What are the similarities and differences between the trial of Jesus and Socrates?
Similarities
Both Jesus and Socrates had defied the then establishment and both the trials took place publicly. During the trials, there was a view in favour of showing leniency but the public revolted against the jury and demanded the death penalty. Finally, the jury had to give in to the demand of the majority.
Both Jesus and Socrates were given the chance to justify their acts and convince the jury. This was mandated by the legal proceedings.
Both were accused of blasphemy. Socrates was charged with dishonouring the Greek’s God, while Jesus was accused of being made himself the ‘Son of God’.
Their trials resulted in their deaths, after which, they became martyrs and their followers spread their teachings and beliefs subsequently.
Differences
During the trial of Socrates, he kept trying to prove the Jury wrong. He put forward his logic for justifying his actions. On the other hand, Jesus remained calm and unprovoked during the whole trial and let his silence speak for his conviction and innocence. Even when he was subjected to cruelty, he didn’t react and stayed unperturbed and composed.
Socrates was allowed to die, by consuming poison, in a painless manner as a part of the death penalty. On the contrary, Jesus was crucified to experience the severe pain before death as he dared to expose the corrupt practices of religious heads.
What are the Differences (and Resemblances) in the Moral Teaching between Jesus and Socrates?
Differences
The foundation of Socrates was based on the questioning all practices of the society. He infused rational thinking among his followers. This gave birth to a new philosophical line of thinking that rejected any unjustifiable act. On the contrary, Jesus advocated the complete submission to the faith in one God. His teachings were focussed on the right conduct and humanism. He favoured equality and condemned hypocrisy.
Socrates stressed on stimulating the mind to find the reasons behind any action, while Jesus emphasized the purity, tranquillity of heart, along with love and compassion for fellow men.
Resemblances
Both Jesus and Socrates believed in cleansing the mind of the people to bring about a desired change in the social fabric. Jesus suggested purifying the mind with the help of faith in God and good deeds, whereas Socrates advised his followers to take to reasoning to rid the society of the blind beliefs.
Both Jesus and Socrates gave importance to the practice of righteousness among people. Jesus went one step ahead to give the commands, which became the guiding principle for his followers.
Why were they victimized and how did they respond to their victimization?
Ans- Jesus was victimized because he was trying to uncover the wrong and corrupt practices of the Jews leaders and challenged the Roman authorities. He also exposed the hypocrisy showed by the Jews religious heads, provoking them. They reacted by instigating the Roman emperor to initiate a trial against him. Socrates, on the other hand, was accused of corrupting the minds of youths and impiety since he was inculcating the spirit of questioning behaviour among people.
Jesus and Socrates remained undeterred due to their victimization. They stuck to their belief till their last breath. Even after being given the death penalty, they didn’t try to escape by compromising their stand. To victimization, Jesus replied with his stoic silence and Socrates with his unyielding rationale.
Why is it that Socrates, for all his wisdom, never succeeded as Jesus did in giving rise to universal cult surrounding his memory?
Ans- Socrates wisdom was based on the interrogating mindset. It found a wider acceptance among philosophers and scientists in the subsequent period. However, it didn’t appeal to the common man, as it failed to mitigate their sufferings, under the unjust rule. Moreover, the teachings of Socrates remained confined to the literary work produced by his followers like Plato and Xenophon, and was not practically publicised among the people. Jesus became a cult figure due to the social and political reasons. His teachings were aimed at reducing the sufferings of the common people. His commands laid down the practical steps to be taken by his followers. He supported equality and said that all men are equal irrespective of gender and social status. Besides this, his followers did a commendable job in propagating his commands and, while doing so, they served the destitute as well. This lent credibility to the relevance of teachings of Jesus and consequently, more and more people adopted it in due course of time. Christianity, founded by Jesus, also spread fast due to the patronage provided by the heads of the several states like Britain in Europe. Due to the solidarity factor, the teachings of Jesus found wider acceptability among masses, making him a towering cult personality.
