ABSTRACT
This chapter expresses that the Hebrew Bible was first assembled as an authoritative national literature in ca. 270 BCE or shortly thereafter following the detailed instructions recorded in Plato's Laws. It addresses the literary aspects of the transformation, namely the creation of the Torah and the Hebrew Bible in comparison with the literary program laid out in Plato's Laws. The creation of the Hebrew Bible, like the creation of the national literature in Plato's Laws, thus entailed literary contributions from virtually every segment of the educated elite, resulting in a book collection that contained a broad range of literary genres. The creation of the Torah at Alexandria and the Hebrew Bible subsequently at Jerusalem following the literary program laid out in Plato's Laws is not directly attested in historical traditions about the early Hellenistic Era. In Plato's Laws, Plato introduced his novel theories on government, education and literature.
