Plato’s Cosmogony   

This seminar explains Plato’s cosmogony in “Timaeus” and points to some core differences between his views and the biblical account of creation.

Plato’s cosmogony was highly influential in Christianity from the 1st century through the Middle Ages. As a result, the biblical account of creation was partly interpreted through the lens of Platonism. In this seminar, I describe Plato’s cosmogony, pointing out some of its roots and explaining the core ideas, and then I show how it differs from the biblical account and its influence on biblical interpretation.