Pythagoras

Pythagoras (c. 570–495 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, best known today for the Pythagorean theorem. However, in his own time he was at least as influential as a religious teacher and spiritual leader as he was a mathematician.

Life and Background

Pythagoras was born on the island of Samos and later settled in Croton, a Greek city in southern Italy. There he founded a close-knit community often described as a religious-philosophical brotherhood. Members lived communally, followed strict rules of conduct, and pursued intellectual study as a path to spiritual purification. Philosophical and Mathematical Ideas

Pythagoras taught that numbers are the fundamental principle of reality. He believed the universe is ordered according to mathematical harmony, which could be seen in music, astronomy, and geometry. For the Pythagoreans, mathematics was not merely practical—it was sacred, revealing the divine structure of the cosmos.

Religious Beliefs

Pythagoras’s religious beliefs were central to his philosophy:

Metempsychosis (reincarnation): He believed the soul is immortal and is reborn repeatedly in different bodies, including animals. This belief strongly influenced Pythagorean ethics.

Purification of the soul: Life was seen as a process of cleansing the soul so it could eventually escape the cycle of rebirth. Study, self-discipline, and moral living were essential to this goal.

Ascetic practices: Followers adhered to strict rules, including periods of silence, communal living, and dietary restrictions (notably vegetarianism, often explained by respect for ensouled living beings).

Influence of Orphism: His beliefs resemble those of Orphic religious traditions, which emphasized secret knowledge, ritual purity, and the soul’s divine origin.

Ethical Teachings

Pythagoras promoted values such as self-control, harmony, loyalty, and reverence for life. Moral behavior was not just socially important but spiritually necessary, shaping the soul’s fate after death.

Legacy

Pythagoras left no writings, so his ideas are known through later followers and philosophers. Over time, legend and history became intertwined, but his impact was profound. He influenced Plato, later Greek philosophy, religious thought, and the development of mathematics as a disciplined field.

In summary, Pythagoras was not merely a mathematician but a thinker who blended science, philosophy, and religion into a unified vision of a mathematically ordered and spiritually meaningful universe.