge of Luxor, as
follows:
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C. (iii) The location of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Antiquity
"At a short distance from Danderah, now called Upper Egypt, is the most extraordinary group of
architectural ruins presented in any part of the world, known as the Temples of the ancient city
of Thebes. Thebes in its prime occupied a large area on both sides of the Nile. This city was the
centre of a great commercial nation of Upper Egypt ages before Memphis was the capital of the
second nation in Lower Egypt; and however grand the architectural monuments of the latter may
have been those of the former surpassed them. The portrayal by pencil or brush can convey but a
faint idea of the perfected city. As the city stands today, it is like a city of giants, who after a long
conflict have been destroyed, leaving the ruins of their various temples, as the only proof of their
existence "The Temple of Luxor (it was in this temple that the Grand Lodge of Initiates always
met), stands on a raised platform of brickwork covering more than two thousand feet in length
and one thousand feet in breadth (note the oblong shape, which became the pattern for all lodges
and churches in the ancient world). It is the one that interests the members of all Ancient Orders,
especially so, all the members of those Orders that worshipped at the Shrine of the Secret Fire,
more than perhaps any other, and stands on the eastern bank of the Nile. It is in a very ruined
state; but records say the stupendous scale of its proportions almost takes away the sense of its
incompleteness. Up to about a quarter of a century ago, the greater part of its columns in the
interior and outer walls had been removed, after falling, for use elsewhere. This temple was
founded by the Pharaoh Amenothis III, who constructed the southern part, including the heavy
colonnade overlooking the river; but destruction unfortunately conceals this fact. The chief
entrance to the Temple looked to the east; while the Holy Chambers at the upper end of the plain
approached the Nile. As mighty as the Temple of Luxor was, it was exceeded in magnitude and
grandeur by that of Carnak. The distance between these two great structures was a mile and a
half. Along this avenue was a double row of Sphinxes, placed twelve feet apart, and the width of
the avenue was sixty feet. When in perfect state this avenue presented the most extraordinary
entrance that the world has ever seen. If we had the power to picture from the field of
imagination the grand processions of Neophytes constantly passing through and taking part in
the ceremonies of Initiation, we would be powerless to produce the grandeur of the
surroundings, and the imposing sight of colour and magnificent trappings of those who took
part. Neither can we produce the music that kept the vast number of people in steady marching
order. Crude it might have been to the cultivated ear of the 20th century. But could not the
palpitating strain sung by massed voices on the lapse of time, whose history launches the
profoundest aspirations of the human heart, like the trend of a mighty river, because the grand
currents of Universal Law, imparting the desire to that Shadowy Past, as it steps forth from the
pages of history, dim with age? Egypt must have been, when these Temples were built, a martial
nation for records of her warlike deeds are perpetuated in deeply engraved tablets which even
now, excite the admiration of the best Judges of archaeological remains. She was also a highly
civilized nation, and of a nature that could bear the expenditure which always attends the culture
of the Arts. She surpassed in her astonishing architecture, all other nations that have existed
upon the earth."
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I am fully convinced by these references and quotations that an Egyptian Grand Lodge of ancient
mysteries actually existed some five thousand years ago or more, on the banks of the Nile in the
city of Thebes, and that it was the only Grand Lodge of the Ancient World whose ruins have
been found in Egypt, and that it was the governing body which necessarily controlled the ancient
mysteries together with the philosophical Schools and minor Lodges wherever they happened to
have been organized.
C. (iv) The Rebuilding of the Temple of Delphi
The temple of Delphi was burnt down in 548 B.C. and it was King Amasis of Egypt, who rebuilt
it for the brethren, by donating three times as much as was needed, in the sum of one thousand
talents, and 50,000 lbs. of alum. According to information at hand, the temple had organized its
members into an amphictyonic league for protection against political and other forms of
violence; but they were too poor to raise sufficient funds from the membership, and they decided
upon a public contribution from the citizens of Greece.
Accordingly they wandered throughout the land soliciting aid, but failed in their efforts. Having
decided to visit the brethren in Egypt, they approached King Amasis, who as Grand Master,
unhesitatingly offered to rebuild the Temple, and donated more than three times as much as was
needed for the purpose.
Here it would be well to note that: (1) the Greeks regarded the Temple of Delphi as a foreign
institution, hence (2) they were unsympathetic towards it and for the same reason destroyed it by
fire. (3) Clearly, the Temple of Delphi was a branch of the Egyptian Mystery System, projected
in Greece. Sandford's Mediterranean World p. 135; 139. John Kendrick's Ancient Egypt Bk. II.
P. 363.
3. The Abolition of Greek Philosophy together with the Egyptian Mysteries
From the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great, the Greeks, who were always attracted by
the mysterious worship of the Nile-land, began to imitate the Egyptian religion in its entirety;
and during the Roman occupation, the Egyptian religion spread not only to Italy: but throughout
the Roman Empire, including Brittany.
This assimilation of the Egyptian religion was confined to the Gods of the Osirian cycle and the
Graeco-Egyptian Serapis, and aimed at a close imitation of the ancient traditions of the Nileland. Owing to the splendor of architecture, the hieroglyphs of the temples, the obelisks and
sphinxes before the shrines, the linen vestments and the shaven heads and faces of the priests, the
endless and obscure ritual, filled the Greeks with awe, and wonderful mysteries were
consequently believed to have underlain these incomprehensible, and the Egyptian religion stood
in the way of the rising Christianity.
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The success of the Egyptian religion was due no doubt, on the one hand to its conservatism;
while on the other to the shadowy philosophical abstractions which constituted Graeco-Roman
religion, so that the staunch faith of the Egyptians, together with their mysterious forms of
worship, led to the universal conviction among the Ancients, that Egypt was not only the Holy
Land but the Holiest of lands or countries, and that indeed, the Gods dwelt there.
The Nile became a centre for pilgrimages in the ancient world, and the pilgrims who went there
and experienced the marvelous revelations and spiritual blessings which it afforded them,
returned home with the conviction that the Nile was the home of the most profound religious
knowledge.
The Greeks failed to imitate Egyptian conservatism and not only in Egyptian cities, with large
Greek population, but in Europe, Egyptian divinities were corrupted with Greek and Asiatic
names and mythologies and reduced to vague pantheistic personalities, so that Isis and Osiris had
retained very little of their Egyptian origin. (Max Muller p. 241–43; Egyptian Mythology).
Consequently, as they failed to advance Egyptian Philosophy, so they also failed to advance
Egyptian religion.
During the first four centuries of the Christian era, the religion of Egypt continued unabated and
uninterrupted, but after the Edict of Theodosius at the end of the fourth century A.D., ordering
the close of Egyptian temples, Christianity began to spread more rapidly and both the religion of
Egypt and that of Greece began to die. In the island of Philae, in the first cataract of the Nile,
however, the Egyptian religion was continued by its inhabitants, the Blemmyans and Nobadians,
who refused to accept Christianity and the Roman government fearing a rebellion, paid tribute to
them as an appeasement.
During the sixth century A.D., however, Justinian issued a second edict which suppressed this
remnant of Egyptian worshippers and propagated Christianity among the Nubians. With the
death of the last priest, who could read and interpret "the writings of the words of the Gods" (the
hieroglyphics) the Egyptian faith sank into oblivion. It was only in popular magic that some
practices lingered on as traces of a faith that became a universal religion, or the survival of a
statue of Isis and Horus, which were regarded as the Madonna and Child.
A sentiment of admiration and awe for this strangest of all religions still survived, but the
information from classical writers concerning this faith has been incomplete. Napoleon's
invasion of Egypt brought a revival of interest from the West to decipher her inscriptions and
papyri with a view to an understanding and appreciation of this most ancient of civilizations.
(Mythology of Egypt by Max Muller C. XIII p. 241–245; The Mediterranean World by
Sandford, p. 508, 548, 552–558, 568).
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We learn the following facts from the above quotations:
(i) The Egyptian Mysteries had become the Ancient World Religion, spreading throughout the
Roman Empire and including Italy, Greece, Asia Minor, and various parts of Europe including
Brittany. This continued under different names, long after Justinian's Edict of toleration granted
to the Christians.
(ii) Egypt was the Holy Land of the ancient world, that pilgrimages were made to that land
because of the marvellous revelations and spiritual blessings which it afforded the ancient
peoples, and because of the universal conviction among the Ancients that Egypt was the land of
the Gods.
(iii) The Edicts of Theodosius in the fourth century A. D, and that of Justinian in the sixth
century A.D. abolished alike not only the Mystery system of Egypt, but also its philosophical
schools, located in Greece and elsewhere, outside Egypt.
(iv) The abolition of the Egyptian Mysteries was to create an opportunity for the adoption of
Christianity. This was the problem: the Roman government felt that Egypt was now conquered in
arms and reduced to her knees, but in order to make the conquest complete, it would be
necessary to abolish the Mysteries which still controlled the religious mind of the ancient world.
(v) There must be a New World Religion to take the place of the Egyptian religion. This New
Religion, which should take the place of the Mysteries, must be equally powerful and universal,
and consequently everything possible must be done in order to promote its interests.
This explains the rapid growth of Christianity following Justinian's Edict of toleration. Since the
Edicts of Theodosius and Justinian abolished both the Mysteries of Egypt and the schools of
Greek philosophy alike, it shows that the nature of the Egyptian Mysteries and Greek philosophy
was identical and that Greek philosophy grew out of the Egyptian Mysteries.
4. How the African Continent gave its culture to the Western World
As mentioned elsewhere, the Egyptian Mysteries and the philosophical schools of Greece were
closed by the edicts of Theodosius in the 4th century A.D. and that of Justinian in the 6th century
A.D. (i.e., 529); and as a consequence, intellectual darkness spread over Christian Europe and the
Graeco-Roman world for ten centuries; during which time, knowledge had disappeared. As
stated elsewhere, the Greeks showed no creative powers, and were unable to improve upon the
knowledge which they had received from the Egyptians (Hist. of Science by Sedgwick and Tyler
p. 141; 153; Zeller's Hist. of Phil. Introduction p. 31).
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During the Persian, Greek and Roman invasions, large numbers of Egyptians fled not only to the
desert and mountain regions, but also to adjacent lands in Africa, Arabia and Asia Minor, where
they lived, and secretly developed the teachings which belonged to their mystery system. In the
8th century A.D. the Moors, i.e., natives of Mauritania in North Africa, invaded Spain and took
with them, the Egyptian culture which they had preserved. Knowledge in the ancient days was
centralized i.e., it belonged to a common parent and system, i.e., the Wisdom Teaching or
Mysteries of Egypt, which the Greeks used to call Sophia.
As such, the people of North Africa were the neighbors of the Egyptians, and became the
custodians of Egyptian culture, which they spread through considerable portions of Africa, Asia
Minor and Europe. During their occupation of Spain, the Moors displayed with considerable
credit, the grandeur of African culture and civilization. The schools and libraries which they
established became famous throughout the Mediaeval world; Science and learning were
cultivated and taught; the schools of Cordova, Toledo, Seville and Saragossa attained such
celebrity, that they, like their parent Egypt, attracted students from all parts of the Western
world; and from them arose the most famous African professors that the world has ever known,
in medicine, surgery, astronomy and mathematics. But these people from North Africa did more
than merely distinguish themselves in Spain. They were really the recognized custodians of
African culture, to whom the world looked for enlightenment. Consequently, through the
medium of the ancient Arabic language, philosophy and the various branches of science were
disseminated: (a) all the so-called works of Aristotle in metaphysics, moral philosophy and
natural science (b) translations by Leonardo Pisano in Arabic mathematical science (c)
translation by Gideo a Monk of Arezzo in musical notation. (Sedgwick and Tyler's Hist. of
Science C. IX.)
In addition, the Moors kept up constant contact with mother Egypt: for they had established
Caliphates not only at Baghdad and Cordova, but also at Cairo in Egypt. (Europe in the Middle
Ages by Ault p. 216–219). Just here it would be well to mention that all the great leaders of the
great religions of antiquity were Initiates of the Egyptian Mystery System: from Moses, who was
an Egyptian Hierogrammat, down to Christ.
It should also be of interest to know that European scientists like Roger Bacon, Johann Kepler,
Copernicus and others obtained their science through Arab or Berber sources. It is also
noteworthy that throughout the Middle Ages, European knowledge of medicine came from these
same sources. (History of The Arabs, by Hitti pages 370, 629, 665 and 572). (Philo; Esoteric
Christianity by Annie Besant p. 107; 128–129; Ancient Mysteries by C. H. Vail p. 59; 61; 74–75;
109).
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CHAPTER IV
The Egyptians Educated the Greeks
1. The Effects of the Persian Conquest
A. Immigration restrictions against the Greeks are removed and Egypt is thrown open to Greek
research.
Owing to the practice of piracy, in which the Ionians and Carians were active, the Egyptians
were forced to make immigration laws restricting the immigration of the Greeks and punishing
their infringement by capital punishment, i.e., the sacrifice of the victim. Before the time of
Psammitichus, the Greeks were not allowed to go beyond the coast of Lower Egypt, but during
his reign and that of Amasis, those conditions were modified. For the first time in Egyptian
history Ionians and Carians were employed as Mercenaries in the Egyptian Army (670 B.C.),
interpretation was organized through a body of interpreters, and the Greeks began to gain useful
information concerning the culture of the Egyptians.
In addition to these changes, King Amasis removed the restrictions against the Greeks and
permitted them to enter Egypt and settle in Naucratis. About this same time, i.e., the reign of
Amasis, the Persians, through Cambyses invaded Egypt, and the whole country was thrown open
to the researches of the Greeks.
B. The Genesis of Greek Enlightenment.
The Persian invasion, did not only provide the Greeks with ample research, but stimulated the
creation of prose history in Ionia. Heretofore, the Greeks had little or no accurate knowledge of
Egyptian culture: but their contact with Egypt resulted in the genesis of their enlightenment.
(Ovid Fasti III 338; Herodotus Bk. II p. 113; Plutarch p. 380; Eratosthenes ap Strabo 801–802;
Diogenes Bk. IX 49).
C. Students from Ionia and the Islands of the Aegean visit Egypt for their Education.
Just as in our modern times, countries like the United States, England, and France are attracting
students from all parts of the world, on account of their leadership in culture; so was it in ancient
times, Egypt was supreme in the leadership of civilization, and students from all parts, flocked to
that land, seeking admission into her mysteries or wisdom system.
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The immigration of Greeks to Egypt for the purpose of their education, began as a result of the
Persian invasion (525 B.C.), and continued until the Greeks gained possession of that land and
access to the Royal Library, through the conquest of Alexander the Great. Alexandria was
converted into a Greek city, a centre of research and the capital of the newly created Greek
empire, under the rule of Ptolemies. Egyptian culture survived and flourished, under the name
and control of the Greeks, until the edicts of Theodosius in the 4th century A.D., and that of
Justinian in the 6th century A.D., which closed the Mystery Temples and Schools, as elsewhere
mentioned. (Ancient Egypt by John Kendrick Bk. II p. 55; Sandford's Mediterranean World p.
562; 570).
Concerning the fact that Egypt was the greatest education centre of the ancient world which was
also visited by the Greeks, reference must again be made to Plato in the Timaeus who tells us
that Greek aspirants to wisdom visited Egypt for initiation, and that the priests of Sais used to
refer to them as children in the Mysteries.
As regards the visit of Greek students to Egypt for the purpose of their education, the following
are mentioned simply to establish the fact that Egypt was regarded as the educational centre of
the ancient world and that like the Jews, the Greeks also visited Egypt and received their
education. (1) It is said that during the reign of Amasis, Thales who is said to have been born
about 585 B.C., visited Egypt and was initiated by the Egyptian Priests into the Mystery System
and science of the Egyptians. We are also told that during his residence in Egypt, he learnt
astronomy, land surveying, mensuration, engineering and Egyptian Theology. (See Thales in
Blackwell's source book of Philosophy; Zeller's Hist. of Phil.; Diogenes Laertius and Kendrick's
Ancient Egypt).
(2) It is said that Pythagoras, a native of Samos, travelled frequently to Egypt for the purpose of
his education. Like every aspirant, he had to secure the consent and favour of the Priests, and we
are informed by Diogenes that a friendship existed between Polycrates of Samos and Amasis
King of Egypt, that Polycrates gave Pythagoras letters of introduction to the King, who secured
for him an introduction to the Priests; first to the Priest of Heliopolis, then to the Priest of
Memphis, and lastly to the Priests of Thebes, to each of whom Pythagoras gave a silver goblet.
(Herodotus Bk. III 124; Diogenes VIII 3; Pliny N. H., 36, 9; Antipho recorded by Porphyry).
We are also further informed through Herodotus, Jablonsk and Pliny, that after severe trials,
including circumcision, had been imposed upon him by the Egyptian Priests, he was finally
initiated into all their secrets. That he learnt the doctrine of metempsychosis; of which there was
no trace before in the Greek religion; that his knowledge of medicine and strict system of dietetic
rules, distinguished him as a product of Egypt, where medicine had attained its highest
perfection; and that his attainments in geometry corresponded with the ascertained fact that
Egypt was the birth place of that Science.
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In addition we have the statements of Plutarch, Demetrius and Antisthenes that Pythagoras
founded the Science of Mathematics among the Greeks, and that he sacrificed to the Muses,
when the Priests explained to him the properties of the right angled triangle. (Philarch de
Repugn. Stoic 2 p. 1089; Demetrius; Antisthenes; Cicero de Natura Deorum III, 36). Pythagoras
was also trained in music by the Egyptian priests. (Kendrick's Hist. of Ancient Egypt vol. I. p.
234).
(3) According to Diogenes Laertius and Herodotus, Democritus is said to have been born about
400 B.C. and to have been a native of Abdera in Miletus. We are also told by Demetrius in his
treatise on "People of the Same Name", and by Antisthenes in his treatise on "Succession", that
Democritus travelled to Egypt for the purpose of his education and received the instruction of the
Priests. We also learn from Diogenes and Herodotus that he spent five years under the instruction
of the Egyptian Priests and that after the completion of his education, he wrote a treatise on the
sacred characters of Meroe.
In this respect we further learn from Origen, that circumcision was compulsory, and one of the
necessary conditions of initiation to a knowledge of the hieroglyphics and sciences of the
Egyptians, and it is obvious that Democritus, in order to obtain such knowledge, must have
submitted also to that rite. Origen, who was a native of Egypt wrote as follows: "Apud Aegyptios
nullus aut geometrica studebat, aut astronomiae secreta remabatur, nisi circumcisione suscepta."
(No one among the Egyptians, either studied geometry, or investigated the secrets of Astronomy,
unless circumcision had been undertaken).
(4) Concerning Plato's travels we are told by Hermodorus that at the age of 28 Plato visited
Euclid at Megara in company with other pupils of Socrates; and that for the next ten years he
visited Cyrene, Italy and finally Egypt, where he received instruction from the Egyptian Priests.
(5) With regards to Socrates and Aristotle and the majority of pre-Socratic philosophers, history
seems to be silent on the question of their travelling to Egypt like the few other students here
mentioned, for the purpose of their education. It is enough to say, that in this case the exceptions
have proved the rule, that ail students, who had the means, went to Egypt to complete their
education. The fact that history fails to supply a fuller account of this type of immigration, might
be due to some or all of the following reasons:
(a) The immigration laws against the Greeks up to the time of King Amasis and the Persian
Invasion, (b) Prose history was undeveloped among the Greeks during the period of their
educational immigration to Egypt. (c) The Greek authorities persecuted and drove students of
philosophy into hiding and consequently, (d) Students of the Mystery System concealed their
movements.
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Let us remember that Anaxagoras was indicted and imprisoned; that he escaped and fled to his
home in Ionia, that Socrates was indicted, imprisoned and condemned to death; and that both
Plato and Aristotle fled from Athens under great suspicion (William Turner's Hist. of Phil. p. 62;
Plato's Phaedo; Zeller's Hist. of Phil. p. 84; 127; Roger's Hist. of Phil. p. 76; William Turner's
Hist. of Phil. p. 126).
2. The Effects of the Conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great
A. The Royal Library and Museum together with Temples and other Libraries are Looted.
As elsewhere mentioned, it was an ancient custom of invading armies to loot libraries and
temples in order to capture books and manuscripts, which were regarded as great treasures. A
few instances would be enough to verify this custom: (a) we are informed that during the Persian
Invasion beginning with Cambyses, the temples of Egypt were not only stripped of their gold and
silver, but rifled for their ancient records. Every Egyptian Temple carried a secret library with
secret manuscripts and books. (b) We are also informed that when Athens was captured by the
Romans in 84 B.C. the library of books said to have belonged to Aristotle was also captured and
taken to Rome. (William Turner's Hist. of Phil. p. 128; John Kendrick's Ancient Egypt vol. II p.
432).
Just as in the invasion of Egypt by the Persians, the invading armies stripped the temples of their
gold, silver and sacred books; and just as in the capture of Athens by the Romans Sulla carried
off the only library of books which he found; so it is to be expected of Alexander the Great, in
his invasion of Egypt. One of the first things that he and his companions and armies would do,
would be to search for the treasures of the land and capture them. These were kept in temples
and libraries and consisted of gold and silver out of which the gods and ceremonial vessels were
made, and sacred books and, manuscripts kept both in libraries and in the "Holy of Holies" of
Temples.
It is my firm belief that this indeed was the great opportunity which Alexander gave Aristotle
and enabled him and his pupils to carry off as many books as they wanted from the Royal
Library and to convert it into a research centre. Apart from the Royal Library at Alexandria,
there was also another famous library nearby: The "Royal Library of Thebes"; "The
Menephtheion", which was founded by Pharaoh, Setei. The Menephtheion was completed by
Rameses II; but little occurs in history about this greatest of Egyptian Royal Libraries.
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However, any invading army would first loot the Royal Library of Alexandria and then would
turn their attention to the Menephtheion at Thebes. They would also visit the cities of Memphis
and Heliopolis and likewise loot their libraries and temples. This was the ancient custom and
certainly one of the ways in which the Greeks received their education from Egyptians.
(Egyptian Mythology by Max Muller p. 187–189; 205; Diodorus 16, 51; Bunsen I p. 27; Ancient
Egypt by John Kendrick vol. II 56; 432–433).
It is therefore an erroneous belief that the Greeks, on Egyptian soil, and through their own native
ability, set up a great university at Alexandria and turned out great scholars. On the other hand,
since it is a well known fact that Egypt was the land of temples and libraries, we can see how
comparatively easy it was for the Greeks to strip other Egyptian libraries of their books in order
to maintain the new Library at Alexandria, after it had been already looted by Aristotle and his
pupils. The Greeks (i.e., Alexander the Great, Aristotle's school and the succeeding Ptolemies)
converted the Royal Library of Alexandria into a research centre, by transferring Aristotle's
school and pupils from Athens to this great Egyptian Library, and therefore the students who
studied there received instructions from Egyptian priests and teachers, until they died out. The
difficulty of language and interpretation made it imperative for the Greeks to use Egyptian
teachers.
The Greeks did not carry culture and learning to Egypt, but found it already there, and wisely
settled in that country, in order to absorb as much as possible of its culture.
B. The Royal Library of Thebes: The Menephtheion is described. It was also looted by invading
armies.
But when we read a brief sketch of the magnificence of the Theban Royal Library; The
Menephtheion, we even see a better picture and are bound to admit that Egypt was the store
house of ancient culture and that that culture was preserved in the form of literature stored away
in her great libraries and temples. Great as the Royal Library of Alexandria might have been, we
see in the Theban Royal Library something far more magnificent and far more representative of
the true greatness of our Ancient Egypt.
On the left of the steps leading to the second court, there is still seen the pedestal of the
enormous granite statue of Rameses; the largest, that ever existed in Egypt, according to
Diodorus. Its height has been calculated at fifty-four feet, and its weight, at 887¼ tons; a marvel
to the modern mind. The interior face of the wall of the pylon represents the wars of Rameses III.
The Osiride pillars of the second court are the monolithal figures, sixteen cubits in height,
supplying the place of columns, and at the foot of the steps leading from the court to the next hall
beyond, there were two sitting statues of the King. The head of one of these was of red granite,
known by the name of "Young Memon", was taken away by Belzoni, and is now a principal
ornament of the British Museum.
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Beyond this are the remains of a hall 133 feet broad by 100 feet long, supported by 48 columns,
twelve of which are thirty-two feet in height and 21 feet in circumference. On different parts of
the columns, and the walls are represented acts of homage by the king to the principal Deities of
the Theban Pantheon, and the gracious promises which they make him in return.
In another sculpture the two chief Divinities of Egypt invest him with the emblems of military
and civil dominion, i.e., the Scimitar, the Scourge and the Pedum. Beneath, the twenty-three sons
of Rameses appear in procession, bearing the emblems of their respective high offices in the
state, their names being inscribed above them. Nine smaller apartments, two of them still
preserved, and supported by columns, lay behind the hall. On the jambs of the first of these
apartments are sculptured Thoth: the Inventor of Letters, and the Goddess Saf, with the title of
'Lady of Letters'; and 'President of the Hall of Books', accompanied the former with an e...
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