ABSTRACT
In Antiquity, a few Christian writers criticise Plato, but others praise him as the philosopher who best approached the truth. From Justin Martyr to Eusebius of Caesarea, Christian literature attests to an increasing use of the argument consisting in appealing to Plato in order to demonstrate Christian doctrines. The idea of an agreement (συμφωνία) between Plato and the Bible led Christian writers to make a few assumptions about the reasons why Plato could, sometimes, say the same things as the Christians. Some think that he could have read the Bible. Others, that the agreement between the philosopher and the Christians might be explained because they all practiced the same reason (logos). The third and most rare hypothesis implies that Plato may have been inspired by God, just like the prophets. These explanations, however, do not help to understand why Plato may also sometimes be in disagreement with the Christians. In these cases, Christian writers assume that he did not understand his biblical source, or that he deliberately concealed his true thought in order to avoid being persecuted like his master Socrates.
