Socrates Thoughts on Death//Parallels in the Bible

According to Socrates, one's top priority in life should be the improvement of one's soul, then concern for one's body and wealth can follow. Socrates believed the unexamined life was not worth living. He devoted his life to searching for wisdom, examining himself and others. He was put on trial and eventually killed for refusing to stop his efforts. Socrates did not think himself to be wise, although the god of Delphi, when asked, said that Socrates was the wisest man there was. This was interpreted by Socrates to mean that human wisdom is worth little or nothing...The beginning of wisdom is in admitting that you don't know. Humility is vitally important. Those that think they are wise are not truly wise. Regardless (getting off topic here), Socrates was confident that what he was doing (questioning those who had a reputation for being wise) was what the god of Delphi had commanded him to do and he refused to let anyone sway him to believe otherwise or to stop doing it. This brings to mind several parallels in the Bible.......

--------------------------------------------

>>>The prophets in the Old Testament knew that it was their task to bring God's message to the Israelites and did so regardless of whatever persecution they would experience as a result. In most cases the purpose of prophecy was to bring the Israelites back into right relationship with God, back to the covenant, sometimes it was a warning of God's coming judgment on the people. Oftentimes, the prophets would have to call the Israelites out on their sin; this warranted mostly negative reaction from the people. However, unlike Socrates (who was killed for continuing to do what the god had commanded him), the prophets could not be killed for communicating God's message to the people - this is referred to as prophetic immunity.

>>>In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose to obey God rather than men. Because they would not bow down and worship the Babylonian gods and idols, Nebuchadnezzar (the Babylonian king) threatened to thrown them into a furnace of fire. They had so much faith in their God, Yahweh, that fear of death was not an issue....they believed their God would come through for them and he did.

>>>In the New Testament (Acts 5), Peter and the apostles were arrested for teaching the people about Jesus. When put on trial they replied, "We must obey God rather than any human authority." While the high priest and majority of the council & body of elders were ready to kill Peter and the apostles for their disobedience to the law, a Pharisee in the council, Gamliel, spoke up. He said, "Keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them - in that case you may even be found fighting against God!" The apostles were flogged but not killed, ordered to never speak in the name of Jesus again, and let go. The apostles rejoiced that they were able to participate in the sufferings of Christ - they were thankful to have been persecuted for the sake of Jesus' name. And they continued to proclaim Christ.

---------------------------------------------------

All that to say, I wanted to share a few of Socrates thoughts on death....

"My friend, if you think that a man of any worth at all ought to reckon the chances of life and death when he acts, or that he ought to think of anything but whether he is acting justly or unjustly and as a good or a bad man would act, you are mistaken."

"To fear death is only to think ourselves wise without really being wise, for it is to think that we know what we do not know." For no one knows whether death may not be the greatest good that can happen to man. But men fear it as if they knew quite well that it was the greatest of evils."