Who Wrote The Bible: How Plato And Paganism Influenced The Old testament

RTS1U1N — The Bible in the hands of a man. Getty

A new book claims the Bible has roots in the Greek philosopher Plato’s thinking.

The book, according to a report published Wednesday by Religion News Service, argues that the pagan philosopher laid out the ideas that may have influenced the authors of the Old Testament. Plato’s “Laws,” the literature says, said that a new government that bases itself on divinely inspired laws and approved ethical literature could last forever. Just get the priests and educators on board, Plato mused, and it’d be a winning combination. The book says that’s similar to what the bible sought to do.

The book’s author, Russel Gmirkin, is a biblical scholar from Oregon who has researched the connection between Greek philosophies and the bible extensively. His book “Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible” was published by the academic publisher Routledge Press. It identifies Plato’s writings as the most important of all the Greek philosophers in shaping the Christian holy book.

The bible is considered to be the most read book in the world. There have been more copies of the book printed and sold in the past 50 years than any other book globally.

Below are some quotes from Plato, thanks to Brainy Quote:

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”

“To love rightly is to love what is orderly and beautiful in an educated and disciplined way.”

“A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.”

“Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another.”

“Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.”