Plato and the fate of the ‘incurable souls’

 

Plato and the fate of the ‘incurable souls’

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato is (fl. 5-4th century BC) is widely known to have incorporated in his dialogues the notion of the transmigration of souls, i.e. ‘reincarnation’. What is less known, is that in some of his dialogues he also speaks of unending torments for the worst sinners, those, that is, whose souls have become incurable[1]:

“But those who appear to be incurable, on account of the greatness of their wrongdoings, because they have committed many great deeds of sacrilege, or wicked and abominable murders, or any other such crimes, are cast by their fitting destiny into Tartarus, whence they never emerge.” (Phaedo, §113; source: https://topostext.org/work/91 )

“But of those who have done extreme wrong and, as a result of such crimes, have become incurable, of those are the examples made; no longer are they profited at all themselves, since they are incurable, but others are profited who behold them undergoing for their transgressions the greatest, sharpest, and most fearful sufferings evermore, actually hung up as examples there in the infernal dungeon, a spectacle and a lesson to such of the wrongdoers. ” (Gorgias, §525c-d; source: https://topostext.org/work/760 )[2]

“For indeed this was one of the dreadful sights we beheld; when we were near the mouth and about to issue forth and all our other sufferings were ended, we suddenly caught sight of him and of others, the most of them, I may say, tyrants.  But there were some of private station, of those who had committed great crimes. And when these supposed that at last they were about to go up and out, the mouth would not receive them, but it bellowed when anyone of the incurably wicked or of those who had not completed their punishment tried to come up.” (Republic, §615d-e; source: https://topostext.org/work/768 )

 

 


[1] Interestingly enough, the Christian philosopher Justin Martyr (fl. 2nd century) incorrectly wrote that Plato spoke of punishments that last up to one thousand years:

“And Plato, in like manner, used to say that Rhadamanthus and Minos would punish the wicked who came before them; and we say that the same thing will be done, but at the hand of Christ, and upon the wicked in the same bodies united again to their spirits which are now to undergo everlasting punishment; and not only, as Plato said, for a period of a thousand years. And if any one say that this is incredible or impossible, this error of ours is one which concerns ourselves only, and no other person, so long as you cannot convict us of doing any harm.” (First Apology, 8, source: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm  )

[2] Note that here we have also an explanation of the ‘raison d’etre’ of unending punishments: they cannot be for the benefits of the punished but their usefulness relies on them being visible by others. Compare with this excerpt from Thomas Aquinas:

“The everlasting punishment of the wicked will not be altogether useless. For they are useful for two purposes. First, because thereby the Divine justice is safeguarded which is acceptable to God for its own sake. Hence Gregory says (Dial. iv): "Almighty God on account of His loving kindness delights not in the torments of the unhappy, but on account of His justice. He is for ever unappeased by the punishment of the wicked." Secondly, they are useful, because the elect rejoice therein, when they see God's justice in them, and realize that they have escaped them. Hence it is written (Psalm 57:12): "The just shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge," etc., and (Isaiah 66:24): "They," namely the wicked, "shall be a loathsome sight* to all flesh," namely to the saints, as a gloss says. ["Ad satietatem visionis," which St. Thomas takes to signify being satiated with joy; Cf. Supplement:94:3]. Gregory expresses himself in the same sense (Dial. iv): "The wicked are all condemned to eternal punishment, and are punished for their own wickedness. Yet they will burn to some purpose, namely that the just may all both see in God the joys they receive, and perceive in them the torments they have escaped: for which reason they will acknowledge themselves for ever the debtors of Divine grace the more that they will see how the evils which they overcame by its assistance are punished eternally."” (Summa Theologiae, Supplement of the Third Part, q. 99, article 1 reply to objection 4; source: https://www.newadvent.org/summa/5099.htm )

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