BOOK XIII
CONTENTS
Preface p. 639 a
I. How Plato exposed the absurdity of the Greek theology. From the Timaeus p. 639 d
II. Further on the same subject from the dialogue Epinomis p. 640 d
III. Further on the same subject from the second Book of the Republic; also that God is not the cause of evils p. 641 a
IV. That nothing else than indecent fables were contained in the narratives concerning the gods of the Greeks, for not believing which Socrates was put to death by the Athenians. From the Euthyphron p. 649 d
V. Numenius on the same subject, from The Secrets in Plato p. 650 d
VI. That one must not heed the opinions of the multitude, nor depart from one's own purpose for fear of death. From the Crito p. 651 b
VII. That we must not retaliate on those who have endeavoured to injure us. From the same p. 653 d
VIII. That we must not set aside what has once been rightly determined, not even if any one threaten death. And this will apply to those who renounce their religion in times of persecution p. 655 e
IX. What will be the disposition of the man who through fear of death renounces his own purpose p. 658 b
X. That one ought not to shrink from death in defence of the truth. From the Apology of Socrates p. 659 d
XI. How we ought to honour the death of those who have nobly resigned their life. From Plato p. 663 a
XII. How Aristobulus the Peripatetic, who was a Hebrew before our time, acknowledges that the Greeks have started from the philosophy of the Hebrews. From the statements of Aristobulus addressed to King Ptolemy p. 663 d
XIII. How Clement in like proves that the noble sayings of the Greeks are in agreement with the doctrines of the Hebrews. From the fifth Miscellany p. 668 d
XIV. That Plato has not stated all things correctly: wherefore it is not without reason that we have declined his philosophy, and accepted the Hebrew oracles p. 691 c
XV. That Plato was not altogether right in his conduct of the argument concerning the intelligible essences, but the Hebrews were p. 694 c
XVI. That Plato did not on all points hold right opinions concerning the soul, like the Hebrews p. 696 b XVII. That the nature of the soul does not, as Plato supposes, consist of an impassive and passive essence. From the Platonist Severus On the Soul p. 700 c
XVIII. That Plato was not altogether right in his opinions concerning heaven and the luminaries therein p. 702 b
XIX. What kind of laws concerning women were not rightly ordained by Plato p. 706 a
XX. Plato's directions in the Phaedrus concerning unlawful love opposed to the Laws of Moses p. 709 c
XXI. Concerning the laws of murder in Plato, which were not worthy of his great intellect: with these the laws of Moses should be contrasted p. 711 b
PREFACE
SINCE it has been seen in the preceding Books that the philosophy of Plato in very many points contains a translation, as it were, of Moses and the sacred writings of the Hebrews into the Greek language, I now proceed to add what is still wanting to the argument, and to go through the opinions expressed upon the several topics by those who were before me, and at the same time to free myself from a plausible charge of reproach, in case any one should accuse me. Why then, he might say, if Moses and Plato have agreed so well in their philosophy, are we to follow the doctrines not of Plato but of Moses, when we ought to do the reverse, because, in addition to the equivalence of the doctrines, the Greek author would be more congenial to us as Greeks than the Barbarian?
Being loth to make a retort to this charge from respect to the philosopher, I defer this question to a later period, and will first examine those points which I mentioned first. Take then and read what sort of opinion Plato used to put forward concerning the Greek poets and writers on religion, and how he used to reject all the traditional notions concerning the gods, and thoroughly expose their absurdity.