Truth Perspective w/ Russell Gmirkin: What Does Plato Have To Do With the Bible?

Approaching Infinity

Approaching Infinity

Administrator
Administrator
Moderator
FOTCM Member
Just how old is the Old Testament? If Moses didn't write the Pentateuch, who did? For millennia, people have thought the Hebrew Bible was as old as many of the events it depicts. In recent generations, scholars have thought it was created over a long period of time, with various authors and editors. But the writings in the Hebrew Bible may not be as ancient as we've been led to believe.

On this episode of the Truth Perspective, we'll be interviewing Russell Gmirkin, independent researcher, scholar, and author of two of the most revolutionary books in biblical studies:

Berossus and Genesis, Manetho and Exodus: Hellenistic Histories and the Date of the Pentateuch ​(New York-London: T&T Clark, 2006)
Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible ​(London-New York: Routledge, 2016)

Russell's work radically challenges our understanding of the history of the Hebrew Bible. He demonstrates that there is simply no evidence that the Bible existed prior to the time of Alexander the Great (ca. 325 BC). All the evidence indicates that the collection of books we know of as the Hebrew Bible was written around the year 270 BC. And not only that: they relied heavily on Greek literature, particularly Plato's final work: Laws.

Listen in as we discuss how, when, and why the Bible was created.

You can visit Russell's website here: russellgmirkin.com

Also featuring: special guest host Laura Knight-Jadczyk, this Sunday: https://radio.sott.net/
 
Excellent!!
A few pages of the newest book can be previewed here: _https://www.book2look.com/embed/9781134854516
 
mkrnhr said:
Excellent!!
A few pages of the newest book can be previewed here: _https://www.book2look.com/embed/9781134854516
Click to expand...

Thanks! This is gonna be soooo gooood. :cool2:
 
Approaching Infinity said:
Listen in as we discuss how, when, and why the Bible was created.
Click to expand...

Fantastic! It sounds like it's going be a great show. I can't wait to hear it. :D
 
Wasn't expecting Russell Gmirkin to come up as a guest. :O

The first book was a great read and Gmirkin makes a solid case for the Bible having been written around 270 BC.

Haven't read his latest book yet but from the title it looks like he's taking a similar view to Wajdenbaum in Argonauts of the Desert.

Thanks for organising this, I'm really looking forward to this show!
 
Eboard10 said:
Haven't read his latest book yet but from the title it looks like he's taking a similar view to Wajdenbaum in Argonauts of the Desert.
Click to expand...

Yep, he expands on Wajdenbaum. He thinks he overstates his case in certain areas, but the use of Plato's Laws is solid. And Gmirkin shows that's the case in minute detail. Very solid work.
 
What a fantastic interview - very engaging with much more to follow with future books by the sounds of it. Thanks so much SoTT Talk folks for having Russell on and for adding the different historical tracks that the interview followed. Most memorable!
 
Here's the link to the archived show. If any of you missed it, check it out! It's well worth it, and Gmirkin REALLY knows his stuff.

https://www.sott.net/article/336354-The-Truth-Perspective-Interview-with-Russell-Gmirkin-What-Does-Plato-Have-To-Do-With-the-Bible
 
Thank you for a fascinating show. I had to stop after the first half an hour due to family and listened to the rest later in the week. It was truly riveting and it appeared to me as if Machiavelli was just a small fry compared to Plato, who devised a strategy to enslave people for millenia.

Apart from Judaism, Christianity and Islam and ISIS as was mentioned in the show, I also thought of the example of the US, which has shrouded itself in a veil of being a chosen people, blessed by god, exceptional, a nation to whom international laws don't apply, the land of the free, the rigthous country and most democratic country in the world with no peers, etc. Not unlike Plato's Republic. Plato mentioned that it would take a generation or two and we can see the effects of 2-4 generations of brainwashing in the US and how it is difficult to shake people out of these beliefs founded in pretty much lies or at least distorted worldview and history.

History became alive in the show and as Jason mentioned, it all of a sudden put the Bible story in context and gives an understanding of what influenced it and from where it derived the various elements.
 
Just got around to listening to this. Fascinating! Especially the part about Plato's republic. Jason mentioned Marxism as a secular version of this. Another great example is neoconservatism. The founding father of the neocons, Leo Strauss, was very explicit about using Plato's Republic. And the neocons who studies under him at the University of Chicago used Strauss's ideas to attempt to establish a world hegemonic state under the US or Israel.
 
Mr. Premise said:
Just got around to listening to this. Fascinating! Especially the part about Plato's republic. Jason mentioned Marxism as a secular version of this. Another great example is neoconservatism. The founding father of the neocons, Leo Strauss, was very explicit about using Plato's Republic. And the neocons who studies under him at the University of Chicago used Strauss's ideas to attempt to establish a world hegemonic state under the US or Israel.
Click to expand...

Was reading something on Plato in Karl Popper's book 'THE OPEN SOCIETY AND ITS ENEMIES'

https://archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp/opensocietyandit033120mbp_djvu.txt

THE OPEN SOCIETY AND ITS ENEMIES

VOL. I
THE SPELL OF PLATO

For the Open Society (about 430 B.C.) :

Although only a few may originate a policy,
we are all able to judge it.

PERICLES OF ATHENS.

Against the Open Society (about 80 years later) :

The greatest principle of all is that nobody,
whether male or female, should be without
a leader. Nor should the mind of anybody
be habituated to letting him do anything at
all on his own initiative ; neither out of zeal,
nor even playfully. But in war as well as in
the midst of peace to his leader he shall
direct his eye and follow him faithfully. And
even in the smallest matter he should stand
under leadership. For example, he should
get up, or move, or wash, or take his meals
. . only if he has been told to do so . . In
a word, he should teach his soul, by long
habit, never to dream of acting independently,
and in fact, to become utterly incapable of it.
PLATO OF ATHENS.
Click to expand...

Is it any wonder Plato has had such a following. A real role model for Brutus types, neocons and fascists.

Edit: spelling
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Trending content

Back
Top Bottom