Socrates On Philosophy and Death

[Neo-Scholastic]

I am reluctant to project modern notions of existential angst back onto ancient cultures. At least one of the historical figures you quoted, Cicero, was an initiate of a Hellenistic mystery cult. It is also likely that ancient readers of the Platonic dialogues would have recognized some characters as representing beliefs derived from such rituals. Likewise, some New Testament scholars read St. Paul as heavily influenced by gnostic ideas if not tacitly a Gnostic himself (a controversial idea, but not one without merit). Taking these gnostic or mystery cult influences into account, it would be fair to interpret the Socratic statement as preparation of the soul for liberation from its bondage to the physical body --- uniting one’s self not with the fickle gods governing the earthly plane (a frequent target of Plato) – but with Abraxas, the “God above god” And what exactly is the Platonic realm if not those higher principles (the Good, the True, the All) that transcend even the pantheon of common worship. As such rational contemplation, as exemplified by Plato's Socrates, serves as either a supplement to mystery cult rituals or perhaps an alternate path for preparing the soul to permanently break away from material embodiment upon death.