Page 53 - STOLEN LEGACY By George G. M. James

In each of these places, these Egyptian mysteries assumed the names of different Gods in order
to be adapted to local conditions. Hence in Asia they took the form of Mithra: in Samothrace, the
form of the Mother of the Gods; in Boeotia, the form of Bacchus; in Crete, the form of Jupiter; in
Athens, the forms of Ceres and Proserpine.

The most noted of these Egyptian imitations were the Orphic, Bacchic, Eleusinian,
Samothracian, and Mithraic. All of these Fire Worshippers, believed that the universe originated
from Fire, and they lived at a time which antedated the time of the late Ionic philosophers by
thousands of years.

The other doctrines of the later Ionic philosophers together with those of Socrates, Plato and
Aristotle will be treated under Summaries of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and in Chapter VIII,
and will include (1) Opposites (2) The nous or mind (3) The Logos, (4) The Atom, (5) The
Theory of Ideas, (6) The Unmoved Mover, (7) Immortality.

IV. The Greek Philosophers practised plagiarism.

The teachings of Pythagoras seem to have been so comprehensive that nearly all his successors
embraced and taught a portion of his doctrine, which we are told he obtained by frequent visits
which he made to Egypt for the purpose of his education. Two things are at once obvious, (1)
that the Greek philosophers practiced plagiarism and did not teach anything new and (2) the
source of their teachings was the Egyptian Mystery System, either directly through contact with
Egypt, or indirectly through Pythagoras or tradition. These facts can now be further
demonstrated by an outline of the doctrines of Pythagoras, with the names of philosophers who
repeated his doctrines:

1. The Doctrine of Opposites: the unit of number is composed both of odd and even elements; of
the finite and infinite; and of the positive and negative. In this connection, we find (a) Heraclitus
suggesting fire to be the source of creation, by means of the principle of strife which separates
phenomena; and harmony which restores them to their original source. (William Turner's History
of Philosophy p. 55; Zeller's Hist. of Phil. p. 67–68). (b) Parmenides, suggesting Being as
existent and Non-Being as non-existent (Zeller's Hist. of Phil. p. 61; Turner's Hist. of Phil. p. 48).
(c) Socrates, attempting to prove the immortality of the Soul by the doctrine of opposites (Plato
Phaedo). (d) Plato, attempting to explain nature, used the Theory of Ideas which he based upon
the principle of opposites. Consequently the Idea is true reality, i.e., Being (To on); hence the
concept is real; but the thing which is known by the concept is unreal. The noumen is real and
perfect; but the phenomenon is unreal and imperfect (Parmenides 132D; Aristotle Meta 16,
987b9). (e) Aristotle in attempting to establish the existence of God, describes the divine
attributes in terms of opposites. God is the First Mover that is unmoved (proton kinoûn
akineton). Hence, we have a combination of motion and rest, as the attributes of Deity and
Nature. (Aristotle's physics VIII 5, 256a; II 1; 192b 14; II 8, 199; de caelo I 4, 271a; Wm.
Turner's Hist. of Phil. p. 141).
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Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy by George G. M. James
The Journal of Pan African Studies 2009 eBook