P2: Pagan Greek Philosophy Part of Paul's Doctrine? (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Menander, etc.)

 


Join me at 12:30 PM EST (Wednesday, Apr. 23, 2025) for Part 2 of a podcast discussion about how Paul relies a great deal on Ancient Greek Religious and Philosophical ideas to inform his doctrine, especially from that of Socrates and Plato.


Today will focus on how a large part of his doctrine with regard to marriage stems from the Greek Philosophical approach of complete avoidance of anything that brings pleasure to the body (eating, drinking, love making) in order to achieve the state where the soul may be freed to seek the higher order forms, the spiritual good that deemed outside the physical realm.  I believe it is this idea that informed Paul to falsely say to the Corinthians that is better to remain single, but if you can't control your lusts, then marry.  This opposes the idea that the Father had told us to be fruitful and multiply and said that what He has joined together, let no man tear asunder.  


We all read directly from Plato's "Phaedo," which tells the story of Socrates on his last day of life, as he expounds to his students the idea that the soul is immortal and also goes through his belief in reincarnation after a short time in Hades with the “gods”.   But we will stick to the segment where Socrates explains how the fleshly body only stands in the way of the soul’s enlightenment and that one should put down its desires and lusts in order to have a mind free enough to find enlightenment.  Very interesting that Paul speaks the same way to the Corinthians, even making marriage a second class mode of living, as if one can’t serve the Father very well when married since it’s better to marry than to “burn” (though most of the fathers of faith were married, and many had more than one wife).   We will breakdown a section of Phaedo that shows just how much Platonic thought influenced Paul in regard to the “flesh” that caused him to put burdens on Believers too grievous to be born.  Our bodies are allowed to experience the pleasure of food, drink and relationships, within the realm of the law.  This is not wrong.  Paul makes new laws in this regard which appear to be derive from demonic greek philosophy, which makes even natural desires and affections taboo or at least a lesser pursuit, and thus can serve to drive people so deprived to even worse sins.  Satan is a terrible master.  You never really get what’s right from him, only perversion.  


If you follow Paul, rather than Jesus (you can’t do both at the same time) you will find yourself on the broad road that leads to destruction where all the Greek philosophers who worshipped demons went if they didn’t repent.  That’s where Paul is, if he didn’t repent.    Jesus will always lead you to keeping the commandments (He is the commandments) and never away. 


All videos, music, email responses, phone calls & all other services provided by Jesus Not Paul/Acts or WSBM Ministries are free, but donations are greatly appreciated. You may do so at https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=2M2673KZ473D2


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jesus Instills Faith/Trust in the Father as Provider; Paul Instills Fear

Image
One thing you can be sure about Paul's writings: you can cherry pick from them all sorts of ideas on the same overarching subject and come up with multiple, even contradicting, viewpoints. For example, when it comes to the subject of money and provision, Paul wrote to Timothy, “For the love of money is the root of all evil:” (Is the love of money, or pride, the root of evil?  Satan's first sin was pride, which led to greed, but I digress.) In the midst of Paul's admonition, he says we ought to be content with our circumstances  and not be concerned with becoming rich, which can lead to a snared life and perdition. This passage, in my view, contains many truths that coincide with what our attitude should be toward money and provision.  Being content and grateful in any circumstance, not worrying for tomorrow, trusting the Father for today as Jesus taught in Matthew 6, is by all means the best place to be spiritually and psychologically when it comes to walking through this...
Read more

Seven Reasons Acts is a Provable Hoax

Image
To begin I would like to assert that in bringing up the errors in Acts, the Pauline epistles and the pdeudepgraphical writings attributed to Peter (1 and 2 Peter), this blog and YouTube channel in no ways comes against the teachings of Jesus Christ and His everlasting Gospel.  In fact, this ministry promotes what Jesus said and did as the only way to everlasting life.  What He is reported to have taught and done in the Gospels of Matthew and John as well as in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, is what I believe we can all base the entirety of our belief systems upon and is the only Gospel on which we can be assured of salvation.  In fact that's what Jesus taught when He said His Words or His sayings are the rock upon which we build.  Jesus also taught of Himself constantly from the Torah and the Prophets.  Contrarily, in Acts 15 when the "apostles" are laying out their edict regarding circumcision and what commands the Gentiles should observe, their de...
Read more

Are the Lunar Sabbatarian's "Pause & Reset Days" Biblical?

Image
Join Doug this evening at 7:15pm EST (Wed, Jan 22, 2025) https://youtube.com/live/6G-W8bOnDwg?feature=share on the JesusNotPaul/Acts channel for a podcast discussion surrounding the recent phenomena of the rise of those who say the Sabbath must be honored according to the moon phases, rather than every seventh day consecutively.  This is because the lunar calendar month is 29.5 days in length, while four seven day weeks only comprise 28.  This means the extra 1.5 days per month have to go somewhere, so to keep with the lunar phases one or two spacer, "pause & reset" days are added which means the first week to start a new month, the sabbath could occur on the eighth or ninth day, ultimately breaking the Father's order of every seventh day of each week.  No where in the scriptures is it ever implied there would literally be monthly skip days inserted to stay on a lunar calendar.  The conjecture and projection it takes for lunar sabbatarians to convince themselves...
Read more