Therapeutae - Comments

From LoveToKnow 1911

There is now abundant and compelling evidence that the origins of the "Therapeutae" of Alexandria's Lake Merotis district were in fact Buddhist missionaries with ties to India. The lifestyles, belief system, activities and descriptions of these meditating monks points convincingly to the Buddhist origins of this order. For example, we are certain that there was active ("intense" as one historian put it) trade, commerce and communication between Ptolemaic Egypt and India. C.250 BCE King Ashoka The Great of India mandated a massive and unprecedented campaign of sending out Buddhist missionaries throughout his known world, which included places like Antioch and Alexandria. One professor of linguistics has suggested the very name "theraputae" is a hellenization of the Pali Indian word "theravada" which means elders and/or sages of Buddhist (the "southern school" of Buddhism as practiced today in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, etc. is called Theravada Buddhism). I understand there are reasons why modern day Christians or Jews might be reluctant to acknowledge the eastern influences on their religions, not only Buddhism but Zoroastrianism and others as well. On the contrary, that there was dialog and sharing of religious philosophies and ideas in great cities of commerce and learning such as Alexandria is fascinating and points to the commonality of differant spiritual traditions.