Plato and the Language of Mysteries

Bianca M Dinkelaar

doi:10.1163/1568525x-12342654

Abstract

Abstract Despite Plato’s repeated criticism of both µῦθοι and mystery cults, Orphism/Pythagoreanism and the Eleusinian Mysteries feature frequently in his dialogues. This paper uncovers the reason why, and the context in which, Plato employs motifs and language associated with these cults. Prevailing explanations in scholarship are shown to apply in some instances but not others, and to be largely insufficient in providing an underlying reason for Plato’s use of mystery cults in general. Through a detailed examination of various mystery motifs in the dialogues, this paper argues that Plato has simply borrowed from religion what he could not achieve with philosophy alone: emotional appeal.

Highlights

At various points in his dialogues Plato criticizes or mocks the Eleusinians, Orphics and Pythagoreans.[1]
Can we infer a more specific function for Plato’s religious μῦθοι, in particular those derived from Orphism/Pythagoreanism and the Eleusinian Mysteries? The most popular explanations are: that Plato sought to give more authority to his texts by associating them with these well respected cults;[4] that he intended to make his writings more accessible and appealing to his readers by aligning them with familiar doctrines;[5] and that he made use of mystery language to cover topics which were beyond the scope of dialectical or scientific inquiry.[6]
Since the Eleusinian Mysteries were widely known to the Athenians, it is no surprise that we find references to them in Plato’s writings, notably in the Gorgias, Sophist, Symposium, Phaedrus, and Republic

Summary

Introduction

At various points in his dialogues Plato criticizes or mocks the Eleusinians, Orphics and Pythagoreans (notably R. 363c-d, 364-366, 378a, 560e; Tht. 155e156c).[1]. Linforth argues that Plato deliberately obscures the distinction between life and death to prepare the listener for the idea that the story of the sieve applies to the dead, and to those who we call alive but are dead.[45] This seems to me rather farfetched, but I do agree with Linforth in that the religious motif “reinforces by its unforgettable images the conviction of a truth which is established independently by rational argument”: Plato makes an appeal to the emotions by connecting life closely with death.[46] After considering these examples it appears that Plato mostly refers to Orphic/Pythagorean doctrines in eschatological contexts, such as the fate of the soul upon death and the restraining influence of the mortal body on the immortal soul. Plato was aware of this and eagerly uses the language of the mysteries to support his own cause

The Eleusinian Mysteries in Plato

Conclusion