Socrates & Jesus: Did They Have to Die?

Some of the most remembered figures throughout history have been those who believe in the rightness of what they are doing up until the point of gracefully choosing to die because of it. Such is the case of the remembrance and legacy of Socrates to this day. The reason why Socrates’ ideas shape the society even to this day is due in great part to the fact that he was willing to die for what he believed in. Perhaps one of the best examples in which Socrates’ legacy can best be explained through is the legacy of Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus, just as well as Socrates, began to preach against the holy laws of the state and developed a group of disciples that firmly coincided with his teachings and chronicled his messages. Just as well, he didn’t receive compensation for his labor; he preached his message for the sake of spreading what is good and what is just. Both Jesus and Socrates believed that the rightness of the messages they were spreading came from a higher power, that of a God. The sense of the rightfulness was so certain to Socrates that he even stated, “nothing can harm a good man either in life or after death.” What this meant is that, no matter in life or in death, he considers himself to be a good man and everything that will come out of the trial, even death, will be of shame to the accusers and not to himself. Jesus believed in this as well, and even asked the higher power “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Socrates made a similar statement in saying “I bear no grudge at all against those who condemned me and accused me.”

As is known through historical texts, both Jesus and Socrates died because of the messages they preached. However, they did not see their deaths as penalties but rather as the final step on their roads to preach what is right and just. In both cases, they ultimately accept death, as was mentioned by Socrates when he said, “the time had come when it was better for me to die and be released from my distractions.”

However, we must not assume that the mere fact of Socrates dying is what made his messages so transcendental. Quite particularly, it is the events that led up to his death, the successfulness of the spread of his message, his self-assurance of rightfulness, his higher calling, and his nonchalant attitude and acceptance at the time of his death that caused such a widespread sensation.

The fact that both Socrates and Jesus ended up dying magnified their importance to such an extent that their legacies are seen to this very day. Jesus’ legacy is more apparent, we see the cross, the thousands of churches, and the religions, and we see how Jesus has changed the world. However, the ways our governments are formed, the transcendental theories of social contract and Socratic teachings, are all due to Socrates and the message he was able to successfully spread not only through his lifetime and in his city but also throughout history and in every corner of the world.

Socrates’ death is not necessarily held responsible for the magnitude and importance of the message he promulgated throughout his lifetime. However, his death did play a deciding role in him proving himself honest and true in the eyes of the world by proving that his philosophical way of life is so correct, that it is worth dying for. Had it none been for his attitude and teachings up until the moment of his death, we wouldn’t be talking about his message as we are doing so today.