The Argument over Reincarnation in Early Christianity
Historia: the Alpha Rho Papers
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| Historia: the Alpha Rho Papers
3 God. This could only be done through the attainment of knowledge, and since God is omnipotent Plato believed it ridiculous to assume that one’s soul could gain enough knowledge to return to God in one lifetime. 2 Based upon Plato’s belief that the human body was a prison of punishment and that souls were on earth to gain a level of knowledge that would take more than one lifetime to learn, we can see why he believed in reincarnation. Plato’s writings are dated between 430-347 B.C., well before Christ’s ministry, so Plato had no known opinions on the mission or reality of Jesus Christ. Theologians who lived after Plato and studied from his teachings would run into conflict as they tried to align their newly acquired Christian beliefs with the Platonic ideas that they had already come to accept. These men would eventually be referred to today as Christian Platonists. Basilides was one such Christian Platonist, educated and taught in Alexandria during the years 130-160 A.D. Those living in Alexandria during Basilide’s time who considered themselves ‘intellectuals’ who still studied and taught heavily from the writings of Plato. 3 Basilides was no exception, and many of his religious beliefs are based upon Platonistic thoughts, including that of reincarnation. Like Plato, Basilides also believed that physical bodies were prisons and that death allowed the spirit to be freed from the body and made available for spiritual resurrection. Having the soul imprisoned in a body was not just for gaining knowledge and experience, but also provided punishment for lives previously lived. He used this belief to explain to his followers why Christians who were not committing sins in this life still suffered from diseases and other afflictions. 4 He understood this to occur because these individuals, although pious in this life, had sinned in their previous lives and were being punished presently. 2 Cranston and Head, World Thought, 198-201. 3 Layton, Bentley. “The Significance of Basilides in Ancient Christian Thought.” Representations 28 (1989) 144. 4 Layton, “Basilides in Ancient Christian Thought,“ 138. |