"Subsists no law of Life outside of Life. The Christ himself had been no Lawgiver, "He led him, step by step, through the noble resolve by which Socrates -at frightful odds, and with all ordinary experience against him-maintains the advantage to be derived from truth; . . . and he showed him how . . . it was expedient that a nobler than Socrates should die for the people,--nobler, that is, in that he did what Socrates failed in doing, and carried the lowest of the people with him to the ethereal gates." -John Inglesant. is This truth we "There is no word of life in Socrates. This little period of life an infinite arena, where infinite issues are played out. must recognise in Christianity and its belief independent of all theories." -CARLYLE. SOCRATES AND CHRIST A STUDY IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION BY R. M. WENLEY, M.A. LECTURER ON MENTAL AND MORAL PHILOSOPHY IN QUEEN MARGARET PREFACE. THIS brief study, covering as it does a wide and preeminently important period of human history, is not in any way exhaustive. Of its shortcomings in many directions I am deeply sensible. Throughout, the design has been to group afresh ascertained facts, to exhibit their inter-connection, and to emphasise their essential differences, rather than to bring forward evidence which had been neglected or even unnoted hitherto. An attempt has been made to show that the development of Greek thought and the peculiar character of Judaism necessarily rendered Christ's work different from that of Socrates. While dogmatic theology undoubtedly contains very many elements derived from Greek philosophy, Christianity at its source is in no wise Greek. Philosophy partly prepared the way for it, and originated not a few doctrines which afterwards became incorporated in Christian dogma. This, however, was only a secondary relationship. |