The trials of Socrates and Jesus Christ : a comparison

Abstract

History records many controversial trials in which religious issues have been involved. In 399 BC Socrates was tried and condemned in Athens for introducing strange gods and corrupting the Athenian youth. The case was presented by Plato and Xenophon as a travesty of justice, with Socrates as a martyr to truth against superstition and prejudice. The trial of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is viewed by many as the most notable in world history and its effect on human history has been incalculable. The spiritual significance of the trial and death of Jesus is dramatically presented in the four gospels and although the nature of this significance is hard to define with exactness since the gospels are narratives and not theological treatises, it may fairly be described as residing in the evaluation of the trial and death of Jesus as the vicarious sacrifice of the son of God for humanity. Socrates’ relentless pursuit of truth and irritating habit of pointing out the ignorance of others led to his trial and death and as considered by many, in this respect he foreshadowed the life and death of Jesus. By accepting the hemlock rather than submitting to exile, Socrates demonstrated that he shared both the mission and the final destiny of the prophets and the righteous.