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The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

309/310

PART III (Chapters 29-43)

Th. Platonic Postulate
29. Greek Philosophy Reaches Summit of Pagan Thinking529
   I. Greek Thinking Exhausts Uninspired Speculative Reasoning529
      1. Imprinted Immortal-Soulism on World Thought529
      2. First Confined to Poets and Philosophers; Never Generally Held531
      3. Early Teaching Portrays Joyless Afterworld531
      4. Five Stages in Philosophical Development531
      5. This Chapter Based on Recognized Authorities533
   II. Preliminary Stage—Initiated by Poets, Cults, and Mysteries534
      1. Homer: Persistence of Life Beyond Death534
      2. Transmigration Theory Introduced by Dionysiac Cult536
      3. Orphics: Permeated With Pantheism and Reincarnationism537
   III. Philosophical Developments—Ionic, Eleatic, and Pythagorean Positions540
      1. Ionian School: “Air,” “Water,” “Fire,” “Infinite”540
      2. Eleatic School: Philosophy Becomes Pantheistic541
      3. Heraclitus: Soul Is Immortal Spark From Eternal Fire543
      4. Pythagoras: Eternity of Soul and Successive Transmigrations545
30. Sophists React Against Conflicting Speculative Schools547
   I. Paralleling Tragic and Lyric Poets Buttress Positions547
      1. Tides of Poetic Opinion Ebb and Flow547
      2. Pindar: Soul Is “Image of Eternity”548
   II. Inevitable Reaction Under Compromisers, Atomists, and Sophists549
      1. Empedocles: Doomed by Sin to Transmigrations549
      2. Anaxagoras: Dualism and Dissolution of the Soul551
      3. Atomists: Conscious Existence Disappears at Death553
      4. Sophists: Bring Speculative Philosophy to a Standstill554
      5. Such a Survey Justifiable and Essential556
      6. Unparalleled Impact of Grecian Philosophy557
31. Plato—Pagan Fountainhead of Innate-Immortality Streams558
   I. Interest Centered in Origin, Nature, and Destiny of Soul560
      1. Supreme Attempts to Interpret Riddle of Life560
      2. Impact on Jewish and Christian Thought560
      3. Background and Essence of Plato’s Immortal-Soulism562
      4. Present Life One Episode in Endless Sequence562
      5. Three Main Arguments of Indefeasible Immortality563
   II. Complex Involvements of Plato’s Immortality Postulates564
      1. Origin and Nature of the Cosmos564
      2. Conflicting Recitals of Creation of Man564
      3. Epitome of Plato’s Concept of Soul566
      4. Twofold Souls, Fixed Number, arid Transmigration568
      5. Weird Aggregation of Platonic Concepts569
      6. Mythical Tale of the Judgment Invoked569
      7. Dualism Involved in “Two” Eternal Souls571
32. Pagan Philosophy’s Basic Arguments for Immortal-Soulism573
   I. The “Phaedo”—Peak of Plato’s Teaching on the Soul573
      1. Immortal-Soulism Not Originally Held by Plato573
      2. Distinctive Angles of Three Dialogues574
      3. “The Soul Is the Man”574
      4. Socrates Welcomes Death as “Initiation” to Afterlife575
      5. Death Declared “Final Step” Into “True Being”575
      6. Death: “Separation” of Soul From “Body”576
      7. Popular View: Soul Perishes at Death576
      8. Living Are Born “Only From the Dead”577
      9. Soul Declared “Immortal,” “Indestructible,” “Indissoluble”577
      10. Postulate of Soul’s Pre-existence Involved577
      11. Souls Must Have Existed Before Birth578
      12. “Soul” Invisible, Unchangeable; “Body” Visible, Changing579
      13. Souls “Imprisoned” in Succession of Animal Bodies579
      14. Soul “Wears Out” Succession of “Many Bodies”580
      15. Soul as Instrumental “Harmony” Argument Dismissed581
      16. Soul’s Immortality Connotes Indestructibility582
      17. Fancied Fate of Incorrigibly Wicked582
      18. Drinks the Hemlock and Faces “Journey”584
33. Immortal Human Souls Part of World-Soul585
   I. “Phaedrus”—Mythical Flights of Composite Winged Souls585
      1. Crucial Conflicts Between “Parts” of Soul585
      2. Tripartite Division of Soul Built on “Myth”585
      3. “Fault” in “Wings” and “Black Steed”586
      4. Soul Not “Derived,” Hence Not “Destructible”587
      5. “Two Souls“: One “Good,” One “Evil”587
      6. “Self-motion” Is “Essence” of Soul588
      7. “Immortal Soul” Plus “Mortal Body” Equals “Living Being”588
      8. Wing Their Way With the Gods589
      9. Vicissitudes of Disembodied Souls and Wings589
      10. Time Schedule of Progressive Incarnations589
      11. Second Incarnation After Thousand Years590
      12. Souls Become Like the Gods They Follow591
   II. “Timaeus”—“Human Soul” Diluted Part of “World-Soul”592
      1. Plato’s Theory of Universe and Man592
      2. “World-Soul” With Stars as “Divine Souls”593
      3. Dualism: Evil Will Never Cease to Be594
      4. “Soul” Is Source of All Motion595
      5. “Intermediate” Existence Between “Being” and “Becoming”595
      6. Immortal Part of Man Fashioned by Primal Creator596
      7. Successive Births in Scale of Transmigratory Degradation597
      8. All Animated Life Included in “Living Beings”598
      9. Man’s “Immortal Soul” Declared Housed in Head598
34. Skeptical Reactions Erupt Against Platonism599
   I. Aristotle Abandons Plato’s Postulate of “Personal” Immortality599
      1. Questions Plato’s Reasoning on Immortality600
      2. Aristotle in Sharp Contrast With Plato601
      3. Soul Is the “Principle of Life”602
      4. Only Divine Reason Is Immortal602
      5. Separated Soul Has No “Independent Existence”603
      6. Tripartite Nature: Body, Soul, and Mind604
      7. Rohde Summarizes Aristotle’s Position604
      8. Zeller on Pre-existence, Incarnations, and “Personal Immortality”604
      9. Westcott Agrees With Zeller, Rohde, and Draper605
      10. Other Scholars Agree in Foregoing Evaluations605
      11. Centuries-old Conflict Over Aristotle’s Position606
   II. Widespread Opposition by Stoics, Epicureans, and Skeptics607
      1. Stoicism: Materialistic Pantheism; Ultimate Loss of Personality607
      2. Periodic Reabsorptions Into Deity608
      3. The Soul a Fragment of the Divine608
      4. Eternal Soul-Essence Loses Personal Individuality609
      5. Hopelessness and Inadequacy of Stoicism610
   III. Epicureanism—Gross Materialism and Cessation of Soul610
      1. Death Brings Permanent Cessation of Life610
      2. World Formations Result of Blind Chance611
      3. Pleasure Canonized Without Restraint612
      4. Separated Soul Utterly Ceases612
      5. May Reappear as Another Person613
      6. Irreconcilable Clashes Between Stoics and Epicureans613
   IV. Skeptics—Pyrrho Undermines Basis of Immortal-Soulism614
35. Pathetic Despair Predominant Among Roman Thinkers617
   I. Widespread Revolt Against Platonic Positions617
      1. Barren Comfort of Stoics, Epicureans, and Skeptics618
      2. Manilius: Holds a Fatalistic Pantheism619
      3. Cicero: Vacillates Between Belief and Doubt619
   II. Lucretius—Bleak Materialism and Eternal Death-Sleep621
      1. Book Synopsis Reveals Stark Materialism622
      2. The Terrifying Issues of “Death”623
      3. The “Idle Fancy of Fools”623
      4. “Rarified Wind” Leaves Body at Death624
      5. Both Spirit and Body Are Mortal624
      6. Ridicules “Immortal Spirits” Seeking Bodies624
      7. Death: Eternal Sleep With No Awakening624
   III. Skepticism, Pantheism, Emanation, Refusion—All Intermingled625
      1. Catullus and Horace: Death, Sleep of Eternal Night625
      2. Vergil: Spark of World-Soul Fire Returns to Source626
      3. Ovid: Divine Spark Gave Being to Man626
      4. Seneca: Uncertainty and Contradiction Mark Witness627
      5. Pliny: Pantheistic Universe; Man Part of God627
      6. Epictetus: Refusion of Soul Immediate at Death628
      7. Plutarch: Idea of Annihilation Is Intolerable628
      8. Marcus Aurelius: Soul Reabsorbed Into World-Soul629
      9. Tacitus: Believer in Fatalistic Principle629
      10. Conclusion: Both Views Lead to Extinction of Personality630
36. Alexandrian Jews Forsake Ancestral Platform632
   I. The Tragedy of the Great Departure632
   II. Character and Significance of Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphal Teachings633
      1. Prophets Followed by Priests and Priestly Struggles633
      2. Apocryphal and Apocalyptic Writings Appear637
      3. Pseudepigrapha Invokes Prestige of Former Prophets638
      4. Influenced by Thinking of Surrounding Nations639
      5. Apocrypha Excluded From Palestinian Canon639
      6. Extensive Coverage Justified and Imperative640
   III. Historical Background of Jewish Captivities and Decline640
      1. Subjugation by Babylon, Then by Persia640
      2. Syrian Oppression and Maccabean Revolt641
      3. Rome’s Dominance, Jerusalem’s Destruction, and the Diaspora641
   IV. Triple Exposure to Immortality Postulate in Three Captivities643
      1. Egyptian Immortal-Soulism and Transmigration643
      2. Persian Retributionism and Deadly Dualism644
      3. Greek Immortalism Based on Philosophical Speculation644
      4. Antiochus Seeks to Replace Jewish Usages With Grecian644
      5. Apocryphal Writings Emerge During Maccabean Period645
      6. Pagan Dualism Makes Its Impress646
   V. Alexandria—Intellectual Center of Learned World647
      1. Alexander’s Vision of Greek Intellectual Dominance647
      2. Ptolemies and Seleucids Struggle for Mastery647
      3. Hebrew Students Inducted Into Greek Learning649
   VI. Process Whereby the Jews Changed Their Anthropology649
      1. Shifting From the Ancestral Foundations649
      2. Presented Religious Views in Philosophical Setting650
      3. Transmitted From Jews to Christians650
      4. Philo Fuses It Into a System651
   VII. Source of Revolutionary Concepts of Unseen World652
      1. Revolutionary Concepts Developed in Time of Maccabees652
      2. Persian Impact Strengthens Resurrection Concept653
      3. Speculations Crystallize as to Intermediate State653
      4. Climax Reached in Platonic Concepts Under Philo654
      5. Eternal-Hell Concept a Pagan Invention655
      6. Successive Exiles Leave Permanent Impress655
37. Alien Note Injected Into Inter-Testament Writings657
   I. Pseudo-Sibyllines-—“Mortal” Man’s Role in Drama of the Ages659
      1. A Reflection of One View of the Soul659
      2. Portrayed Drama of the Judgment660
   II. Fateful Destiny of AH Mankind Portrayed661
      1. Man Is Mortal; God Is Immortal661
      2. Fateful Judgment Day Tries “Mortal” Men662
      3. Resurrected After Fire Reduces to Ashes662
      4. Four World Powers and Eschatological End663
   III. Variant Positions Presented by Minor Writers664
      1. “Tobit“: Grave Is Eternal in Annihilation Effects664
      2. “Sirach“: No Remembrance in the Grave664
      3. “Judith”—Supports Eternal-Torment Concept665
   IV. Differing Books of Maccabees Exemplify Divergencies666
      1. “2 Maccabees”—Innate Immortality With Prayers for Dead667
      2. Believes Both in Immortality and in Resurrection667
      3. Prayer to and Sacrifices for the Dead Commended667
      4. Vicarious Suffering Expiates God’s Anger668
      5. Hope of “Seven Brothers” Based on Resurrection668
38. Innate Immortality Established by Last Century B.C671
   I. “The Book of Jubilees”—Soul Survives; Resurrection Abandoned671
      1. Innate Immortality Already Firmly Established672
      2. Body Rests; Spirit Lives On Independently672
   II. “4 Maccabees”—Presses Immortal-Soulism Beyond All Predecessors673
      1. Men Go to Respective Rewards at Death673
      2. Righteous Immediately Received Into Heaven674
      3. Wicked Punished With Eternal Torture674
   III. “The Wisdom of Solomon”—Strange Combination of Glaring Contradictions675
      1. Curious Admixture of Truth and Error676
      2. Immortality Is for the Righteous Only676
      3. “Translation” of Some Is Alluded to677
      4. Destruction of Wicked Is Utter End677
      5. Immortality Is Fruit of Righteousness and Obedience677
   IV. Innate Immortality and Noxious Involvements678
      1. Unabashedly Avows Innate Immortality678
      2. “Wisdom” the Source of Immortality679
      3. The Righteous Only Seem to Die679
      4. Assumes Pre-existence of the Soul680
39. Majority Adhere to Historic Conditionalism681
   I. “Ethiopic Enoch”—Underworld Torments End in Annihilation681
      1. Somber Scenes of Judgment Day Depicted682
      2. Resurrection Expressly Portrayed682
      3. Wicked to Be Utterly Consumed683
      4. Torments of Accursed in Underworld684
   II. “Slavonic Enoch”—Eternal Heaven and Unending Hell for Immortal Souls685
      1. First Jewish Propounder of “Six-Thousand-Year” Theory685
      2. Souls Prepared for Eternity Before World’s Formation686
      3. Free Will, Death, Punishment, and Reward686
      4. Righteous “Live Eternally” in Paradise686
      5. “Merciless Tortures” Are “Eternal Inheritance” of Wicked686
   III. “Syriac Baruch”—Conditionalist View; Righteous Sleep Till Resurrection687
      1. Death, Sleep, and Resurrection688
      2. Eschatological View of the Last Things688
      3. Righteous Dead Sleep Until Messiah’s Return689
   IV. Sets Forth the Conditionalist School of Immortality689
      1. Epitome of Baruch’s Hope of Judaism689
      2. Prays for End of Mortality and Corruption690
      3. Coming Judgment and Messiah’s Advent690
      4. Resurrection and Assemblage of Righteous Dead690
      5. The Dust Gives Up the Dead691
      6. The Punishment of the Wicked691
      7. Body Raised Immortal and Incorruptible691
      8. A “Terminable Retribution” Indicated692
40. “2 Esdras” Maintains the Conditionalist View693
   I. “2 Esdras”—Immortalization of Righteous and Destruction of Wicked693
      1. History Explained in Light of Original Sin694
      2. World’s End, Final Judgment, and Results694
      3. “Mortal” World Succeeded by “Immortal” Age695
   II. Documented Evidence of Ezra’s Conditionalist Position696
      1. “Mortal Man” in a “Corruptible World”696
      2. “New Age” and the Intermediate State696
      3. Righteous to Live, While Ungodly Perish697
      4. General Resurrection and Final Judgment697
      5. “Sleepers” in the “Dust” Called Forth697
      6. The Wicked Are Doomed to Destruction697
      7. Wicked, as a “Flame,” Ultimately “Extinguished”698
      8. “Treasures of Immortality” Made Manifest to Ezra699
      9. Wicked Brought to “Death by Torment”699
      10. Wicked Perish Because of Disobedience700
      11. Ezra’s Single Prophecy Deals With Eschatology700
      12. Time’s Last Hours, and Mortality701
41. Neoplatonism’s Development—Jewish, Pagan, and Christian703
   I. Alexandria—Seat of Two Paralleling Schools703
      1. Greek Philosophy Takes Root in Roman Empire703
      2. Neoplatonic School Result of Eclectic Choice704
      3. Alexandria the Center of Conflicting Cultures705
      4. Pagan Neoplatonisrn Becomes Anti-Christian706
   II. Pagan Neoplatonism—Greek Philosophy’s Last Stand707
      1. Philo: Precursor, Builds Upon Emanation Theory707
      2. Lucius: Asserts “World-Soul” Principle708
      3. Numenius: Incarnations Punishments for Previous-Life Sins708
      4. Ammonius: Lays Foundations for Neoplatonism709
      5. Plotinus: Orientalism. Dualism, Emanation, Reabsorption709
      6. Porphyry: Skeptic, Vet Holding to Universal Soul713
      7. Iamblichus: Mytchology, Astrology, Necromancy713
      8. Julian: Suppresses Christianity, Exalts Paganism714
      9. Proclus: Mystic Union of Soul With Deity714
   III. Paralleling Christian Catechetical School715
      1. Alexandrian Center Exerts Powerful Influence715
      2. Characterized by Speculation and Allegorization716
      3. Shadows Deepen Into Midnight of Middle Ages716
42. Philo Judaeus Fuses Platonic Philosophy With Judaic Doctrine718
   I. Alexandria, Seat of Two Paralleling Schools718
      1. On Borderline of Old and New718
      2. Blends Various Views Into Single System719
      3. Pre-eminent Champion of Immortal-Soulism719
   II. Basic Features of Philo’s Teaching Concerning Man720
      1. “Revelation” the Distinguishing Principle of Neoplatonism720
      2. Philo’s Concept of God Was a Synthesis722
      3. Greek and Hebrew Thought Blended by Allegorization722
      4. Strange Conflicting Concepts of Logos723
      5. Flash Pictures of Philo’s Immortal-Soulism724
      6. Philo’s Responsibility in the Great Departure726
   III. Scope and Significance of Philo’s Innovation727
      1. Contrives “Agreement” of Biblical and Philosophical “Truth”727
      2. Strikes at Origin and Destiny of Man728
      3. Genesis Narrative of Creation Vitiated729
      4. Like All Living Creatures Man Has “Animal” Soul730
      5. Man Also Has Immortal “Rational Soul”731
      6. Curious Theory of “Unbodied Souls”732
      7. Role of Unbodied Soul-Angels733
      8. Definition and Function of Rational Soul734
      9. Immortality Defined as “Eternal Persistence”734
      10. Resurrection and Immortality of Soul735
      11. Definitive Meaning of “Fatherland” of Soul735
      12. Souls Return to Realm of “Unbodied”736
      13. Merges Immortality and Resurrection737
      14. Endless Punishment of the Wicked737
      15. Attested by Scholarly Authorities739
      16. Twin Streams Merge at Alexandria740
43. Dead Sea Scrolls—Permeated Throughout With Conditionalism741
   I. Timing and Teaching of Essene Brotherhood742
      1. Views of the People of the Scrolls743
      2. Like Waldenses of Medieval Times743
      3. Approaching End of Present Age744
      4. Major Emphasis Is on Last Things745
      5. Prominent Place Given to Angels745
   II. Comprehensive Witness of Scrolls on Man’s Nature and Destiny746
      1. Sinners “Perish”; Righteous “Destined” for “Life Eternal”746
      2. Righteous Stand in God’s Presence Forever746
      3. Man Created for Eternity747
      4. No “Escape” for Wicked in “Final Doom”747
   III. Fate of Wicked Is Utter Extinction748
      1. Wicked to Be “Found No More,” “Cut off.” Wiped Out748
      2. Burned Until They Be “Destroyed”749
      3. Righteous “Never Die”; Wicked “Wither”749
      4. Angels Brought to Judgment and Hell750
   IV. Eternal Redemption and Utter Extinction750
      1. “Dust” Return to “Dust”750
      2. “Perdition Eternal” vs. “Enduring” for All Time750
      3. Iniquity Cannot Exist in God’s Presence751
      4. “Mortal Flesh” Redeemed Forevermore751
   V. Wicked Cease and Wrong Disappears Forever752
      1. Wicked Will Cease to Exist752
      2. Final Clash of Good and Evil752
      3. “Everlasting Redemption” vs. “Annihilation”752
      4. Wrong Will Disappear Forever753
      5. Significance of the Great Digression in Jewry753