Epistles by Plato

02/02/16 • 155 min

The thirteen Epistles (Greek: ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΑΙ; Latin: EPISTOLAE) may or many not have been written by Plato. If genuine these letters provide a glimpse into the personal life of Plato including his financial concerns and political involvement with the tyrant Dionysius II. Coded language and hidden messages appear to have been used in the letters making parts difficult to understand. Translated by George Burges. Painting: Portrait of the Sisters Zénaïde and Charlotte Bonaparte by Jacques-Louis David (French, 1748 - 1825), 1821. Scanned by The J. Paul Getty Museum.

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Minos by Plato

Minos (ΜΙΝΩΣ) may not have been written by Plato. Socrates and a friend discuss whether laws are established by convention or discovered. Translated by George Burges. Painting: Portrait of Barbara Kressin by Netherlandish Master, active Germany, 1544.

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Epinomis by Plato

Epinomis (ΕΠΙΝΟΜΙΣ) may not have been written by Plato. The text praises mathematics and astronomy as the purest forms of religious expression by arguing that God implanted mathematical tendencies in humans and that the stars are subject to divine influence. Photograph: Versailles, Maison Close, Petit Place, Mars 1921 (Brothel, Versailles, Petit Place, March 1921) by Eugène Atget.