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

And from what source did Plato draw the information that 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?

Πόθεν δὲ μαθὼν ὁ Πλάτων τὸν χρόνον μετ' οὐρανοῦ γεγενῆσθαι ἔγνω; Οὕτω γὰρ γέγραφε: Χρόνος δ' οὖν μετ' οὐρανοῦ γέγονεν, ἵνα ἅμα γενόμενοι ἅμα καὶ λυθῶσιν, ἄν ποτε λύσις αὐτῶν γίνηται. Οὐχὶ καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῆς θείας Μωϋσέως ἱστορίας μεμαθηκώς; Ἔγνω γὰρ ὅτι ἡ τοῦ χρόνου γένεσις ἔκ τε ἡμερῶν καὶ μηνῶν καὶ ἐνιαυτῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς συστάσεως εἴληφεν. Ὡς οὖν τῆς πρώτης ἡμέρας, τῆς μετ' οὐρανοῦ γενομένης, ἀρχὴν τοῦ παντὸς χρόνου παρεσχηκυίας (οὕτω γὰρ Μωϋσῆς γέγραφεν: Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν: εἶτα παραυτὰ συνάπτει λέγων: Καὶ ἐγένετο ἡμέρα μία, ὡς ἀπὸ μέρους τὸν πάντα σημαίνων χρόνον), ὁ Πλάτων τὴν ἡμέραν ὀνομάζει χρόνον, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ἡμέρας μεμνημένος, ὡς πάντη τοῖς Μωϋσέως ἑπόμενος ῥητοῖς, παρὰ Ἀθηναίοις κατηγορεῖσθαι. Πόθεν δὲ καὶ περὶ λύσεως οὐρανοῦ φαντασθεὶς οὕτω γέγραφεν; Οὐχὶ καὶ τοῦτο παρὰ τῶν ἱερῶν προφητῶν μεμαθηκὼς καὶ οὕτως εἰρῆσθαι ὑπ' αὐτῶν νομίσας;