Riddles and crosswords about Pythagoras. Secrets of Pythagoras

When asked who Pythagoras is, most people will probably answer that he is the great ancient Greek mathematician, the creator of the famous theorem about isosceles triangles... Meanwhile, this extraordinary man was also an outstanding thinker and occult adept, so his scientific activity directly related to spiritual knowledge.

Pythagoras was born into the family of a wealthy Samian jeweler. Even before birth, he was dedicated by his parents to the sun god Apollo. When he was one year old, his mother, Parthenis, on the advice of the Delphic priests, took the child to the temple of Adonai, located in the Lebanese Valley. There the great priest gave the baby his blessing. The boy's parents encouraged his early inclination towards science. He freely talked with Samian priests, studied with famous teachers of Samos and Demand, and entered into disputes in Miletus with Thales and Anaximander themselves.

However, the knowledge received from scientists and sages did not satisfy his spiritual needs. Among their contradictory teachings, he longed to find a living connection, synthesis, unity of the Great Whole, tried to see the goal, to find the path leading to the light of truth, to the center of life. Pythagoras believed that the basis of the entire universe is Number and harmony. In the synthesis of three worlds (Earth, God and Man), mutually supporting and defining each other, lies the secret of the Cosmos. The law of triplicity, which governs the structure of beings, and the septenary underlying their evolution, is the key to understanding the Universe.

In order to prove with his mind that his powerful intuition in the field of the Absolute had captured him, Pythagoras went to the priests of Memphis in Egypt. His initiation lasted 22 years under the guidance of the great priest Sophis. The Egyptian priests revealed to their talented student all the treasures of their occult knowledge. Having received the initiation of Osiris, Pythagoras wanted to return to Greece, but a sudden war brought the captive priests to Babylon. There at that time there were three different directions of spiritual life that had an esoteric basis - the ancient priests of Chaldea, the remnants of the tribe of Persian magicians and those chosen from among the captive Jews.

For 12 years, Pythagoras stayed in Babylon against his own will. Having difficulty obtaining permission to leave from the Persian king, he returned to his native Samos after a 34-year absence. By that time, everyone except his aged mother was sure of his death. Soon, together with his mother, he left Samos and arrived in the holy city of Delphi. The teachings professed by the Delphic priests, as in Egypt, were based on art and science.

The art consisted of penetration into the distant past and future through clairvoyance or prophetic ecstasy with the help of Pythian soothsayers; science was a method of calculating the future based on the laws of world evolution. Art and science controlled each other. Pythagoras appeared in Delphi after visiting all the temples of Greece. He visited the sanctuary of Zeus, was present at the Olympic Games, stood at the head of the mysteries of Eleusis... Everywhere he was greeted as possessing some kind of secret power, unknown to mere mortals.

He directed his steps to Delphi not so much to worship Apollo, but to enlighten his priests. There he saw the young priestess Theoklia, who immediately felt the presence of the Initiate. The scientist remained in Delphi for a whole year and only after the priests were initiated into all the secrets of occult teachings and Theoklia was ready for her mission, he headed to Croton, a flourishing city in southern Italy, a former colony of Greece.

There he was going to apply esoteric sciences in the education of youth and the life of the state. He called young men to the temple of Apollo, and girls to the temple of Juno. The Pythagorean Institute was also created in Croton, which was at the same time an academy of sciences, a college of ethical education, and a model community. Under the guidance of the great Initiate, the students of this institution achieved harmony of soul and intellect with the Universe.

The small community of the chosen ones was housed in a white building, rising on a hill under the shade of capers and olives. Young people who wanted to join the community had to go through a series of trials. Not everyone could endure fasting, loneliness and ridicule of themselves, so many, without passing the test of self-control, left the school of Pythagoras.

Pythagoras lived in Croton for 30 years. At the age of 60, he married the young beauty Feano. Their children - two sons and a daughter - followed in their father's footsteps. Pythagoras managed to place rulers based on higher knowledge at the head of the state, forming the Council of Three Hundred (something like a scientific, political and religious Order, the head of which Pythagoras himself was recognized). The Pythagorean Order existed for 50 years.

The Riddle of Pythagoras

The origins of modern European culture lie in the culture of antiquity. One of its founders is Pythagoras. Both his contemporaries and descendants tried to unravel his secrets. Some things have been achieved, but this does not make the questions any less.

Dialectics of fire

Heraclitus of Ephesus (VI-V centuries BC)

Heraclitus, philosopher from Ephesus, at the end of the 6th century BC. e. made caustic attacks on Pythagoras. He wrote: “Pythagoras, the son of Mnesarchus, was engaged in collecting information more than anyone else in the world and, having pulled these works for himself, passed off knowledge and fraud as his own wisdom.” Thus, in the opinion of Heraclitus, Pythagoras, having accumulated a large store of knowledge, was not an original thinker, but only sought to show himself as such. Therefore, “much knowledge does not teach intelligence, otherwise it would have taught Hesiod and Pythagoras.” Referring to the Pythagorean brotherhood, Heraclitus spoke unambiguously: “Pythagoras is the leader of swindlers.”

The essence of Heraclitus’ philosophy is expressed by the formula “everything flows, everything changes.” At the heart of the world, in his opinion, lies an eternal and uncreated fire, governed by logos - a world law that organizes everything and everyone, connecting opposite principles.

The philosopher’s works have not survived to this day, and therefore they must be judged by quotes and presentations of later authors. Many of them call Heraclitus “Dark”: he deliberately expressed his thoughts not quite clearly. The motives underlying this construction of his work remain unclear. Sources portray Heraclitus as a very arrogant person, accustomed to expressing his thoughts sharply and openly - in contrast to his works. Not only Pythagoras fell under his hot hand: “Homer was worth being kicked out of the competition and flogged, and so was Archilochus.”

Heraclitus left behind many vivid aphorisms, for example: “The path up and down is the same”; “Dogs bark at someone they don’t know”; “conjugations: whole and non-whole, converging - diverging, consonant - dissonant, of all - one; from one - everything"; “immortals are mortal, mortals are immortal, they live at the expense of the death of others, they die at the expense of the lives of others”; “let’s not guess at random about the greatest”; “if they are gods, why do you mourn them?”

How many years of training must last before a person gains the right to teach himself? For thirty-four years, Pythagoras absorbed the wisdom of the Egyptian priests and Persian white magicians. And yet this was not enough: he spent another year in the most holy place of Hellas - in the Delphic temple, where he gained second sight: the ability to see the subtle and physical worlds at the same time. Only after this was he ready to fulfill his mission, the one for which he was born.

From Greece the initiate went to Southern Italy, to the city of Croton, which was governed by the Council of a Thousand Elects. Pythagoras convinced these people that it was necessary to create an institution where the inhabitants would learn all the wisdom that he had learned in Egypt and Babylon. The project was enthusiastically accepted, and a few years later a building surrounded by beautiful gardens appeared in the outskirts of the city. This is how the Order of the Pythagoreans arose - an ethical institute, an academy of sciences and at the same time a religious brotherhood, where, after testing, everyone, boys and girls, was accepted. The first screening of candidates took place right at the entrance, where next to the statue of Hermes there was a sign with a warning inscription: “Away, uninitiated!” Some, after reading it, turned and left. The braver ones went inside and from that moment on received the title of “children of the woman,” which they were. At first, newcomers were given complete freedom: they could walk almost everywhere and participate in the life of the Pythagoreans. They looked closely at them: how they walked, how they behaved among strangers, how they laughed. Only then came the turn of the first exam - a test of courage. Those seeking initiation were left alone all night in a cave, about which there were rumors that evil spirits and ghosts appeared there. Others fled. Those who were able to overcome fear were subjected to the following test: suddenly, without warning, they were locked in an empty cell, given a difficult task to solve, and only bread and water for food. Then, at the appointed time, the subject was led into the general meeting hall, where he was ridiculed. Everyone tried to hurt the newcomer’s pride as painfully as possible, shouting: “Look, a new philosopher has appeared! Come on, tell me how you solved the task assigned to you?”

The important thing was not to find a solution, but to honestly admit that she was beyond her strength. Those who responded to all attacks and ridicule calmly and with dignity were considered worthy of the title of Pythagorean novice. From now on they were called listeners, that is, silently absorbing the wisdom of teachers. They were instilled with tolerance towards all religious cults, the concept of the unity of all peoples in a common evolution, and the idea of ​​one God. However, training did not imply an ascetic life. Each new day seemed to symbolize birth and began with a silent walk around the temple. Having cleansed their souls, the disciples began to cleanse their bodies by swimming in the sea. After a modest breakfast, we began our lessons, which took place under the trees. At noon, classes ended, and it was time to offer prayers to heroes and good spirits. After lunch - gymnastic exercises, then - more lessons and meditation - internal preparation for tomorrow. After sunset, a common prayer took place: they sang a hymn to the cosmic gods... The day ended with a common meal, during which the youngest student read aloud, and the eldest explained what he had read.

The second stage of training, catharsis or purification, occurred when Pythagoras received the student in his home. This is where the name came from - esoteric - that is, those who were allowed into the inner courtyard. They were distinguished from the exoteric - those who remained outside. Actually, from this moment the teaching of numerology began - the mathematics of the universe. The student had to perceive the Number not as a number or an abstract value, but as an expression of spiritual essence. One is the beginning of all beginnings, God is the source of world harmony. A dyad (two) is the division of the world, the emergence of its duality: the male and female principles, the spiritual and physical worlds.

The manifested world is threefold. Just as a person consists of body, soul and spirit, so the universe is divided into three concentric spheres: the natural world, the human world and the divine world. The triad is the law of things, the true key of life. Pythagoras also attached great importance to the numbers seven and ten. Seven, consisting of three and four, meant the unity of man with the deity. Ten, the sum of the first four numbers, expresses all the principles of the Divine, first separated and then formed a new unity.

After mastering esoteric mathematics, the third stage of initiation began - perfection, when cosmogony, psychology and the evolution of the soul were learned. The esoteric doctrine of Pythagoras included knowledge about the alternate immersion and emergence of new continents, the wobble of the earth's poles and the six floods that humanity must survive. Each period between the floods is marked by the dominance of one of the races, but the general enlightenment of all mankind never ceases. “Know yourself,” said Pythagoras, “and you will know the universe.”

According to ancient teachings, modern people began their existence on other planets, where matter is thinner, spiritual reincarnations occur much easier, but, for all the beauty of these translucent worlds, they are deprived of the opportunity to manifest will, reason and intellect. To find them, humanity plunged deeper and deeper into the material world of the Earth. Moses called this descent “expulsion from paradise,” and Orpheus called it “a fall into the sublunary world.” And only on Earth, having experienced physical death, will the soul awaken in the totality of its qualities. But its evolution will not end there: besides the Sun, there are other stars with their own worlds...

The fourth stage of enlightenment was called Epiphany, which is translated from Greek as “view from above.” The adept, having learned the esoteric truths, should not have gone into contemplation or ecstasy: he had to, figuratively speaking, descend from heaven to earth in order to put the acquired knowledge into practice, enlighten people, provide them with help and support, lead them with him to the Divine Light Truths. To make this possible, according to the teachings of Pythagoras, it was necessary to achieve three perfections: to realize truth in the mind, righteousness in the soul and purity in the body. At this stage, the person who is now called an adept receives new abilities and powers. He can heal the sick by laying on of hands or only by his presence. Or be transported over long distances, leaving the physical body. These and other “miracles” are only a consequence of spiritual development and love for all living beings.

There were only four such adepts who achieved full power in Greece: Hermes Trismegistus and Orpheus at the very beginning of the history of Hellas, Pythagoras at the zenith of the glory of this country, and Apollonius of Tyana during its final decline.

Pythagoras - student of the white magicians

In the VI century. BC. A powerful spiritual impulse was sent down to Earth, received by the great teachers and transformers of humanity. In China, it manifested itself in Taoism, whose principles were formulated by Lao Tzu.

In India, spirituality was realized in a new religion - Buddhism, the founder of which was the enlightened prince Shakya Muni, Buddha. In Italy, the Light of Heaven was reflected in the prophecies of the Etruscan Sibyls. In imperial Rome, the ruler Numa Pompilius curbed the autocracy of the Senate with wise state regulations. The Greek Pythagoras, a native of the island of Samos, having been trained by Egyptian priests, Chaldean magicians and Zoroastrians, gave the world an amazing esoteric teaching. The philosopher Iamblichus wrote about Pythagoras, noting his “... ability to accurately predict earthquakes, epidemics, hurricanes; the ability to instantly stop hail, calm the waves on the seas and rivers so that his students could swim across them.” However, the magical abilities of the great Samian, perceived by many as miraculous, were only an external manifestation of his deepest understanding of the essence of the world order.

The island of Samos is now part of Greece, although it is located off the coast of Turkey. Once upon a time, trade routes from three continents passed through that independent state in the Aegean Sea: Europe, Asia and Africa. The autocratic ruler, the tyrant Polycrates, who patronized the arts and sciences, literally bathed in luxury, and legends circulated about his luck.

During this blessed time, in a beautiful corner of the Earth, the first child of a wealthy jeweler and his wife was born. The Delphic soothsayer said of the baby that he would “bring good to all people for all time.” And the hierophant of the god Adonai added, addressing Parthenis, the child’s mother: “Oh, Ionian woman! Your son will be great in wisdom, but remember that if the Greeks know many gods, then the one God is remembered only in Egypt!

The jeweler understood from what was said only that his son would grow up smart, and he should complete his education in Egypt. Well, the Samian rich man saw no problem in sending his son to study abroad. In the meantime, the boy was surrounded by care and his curiosity was encouraged in every possible way.

The growing Pythagoras had the opportunity to attend lectures by the most outstanding philosophers of his time - Thales and Anaximander. He often asked the sages about the general harmony connecting the three known worlds: the natural world of nature, people and the heavenly world of the gods. But their answers left only bitterness of disappointment. Tasks of such a global scale were not within the capabilities of philosophers, but of spiritual teachers such as Hermes Trismegistus and Orpheus, but they were no longer among the living. And it is impossible to penetrate into the very essence of the world order in an ordinary conversation - this requires insight from above. And it was given to the young man.

…One day a young philosopher was sitting alone in the garden in front of the temple. Mother Nature herself whispered to him through the rustling of leaves that she did not have her own will, and was guided by blind fate. The world of people, now hidden behind the dark crowns of trees, seemed to scream about itself: “Suffering! Madness! Slavery!"

And the twinkling of the stars above his head... By chance his gaze fell on the facade of the building, whose strict lines seemed to come to life in the uncertain light of the moon. It was as if a flash of invisible lightning had scorched his soul! Even before understanding, insight came, and someone’s voice cried out: “This is it!”

In the blink of an eye, the young man realized what he had seen many times, without delving into the essence of what he saw. The base of the building, its colonnade and triangular portico constituted a trinity of the world, where each part is unthinkable without the others. Try to take away the roof of the temple, the “sky of the gods” - only pitiful ruins will remain. Take away the columns, the “world of people” - something terrible will happen: the sky will collapse to the ground!

Well, if for some tragic reason the foundation, “the earth itself,” disappears, then the whole building will fall apart!

It would seem that this idea is obvious and does not contain any revelation: the temple was conceived and built as a symbol of the cosmos. And yet, this was not a conclusion, but a sensory experience, the acquisition of a secret as a personal experience and the beginning of the path of spiritual ascent. In his vision, Pythagoras found the answer to the question that tormented him: finally chaos turned into harmony, beautiful in its harmony. Three worlds: natural, human and divine - mutually determining and supporting each other, revealed the scheme of the entire world order. It was then that I remembered the words of the priest of the god Adonai, that the ONE God is remembered and known only in Egypt. The young philosopher firmly decided to go to the banks of the Nile to learn the wisdom of the ancient people.

The priests greeted the foreign young man from a wealthy family with hostility: they considered the Greeks fickle and frivolous, unable to comprehend the full depth of truth. The fact that Pharaoh asked for Pythagoras only worsened the situation: people came for knowledge at the behest of the soul, and not under patronage. But the priests had no idea what kind of stubbornness they would face. The Greek youth was persecuted - he left to return. No one noticed him - he did not lose his presence of mind. Finally, they agreed to accept him for study in the secret hope that Pythagoras, having satisfied his vanity, would go to Hellas. The hopes of the Egyptian initiates were not destined to come true: the stranger did not deviate from his intended goal. At every step of his ascent, the trials became more dangerous and difficult. Hundreds of times they had to risk their lives, especially when gaining power over occult forces and during experiments to curb the spirits of nature. Nothing could make Pythagoras turn away from his path. He walked to his initiation for twenty-two years! He survived, like Hermes and Orpheus, an imaginary death and was resurrected in the radiance of Osiris. From the lips of the great priest Sophis himself, I learned about the creative Word, which not only created the visible and invisible worlds, but also supported life in them.

Pythagoras, having undergone a great initiation, was already preparing to go home, when something happened that no one expected: the holy lands of Egypt were invaded, like countless hordes of locusts, by Babylonian troops led by King Cambyses. The temples of Memphis and Thebes were destroyed, the sanctuaries of Ammon were plundered, and the priests were beheaded. Only some of the initiates, including Pythagoras, were captured and taken to Babylon.

In a foreign land, the Greek became acquainted with the teachings of the Chaldean magicians, the Persian followers of Zarathustra and the wisdom of the captive Jews. Pythagoras enriched the theoretical knowledge of the Egyptians with the practice of fire worshipers, the founders of white magic. His forced education lasted twelve years. Only after this did he obtain permission from the king to leave the borders of Babylon...

...The return to Samos, however, did not bring joy - the island-state was captured and destroyed by the Persians. Schools and churches were closed. Poets and scientists fled their homeland. The new initiate followed them. Pythagoras left for Greece to arrive at the Delphic temple. A local prophetess once promised him wisdom and a glorious future - what will she say now?

Today, the name of Pythagoras, the creator of the famous theorem about right triangles, is known to every schoolchild. But few people know that his incredible knowledge of various sciences is associated with the fact that Pythagoras perfectly studied the secret occult knowledge of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians.

The life of Pythagoras has always been shrouded in mysticism. It is known that his fate was predicted by a Delphic soothsayer, to whom the parents of the future famous mathematician came before the birth. “He will do a lot of good for humanity and will be glorious at all times,” said the fortune teller. She advised the couple to go to Phenicia, to the city of Sidon, in order to receive a blessing in the Jewish temple. Pythagoras received the name from the fortuneteller Pythia, it means “persuasive by speech.”

"Persuasive by Speech"

Historical studies date the birth of Pythagoras to approximately 580 BC.

In the 6th century BC, Ionia, a group of islands in the Aegean Sea located off the coast of Asia Minor, became the focus of Greek science and art. It was there that a son was born into the family of goldsmith, seal carver and engraver Mnesarchus. Like any father, Mnesarchus dreamed that his son would continue his work, but fate had something else in store for him. The future great mathematician and philosopher already in childhood showed great abilities for science; in addition, there is information that Pythagoras was one of the best athletes in Greece and even successfully participated in the Olympic Games.

From his first teacher Hermodamas, Pythagoras received knowledge of the basics of music and painting. To exercise his memory, Hermodamas forced Pythagoras to learn songs from the Odyssey and the Iliad. The first teacher instilled in the gifted boy a love of nature and its secrets. “There is another school,” said Hermodamas, “your feelings come from nature, let it be the first and main subject of your teaching.”

Pythagoras was greedy for all kinds of knowledge, but they made little impression on him. He was looking for something more - a real connection-harmony between the three components: earth - god - man. Pythagoras believed that it was in this triple symmetry that the main key to unlocking all the mysteries of the Universe, the answer to the eternal questions of mankind, lay. And then, on the advice of his teacher, Pythagoras decided to continue his studies with the Egyptian priests.

It was difficult to get into Egypt at that time, because the country was essentially closed to the Greeks. And the ruler of Samos, the tyrant Polycrates, also did not encourage such trips. But Pythagoras was persistent, and with the help of his teacher he managed to escape from the island of Samos. At first he lived on the famous island of Lesbos with his relative Zoil. A few years later he went to Miletus - to the famous Thales, the founder of the first philosophical school. It is from him that the history of Greek philosophy is usually traced.

Pythagoras listened attentively in Miletus to the lectures of Thales, then already an eighty-year-old man, and his younger colleague and student Anaximander, who invented the first sundial and created astronomical instruments. Pythagoras acquired a lot of important knowledge during his stay at the Milesian school, but his goal was still Egypt. And Pythagoras set off.

Babylonian captivity

Before arriving in Egypt, Pythagoras stopped for some time in Phenicia, where he also did not waste time and studied with the famous Sidonian priests. While he lived in Phenicia, his friends ensured that Polycrates, the ruler of Samos, not only forgave the fugitive, but even sent a letter of recommendation to Amasis, the pharaoh of Egypt.

In Egypt, thanks to the patronage of Amasis, Pythagoras met the Memphian priests. According to one legend, it was the Egyptians who possessed the main knowledge of the Earth - the revelations of the Atlanteans themselves. For a long time, Egypt was considered nothing more than a colony of Atlantis. It is still unknown how Pythagoras managed to penetrate the holy of holies - the Egyptian temples, where strangers were not allowed, however, Pythagoras was initiated into the mysteries of Osiris and Isis and participated in secret magical rituals.

Even the pharaohs did not always witness such mysteries, in which tests were an integral part of admission. The subject went through underground labyrinths, built in such a way that he not only physically, but also psychologically proved his chosenness. The dimly lit dungeons had a strong impact on the psyche. Some subjects lost control of themselves. Then inevitable death awaited them, so that the secrets of the ritual would not be revealed. However, Pythagoras successfully passed all the tests.

Pythagoras' studies in Egypt contributed to his becoming one of the most educated people of his time. It was during this period that the event that changed his future life dates back. Pharaoh Amasis died, and his successor did not pay the annual tribute to Cambyses, the Persian king - this was a reason for war. The Persians did not even spare the sacred temples. The priests were also persecuted - they were killed or captured. This is how Pythagoras was captured.

One of the legends says that the future mathematician managed to deceive the guards and, together with other prisoners, escape to Greece, where they subsequently organized a secret occult society. However, according to another version, Pythagoras was nevertheless taken to Mesopotamia, where he met with Persian magicians, became familiar with eastern astrology and mysticism, and became acquainted with the teachings of the Chaldean sages. The sciences of the Chaldeans relied heavily on ideas about magical and supernatural forces - it was they who gave a certain mystical sound to the philosophy and mathematics of Pythagoras...

Pythagoras spent twelve years in Babylonian captivity until he was freed by the Persian king Darius Hystaspes, who had heard about the famous Greek. Pythagoras had already turned sixty at that time, and he decided to return to his homeland in order to introduce his people to the accumulated knowledge.

Since Pythagoras left Greece, great changes have occurred there. The best minds, fleeing the Persian yoke, moved to Southern Italy, which was then called Magna Graecia, and founded the colony cities of Syracuse, Agrigentum, and Croton there. Here Pythagoras decided to create his own philosophical school.

Quite quickly it gained great popularity among local residents. The enthusiasm of the population was so great that even girls and women broke the law that prohibited them from attending meetings. One of these offenders, a young maiden named Theano, soon became the wife of 60-year-old Pythagoras.

Censor of Morals

At this time, social inequality was growing in Croton and other cities of Greece, the legendary luxury of the sybarites (residents of the city of Sybaris) coexisted with poverty, social oppression was intensifying and morality was noticeably declining. It was in such an environment that Pythagoras delivered a detailed sermon on moral improvement and knowledge. The inhabitants of Croton unanimously elected the wise old man as a censor of morals and a kind of spiritual father of the city. And here Pythagoras found the knowledge gained in his travels around the world very useful. He combined the best of different religions and beliefs and created his own system, the defining thesis of which was the belief in
the indissoluble interconnection of all things (nature, man, space) and the equality of all people in the face of eternity and nature.

Perfectly mastering the methods of the Egyptian priests, Pythagoras “purified the souls of his listeners, expelled vices from the heart and filled the minds with bright truth.” In the Golden Verses, Pythagoras expressed those moral rules, the strict implementation of which leads the souls of the lost to perfection. Here are some of them: never do what you don’t know, but learn everything you need to know, and then you will lead a quiet life; bear your lot meekly, as it is, and do not complain about it; learn to live without luxury.”

Over time, Pythagoras stopped speaking in temples and on the streets, and taught in his home. The training system was complex. Those wishing to gain knowledge had to undergo a probationary period of three to five years. All this time, the students were required to remain silent and only listen to the teacher, without asking any questions. During this period, their patience and modesty were tested.

Pythagoras taught medicine, the principles of political activity, astronomy, mathematics, music, ethics and much more. Outstanding political and statesmen, historians, mathematicians and astronomers came from his school. The school of Pythagoras first suggested that the Earth was round. And the idea that the movement of celestial bodies obeys certain mathematical relationships, the ideas of “harmony of the world” and “music of the spheres,” which later led to a revolution in astronomy, first appeared precisely in the school of the famous mathematician philosopher.

"All things are numbers"

The scientist also did a lot in geometry. The famous theorem proven by Pythagoras still bears his name. Pythagoras paid special attention to numbers and their properties, trying to understand the meaning and nature of things. Through numbers, he even tried to comprehend such categories of existence as justice, death, constancy, man and woman.

The Pythagoreans believed that all bodies consist of tiny particles - “units of being”, which in various combinations correspond to various geometric figures. Number for Pythagoras was both the matter and the form of the Universe. The main thesis of the Pythagoreans followed from this idea: “All things are numbers.” But since numbers expressed the “essence” of everything, natural phenomena could only be explained with their help. With their work, Pythagoras and his followers laid the foundation for a very important branch of mathematics - number theory.

The Pythagoreans divided all numbers into two categories - even and odd. Later it turned out that the Pythagorean “even - odd”, “right - left” have deep and interesting consequences in quartz crystals, in the structure of viruses and DNA.

The geometric interpretation of numbers was no stranger to the Pythagoreans. They believed that a point has one dimension, a line has two, a plane has three, and volume has four dimensions. Ten can be expressed as the sum of the first four numbers (1+2+3+4=10), where one is the expression of a point, two is the expression of a line and a one-dimensional image, three is a plane and a two-dimensional image, four is a pyramid, that is, a three-dimensional image. Why not Einstein's four-dimensional Universe? When summing up all flat geometric figures - points, lines and planes - the Pythagoreans received a perfect, divine six.

The Pythagoreans saw justice and equality in the square of a number. Their symbol of constancy was the number nine, since all multiples of nine numbers have the sum of their digits again being nine. But the number eight among the Pythagoreans symbolized death, since multiples of eight have a decreasing sum of digits.

The Pythagoreans considered even numbers to be feminine and odd numbers to be masculine. An odd number is a fertilizing number, and if combined with an even number, it will prevail. The symbol of marriage among the Pythagoreans consisted of the sum of the masculine - odd number 3 and the feminine - even number 2. Marriage is five equal to three plus two. For the same reason, they called a right triangle with sides three, four, five “the figure of the bride.”

The four numbers that make up the tetrad - one, two, three, four - are directly related to music: they define all the known consonantal intervals - the octave (1:2), the fifth (2:3) and the fourth (3:4). In other words, the decade, according to the teachings of the Pythagoreans, embodies not only the geometric-spatial, but also the musical-harmonic completeness of the cosmos. The sum of the numbers included in the tetrad is equal to ten, which is why ten was considered by the Pythagoreans to be an ideal number and symbolized the Universe. Since ten is the ideal number, they reasoned, there must be exactly ten planets in the sky. It should be noted that at that time only the Sun, Earth and five planets were known.

The Pythagoreans also knew perfect and friendly numbers. A number equal to the sum of its divisors was called perfect. Friendly numbers are numbers, each of which is the sum of the proper divisors of another number. In ancient times, numbers of this kind symbolized friendship, hence the name.

In addition to numbers that evoked admiration and admiration, the Pythagoreans also had so-called bad numbers. These are numbers that did not have any merit, and even worse if such a number was surrounded by “good” numbers. An example of this is the number thirteen - the devil's dozen or the number seventeen, which caused particular disgust among the Pythagoreans.

The attempt of Pythagoras and his school to connect the real world with numerical relations cannot be considered unsuccessful, since in the process of studying nature, the Pythagoreans, along with timid, naive and sometimes fantastic ideas, also put forward rational ways of understanding the secrets of the Universe. Reducing astronomy and music to numbers enabled later generations of scientists to gain a deeper understanding of the world.

After the death of the scientist, his followers settled in different cities of Ancient Greece and organized Pythagorean societies there. However, after 150 years, the school founded by Pythagoras collapsed, and the occult secrets passed from teacher to student were lost. Perhaps forever.

At present, everyone agrees that this theorem was not discovered by him; its special cases were known even before him in China, Babylonia, and Egypt. However, some believe that Pythagoras was the first to give a complete proof, others deny him this merit. As a joke, it goes like this: “Pythagorean pants are equal on all sides.”

As the legend tells, when Pythagoras proved the famous theorem, he thanked the gods by sacrificing 100 bulls to them. This story of sacrifice, reported by Diogenes and Plutarch, is most likely fictional, for, as is known, Pythagoras was a vegetarian and an implacable opponent of the slaughter and shedding of animal blood.

For us, Pythagoras is a mathematician; in ancient times it was different. Herodotus calls him an outstanding sophist, i.e. teacher of wisdom, he also points out that the followers of Pythagoras did not bury their dead in woolen clothes. This is more like religion than mathematics.

For his contemporaries, Pythagoras was primarily a religious prophet, the embodiment of the highest divine wisdom.

There were many tales about Pythagoras, such as those that he had a “golden thigh”, that people saw him at the same time in different places. In some texts he appears as a demigod - what he imagined himself to be - the son of Hermes. Pythagoras believed that there were three types of beings: gods, mere mortals and ... “similar to Pythagoras.”

In literature, the Pythagoreans were most often portrayed as superstitious and very picky vegetarians, but not at all mathematicians.

So who was Pythagoras really - a mathematician, philosopher, prophet, saint or charlatan?

So many legends have been created around the personality of Pythagoras that it is difficult to judge what in them is at least partly true and what is fiction.

The ancient Greek scientist Pythagoras lived at the end of the 6th century BC.

Pythagoras, son of Mnesarchus - goldsmith, seal carver, engraver and jeweler.

Mother - Parthenis (Pyphaidas) - the oracle predicted the birth of a son to her in Delphi, who would become famous throughout the centuries for his wisdom, deeds and beauty. Pythagoras was born on the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea - one of the most colorful islands of Bionia.

Even before his birth, Pythagoras was dedicated by his parents to the light of Apollo, the boy was very handsome and from childhood he was distinguished by reason and justice, from a young age he strove to penetrate the secrets of eternal nature, to comprehend the meaning of Existence.

From travelers and ship captains he learned about distant and near countries, Egypt and Babylonia, the wisdom of whose priests amazed the young man.

The knowledge he acquired in the temples of Greece did not provide answers to all the questions that concerned him. In search of wisdom, Pythagoras went to Egypt, where he studied for 22 years in the temples of Memphis.

Egypt is a country closed to Greeks. At first, Pythagoras lived with a relative on the island of Lesbos for several years, studying astrology, eclipse prediction, the secrets of numbers, medicine and other compulsory sciences from the famous Sidonian priests. His friends get the ruler to give a letter of recommendation for Amasis, the pharaoh of Egypt. Pythagoras meets the Memphis priests, he manages to penetrate the “holy of holies” - Egyptian temples, where strangers were not allowed. In order to become familiar with the secrets of the Egyptian temples, Pythagoras is ordained as a priest.

The pharaoh dies, his successor does not pay tribute to the Persian king - the conqueror Cambyses - and the Persians do not even spare priests and temples. The priests are persecuted, they are killed, taken captive, and Pythagoras is also captured. According to an ancient legend, he was taken to Babylon.

The grandiose panorama of the city, spreading its palaces and high defensive walls along both banks of the Euphrates, delighted and amazes Pythagoras. Here he spends another 12 years, having the opportunity to study many religions and cults, penetrate into the mysteries of ancient magic, quickly mastering the complex Babylonian traditions, and learn number theory, astronomy and arithmetic from the Chaldean magicians and priests. And maybe this is where the numerical mysticism of attributing divine power to numbers, which Pythagoras presented as philosophy, came from.

He is freed from captivity by the Persian king Darius, who heard about the famous Greek Pythagoras.

Returning to his homeland, Pythagoras, as a sign of protest against the tyranny of the ruler, left his native island of Samos in the Aegean Sea and, at the age of 40, settled in the Greek city of Crotone in southern Italy.

Pythagoras creates a school (it would be better to say a secret union) that pursued not only scientific, but also religious, ethical and political goals. All scientific discoveries made by the Pythagoreans were attributed to Pythagoras himself. Pythagoras created his school as an organization with a strictly limited number of students from the aristocracy; it was not easy to get into it. The applicant had to endure a number of tests, according to some historians, one of them was a vow of five years of silence, and all this time those accepted into the school could listen to the teacher’s voice from behind the curtain, and see only when their souls were purified by music and secret harmony numbers.
Another law was the keeping of secrets, non-compliance with which was strictly punished - even death. This law had a negative impact because it prevented the teaching from becoming an integral part of the culture.

In order to recognize each other, the Pythagoreans wore a star-shaped pentagon - a pentagram - on their clothes. They woke up at dawn, sang songs, accompanied themselves on the lyre, did gymnastics, studied music theory, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and other sciences. Often classes were held outdoors in the form of conversations. Among the first students of the school there were several women, including Feano’s wife. The training was multi-stage and not everyone was given secret knowledge.

In “Golden Poems” he expressed those moral rules, the strict implementation of which led the souls of the lost to perfection.

Only those who successfully passed all the tests were allowed into the courtyard of the teacher’s house. Here Pythagoras instructed his closest students. This is where the names esoteric (i.e., what is inside) and exoteric (i.e., what is outside) originate.

The strict lifestyle of the Pythagoreans, their contemplative philosophy, benevolence towards people and the desire to do good and help attracted many people to them.

Soon the Union became the center of the political and spiritual life of all of Croton and practically came to power in Croton. However, due to anti-Pythagorean sentiments at the end of the 6th century BC. Pythagoras had to retire to Metapontum, where he died.

Later in the second half of the century BC. The union was destroyed.

The Pythagorean school gave Greece a galaxy of talented philosophers, physicists and mathematicians. His students settled throughout Greece and its colonies, where they organized the School of Pythagoras, teaching mainly arithmetic and geometry; information about their achievements was contained in the works of later scientists Plato, Aristotle and others.

The great Copernicus and Kepler, Durer and Leonardo da Vinci, the astronomer Edinton continued to find in the philosophical heritage of Pythagoras the necessary basis for establishing the laws of our world.

Having studied mathematical relationships quite deeply, Pythagoras paid attention to numbers and their properties, trying to understand the meaning and nature of things. Through numbers, he tried to comprehend such eternal categories of existence as justice, death, constancy, man, woman, etc. “All things are numbers.” He represented one as a dot, two as a segment, three as a triangle, and four as a triangular pyramid. The sum of these numbers was 10 - the “Holy Quaternary”. It was Pythagoras who first divided all numbers into even and odd: even numbers were considered feminine, odd numbers were considered masculine. Marriage - 5 = 3m + 4f - called the “bride’s triangle.”

Reducing astronomy and music to numbers enabled later generations of scientists to understand the world even more deeply.

The world of numbers for the Pythagoreans contained a special life; numbers for them had

Special life meaning. Pythagoras and his students laid the foundation of numerology - i.e. philosophy is somewhat similar to astrology and other theories of this kind.

Mathematics was considered by Pythagoras as a means of achieving the meaning of the surrounding world, which the members of the secret union wanted to achieve through comprehension of the secrets of number.

It is known that the ancient Greeks put geometry in first place and subordinated algebra to it, but this was later done by Euclid.

The name of Pythagoras is associated with the introduction of proofs into geometry, the creation of planimetry of rectilinear figures, the doctrine of similarity, arithmetic, geometry and harmonic proportions, the doctrine of averages.
It is interesting to note that Pythagoras considered the Earth to be a ball that moves around the Sun. Much later, in the 19th century, when the church began to fiercely persecute Nicolaus Copernicus, churchmen called the views they hated on the world not Copernican, but Pythagorean.

Pythagoras came to the idea of ​​the cosmos as a mathematically ordered whole after he discovered that the basis was harmonic intervals. He came to the conclusion that mathematical relationships permeate the entire cosmos.

In 306 BC. A monument was erected to him - Pythagoras, as the most intelligent of the Greeks - in the Roman Forum.
A crater on the visible side of the Moon is named after Pythagoras.

The thoughts attributed to Pythagoras are interesting.

1. Expenses tend to equalize income.
2. Any worker two years younger than you is inexperienced, any worker five years older than you is a retarded old man.
3. The total volume of the mind on the globe is a constant value, but the population is growing.
4. Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.
5. Life is like games: some come to compete, others to trade, and the happiest come to watch.
6. Do not consider yourself a great person based on the size of your shadow at sunset.
7. The great science of living happily is to live only in the present.
8. The beginning is half of the whole.

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