Superphysics
Socrates' Story on Reincarnation
4 minutes • 818 words
Table of contents
The Story of Er
I will tell you of the heroic tale of Er the son of Armenius, a Pamphylian by birth.
He was slain in battle. Ten days later when the bodies of the dead are decomposing, his body was found unaffected by decay. It was carried home to be buried.
On the 12th day, as he was lying on the funeral pile, he returned to life. He told them what he had seen in the other world.
He said that when his soul left the body, he went on a journey with a great company. They came to a mysterious place where there were two openings in the earth, near together. Above them were two other openings in the heaven above.
In the intermediate space, there were judges seated. After they had given judgment on them and had bound their sentences in front of them:
- the just were to ascend by the heavenly way on the upper right side,
- the unjust were bidden by them to descend by the lower way on the lower left side.
Their sentences also bore the symbols of their deeds, fastened on their backs. They told him to hear and see all that was there and that he was to be the messenger to carry the report of the other world to men.
- On the right side, he saw the souls departing for heaven when sentence had been given on them, or going to earth.
- On the left side, at the two other openings, he saw other souls:
- some ascending out of the earth dusty and worn with travel, as if coming from a long journey
- some descending out of heaven clean and bright. These went forth with gladness into the meadow, where they encamped as at a festival. Those who knew one another embraced and conversed.
The souls which came from earth curiously asked about the things above. The souls which came from heaven asked about the things beneath.
- Those from below were weeping at the things which they had endured in their journey beneath the earth which lasted 1,000 years.
- While those from above were describing heavenly delights and beauty.
The summary of the long story is that Er said that for every wrong which they had done to anyone, they suffered tenfold* or once in 100 years.
- 100 years was reckoned to be the length of man’s life.
- The penalty being thus paid 10 times in 1,000 years.
Superphysics Note
For example, they received punishment 10 times over for each offence such as:
- being the cause of many deaths,
- betraying or enslaving cities or armies, or
- being guilty of any other evil behaviour.
The rewards of beneficence, justice, and holiness were in the same proportion. He also said about young children dying almost as soon as they were born. There were other rewards and punishments far greater which he describe for piety and impiety to gods and parents, and murderers.
The Tyrant in the Afterlife
Ardiaeus lived 1,000 years before the time of Er.
- He had been the tyrant of a city of Pamphylia.
- He had murdered his aged father and his elder brother.
One of the spirits asked another, ‘Where is Ardiaeus the Great?’
The other answered:
He will never come. We were at the mouth of the cavern, having completed all our experiences. We were about to re-ascend, when suddenly Ardiaeus and several tyrants and criminals appeared. They were just about to return into the upper world.
But the mouth gave a roar instead of admitting them, whenever any of these incurable sinners, or some one who had not been sufficiently punished, tried to ascend.
Then, wild fiery men heard the sound and seized them, binding Ardiaeus and others by head, foot, and hand. They threw them down and flayed them with scourges, and dragged them along the road at the side, carding them on thorns like wool. They declared to the passers-by their crimes, and that they were being taken away into hell.
The spirits then ascended with exceeding joy.
Er said that these were the penalties and retributions, and there were blessings as great. After the spirits in the meadow had tarried seven days, they were obliged to proceed on their journey on the eighth.
On the fourth day after, they came to a place where they could see from above a line of light, straight as a column, extending right through the whole heaven and through the earth, in resembling a bright and pure rainbow. After another day’s journey, they arrived at the place.
There, in the midst of the light, they saw the ends of the chains of heaven let down from above. This light is the belt of heaven which holds together the circle of the universe, like the under-girders of a trireme.
