From Plato to Christ: How Platonic Thought Shaped the Christian Faith

Markos (The Myth Made Fact), a professor of English at Houston Baptist University, delivers an illuminating explication of the relationship between Platonic philosophy and Christian apologetics. His premise is simple: the works of Plato were “inspired writings used by the God of the Bible to prepare the ancient world for the coming of Christ and the New Testament.” After exploring the cultural contexts of ancient Athens, pre-Socratic philosophers, and Plato’s early dialogues, Markos engages in a detailed study of Plato’s writings, among them The Republic, Laws, and Timaeus. To demonstrate the presence of Hellenic philosophy within Christian evangelism, Markos reveals parallels between Plato’s Timaeus and the creation narrative in Genesis, connects Platonic ideals to the earthly and corrupted “World of Becoming” and the heavenly “World of Being” in the work of C.S. Lewis, and contends Plato’s argument for the preexistence of the soul was a precursor to Christian conceptions of the Holy Spirit. Those interested in philosophical questions of what is true, good, or beautiful will find much to ponder. (Aug.)