Chapter IV.—The Greeks Drew Many of Their Philosophical Tenets from the Egyptian and Indian Gymnosophists.

We shall find another testimony in confirmation, in the fact that the best of the philosophers, having appropriated their most excellent dogmas from us, boast, as it were, of certain of the tenets which pertain to each sect being culled from other Barbarians, chiefly from the Egyptians—both other tenets, and that especially of the transmigration of the soul. For the Egyptians pursue a philosophy of their own. This is principally shown by their sacred ceremonial. For first advances the Singer, bearing some one of the symbols of music. For they say that he must learn two of the books of Hermes, the one of which contains the hymns of the gods, the second the regulations for the king’s life. And after the Singer advances the Astrologer,1426    Ὠροσκόοπος. [Elucidation III.]    A Platonic phrase: παίγνιον Θεοῦ. with a horologe in his hand, and a palm, the symbols of astrology. He must have the astrological books of Hermes, which are four in number, always in his mouth. Of these, one is about the order of the fixed stars that are visible, and another about the conjunctions and luminous appearances of the sun and moon; and the rest respecting their risings. Next in order advances the sacred Scribe, with wings on his head, and in his hand a book and rule, in which were writing ink and the reed, with which they write. And he must be acquainted with what are called hieroglyphics, and know about cosmography and geography, the position of the sun and moon, and about the five planets; also the description of Egypt, and the chart of the Nile; and the description of the equipment of the priests and of the places consecrated to them, and about the measures and the things in use in the sacred rites. Then the Stole-keeper follows those previously mentioned, with the cubit of justice and the cup for libations. He is acquainted with all points called Pædeutic (relating to training) and Moschophatic (sacrificial). There are also ten books which relate to the honour paid by them to their gods, and containing the Egyptian worship; as that relating to sacrifices, first-fruits, hymns, prayers, processions, festivals, and the like. And behind all walks the Prophet, with the water-vase carried openly in his arms; who is followed by those who carry the issue of loaves. He, as being the governor of the temple, learns the ten books called “Hieratic;” and they contain all about the laws, and the gods, and the whole of the training of the priests. For the Prophet is, among the Egyptians, also over the distribution of the revenues. There are then forty-two books of Hermes indispensably necessary; of which the six-and-thirty containing the whole philosophy of the Egyptians are learned by the forementioned personages; and the other six, which are medical, by the Pastophoroi (image-bearers),—treating of the structure of the body, and of diseases, and instruments, and medicines, and about the eyes, and the last about women.1427    [Elucidation IV.]    So Sylburgius, who, instead of παιδιᾶς τέχνης of the text, reads παιδιὰν τέχνης. Such are the customs of the Egyptians, to speak briefly.

The philosophy of the Indians, too, has been celebrated. Alexander of Macedon, having taken ten of the Indian Gymnosophists, that seemed the best and most sententious, proposed to them problems, threatening to put to death him that did not answer to the purpose; ordering one, who was the eldest of them, to decide.

The first, then, being asked whether he thought that the living were more in number than the dead, said, The living; for that the dead were not. The second, on being asked whether the sea or the land maintained larger beasts, said, The land; for the sea was part of it. And the third being asked which was the most cunning of animals? The one, which has not hitherto been known, man. And the fourth being interrogated, For what reason they had made Sabba, who was their prince, revolt, answered, Because they wished him to live well rather than die ill. And the fifth being asked, Whether he thought that day or night was first, said, One day. For puzzling questions must have puzzling answers. And the sixth being posed with the query, How shall one be loved most? By being most powerful; in order that he may not be timid. And the seventh being asked, How any one of men could become God? said, If he do what it is impossible for man to do. And the eighth being asked, Which is the stronger, life or death? said, Life, which bears such ills. And the ninth being interrogated, Up to what point it is good for a man to live? said, Till he does not think that to die is better than to live. And on Alexander ordering the tenth to say something, for he was judge, he said, “One spake worse than another.” And on Alexander saying, Shall you not, then, die first, having given such a judgment? he said, And how, O king, wilt thou prove true, after saying that thou wouldest kill first the first man that answered very badly?

And that the Greeks are called pilferers of all manner of writing, is, as I think, sufficiently demonstrated by abundant proofs.1428    [Instructive remarks on the confusions, etc., in Greek authors, may be seen in Schliemann, Mycenœ, p. 36, ed. New York, 1878.]    God Himself is ὶερός, and everything dedicated to Him.

Εὕροιμεν δ' ἂν καὶ ἄλλο μαρτύριον εἰς βεβαίωσιν τοῦ τὰ κάλλιστα τῶν δογμάτων τοὺς ἀρίστους τῶν φιλοσόφων παρ' ἡμῶν σφετερισαμένους ὡς ἴδια αὐχεῖν τὸ καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων βαρβάρων ἀπηνθίσθαι τῶν εἰς ἑκάστην αἵρεσιν συντεινόντων τινά, μάλιστα δὲ Αἰγυπτίων τά τε ἄλλα καὶ τὸ περὶ τὴν μετενσωμάτωσιν τῆς ψυχῆς δόγμα. μετίασι γὰρ οἰκείαν τινὰ φιλοσοφίαν Αἰγύπτιοι· αὐτίκα τοῦτο ἐμφαίνει μάλιστα ἡ ἱεροπρεπὴς αὐτῶν θρῃσκεία. Πρῶτος μὲν γὰρ προέρχεται ὁ 20ᾠδός20, ἕν τι τῶν τῆς μουσικῆς ἐπιφερόμενος συμβόλων. τοῦτόν φασι δύο βίβλους ἀνειληφέναι δεῖν ἐκ τῶν Ἑρμοῦ, ὧν θάτερον μὲν ὕμνους περιέχει θεῶν, ἐκλογισμὸν δὲ βασιλικοῦ βίου τὸ δεύτερον. Μετὰ δὲ τὸν ᾠδὸν ὁ 20ὡροσκόπος20, ὡρολόγιόν τε μετὰ χεῖρα καὶ φοίνικα ἀστρολογίας ἔχων σύμβολα, πρόεισιν. τοῦτον τὰ ἀστρολο γούμενα τῶν Ἑρμοῦ βιβλίων τέσσαρα ὄντα τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἀεὶ διὰ στόματος ἔχειν χρή, ὧν τὸ μέν ἐστι περὶ τοῦ διακόσμου τῶν ἀπλανῶν φαινομένων ἄστρων, [τὸ δὲ περὶ τῆς τάξεως τοῦ ἡλίου καὶ τῆς σελήνης καὶ περὶ τῶν πέντε πλανωμένων,] τὸ δὲ περὶ τῶν συνόδων καὶ φωτισμῶν ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν περὶ τῶν ἀνατολῶν. Ἑξῆς δὲ ὁ 20ἱερογραμματεὺς20 προέρχεται, ἔχων πτερὰ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς βιβλίον τε ἐν χερσὶ καὶ κανοῦν, ἐν ᾧ τό τε γραφικὸν μέλαν καὶ σχοῖνος ᾗ γράφουσι. τοῦτον τὰ τε ἱερογλυφικὰ καλούμενα περί τε τῆς κοσμογραφίας καὶ γεωγραφίας τῆς τάξεως τοῦ ἡλίου καὶ τῆς σελήνης καὶ περὶ τῶν πέντε πλανωμένων, χωρογραφίας τε τῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ τῆς τοῦ Νείλου διαγραφῆς περί τε τῆς καταγραφῆς [κατα]σκευῆς τῶν ἱερῶν καὶ τῶν ἀφιερωμένων αὐτοῖς χωρίων περί τε μέτρων καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς χρησίμων εἰδέναι χρή. Ἔπειτα ὁ 20στολιστὴς20 τοῖς προειρημένοις ἕπεται, ἔχων τόν τε τῆς δικαιοσύνης πῆχυν καὶ τὸ σπονδεῖον. οὗτος [οἶδε] τὰ παιδευτικὰ πάντα καὶ [τὰ] μοσχοσφραγιστικὰ καλούμενα· δέκα δέ ἐστι τὰ εἰς τὴν τιμὴν ἀνήκοντα τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς θεῶν καὶ τὴν Αἰγυπτίαν εὐσέβειαν περιέχοντα, οἷον περὶ θυμάτων, ἀπαρχῶν, ὕμνων, εὐχῶν, πομπῶν ἑορτῶν καὶ τῶν τούτοις ὁμοίων. Ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ ὁ [προφήτης] ἔξεισι, προφανὲς τὸ ὑδρεῖον ἐγκεκολπισμένος, ᾧ ἕπονται οἱ τὴν ἔκπεμψιν τῶν ἄρτων βαστάζοντες. οὗτος, ὡς ἂν προστάτης τοῦ ἱεροῦ, τὰ ἱερατικὰ καλούμενα δέκα βιβλία ἐκμανθάνει (περιέχει δὲ περί τε νόμων καὶ θεῶν καὶ τῆς ὅλης παιδείας τῶν ἱερέων)· ὁ γάρ τοι προφήτης παρὰ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ τῆς διανομῆς τῶν προσόδων ἐπιστάτης ἐστίν. ∆ύο μὲν οὖν καὶ τεσσαράκοντα αἱ πάνυ ἀναγκαῖαι τῷ Ἑρμῇ γεγόνασι βίβλοι· ὧν τὰς μὲν τριάκοντα ἓξ τὴν πᾶσαν Αἰγυπτίων περιεχούσας φιλοσοφίαν οἱ προειρημένοι ἐκμανθάνουσι, τὰς δὲ λοιπὰς ἓξ οἱ παστοφόροι ἰατρικὰς οὔσας περί τε τῆς τοῦ σώματος κατασκευῆς καὶ περὶ νόσων καὶ περὶ ὀργάνων καὶ φαρμάκων καὶ περὶ ὀφθαλμ[ι]ῶν καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον περὶ τῶν γυναικείων. Καὶ τὰ μὲν Αἰγυπτίων ὡς ἐν βραχεῖ φάναι τοιαῦτα· Ἰνδῶν δὲ ἡ φιλοσοφία καὶ αὐτῶν διαβεβόηται. Ἀλέξανδρος γοῦν ὁ Μακεδὼν δέκα λαβὼν Ἰνδῶν γυμνοσοφιστὰς τοὺς δοκοῦντας ἀρίστους εἶναι καὶ βραχυλογωτάτους προβλήματα αὐτοῖς προὔθηκε, τὸν μὴ ἀποκρινόμενον εὐστόχως ἀνελεῖν ἀπειλήσας, ἕνα [δὲ] τὸν πρεσβύτατον αὐτῶν ἐπικρίνειν κελεύσας. ὁ μὲν οὖν πρῶτος ἐξετασθείς, πότερον οἴεται τοὺς ζῶντας εἶναι πλείονας ἢ τοὺς τεθνεῶτας, τοὺς ζῶντας ἔφη· οὐ γὰρ εἶναι τοὺς τεθνεῶτας. ὁ δεύτερος δέ, πότερον τὴν γῆν ἢ τὴν θάλασσαν μείζονα θηρία τρέφειν, τὴν γῆν ἔφη· ταύτης γὰρ μέρος εἶναι τὴν θάλασσαν. ὁ δὲ τρίτος, ποῖόν ἐστι τῶν ζῴων πανουργότατον, ὃ μέχρι νῦν οὐκ ἐγνώσθη, εἶπεν, ἄνθρωπος. ὁ δὲ τέταρτος ἀνακρινόμενος, τίνι λογισμῷ τὸν Σάββαν ἀπέστησαν ἄρχοντα αὐτῶν ὄντα, ἀπεκρίθη· καλῶς ζῆν βουλόμενοι αὐτὸν ἢ καλῶς ἀποθανεῖν. ὁ δὲ πέμπτος ἐρωτηθείς, πότερον οἴεται τὴν ἡμέραν πρότερον ἢ τὴν νύκτα γεγονέναι, εἶπεν· [ἡ νὺξ] ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ· τῶν γὰρ ἀπόρων ἐρωτήσεων ἀνάγκη καὶ τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ἀπόρους εἶναι. ὁ δὲ ἕκτος ἐρωτηθείς, πῶς ἄν τις φιληθείη μάλιστα, ἂν κράτιστος ὤν, ἔφη, μὴ φοβερὸς ᾖ. ὁ δὲ ἕβδομος ἐρωτηθείς, πῶς ἄν τις ἐξ ἀνθρώπων γένοιτο θεός, εἰ πράξειεν, εἶπεν, ἃ πρᾶξαι ἄνθρωπον μὴ δυνατόν ἐστιν. ὁ δὲ ὄγδοος ἐρωτηθείς, τί ἰσχυρότερον, ζωὴ ἢ θάνατος, ζωή, ἔφη, τοσαῦτα κακὰ φέρουσα. ὁ δὲ ἔνατος ἐξετασθείς, μέχρι τίνος ἀνθρώπῳ καλῶς ἔχει ζῆν, μέχρι οὗ, ἔφη, μὴ νομίζῃ τὸ τεθνάναι τοῦ ζῆν ἄμεινον. κελεύσαντος δὲ τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ τὸν δέκατον εἰπεῖν τι (δικαστὴς γὰρ ἦν), ἕτερος, ἔφη, ἑτέρου χεῖρον εἶπεν. τοῦ δὲ Ἀλεξάνδρου φήσαντος· οὐκοῦν καὶ σὺ πρῶτος ἀποθανῇ τοιαῦτα κρίνων; καὶ πῶς, εἶπεν, βασιλεῦ, ἀληθὴς εἴης, φήσας πρῶτον ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν πρῶτον ἀποκρινάμενον κάκιστα;