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Hortatory Address to the Greeks

Justin Martyr

Chapter 33

About this work

Author: Justin Martyr

Chapter XXXIII.—Plato’s idea of the beginning of time drawn from Moses.

And from what source did Plato draw the information that

‹ Chapter 32 Chapter 34 ›

time

was

created

along

with

the

heavens

?

For

he

wrote

thus

:

“

Time

,

accordingly

,

was

created

along

with

the

heavens

;

in

order

that

,

coming

into

being

together

,

they

might

also

be

together

dissolved

,

if

ever

their

dissolution

should

take

place

.

”

Had

he

not

learned

this

from

the

divine

history

of

Moses

?

For

he

knew

that

the

creation

of

time

had

received

its

original

constitution

from

days

and

months

and

years

.

Since

,

then

,

the

first

day

which

was

created

along

with

the

heavens

constituted

the

beginning

of

all

time

(

for

thus

Moses

wrote

,

“

In

the

beginning

God

created

the

heavens

and

the

earth

,

”

and

then

immediately

subjoins

,

“

And

one

day

was

made

,

”

as

if

he

would

designate

the

whole

of

time

by

one

part

of

it

)

,

Plato

names

the

day

“

time

,

”

lest

,

if

he

mentioned

the

“

day

,

”

he

should

seem

to

lay

himself

open

to

the

accusation

of

the

Athenians

,

that

he

was

completely

adopting

the

expressions

of

Moses

.

And

from

what

source

did

he

derive

what

he

has

written

regarding

the

dissolution

of

the

heavens

?

Had

he

not

learned

this

,

too

,

from

the

sacred

prophets

,

and

did

he

not

think

that

this

was

their

doctrine

?