gurugeorge

Yeah, but I think if Thompson is correct, that's because the idea of a God-King who can also be conceived of as the Son of God, was a fairly common trope almost everywhere, long, long before Christianity - and that amongst Jews it's the oldest idea to which the term "The Anointed" is attached, with the idea of a politico-religious warrior figure who'd biff the Romans on the nose and bring the Jews on top being the upstart idea, and Christianity returning to the older idea. Not sure if the Torah's the right place to look for this, it's more of a background cultural idea that Thompson finds evinced (and taken for granted) in the ancient literature that he surveys.

sotto voce

How long before?

stephan huller

Sotto

I don't mean to recycle ideas already present in Celsus but Plato also referenced the judgment in the hereafter and in a clearer and less ambiguous manner than the Jewish writings. Plato writing was loftier than anything in the OT

Iskander

2 Sam 7:14--14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.


Psalm 2:7-- 7 I will tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to me, ‘You are my son;
today I have begotten you.

Deut 32:8--8 When the Most High* apportioned the nations,
when he divided humankind,
he fixed the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number of the gods

Gen 6:2- the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.

sotto voce

Are you of the opinion that Celsus pre-dated Plato? I find it difficult enough to believe that Plato was influential on Israel, let alone Celsus.

That depends on how one measures height, doesn't it. Perhaps you have an example that reflects your view of Platonic altitude.

Chili

Just let the complexity of the mythology speak on its own behalf here as the complexitiy of the civilzation is limited by the insight of the mythology only.

mountainman

Hey stephan,

Bob Marley was a musician and poet.


He may have been talking about his dealer.



Not to Bob.


Philo did not mention christians. Marge is 4th century. What do I have to add? ........ Our source called "Eusebius" may have been edited as late as Cyril of Alexandria - what are the earliest Greek mss for Eusebius?


That's the antithesis to the argument we get from Eusebius, who repreatedly claims that the writings of Moses were superior in all ways to the writings of Plato (and the Platonic concept of a supreme divinity sometimes called "Chrestos")