Plato's Bible?: Justin Martyr and the Pre LXX Greek Bible

Did Plato possess a Greek Bible centuries before the Septuagint?In the second century, the Christian philosopher Justin Martyr made a remarkable accusation: Plato had taken one of his most famous statements about human freedom and divine innocence directly from Moses."The choice makes you responsible. God is not responsible."Known in Greek as Aitia helomenou. Theos anaitios, these words appear in Plato's dramatic Myth of Er at the conclusion of the Republic. Yet Justin insisted that Plato had not originated the teaching. Moses, he argued, was more ancient than all the Greek writers, and Plato had received this truth from the Hebrew prophet.In Plato's Bible? Justin Martyr and the Pre-LXX Greek Bible, Antony Hylton investigates this provocative claim and its historical plausibility.Drawing on Justin Martyr, Plato, Aristobulus, Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, Numenius, Josephus and other ancient witnesses, this concise study explores: - Early contact between the Greek and Hebrew worlds - Ancient traditions that connected Moses with Greek philosophy - Justin Martyr's charge that Plato plagiarised Moses - The meaning and setting of the Myth of Er - The relationship between free will, moral responsibility and divine justice - Claims that portions of the Torah existed in Greek before the Septuagint - Possible Hebrew and Pythagorean influences within Plato's account - The evidence for-and the serious difficulties facing-the theory of direct dependenceCould Plato have encountered an early Greek translation of the Torah? Did Pythagorean traditions transmit Hebrew ideas into Greek philosophy? Or was Justin identifying a similarity that cannot now be historically demonstrated?Carefully argued and accessible, Plato's Bible? introduces readers to one of the most fascinating questions at the intersection of biblical studies, classical philosophy and early Christian apologetics.An engaging study for readers interested in Plato, Moses, Justin Martyr, the Septuagint, ancient Judaism, Greek philosophy and the intellectual origins of Christianity.