چكيده لاتين
Plato portrays Socrates as a sage of the mysteries of life after death in his final hours in the Phaedo. He accomplishes this goal through the use of Greek esoteric terminology found in the Eleusinian, Dionysian, and Orphic rites. This study examines the role of these rites in the formation of Platoʹs teachings on the soul, particularly in relation to the issue of the immortality of the soul, and demonstrates how Plato draws on his own reflections on familiar myths and ritual teachings to elevate them to the realm of philosophy.
In the first step, we provide an overview of the prevalent mystery cults in ancient Greece. This chapter examines the Eleusinian, Dionysian, Orphic, and philosophical form of the latter, namely Pythagoreanism, with a focus on the central myth of each cult and its specific practices and customs. In this section, we examine the Orphic cult from two perspectives: first, the sources of Orphic traditions derived from archaeological excavations, especially Orphic Theogony, which has been reconstructed by archaeologists, and second, an examination of the views of scholars in this field.
In the next chapter, we reflect on the use of ritual metaphors in Platoʹs dialogues as a means of elucidating his cosmology. We then turn to a fundamental issue in this study: the immortality of the soul, as understood by Homer. We argue against the prevailing view among scholars that Homer does not address this issue and instead demonstrate how Greek religion, including both Homeric views and ritual teachings, influenced Platoʹs philosophy, particularly in relation to the soulʹs immortality. Finally, we discuss Platoʹs teaching on the immortality of the soul as a philosophical outcome of the entire Greek mythological and religious tradition.
Our research is based on Platoʹs works and interpretations by Plato scholars such as Taylor, Cornford, Linforth, Morgan, and Jager. However, among Platoʹs works, the Republic, Gorgias, Phaedrus, Phaedo, Symposium, Laws, and Apology have been particularly illuminating. In particular, the language of Plato in the Symposium, Republic, and Phaedrus is Eleusinian, while in the Laws, Apology, and Phaedo it is Orphic.
