Chapter I. How Plato Exposed the Absurdity of the Greek Theology. From the Timaeus

[PLATO] [1]’To tell of the other divinities, and to learn their origin, is beyond our power; but we must give credence to those who have spoken in former times, who being, as they said, the offspring of gods, had certain knowledge, I suppose, of their own ancestors. It is impossible therefore to disbelieve children of the gods, even though they speak without certain or probable proofs: but as they declare that they are reporting family histories, we must in obedience to the law believe them.

‘On their authority then let the origin of these gods be admitted and stated thus. The children of Ge and Uranus (Earth and Heaven) were Oceanus and Tethys, and their children Phorcys and Kronos and Rhea and the rest of them; and of Kronos and Rhea sprang Zeus and Hera, and all whom we know as their reputed brethren, and still others who were their offspring.’

In exhorting us hereby to believe the fables concerning gods, and the authors also of the fables as being forsooth the children of gods, in the first place by saying that ‘the poets are the offspring of the gods,’ it seems to me that he scoffingly implies that the gods also had been men, and of the same nature as their children.

And next he brings a direct charge against the theologians, whom he had declared to be the offspring of gods, in the assertion which he adds, ‘even though they speak without probable or certain proofs,’ and by the addition of the words ‘as they said.’ He seems too to be jesting when he says, they ‘had certain knowledge, I suppose, of their own ancestors’; and again, ‘It is impossible to disbelieve children of the gods.’ Also he expressly shows that he speaks thus against his own judgement on account of the laws, by confessing that it was necessary ‘to believe them in obedience to the law.’

And in proof that this was his meaning, hear how in open and undisguised language he reproaches all the would-be theologians, smiting them in the Epinomiswith the following words: [2]