Let‘s become Pythagoras disciples!

Charisma always constituted an irresistible power to humankind. Just think of famous diplomats, actors or athletes - I am sure that they (almost) all built some kind of cult of personality around them. Of course, this isn‘t new and it was sometimes pushed to its literal extreme. Here, I present to you Pythagoras. You might have heard the name before. Famous theorem. Almost as famous philosopher. Revered mathematician. Emphasis on revered. In fact, Pythagoras was mainly famous in its time for the almost literal cult that worshipped him - the Pythagoreans. Well, this might be a bit unfair to the man. Should he be considered a mystic, a sage, a religious leader, a magician, a philosopher, a scientist or simply a charismatic figure? I say yes to all these things. Today, let‘s go back in time, and explore the intriguing and sophisticated Pythagorean way of life. Whenever you‘re ready.

Indoctrination

To begin, we need to be accepted into the Pythagorean community and this is harder than you could expect. First, we have to go to Croton (now in Italy), where Pythagoras established its mainstay community. Then, we need to commence the tests - plural. First, you can‘t simply demand a direct audience with Pythagoras. You have to ask first to one of the higher disciples. If you satisfy a few of his inquiries, then he would ask you to leave stating that you are now observed. Then, the master and his associates would quite literally from what we know spy on you… for months sometimes. What were they looking for? How you associate with your parents and relatives, what are your social manners, what your apparent desires are, who you talk to, how you employ your leisure time and much more. Your physiognomy and the way you move also enter into the calculation since Pythagoreans believe those to be indicating of your soul. Then, it would be total silence for a few years. This was made to test your stability, response to rejection and despise of popular honour (that could come by joining the Pythagoreans). After that, if you‘re still in the running that is, another disciple would demand that you maintain silence yourself… for a few years again. What was meant by silence here was not what you could expect. It was more seen as an abstinence from religious/political affairs, a sort of humbler way of life we could say. All done? Then, you would FINALLY meet with the master himself, who would choose for you the type of disciple you would be depending on what he thought would suit you best.

Pythagoras of many colors

Types of disciples you say? Oh yes. The Pythagorean community was large and extremely regulated. As such, Pythagoras used two main types of novices. There were those called akousmatikoi - which basically focused on the philosopher‘s moral teachings and the crucial art of music - and those called mathematikoi - focusing more on the mathematician‘s legacy and the art of learning. Those roles were reserved for men as far as we know, but you would be surprised to learn that women were not only accepted in the community but cherished and esteemed. Pythagoras created an age-related cursus for women based on their marital status and associated deities. A woman starts as a kore when unmarried, becomes a nymph when betrothed, a meter when producing children, and maia (a Doric dialect term) when her child has children. The only other notable difference between men and women in doctrine I could find was that women were discouraged from proceeding to animal sacrifices. Indeed, this was seen as “inappropriate to their character“. Hey, it would be for mine too.

Your first day on the job

Congratulations, you are now among Pythagoreans! What would your does look like? Everything starts with a (mandatory?) morning walk. This walk had to take you to a place “appropriate to solitude and quiet“ (in the words of Lamblicus). The goal was to relax the soul to prepare it for reasoning before talking to anyone. After that, you were free to meddle with however you wished, most probably in a temple or another sacred place. The conversation most often focused on Pythagorean doctrine, studies and your self-evaluation of your manners. Before noon, some time was reserved for exercise. Popular choices include wrestling, weight training or what I can only describe as dance training (in the same kind as a fast-paced Tai Chi). Then, dinner. Probably bread and honey. Afternoon was used for affairs concerning strangers to the community: trading, politics, etc. The evening was the perfect time for another walk - in groups of two or three this time - talking about what they had learned that day. After that, bath time in groups of no more than ten, followed by sacrifices to the gods. Then it was supper (a lot of debate on what exactly was eaten, but bread seems like a mainstay yet again). The day ended with a public reading in the same vein as our late-night tales around a campfire. The youngest read, the eldest would most often accompany it with a speech on Pythagorean precepts. Not a bad day, hey? I would love to have one of those everyday methinks.

Believe in the master

You might have noticed that a good part of the day is either reserved for Pythagorean studies or explicitly linked to it. It would be fair to ask what would those be exactly, as this was also a question most Greeks at that time asked. Indeed, part of the charm of the Pythagorean doctrine was the rule of secrecy surrounding it. Speaking of it outside the community was punishable. Fortunately, we have some references explaining some probable elements of it. Let me explain some highlights.

First, we have to pinpoint the role Pythagoras himself took in this community. Well, he was seen in a way as either the first apostle or the avatar of Apollo, the Greek god of Arts. To him, human beings were the exclusive property of the gods. In that way, they had to order their lives to satisfy what the gods wanted of them. This is the main motivator behind almost every restraint and precept Pythagoras cherished. Pythagoreans had to avoid “sources“ of corruption. This was done by focusing on the community aspect and limiting individualism. Pythagoreans owned no private property. Everything was pooled in for the community. This even included all your wealth obtained before joining in. What few essential apparels you possessed was quite limited. You had to wear (clean) white rags. The beard was almost required of men (interesting, since it was not that accepted in Greece otherwise). Pythagoreans' possessions were shared in an effort to push them to better live and meddle with each other. Frugality was also required. No harm had to be done to any living things limiting their consumption. What their regime looked like exactly is debated, but it is often described as a sort of vegetarianism that may accept some meat but never fish. Some plants could have been banned too as far as we know. Following the gods was the greater part of their tasks.

Interpreting the intentions of the gods was obviously as important to them. This was done by sacrifices, yes, but that wasn‘t the main way. In fact, science study was seen as the best way to worship the gods. Pythagorean studies focused on mathematics, geometry but also music. To Pythagoras, certain mixtures of melodies could help shape the soul‘s passions. Each vice of negative emotion had an appropriate melody to appease it. Music was used as medicine - administrated when disciples retired to sleep. It was also seen as a way to better guarantee pleasant and prophetic dreams. These three studies were seen as proof of universal harmony. Everything Pythagoras studied had to go back to harmony, which explains in part his focus on harmonic musical and mathematical ratios. This was also true for his disciples.

Going back

And now we reach back to reality. I don‘t know for you, but I was surprised by what I discovered about Pythagoreans. Limiting my study to passing accounts would have left me the impression that it was really some kind of cult, regrouping lost minds to a charismatic character. While I still think this is a bit true, I was impressed by how it was done and what Pythagoras offered. Frankly, such a community and way of life is quite enticing to me. I would probably be curious to see a modern parallel to this. Sadly, I do have to note that almost everything discussed above is still debated. First-hand sources are inexistant and what sources we have are all plagued with inconsistencies. Yet, I still hope you enjoyed our little survey. Here‘s hoping it can inspire you in some way to change your own life for the better.

Until then, see you next time.

References

Huffman, Carl A. (ed.) (2017) 'A History of Pythagoreanism' Cambridge, University Press.
Kirk, G.S. J.E. Raven & Schofield (1983), 'The Presocratic Philosophers'. Second Edition, Cambridge University Pressé
On the Pythagorean Way of Life (De vita pythagorica), ed. Theophil Kießling, Leipzig, 1816; ed. August Nauck, St. Petersburg, 1884; ed. Ludwig Deubner, Teubner, 1937 (rev. Ulrich Klein, 1975).
Hershell. Writtings from the Graeco-Roman World. Society of Biblical Literature.