INTRODUCTION
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE EGYPTIAN MYSTERY SCHOOLS
For more than 3,000 years, the mystery schools of Egypt have epitomized the ultimate in secret wisdom and knowledge. Some contemporary scholars and researchers insist that the great teachers who presided over the Egyptian mystery schools were wise masters who survived the destruction of the lost continent of Atlantis and made their way to the early civilization of Egypt, where they helped elevate it to a greatness far in advance of other cultures of that era. The earliest human records legible, the Pyramid Texts of Egypt (c. 3000 B.C.E.), contain many prayers that are quoted from a far more ancient period. This convinced many conservative scholars of the history of religion that the mystery schools of Egypt contain within their teachings a particular philosophical knowledge that came from ancient times.
In the time of the Ramses (c. 1300 B.C.E.), Egypt shone as a beacon light of civilization throughout the known world. Seekers of the divine sciences came from the distant shores of Asia Minor and Greece to study in the sanctuaries with magi and hierophants who they believed could give them the secrets of immortality. The students who would be initiates of the mystery schools were well aware that they must undertake the rigors of disciplined study and the training of body, soul, and spirit.
The Greek philosopher Pythagoras (c. 580– c. 500 B.C.E.) was one such student that learned the secret doctrine of numbers, the heliocentric system of the universe, music, astrology, astronomy, mathematics, and geometry from the powerful Egyptian Magi. Before he established his own school of philosophy in southern Italy, Pythagoras spent 22 years in the temples of Egypt as an initiate in the ancient mysteries.[1]
THE AFRICAN ORIGIN OF GREEK PHILOSOPHY
An author that dwelt on the Egyptian origin of Greek philosophy was innocent Onyewuenyi in his book “The African Origin of Greek Philosophy: An Exercise in Afrocentrism”. In his book, onyewuenyi argued that what today is called Greek philosophy was stolen from Africa. According to Onyewuenyi Plato, after his visit and study in Egypt, returned to Athens and started the most productive period of his life. Aristotle acknowledged the primacy of Egypt as the home of philosophy. In his Metaphysics, Aristotle states that the priestly caste in Egypt was allowed to be at leisure to practice the art of philosophy[2] Thales, whom many Western historians and philosophers regard as the father of Greek philosophy and who is credited with the first formulation of the problem of the unity of cosmic power, studied in Egypt and borrowed, especially his doctrine of the cosmic origin and his geometry from Egyptian thought. Mestrius Plutarch (50-120 AD), philosopher and historian of ancient Greek antiquities states, "Homer, like Thales, made water the basic principle of all things through learning from the Egyptians"[3].
onyewuenyi went further to argue that Herodotus, the father of Greek history and a Greek himself, stated that Pythagoras, a native of Samos (not Greece) gained admission to study in Egypt through the intervention of Amasis, King of Egypt, and Polycrates, King of Samos. King Amasis introduced Pythagoras to the priests of Heliopolis, Memphis and Thebes. In his initiation, Pythagoras underwent circumcision and other severe trials as well as studied measurement, medicine, metempsychosis, etc. He spent 22 years of his life in Egypt[4] Can anyone argue then that Thales, Pythagoras, Plato, and Aristotle could not have been influenced by Egyptian philosophy and way of life? He asked.
onyewuenyi went further to argue that Herodotus, the father of Greek history and a Greek himself, stated that Pythagoras, a native of Samos (not Greece) gained admission to study in Egypt through the intervention of Amasis, King of Egypt, and Polycrates, King of Samos. King Amasis introduced Pythagoras to the priests of Heliopolis, Memphis and Thebes. In his initiation, Pythagoras underwent circumcision and other severe trials as well as studied measurement, medicine, metempsychosis, etc. He spent 22 years of his life in Egypt[4] Can anyone argue then that Thales, Pythagoras, Plato, and Aristotle could not have been influenced by Egyptian philosophy and way of life? He asked.
Onyewuenyi carefully outlined what are usually regarded as the doctrinal inventions of the pre-Socratics. With the cited extracts from some Egyptian Mystery System Texts: Pyramid Text, The Coffin Texts, The Ramesside Stella and The Book of the Dead. He tried to show that the so-called pre-Socratic doctrines dated some centuries before the birth of the pre-Socratics. For example, the Egyptian Heliopolitan System mentions four elements of creation: air, water, earth, and fire; the Ionians each chose or proposed one element as the substance of creation: Thales chose water; and Anaximenes proposed air as the substance of creation (pp. 177-209). Can we conclude that philosophy started in Egypt with the Egyptian mystery system based on onyewuenyi views?
THE HERMENEUTIC INTERPRETATIONS OF GREEK PHILOSOPHY
Contemporary hermeneutics encompasses not only issues involving the written text, but everything in the interpretative process. This includes verbal and nonverbal forms of communication as well as prior aspects that affect communication, such as presuppositions, preunderstandings, the meaning and philosophy of language, and semiotics[5] regarding interpretations of the African origin of Greek philosophy, there are different hermeneutics interpretations. There are those who argues like onyewuenyi that philosophy actually began with the Egyptian mystery system and there are those that argue that even though elements of philosophy could be identified in the Egyptian mystery system, what they practice do not qualified to be called philosophy in the real sense of the word as a rational discipline.
According to Richard W. Field in his review of onyewuenyi’s book, the word "philosophy" is of Greek derivation, and was used initially to refer to a tradition of thought that began within Greek civilization. This tradition was defined by no central doctrinal beliefs, but by a method of approach to establish belief. The features of the method were as follows: (1) the central aim was to seek "wisdom" or understanding, (2) a view that traditional beliefs were largely irrelevant to this search-philosophy was a tradition that rejected the authority of tradition, and thus (3) the consequent encouragement of originality of thought, and a critical outlook on the ideas of earlier thinkers within the tradition, and (4) an insistence that any beliefs recommended for adoption should be offered with reasons, evidence, argument that could at least potentially convince any reasonable person that the belief should be adopted. It is this tradition, in antiquity traced back to the Greek philosopher Thales, that has continued through the centuries of western culture, giving rise eventually in the modern world to natural science as well as philosophy as an ongoing concern.[6] Can we say the same of the Egyptian mystery system?
Scholars have recognized that though the Egyptian mystery school have traditions of thought that share many of the features of "philosophy" and might thus in a broad sense legitimately be called by the same name only in the based form of the term philosophy, but not in the strict or academic sense of doing philosophy. Onyewuenyi's in trying to defend the Egyptian origin of African philosophy, posits that the early Greek philosophers were teaching Egyptian philosophy and that before Thales we must recognize Egyptian thought. One is tempted to ask, Can we say that the man who invented the first bow and arrow is to be credited for invention of the sub-machine gun; that Newton's discovery of physics and the calculus is to be credited to his ignorant schoolmasters?
Scholars have recognized that though the Egyptian mystery school have traditions of thought that share many of the features of "philosophy" and might thus in a broad sense legitimately be called by the same name only in the based form of the term philosophy, but not in the strict or academic sense of doing philosophy. Onyewuenyi's in trying to defend the Egyptian origin of African philosophy, posits that the early Greek philosophers were teaching Egyptian philosophy and that before Thales we must recognize Egyptian thought. One is tempted to ask, Can we say that the man who invented the first bow and arrow is to be credited for invention of the sub-machine gun; that Newton's discovery of physics and the calculus is to be credited to his ignorant schoolmasters?
The teachers of the mystery school of Egypt may have being the first to state the creation myths but when we look at it from the point of view of the strict philosophical discourse that started especially with the sophists that cast doubt on traditional beliefs, that is the kind of conservative and religious thought that the Greek tradition of philosophy rejected and that is entirely out of the character with Greek philosophy for it is characterized by a rational inquiry and discipline of all that is.
EVALUATION/CONCLUSION
The activity which we call academic philosophy, I believe, has its origin with the rational inquiries of the Greeks. Not philosophy as worldview but speculative philosophy which is characterized by rational conversation and debate, which eventually becomes dialectics in Plato. For what is philosophy but the rational overcoming of religion; religion in the form of superstition and ancient rights and obligations? If we look at the early Greek philosophers, we can see how they tried to give a rational explanation to things. And what would the end of this philosophizing? To give a rational point of view; not through force or superstition or prestige, but through power of argument for the power of argument and rationalization, is at the heart of Greek philosophizing and must be there, because of the radical nature of its philosophy.
The Pre-Socratics had a mixture of religious and scientific thought. This is why we can see that there is for example in Heraclitus a comparison with mythical systems of thought; not totally of course, for he wants to a give a rational explanation. It is, if you like, half way between mysticism and philosophy. With the Sophists we are beginning to discover a philosophy which is critical and skeptical and increasing purified of any dogmatism or fundamentalism and with Plato and Aristotle we saw a rational understand and basis for those beliefs. This was one characteristic of philosophy that was absent with the Egyptian mystery system.
One cannot however conclude that there is no philosophy in the Egyptian mystery system. The kind of philosophy they practiced is sagacious philosophy or what some scholars call worldview.
REFERENCE
1 Egyptian Mystery Schools." Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 23 Aug. 2011 http://www.encyclopedia.com.
2 Innocent .C Onyewuenyi, The African Origin of Greek Philosophy:: An Exercise in Afrocentrism (Nsukka, Nigeria: University of Nigeria Press, 1992. P 46
3 Ibid. p.47
4 Ibid
5. Wikipedia, hermeneutics, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_hermeneutics on 19 August, 2011
6. Richard W. Field, review of African origin of Greek philosophy: an exercise of Afrocentrism retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/amazon-verified-purchase on August 20, 2011.
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