<< Prior Abridged Chapter – Next Abridged Chapter >>
Booklet Excerpt:
***
[12a] “Theophilus,” said Socrates, “Are you aware of other peoples who do not believe in our Gods? When our armies return with slaves, you will agree won’t you that many slaves had different gods in their respective regions?”
“Why, yes, of course, Socrates. And we often teach them of their errors, or at least generally those slaves being trained to enter our homes as our personal slaves.”
[12b] “Now, before they became our slaves, and the training—or teaching, if you prefer—of our Gods, some of our slaves had been fortunate in their lives, is that not true?”
“Oh, Socrates! Who can really be fortunate without knowing our Gods?”
“I do understand the cause of your conclusion in saying so, Theophilus. But what I mean is that the slaves had experienced in their homes prior to being enslaved, for example, love of their families, laughing at happy experiences, and crying at unhappy experiences.”
“Yes,” replied Theophilus, “I generally understand that to be the case as the slaves profess it themselves, and so I have been told in some conversations.”
[12c] “So, prior to our enslavement of our slaves, but for the skill of our generals and power of our armies, the lives of our slaves, apart from any belief in their gods, was much like our own; that is, in basic happinesses and sadnesses regarding life experiences?”
“But, Socrates, you have not said it fairly!”
“Why not, Theophilus?”
“There are two errors in your statement. First, to be clear, any such happiness or sadness our slaves previously experienced before we enslaved them was by the cause of the Gods—our Gods—as their gods do not exist and are perceived by them only by their delusion. Second, as we have conquered these slaves as a people, it is by the work of our Gods, who have determined that we are entitled to such privileges by our superiority.”
[12d] “But, Theophilus, prior to our enslavement of our slaves, their lives, in effect and without reference to causation, was perceived by them to be much like our own; that is, in basic happinesses and sadnesses in life experiences?”
“Yes, Socrates, so they say.”
[12e] “And, you say that their gods are non-existent. That is, our slaves were deluded in their belief in their gods, thinking the fact of the existence of their gods to be true, when it was not true.”
“Indeed, Socrates!” said Theophilus, “It cannot be otherwise!”
[12f] “That is, you are saying that their gods never actually existed, and, therefore, our slaves were deluded for having thought so. Therefore, you are not saying that their gods were conquered by our Gods, our Gods being the stronger and their gods being the weaker, or perhaps our Gods having a better constitution, better strategy, and implementing the practical mechanics of godly war more effectively to conquer their gods?”
“What does that matter, Socrates? Why does the cause of any of that even matter? Either way, the effect is the same: they are a conquered people and we with our Gods prevailed, making us a conquering people, because our Gods are superior!”
[12g] “And, do we understand that the people who we have enslaved by our Gods, were themselves, in the past, conquerors of other peoples?”
“That is what I have been told, in some cases. Yes, some of our slaves were themselves conquerors, but others were not conquerors.”
“So,” continued Socrates, “you are saying that, whether our slaves will admit it or not, when they were a conquering people, it was by the temporary gifts of our Gods. That is, the reason our slaves were once free and are now slaves is because our Gods willed that the superiority of our slaves that once existed would be so for only a time, and not permanently. It is not, rather, that their gods were stronger than the gods of the people they conquered, and now our Gods are stronger than their gods?”
“Socrates, Socrates. Oh Socrates! Whether our Gods gave our slaves some temporary privileges or respites in the past until we conquered them, or whether our Gods conquered their gods who had been stronger than other gods in their past, it does not matter. We are now the conquerors by our superior Gods! By Zeus, Socrates! Any suggestion otherwise is scandalous and men like Meletus would be aggrieved to hear of it!”
[12h] “I do understand the implications of what you say, Theophilus. But to be more precise, if I understand your last statement…On the one hand, it might be that our Gods are superior to and the conquerors of their gods. But, on the other hand, it might be that our Gods—who are also their gods unbeknownst to them—changed their godly minds that our slaves should be now conquered rather than then conquering.”
“No, that is not it, Socrates! That is not it! The Gods might not have changed their godly minds at all! And you are making the weaker argument look the stronger, and the stronger argument look the weaker. I have already said clearly that it might simply be the will of the Gods, all along, that our slaves be a conquering people only for a time, and always by the plan of the Gods without any change of their godly minds, that our slaves become now conquered rather than conquering.”
[12i] “And, Theophilus,” said Socrates, “at the very point our slaves were conquerors and lording over others, such as we are lording over them now, did our slaves know it was only for a time by will of the Gods, or did our slaves understand that it was merely ephemeral?”
“Socrates, Socrates, who knows what was in the minds of our slaves? Socrates, I really must be…”
<< Prior Abridged Chapter – Next Abridged Chapter >>
Read more at Kindle: ASIN: B0BG6L5DV1, ISBN: 979-8-35-332495-9: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BG6L5DV1; Paperback: ASIN: B0BGDSLT64, ISBN: 979-8-35-332495-9: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGDSLT64; Hardbound: ASIN: B0BGFBSZVR, ISBN: 979-83-5-437003-0: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGFBSZVR
_____________________________
The statements or opinions made in this article are solely the author’s own and not representative of any institution regarding which the author is affiliated.
First Publication September 11, 2022. Copyright © 2022 by Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn.