ABSTRACT
The present chapter argues that both creation accounts and related stories in Genesis 1–3 show a profound influence from Plato's Timaeus in both Hebrew (MT) and Greek (LXX) versions. Parallels in the order of events in Genesis 1–3 and Timaeus are shown to be much more systematic than previously believed. Theological elements in Genesis 1–3 also display marked Platonic philosophical influence: the divine teleology that marks every stage of creation, the creator as craftsman, the goodness of the creation and the creator, craftsmanship in the likeness of a model, the presence of mythical dialogue and Platonic dialectic in the classification of genus and species of life forms. These systematic parallels indicate that the biblical authors read Timaeus and incorporated its ideas in the Hebrew original of Genesis 1–3. It is well known that the Greek LXX utilized Timaeus. This suggests that the authors of Genesis 1–3 were also involved in its translation at Alexandria ca. 270 bce, as argued by the author in previous studies.
