INTRODUCTION

DR. HENRY L. DRAKE

After many centuries, Pythagoras' name still flares across the conscious horizon of learned men. He was a polydynamic figure whose encyclopedic understanding influenced the ancient world in a strange and powerful way. Born in Samos about 580 B.C., the impact of his life and work is felt, even today, in the areas of science, mathematics, music, religion, mysticism, and philosophy. The world has not heard the last of Pythagoras, but there is a record as to how we first heard of him. His father Mnesarchus, engraver of rings, with his wife Parthenis, visited the oracle of Delphi and were told that she would bear a son who would excel in grace and wisdom.

This early sage was accepted by some as a Hero, meaning that he was, indeed, a virtuous man who possessed divine powers. He was regarded as one who had come to earth for the specific purpose of enlightening mankind. He sought to produce an advanced type of human being—the insightful, creative man of character, inquiring mind, depth of feeling, thoughtful disposition, practical understanding, and above all, spiritual sensitivity.

According to Pythagoras each individual has within his basic nature certain qualities which, when cultivated under proper instruction, make it possible for him to mature into the likeness of a divine being. Manly P. Hall states, “Pythagoras believed that ultimately man would reach a state where he would cast off his gross nature and function in a body of spiritualized ether…From this he would ascend into the realm of the immortals, where by divine birthright he belonged.”

Pythagoras chose to reveal his deeper meanings only by the spoken word. If he left any writings they have been lost. What we know of him derives mainly from his disciples, the Pythagoreans. His chief biographers, among them Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Diogenes Laertius, wrote of Pythagoras several hundred years after his demise. Plato and Aristotle left us meaningful insights about the Pythagoreans. Plato's significant dialogues the Phaedo and Timeaus are deeply influenced by Pythagorean ideas and ideals. Plato, speaking of Pythagoras, says that he taught his disciples, “A way of Life.” They so revered him that, after his death, none ever took credit for any Pythagorean theory or discovery, but referred them to The Master, or That Man, as they called Pythagoras, thus evidencing their esteem for his greatness.

Vagueness surrounds the life and work of Pythagoras as well as his affirmed charismatic nature. It is appropriate to ponder what significant difference, if any, this makes. He, as with other great teachers, taught a meaning common to all mankind. The fact of Christ's existence, or the exact words of Buddha, is secondary to the significant truth inherent in the message they portrayed. Pythagoras' message is as vital now as it was then as a way for man to follow in pursuing and developing his own being and well-being. The message is that what one man has done each man can do. This Pythagoras taught, stressing that each must attain integration of his soul for himself, since there is no vicarious attainment. Legitimate integration comes only from a depth of commitment to and an insightful understanding and application of fundamental, Divine principles which, being scientific, are the same for all mankind.

During Pythagoras' youth, he was recognized for temperance, serenity, gentleness, prudence, and for his abilities generally. Even at this age, he was respected and honored. His discourse attracted many, including significant persons, so that some said this man must be the son of a deity, perhaps Apollo. Coming to knowledge, and understanding its functioning within himself, he attended to those endeavors which aided him in comprehending reality. His abilities to relate with others, and “Living like some good genius,” caused worthy reports regarding him to spread. Men of insight such as Thales, Bias, and many others, took note of him, and he came to be called, the “fair-haired Samian.”

As Pythagoras matured, he was regarded as comely, and his presence was one of power and awesomeness. Recognizing his own power, he was ever mindful of his manner of speaking, for a reproach from him, would to some, be like death. In habits he was modest, partaking little of food and drink, and often, only of honey. He cared not only for the body, but for the emotion, and mind as well. He was not subject to excess and, “No man ever saw him rejoice or mourn.” He composed his soul with the Lyre, and strove to maintain harmony within his being. He would walk with small groups of companions in groves or temples which were pleasant and remote from the confusion of daily living. When the tyrant Polycrates came to power, Pythagoras realized that under such a government he could not pursue learning or disseminate his findings. It was then that he left his country to found his Academy in Crotona.

At an advanced age, Pythagoras married Theano, a disciple and a good woman. After his death, she assisted with the government of the school. Of this marriage, seven children are mentioned, three sons and four daughters. One daughter, Damo, is said to have been left the writings of her father for safekeeping with the admonition, to which she was faithful, that she, at no cost, should communicate them to anyone outside of the family. Some maintain that Pythagoras left nothing in writing; others even name works ascribed to him, for instance, The Sacred Discourse, and The Magical Virtues of Herbs. Among the many men influenced by The Master are: Plato, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, Julian, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinus, and Francis Bacon.

Pythagoras' instruction came from his contact and studies with the wise of many countries, and from the unfoldment of his own inner being. He first voyaged to Therecydes. It was from the mentor Anaximander that he learned of nature's secrets. He was a disciple of Pherecydes and a student of Hermodanias. Before he established himself at Crotona, in Southern Italy, it is possible that he visited Phoenica, Palestine, Chaldea, Persia, Arabia, and India. His wish for truth also determined him to venture a voyage to Egypt, where, with the aid of King Amasis, he became acquainted with the priests of Heliopolis and Memphis. These priests, not prone to share their wisdom with strangers, and wishing to test Pythagoras, confronted him with the most difficult disciplines. Nevertheless, he gained their confidence and was finally accepted into the Mysteries of Isis, at Thebes.

In Babylon the Magi received Pythagoras kindly and initiated him into their arcanum, including music, the mathematical sciences, and sublime methods of worshiping the gods. He learned of the motions of the stars and their effects upon the nativities of men. The Magi also shared their remedies for many diseases, and taught him the principles ruling the Universe. It was here too that he came to know the Zoroastrians.

While in India, Pythagoras visited the Brahmans. These worthy priests communicated deep insights to Pythagoras regarding aspects of the mind, nature of the soul, means of solving the vicissitudes of life, and methods by which man becomes a positive agent in his own evolutionary process. He was allowed to share in profound doctrines taught at Elephanta and Ellora.

Pythagoras was also instructed by the Rabbis regarding the inner traditions of Moses. He went to Crete and Sparta to learn the renowned laws of Minos and Lycurgus. In Phoenicia the significance of the Adonic mysteries were conferred upon him. He learned all there was to know from the Greek philosophers, and was probably an initiate of the Eleusinian mysteries. The probability of these travels is strengthened in that such journeys were possible, travel was the best manner of acquiring knowledge, and Pythagoras' teachings were influenced by oriental philosophy and mysticism.

When Pythagoras returned to Samos, he lived in a cave outside of the city, that he might devote himself to developing his philosophy and way of life. He was now regarded by his countrymen with even greater admiration than before, for he seemed to them even wiser and more majestic. He was asked to instruct them in the deeper meaning of what he had learned, especially regarding the symbolic way to knowledge.

It appears that Pythagoras was, indeed, one of those dedicated to clarifying for man the real purpose of existence. Penetrating mind and conviction of feeling may ponder well the validity of the opinion that esoteric meanings existed in early times and, having been passed on from master to disciple, have been perpetuated even to us, and, living on, operate constructively in various ways and at many levels.

Admission to Pythagoras' Academy was by choice and by trial. The choice was selective and the trials difficult, for this was not a school where instruction was sold. The Pythagoreans did not “…open their souls like the gates of an inn, to everyone that came to them.” There is another sense in which the instruction was not open. Pythagoras' lectures were delivered from behind a screen, and were veiled in language to be fully understood only by the most advanced disciples. In this manner the esoteric instruction was perpetuated and kept pure, as was the case with mystery schools.

Before admission to the Academy, Pythagoras would know the petitioner: his relations with parents, friends, and associates, the appropriateness of his laughter, silence, and manner of discourse, his handling of anger, passion, and ambition, his capacity for joy and grief, and what caused these sentiments. All elements of the personality were seriously appraised.

Included in the prerequisites was the severe probation of five years silence, which assured poise under difficult circumstances. To those who were to know philosophy, science, and the mysteries, a reason for silence was given: “That the soul might be converted into herself from external things, and from the irrational passions in her, and from the body, even into her own life, which is to live forever.” Again, he who is silent hears what is said. Profundity is to stop talking and to learn to meditate. “We ought either to be silent, or to speak things that are better than silence.” A stone thrown at random is more worthy than speaking an idle word. In communication use few words, and say much.

Pythagoras would observe the countenance and bearing of the petitioner and, from this, determine many things he desired to know. If the person was found desirable—a lover of knowledge, capable of learning, retaining, and following what he would be taught—he was admitted. Otherwise, he was summarily dismissed.

The mind alone sees and knows. Hence, it must be freed of the fetters which have hampered it since infancy. In no other way can it comprehend what is true, or perceive if the senses are functioning properly. Thus, once disciples were accepted, Pythagoras assisted them with many exercises for the purification of mind and soul, especially the strengthening of will.

Pythagoras advised his disciples that it is best to commence one's day in silent meditation, and thus compose one's own soul. He felt that meditation placed one in the presence of powerful constructive and directive forces. This practice he himself pursued, often retiring into the desert for the purpose, though he placed no merit upon solitude as such.

There were also disciplines such as abstinence regarding food and sleep, temperance, and not being attached to honors. Important too, was their strict rule of secrecy concerning speaking of their more profound doctrines with outsiders, nor did they accept, without caution, the opinion of others. The hearts and minds of the uninitiated are not prepared for basic instruction and, “The goods of wisdom ought not to be communicated to those whose soul is not purified.” The Master admonished his disciples not to conceal faults with words, but amend them with constructive action, and to appreciate one who legitimately reproves us, for this leads to improvement through self-discovery. He maintained that it is better to lie on the ground with settled and calm nature, than to lie upon a golden bed and be troubled. No man is free who cannot command himself. Only the most dedicated disciple could pass Pythagoras' means of testing. Yet, the procedures for qualification and purification were indispensable for those who desired to know That Man.

It was at Crotona, a seaport of much wealth and commercial activity, that Pythagoras, about the year 529 B.C., established his Academy. It was a secret scientific-religious brotherhood. The school prospered with centers of the society developing in other parts of the known world. The number of disciples and auditors numbered several hundred. The more serious students were divided into the classes of Probationers or Exoterics, and Mathematicians or Esoterics. To attain advancement in this academy, it was required that science, especially mathematics and astronomy, be mastered as subjects best fitted for the enlightenment of man. The disciples needed also to deepen their religious insights, master their feelings, and purify their souls, thus mitigating the necessity for rebirth.

Wisdom results when the intellect is so integrated as to partake in intuitive cognition of vital causes. Pythagoras taught that with developed capacities one may comprehend and become a part of creative principles by relating to them with one's inner being. He accepted the reality of a constant interchange of energies and consciousness between the universe and man. Man and his greater environment are related as microcosm and macrocosm, and at no point in time or space is there a break in continuity, no dichotomy. Again, true wisdom is hidden from the profane and must be discovered by looking, not outward, but inward. Therein is to be revealed all that man will ever know.

The Master was accredited the ability to communicate to each disciple what was most proper for him to know at a particular time. Not being alike, it is fitting that they not partake alike. The distinction between Exoteric and Esoteric disciples was significant, for the latter were entitled to an inner instruction in which the others were not privileged to partake. This distinction had to do with the difference between the lesser and greater initiations, between lesser preparatory concerns, and complete consecration.

By degrees, the serious disciple experienced a transition from the mundane to the contemplation of incorporeal elements in nature. Gradually, the eye of the mind turned inward toward the realization of eternal principles which do not change and which, when partaken of, make man wise. Pythagoras believed mathematics capable of abstracting the soul from sensibles, preparing it for intellectual and emotional ascension, and making it possible to intuit things inherent in Divine mind. The Master, “Seeing that they could not in words express incorporeal forms and first principles, had recourse to demonstration by Numbers,” realizing that God himself is the number of numbers. Without mastering mathematics, the disciple could never become a Pythagorean. Men usually know what they want, but seldom what they need. Pythagoras assisted his disciples with the needs required by nature to comprehend the meaning and purpose of life.

The Pythagorean community was an unusual experiment in human relations. It comprised a close membership adhering to strictly prescribed rules, which they regarded as reversed ordinances. The brothers were thus united in a common purpose. A friend, they held to be another self. With the understanding, derived from Pythagoras, they established true friendships, with the depth of his meaning becoming practical reality. They were aware that friendship symbolizes the good that exist between God and man, soul and body, and man and woman, binding all relations together. The brothers recognized too that discord, wherever appearing, is the cause of dissension and disintegration.

In this society personal possessions meant nothing. The brothers saw no point in accumulating personal wealth, seeing that overabundance is as pointless as severe need. Upon entering the society, everything that a brother owned became the common property of all, for the best interest of each. Should one leave the society, he took with him the estate he brought. The brothers would then erect a tomb for him, as if he were dead. Thus they outgrew egoistic interest, which could never promote the principles for which they stood.

Pythagoras advised his disciples not to rise from their beds after sun up. Rather, they must be about their duties and, as the sun rose, see therein the image of God. He instructed them never to do anything they had not first premeditated. He had no approval for the student who made an appointment and then broke it, and disregarded one who broke a vow. In relating, the student was to speak clearly, constructively, and directly. Moderation in all things was demanded, for an excess, even of virtue, can be a vice.

Notwithstanding Pythagoras' severe disciplining, his disciples accepted his directives without question, for they respected That Man. They looked upon him, not as an ordinary human being, but as one, who possessing godly aspects, was in a class between man and the gods. No mere human, they felt, could accomplish such things as he had achieved. They recognized that when he spoke, the aim was to cure, for he regarded teaching as the highest form of preventive and curative therapy.

In directing the Academy, Pythagoras established additional procedures for the strengthening of soul and body. Included was the practice of piety, morality, temperance, obedience, government, fidelity, and respect for law. Instruction also entailed the structure and meaning of the world soul, the universe, and the law of cause and effect which makes one see that he will reap what he deserves. Religious insights, along with natural mysticism, were stressed, for Pythagoras saw that one must align with God and the gods as principles, or spiritual development would be stultified. Man is never to assume that he has been overlooked by God and the gods, who are his agents, for man is always under their supervision.

The curriculum also included harmony, music, the dance, gymnastics, and proper diet. Having discovered harmony, Pythagoras applied it to order body and soul. By music the manner and passions may be modified to produce health. Through the appreciation of music, angers, griefs, fears, and various desires were exorcised and directed toward virtue. There were melodies for evening relaxation, and others that roused the energies. Pythagoras had music within himself, and applying the ears of his soul to the inner harmony of the world, used it to heal. On one occasion a murder was prevented by the introduction of quieting music. The dance was practiced as conducive to agility of body and health of soul. In healing, poultices and potions from herbs were frequently used. Physical and psychological therapy, by means of color and verse, as those of the Odyssey and Illiad, were well known to the Pythagoreans. Pythagoras' efforts were spent in the process of unfolding, developing, and deepening the natural potentials of those he accepted for instruction. He saw his disciples and himself as conscious parts of a universal, vital, moving process, and advised all to cooperate with this process, since it involves an inevitable necessity.

The Master taught that, “A man must be made good, then a god.” In the order of ascent, the attainment is first made by achieving in daily life, from hence, under instruction, one comes gradually to comprehend, and then to resemble the Divine. He concluded that, most important of all, a man must inform his soul concerning what is good and what is ill, for one is good only when he knows and practices the good. Everyone is destined eventually to know universals, not with the physical eye, but by intellectual and intuitive insight. Then, as The Golden Verses say, man stripped of flesh is freed to higher ether: “A deathless God divine, mortal no more.”

The Master maintained that philosophy has to do with real things. He means real essences, incorporeal and eternal realities. All other things are what they are by participating in these realities. Such is the nature of material things, which are corruptible. Science, he points out, has to do with corporeals and not with essentials, and the knowledge of particulars must always follow the science of essentials, or universals. In consciousness, he who understands universals will also understand particulars, but not the reverse.

Pythagoras was practical with his philosophy, for he held it to be in vain if incapable of curing man's passions. As medicine cures the body, there is no benefit in philosophy unless it expels the diseases of the soul. What then are the anchors, the helpers, of the soul? He answers: Wisdom, Magnanimity, and Fortitude, for the virtues are solid, the rest are trifles.

Progress at the Academy actually amounted to a series of initiations. The most significant phase of instruction concerned the fundamental concept that number is the essence of things—that everything is essentially number. Authorities disagree as to how this concept is to be understood. Aristotle's opinion is that the two ways of viewing numbers namely as primal essences, or as the symbols of existence, do not exclude one another. The principle explanation maintains that numbers are the Form, the very essence and meaning of things, and do not exist apart from things. Number per se was presented as the quality of things, as the substance and law which holds the universe together. So powerful was this concept that it was further stated that number rules over gods and men and are therefore, the condition and definition of knowledge.

All numbers are divisible into either Odd, or Even, which are the universal constituents of numbers and of things. A third class was accepted, namely, the Odd-Even. The Odd was identified with the Limited, while the Even was associated with the Unlimited. All things partake of the Limited and the Unlimited, the Limited to be equated with the perfect, and the Unlimited with the imperfect. In addition to these opposites, there were the One and Many, Right and Left, Masculine and Feminine, Rest and Motion, Straight and Crooked, Light and Darkness, Good and Evil, Square and Oblong. Certain meanings were also assigned to each of these categories. The Pythagoreans felt it to be observable that each thing contains within itself these opposite characteristics.

Regarding first principles, Pythagoras taught that from the opposition of Unity and Duality, other opposites may be deduced, such as: Spiritual and Corporeal, Form and Substance, and Deity and Matter, which is itself derived from Deity as the original Unity. Unity is the condition of all beginning, and from it arose infinite Duality. Unity and Duality produced numbers and, from these, points, and other mathematical and geometrical forms. Unity is the efficient or moving cause of things. Duality is fundamental matter out of which, when impressed by Unity, creation is produced. The Neo-Pythagoreans regarded Unity as the One and correlated it with Deity, a formless Form lying beyond all opposites as the cause of causes. Duality is to be identified with diversity, as the fragmentor of Being.

The opposites are held together by Harmony, present in each thing, as the unifier of the many which brings discord into accord. Pythagoras assigned special importance to this principle, seeing that it was a necessary condition of each discrepant unit of being: for instance, it is inherent in musical structure, and in the constitution of individuals.

To understand Pythagoras we cannot minimize his preoccupation with numbers and their application to specific concepts and objects. His theory applies specific numbers to everything, both animate and inanimate—for example, to man, plant, and earth. He also applied numbers to concepts: two is equated with opinion, four with justice, five with marriage, seven with timeliness.

The decad was regarded as the inclusive, culminating, sacred number. The Pythagoreans, therefore, divided the universe into ten spheres: first was the circle of the Divine Fire, then the seven spheres of the planets, the earth, and Antichthon, which they proposed as a counter earth. This we never see, since its motion always keeps it at 180° from the earth, kept from view by the sun. They conceived of the heavenly bodies, not so much as physical bodies, but as energy centers, serving as agencies through which Divine intelligence expresses.

The Tetractys, representing universal forces and processes, forms a pyramid by the use of 10 dots. It was the most revered symbol of the Pythagoreans. To construct the figure, four dots are used to form the base, three are placed above these, and then two upon them, and finally one. The one is unity, the two, diversity, the three, equilibrium, while the four is the smallest number of lines that can enclose a square.

Pythagoras draws attention to the properties of the ten basic numbers:

1.  The Monad, accepted before all others, because having no diversity, it is always the same;

2.  The Duad, the audacious, because the first to separate from the One;

3.  The Triad, because it grows out of the Duad, or great mother and the Monad, or divine father;

4.  The Tetrad, because it provides the foundation of structure;

5.  The Pentad, or equilibrium, because it divides ten into equal halves;

6.  The Hexad, because it comprises the form of forms, and concerns the perfection of parts;

7.  The Heptad, because it is the number of life and law;

8.  The Ogdoad, because it symbolizes counsel, prudence, and love;

9.  The Ennead, because it contains the first square of an odd number (3 × 3), and entails boundary or limitation;

10.  The Decad, because it is the most inclusive, number, involving all arithmetic and harmonic possibilities.

From the first ten numbers all others were created, since these involve the nature of all numbers.

Pythagorean metaphysics teaches that creation was the result of a central fire formed in the center of the universe. This fire is the One, or Monad and therefore, is good. It is the moving principle of all, including the gods and heavenly bodies. Pythagoras was convinced that the central fire always was; hence, it was not appropriate to speculate upon a beginning of this first cause. As the objects of time and space were regarded mathematically, so the central fire was regarded dynamically. It is the spirit or soul of individuals, as well as of the universe, and is fused throughout the entirety of Being.

The stars are highly evolved phases of the universe, having everything that the earth has, except more perfect. Pythagoras discovered Venus to be both a morning and evening star. He knew the motion of the heavenly bodies, and was aware of the unchangeable regularity of their orbits. In this he saw something divine. From the revolution of heavenly bodies he arrived at his theory of a universal year.

The heavenly bodies give off a sound which the Pythagoreans called the harmony of the spheres. The tones produced by these bodies is in relation to their size, distance, density, and movement. As the planetary system produces a harmony, so too does the universe in its entirety, and as living creatures breathe, so do the planets and the universe.

In the Pythagorean schema the universe entails three levels of being, which correlate with three levels of consciousness. There is the Supreme World, the Superior World, and the Inferior World. The Supreme is the highest, a subtle spiritual essence. The Superior World is that of essential principles such as Numbers and Ideas, and is the abode of the immortals. The Lower World is inhabited by those creatures which partake of material substance. The Supreme world contains within itself the nature and capacity of the lesser two.

Human souls, requiring experience which will eliminate ignorance, take on bodies. The soul, however, must discover how to extract itself from matter, or better, to incorporate the principle of matter into itself. As long as it experiences on the earth plane, it requires a body through which to function. Separated from the body, the soul in the other world experiences the exact sort of life it has set up for itself by causes established during its earthly existence. The later Pythagoreans regarded man's soul as a part of the world soul and, for this reason, considered it divine and imperishable. Another reason for this is that soul has its number and harmony, both of which are imperishable.

The Pythagoreans also believed in Daemons. At times these forms appear to men and assist in directing the processes of their lives. They may, in fact, as may man himself, be regarded as agencies or facilitators of a purposeful plan extent in the world process. The Daemons in consciousness stand midway between man and the gods. Man is under divine direction, and cannot accomplish his transformation to the Hero state without the help of the Daemons, gods, and God. To achieve this greatest good, man must follow the order and spirit of Nature, rather than the dictates of irrationality, and emotional abandonment. Therefore, it is one's duty to purify the soul, and not to depart earthly responsibilities of one's own accord.

Of Pythagoras' Golden Verses, his cryptic way of presenting important truths, seventy-one are recorded, exemplified by those quoted: Verses XIII-XVI read, “Observe justice in all your actions and words; neither use yourself, in any manner, to act without reason. But always make this reflection, that it is ordained by destiny for all men to die; and that the goods of fortune are uncertain; and that, as they may be acquired, they may likewise be lost.”

Verses XVII-XX read, “Support with patience your lot, be it what it will, and never repine at it; but endeavor what you can to remedy it. And consider that fate does not send the greatest portion of these misfortunes to good men.”

Verses XL-XLIV read, “Never suffer sleep, to close your eyelids, after going to bed—till you have examined by reason, all your actions of the day. Wherein have I done amiss? What have I done? What have I omitted that I ought to have done? If in this examination, you find that you have done amiss, reprimand yourself severely for it, and if you have done any good, rejoice.”

Verses LIX-LX read, “Likewise know, that men draw upon themselves their own misfortunes voluntarily, and of their own free choice, wretches as they are! They neither see, nor understand, that their good is near them. There are very few of them who know how to deliver themselves out of their misfortunes. Such is the fate that blinds mankind, and takes away their senses. Like huge cylinders, they roll to and fro, always oppressed with ills without number. For fatal contention is innate in them and pursuing them everywhere, tosses them up and down, nor do they perceive it. Instead of provoking and stirring it up, they ought to be yielding to avoid it.”

At times, Pythagoras taught by means of aphorisms, some of which follow: “Decline from public ways, walk in unfrequented paths,” meaning that wisdom must be sought in solitude; “Assist a man in raising a burden, but do not assist him in laying it down,” meaning that the diligent merit assistance, but the indolent deserve no help; “Having departed from your house, turn not back, for the furies will be your attendants,” meaning that once the disciple sets foot upon the path of truth, he must not turn back to former ignorant ways, which will only cause confusion and suffering.

According to our informants, Pythagoras was known for his prophecies and miracles. His very presence was surrounded by a charismatic splendor. One report states that Pythagoras, while walking from Sybaris to Crotona, came upon fishermen and told them the exact number of fish they would have in their nets. The fishermen said that, if this be true, they would do whatever he commanded. When the fish were counted there were exactly the number foretold. Pythagoras requested that the fish be returned to the sea, whereupon he paid them for their catch, and proceeded to Crotona.

Pythagoras had unusual influence upon rational and irrational creatures alike. One time, stroking a bear, which had done harm to the people, he gave her maize and fruits and directed her not to attack living creatures. As reported, the bear went to the woods and caused no further damage to any living thing. At times, Pythagoras would relate what another had in mind before the other had spoken it. He foretold earthquakes. On one occasion he predicted correctly that a certain ship, though under pleasant breeze at the time, would be wrecked. He was known for counteracting pestilence, and caused violent winds to cease. He is also said to have had the ability to visit the other world and bring back reports to friends of their deceased acquaintances. Pythagoras too spoke of his former lives. Once he appeared, at the same time, before two of his disciples who were at different places, and had conversation with them both. He practiced the art of divination by numbers, and is reported to have developed a round object containing numbers and letters by means of which he could analyze character, and predict future events.

Among the achievements to be accredited Pythagoras are:

1.  An improved status of mathematics to a level above mere practicality by introducing the method of axioms, postulates, definitions, and proofs;

2.  The discovery and proof of the angle-sum of a triangle;

3.  Demonstration that the square erected on the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equivalent in area to squares erected on its other two sides;

4.  The concept that the earth is a globe, and astronomical thoughts which led Copernicus to affirm that from the Pythagoreans he arrived at his heliocentric hypothesis;

5.  Founded the harmonic science as a result of his laws yielding the fourth, fifth, and octave of a note;

6.  The first to use the terms philosophy, and mathematics;

7.  Combined geometry and arithmetic, as much later the relation between algebra and geometry was established;

8.  Developed the principle that numbers are the essences of all things;

9.  Brought to clearer focus the meaning of transmigration and the immortality of the soul;

10.  Discovered a Way for man by establishing his relation to universals;

11.  Made prophecy and mystical experience commensurate with practical living;

12.  Formulated essential parts of Euclid's Elements of Geometry. Based on such thoughts and discoveries, Pythagoras' Academy came to be recognized as the most significant scientific school of the ancient world.

Pythagoras died at the age of 80. His demise came as he counseled with friends at the home of one Milo. The home was set afire out of envy by Clyo, a wealthy, prominent, but tyrannical man who, having applied for discipleship, was found unworthy, and so refused. Others say that the Crotonians, for political reasons, perpetrated the massacre in which some forty of the brothers lost their lives.

The cause may, indeed, have been political, for it cannot be denied that Pythagoras and his disciples were zealous in matters of statescraft. They presented directives and laws of good government to many cities so that their magistrates eliminated dissension from their midst. The Pythagoreans had also acquired a powerful influence upon the magistrates and administrations of these cities by establishing a political conference, which amounted to promoting aristocratic government. During this time democratic trends had gained the ascendancy. The result was, the Pythagoreans were persecuted.

It is possible that Pythagoras, aided by his associates, escaped to Metapontum, and there died sometime later. He may have gone to the temple of the Muses, and after forty days, passed on as a result of not having drunk or eaten during this time. Thus ended the career of a noble and wise man, one of the greatest scientists and most prophetic of mystics the world has produced and known.