Plato's Timaeus and the Biblical Creation Accounts: Cosmic Monotheism and Terrestrial Polytheism in the Primordial History

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Plato’s Timaeus and the Biblical Creation Accounts argues that the creation of the world in Genesis 1 and the story of the first humans in Genesis 2-3 both draw directly on Plato’s famous account of the origins of the universe, mortal life and evil containing equal parts science, theology and myth. This book is the first to systematically compare biblical, Ancient Near Eastern and Greek creation accounts and to show that Genesis 1-3 is heavily indebted to Plato’s Timaeus and other cosmogonies by Greek natural philosophers. It argues that the idea of a monotheistic cosmic god was first introduced in Genesis 1 under the influence of Plato’s philosophy, and that this cosmic Creator was originally distinct from the lesser terrestrial gods, including Yahweh, who appear elsewhere in Genesis. It shows the use of Plato’s Critias, the sequel to Timaeus, in the stories about the Garden of Eden, the intermarriage of "the sons of God" and the daughters of men, and the biblical flood. This book confirms the late date and Hellenistic background of Genesis 1-11, drawing on Plato’s writings and other Greek sources found at the Great Library of Alexandria. This study provides a fascinating approach to Genesis that will interest students and scholars in both biblical and classical studies, philosophy and creation narratives. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations 1. Comparative Methodology and Genesis 1-11 1.1 Overview of Methodology 1.1.1 Comparative Studies 1.1.2 Source Criticism 1.1.3 Application of Method 1.2 An Overview of Scholarship on the Primordial History 1.2.1 The Pre-Critical Research Paradigm (ca. 200 bce-ca. 1600 ce) 1.2.2 The Pre-Hellenistic Research Paradigm (ca. 1600 ce-Present) 1.2.2.1 Higher Criticism (ca. 1600-ca. 2000) 1.2.2.2 Comparative Studies: Ancient Near East 1.2.2.3 Comparative Studies: Classical Greece 1.2.2.4 Limitations of the Pre-Hellenistic Research Paradigm 1.2.3 The Hellenistic Research Paradigm (1993-Present) 1.2.3.1 The Old Testament—A Hellenistic Book? 1.2.3.2 Berossus and Genesis 1.2.3.3 Argonauts of the Desert 1.2.3.4 Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible 1.3 The Current Volume 1.4 Final Remarks on Methodology Notes Bibliography 2. Genesis 1 and Creation Myths 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Creation Myths 2.2.1 Theogonies 2.2.2 Theomachies 2.2.3 Palatial World-Myths 2.2.4 Local Palatial Myths 2.3 Conclusions: Genesis 1 and Mythical Cosmogony Notes Bibliography 3. Genesis 1 and Greek Cosmogonies 3.1 Introduction 3.2 A Survey of Greek Scientific Cosmogonies 3.2.1 Thales of Miletus 3.2.2 Anaximander of Miletus 3.2.3 Anaximenes of Miletus 3.2.4 Xenophanes of Colophon 3.2.5 Heraclitus of Ephesus 3.2.6 Parmenides of Elea 3.2.7 Empedocles of Akragas 3.2.8 Anaxagoras of Clazomenae 3.2.9 Archelaus of Athens 3.2.10 Diogenes of Apollonia 3.2.11 Leucippus of Miletus and Democritus of Abdera 3.2.12 Socrates of Athens 3.2.13 Plato of Athens 3.2.14 Aristotle of Stagira 3.2.15 Philippus of Opus 3.2.16 Epicurus of Samos 3.2.17 Polemo of Athens 3.2.18 Zeno of Citium 3.3 Plato's Timaeus, Critias and Genesis 3.4 Rhetorical Analysis 3.4.1 Scientific Discourse 3.4.2 Revealed Myth 3.4.3 Myth as Discourse (Enchantment) 3.4.4 Education (Belief) 3.4.5 Laws (Compliance) 3.4.6 Philosophy (Knowledge) 3.4.7 Reform (Compliance) 3.5 Conclusion Notes Bibliography 4. Genesis 1 as Philosophy 4.1 Plato's Timaeus and Genesis 1 (LXX) 4.2 When Was Genesis Written? 4.3 Timaeus Literary Parallels with Genesis 1-3 4.3.1 Prologue to the Cosmogony 4.3.2 Plato's Theological Cosmogony 4.3.3 Plato's Scientific Cosmogony 4.3.4 Plato's Scientific-Theological-Mythical Cosmogony 4.4 Timaeus Conceptual and Philosophical Parallels 4.4.1 Scientific Content 4.4.2 Teleology 4.4.3 The Demiurge 4.4.4 Mythical Dialogue 4.4.5 Platonic Diairesis 4.4.6 Platonic Etymologies Notes Bibliography 5. Genesis 1 as Science 5.1 The Prologue 5.1.1 Gen 1:1 as Act of Creation 5.1.2 Gen 1:1 as Title 5.1.3 Gen 1:1 as Prologue 5.2 The Primordial Chaos and Plato's Timaeus 5.2.1 Cosmogony 5.2.2 Stratification of the Elements 5.2.3 The Divine Wind 5.2.4 Ontology 5.2.5 Conclusions 5.3 The Creation of the Kosmos 5.4 The Seven Days of Creation 5.4.1 The First Day 5.4.2 The Second Day 5.4.3 The Third Day 5.4.4 The Fourth Day 5.4.5 The Fifth Day 5.4.6 The Sixth Day 5.4.7 The Seventh Day 5.5 Conclusions Notes Bibliography 6. Genesis 2-3 as Myth 6.1 The Gods in Plato's Timaeus 6.1.1 The Forms 6.1.2 The Demiurge 6.1.3 The Kosmos 6.1.4 The Celestial Gods 6.1.5 The Younger Gods 6.1.6 Divine Heroes, Ordinary Humans and Animals 6.2 Plato's Second Creation Account 6.3 Yahweh as a Terrestrial God 6.3.1 The Philosopher's God 6.3.2 The Celestial and Terrestrial Greek Gods 6.3.3 The Terrestrial Gods of the Ancient Near East 6.3.4 The Terrestrial Gods of the Ancient Levant 6.3.5 The Terrestrial Gods of the Bible 6.4 The Second Biblical Creation Account 6.5 The Garden of Eden 6.6 Humanity's Fall 6.7 Plato on the Knowledge of Good and Evil 6.8 The First and Second Creation Accounts Compared Notes Bibliography 7. Genesis 2-11 and Plato's Critias 7.1 The Garden of Eden and Mesopotamian Parallels 7.2 The Garden of Eden and Plato's Atlantis 7.3 Genesis 2-3 and the Age of Kronos 7.4 Genesis 4 and the Age of Zeus 7.5 Genesis 5 and Berossus 7.6 Genesis 6:1-13 and Critias 7.6.1 The Allotment of the Earth 7.6.2 The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men 7.6.3 Critias and the Children of the Gods 7.6.4 Excursus: Mortal Demigods and Mortal Humans 7.6.5 Critias and the Corruption of the Earth 7.6.6 Critias and the Divine Judgment of Humanity 7.6.7 Critias and the Destruction by Flood 7.6.8 Platonic Theology and the Flood 7.7 Critias and the Post-Flood World 7.8 Critias, Exodus and Deuteronomy Notes Bibliography 8. Cosmic Monotheism and Terrestrial Polytheism in Plato and the Bible 8.1 The Emergence of Yahwistic Monotheism 8.1.1 First Temple Yahwistic Polytheism 8.1.2 Between the First and Second Temples 8.1.3 The Persian Period 8.1.4 Hellenistic Era Cosmic Monotheism 8.1.5 Combative Yahwistic Monolatry 8.1.6 Yahwistic Terrestrial Monotheism 8.2 The Three Types of Greek Theologies and Gods 8.2.1 Civic Theology 8.2.2 Mythic Theology 8.2.3 Philosophical Theology 8.2.4 Monotheism, Polytheism and the Three Theologies 8.3 The Greek Invention of Monotheism 8.3.1 Xenophanes of Colophon (ca. 570-475 bce) 8.3.2 Heraclitus of Ephesus (ca. 544-484 bce) 8.3.3 Anaxagoras of Clazomenae (ca. 500-427 bce) 8.3.4 Socrates of Athens (ca. 469-399 bce) 8.3.5 Plato of Athens (429-347 bce) 8.4 Plato's Theology 8.4.1 Plato's Natural Theology 8.4.2 Plato's Mythic Theology 8.4.3 Plato's Civic Theology 8.4.3.1 Civic Authorities 8.4.3.2 Cultic Authorities 8.5 Plato's Theology and the Hexateuch 8.6 The Platonic Theology of Genesis 8.7 The Anti-Platonic Theology of Exodus-Joshua 8.7.1 Anti-Platonic Cultic Theology in Exodus-Joshua 8.7.2 Anti-Platonic National Theology in Exodus-Joshua 8.7.3 Anti-Platonic Mythic Theology in Exodus-Joshua 8.7.4 Anti-Platonic Natural Theology in Exodus-Joshua 8.8 Yahweh's New Cosmic Status in Exodus-Joshua 8.8.1 The Conflation of Yahweh and the Creator 8.8.2 The Decalogue: The Second Commandment 8.8.3 The Decalogue: The Fourth Commandment 8.8.4 From Monolatry to Monotheism 8.9 Initial Successes and Setbacks of the Platonic Agenda 8.10 The Collapse of the Platonic Agenda Notes Bibliography Copenhagen International Seminar Series Founded by Thomas L. Thompson, 1996 Index