Pillars of Humanity: the Delphic Admonitions: Ancient wisdom for the modern man

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Preface

The Delphic Admonitions comprise the storyboard of the ideal man of the Classical Era, the womb which gave birth to the homo universalis of the Renaissance and the enlightened man of the 18th century. Today they have fallen into considerable obscurity, overshadowed by New-Age-friendly quotes attributed to Buddha or more recent gurus. Centuries of thou shalt nots inscribed in the Mosaic Law have dominated over the gentler and more refined admonitions of the Oracle of Delphi, slowly extinguishing the afterglow of the Hellenistic world into the melancholy of the Middle Ages.

The Delphic Admonitions were brief maxims, two to five words each, inscribed in stylae (votive pillars) either around or in the entrance of the temple of Apollo in Delphi. According to tradition they are attributed to the Seven Sages of Antiquity (Thales of Miletus, Pittacus of Mytilene, Bias of Priene, Solon of Athens, Cleobulus of Rhodes, Periander of Corinth and Chilon of Sparta) or, according to an even earlier tradition, to the wisdom of the Sun-God Apollo himself. The truth is that the exact origin and date of each of these 148 maxims remains unknown but that does not diminish their importance and ability to spur a refined soul towards a life of harmony and virtue.

In the fore-temple at Delphi Pausanias writes in his travel journal of Phocis, are written Admonitions useful for the life of men, inscribed by those whom the Greeks say were sages.

The Delphic Admonitions should not be viewed as Divine Law or intellectual orders. The word paragaelmata (usually translated as admonitions or maxims) means literally things that are asked of you. They are written in the imperative voice - as was the proper grammatical form to phrase advice given to a friend, or the admonition of a father to a son. One was not obliged to follow these maxims by any law, man-made or divine: despite the fact that in ancient Greece there existed a complex religious system with various festivals and a plethora of sacerdotal practices that were to be observed by the pious man or woman, the Delphic Admonitions were free-for-all advice, be they noble or peasant, be they initiated in the Mysteries of the god or simple proselytes.

They are an intriguing mix of belief in divinely-inspired revelation and rational, empirical thought.

Since, as far as I am aware, these 148 Delphic Admonitions or maxims are not widely available to the English-speaking world I will present them here translated to the best of my ability with a brief commentary / explanation on each in the hopes that you will find them inspiring and, as Pausanias said, beneficiary. Keep in mind that each maxim, according to the norm of the Ancient Greek way of thinking and teaching, could hold more than one meaning so that each person according to his or her level of spiritual awareness and education could perceive and deduct a different admonition from it. Also, it is important to understand that these admonitions should be enacted together, each in context with the other, and not as separate aphorisms - always tempered by reason and in the light of individual and temporal circumstance.

The Delphic Admonitions

1

FOLLOW GOD

It is interesting to note the singular number in God without, however, confusing it with the monotheistic notion of a prevalent Godhead during the Christian era. Here, God either refers to Apollo or, perhaps, to the One Creator God of triadic nature about which Pythagoras, Socrates and the disciples of Plato spoke, being as they were initiated in the Mysteries of the Orphic cult and the teaching of Hermes Trismegistus. To the common man as well as to the uninitiated it could simply mean be pious or follow the Divine Law.

2

RESPECT THE GODS

Respect is given here in the sense of do not insult and observe the feasts, sacrifices and other religious practices. Be a pious man and not a blasphemer. Gods, in plural, makes the polytheistic theological notion of the maxim stand out in stark contrast to the monotheistic reference of the Admonition above - while at the same time reconciling both in the same frame of existence. Furthermore, respect for the gods, may not only be confined to the Olympians of the Greek pantheon but to all the gods of all nations. Religious tolerance was characteristic of the polytheistic world - but not entirely unstained by violent exceptions. The polytheist standing at the shrine of a foreign god maybe would refrain from offering sacrifice to the deity unfamiliar to him but he would not deem that other god any less true or existent than he believed own to be.

3

RESPECT YOUR PARENTS

A fairly self-explanatory Admonition: respect here has the sense of do nothing that will shame you before your parents. It can also be taken in the context of do not bring shame to your parents or do not contradict, insult or rebel against your parents. Respect towards one’s parents is the first lesson in human decency a child is taught and it will follow him for the rest of his life.

4

RESPECT THE ELDERLY

Here, elderly should be understood as those older than you. Aside from the obvious admonition to decency, it is also implied in this maxim that you should listen to those who have more experience in life than you, respect them, and avoid being cocky or insulting towards them due to the impetuousness of youth. You always have something to learn from your elders and therefore they merit your respect as potential teachers.

5

RESPECT THOSE WHO COME BEGGING FOR YOUR HELP

Those who come begging for your help is described by the word heketes (plural). An heketis (singular), or suppliant, in antiquity was a man in dire need, persecuted (justly or unjustly - it did not matter) who came either to you or to a holy place to ask for refuge in the name of the gods / unwritten Divine Law. There was even a ceremonial posture that such a suppliant would assume: he would fall to your feet and grasp your knee while he pleaded his case. In ancient Greece even slaves being mistreated by their master could take refuge in a temple or in the home of another man, become heketis and arrange to be sold to another, more temperate master. It was considered hubris against the Divine to slay such a suppliant or refuse to aid him. Here we see the concept of mercy towards a fellow human being who has been driven to cast aside personal dignity and place his person entirely at another’s mercy.

6

RESPECT YOURSELF

Do nothing that will be bring shame unto yourself; outward or inward. By respecting others weaker than you, as stated in the maxim above, you are led to self-respect. Here we see the notion of viewing the self as a third-party, someone you live with, attached to you - yet separate from the workings of your mind; someone you should treat with courtesy and honor. After all, is it not irrational to treat strangers with a detached yet respectful manner of respect and deny your own self of the same, at the very least, treatment? By respecting himself man abstains from what is offensive towards his dignity and his person, whether it comes from others or from his own base desires.

7

ABSTAIN FROM MURDER

Obviously; no society would tolerate murderous behavior in its midst. Note here that murder is given in the context of killing someone outside the institutions of the state (political executions, death penalties for criminal violations, etc) or on the field of battle. On another level it may also refer to the killing of any living thing for private reasons such as gain, revenge, anger or perverse pleasure. Murder should be understood as the act of killing someone even though other alternative courses of action are available and, as such, should be branded as antisocial behavior harmful to the common interest.

8

DO NOT USE OATHS

This is an interesting Admonition. Swearing an oath in the name of the gods was mandatory in ancient Greece