ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

‘Midwife art’
In reference to his mother’s profession, Socrates described his art of conversation as a maeutics. Maeutics is based on the basic assumption that truth lies in the innate reason of every human being and must only be brought to light (“released”).

The Socratic irony is that Socrates pretends to be the ignorant but asks questions in which the answer is already hidden. The core of the Socratic dialogue is to involve the participants in the dialogue through targeted questions, so that they themselves come to insights.

Maeutics proceeds in two steps:
Socrates shakes the point of view of his interlocutor and transfers him to the Aporie, thereby awakening the willingness to seek knowledge.
In protreptics (“art of turning”), Socrates then leads the interlocutor to a correct opinion by further questions.

The goal of maeutics is to live “right/good/true”.

Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe.
The notion of unbelieving Thomas is derived from the Gospel of John, where the apostle Thomas only wants to believe the resurrection of Jesus when he has touched his wounds. Thomas was not there when Jesus came. When the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord,” he answered sceptically:
“If I do not see the marks of the nails on his hands and if I do not put my finger in the marks of the nails and my hand in his side, I do not believe.”
Eight days later, Thomas was there when Jesus entered their midst despite closed doors. Then he said to Thomas:
Stick out your finger—here are my hands! Strengthen your hand and put it in my side, and do not disbelieve, but believe.
Thomas did this and said deeply impressed:
My Lord and my God!
But Jesus said to him,
Because you saw me, you believe. Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Beginning of the Beatitude in the Gospel of Matthew
The Beatitudes (macarisms of ) are a series of 8 + 1 times “Blessed are ...” with which Jesus initiates his Sermon on the Mount. In this way, various groups of people who are primarily among the disadvantaged are promised participation in the rule of God.

The Beatitudes begin nine times with “Blessed (are/are) ...” (). The first and eighth Beatitudes each close with the promise of the Kingdom of Heaven (), a central concept for the Gospel of Matthew.

It is also striking that the first four Beatitudes are formulated as an alliteration:
Arms:
Mourners:
Gentle:
Starving people:

‘Islands of the Blessed’
The “Islands of the Blessed” are located in the extreme west of the world, are surrounded by the Okeanos and are the place to which heroes who were loved by the gods are raptured. EE