# Socrates Meets Jesus - Peter Kreeft



## Eoghan (May 1, 2011)

Socrates Meets Jesus - histories greatest questioner confronts the claims of Christ. ISBN 0-8308-2338-7







This was another book I picked up at my recent visit to Dickson's Bookshop. I almost didn't buy it. I think the idea of a fictional encounter between Christ and Socrates put me off. I got beyond the title though and was reassured to find it was really a dialogue between Socrates and divinity students.

Written as dialogue it reads more as a play than a book and reminded me of the cartoon book - "the World Upstairs". Overall I am intrigued to read more of Socrates. He is presented as an honest seeker and Kreeft sees a confrontation between his students and the disciples when Paul visited Athens.

I was surprised that the main charge against Socrates was that he did not believe in the state gods. Had he been able to speak of a faith in Zeus or Hermes or any other of the Greek gods Kreeft feels that the charges would not have led to his death. 

I was a little uncomfortable at the idea of Socrates' deathbed conversion. (this is implicit if not explicit on page 5) This is a common theme in some evangelical circles and suggests that the dying are (often/sometimes?) given the Gospel at the point of death. I cannot find this in Scripture and I find much against such a belief (in scripture). It is my sensitivity to this error that made me notice it. Most people will read the into without noticing.

There is a good discussion of the physical resurrection of Jesus where Socrates is adamant that either it happened or didn't. If the later then "spiritualising it" is disingenuous and a lie. If the former then all of history has changed!

The author for some reason goes to great lengths to keep fundamentalists at a distance and while allowing them some desirable traits ensures that they have flaws. I found this didn't fit comfortably with me. There was not really a depiction of a living faith that we as evangelicals could identify with. The closest was Ahmen an Indian (?) character as I recall, who was a fundamentalist.

I enjoyed the book over all but would hesitate in recommending it to evangelical Christians. To liberal theologians - yes! 

If I had to rate it two stars out of five.


----------



## Reformed Thomist (May 1, 2011)

Thanks for the review. I have found Kreeft to be a good philosopher, but a pretty confused theologian. Some of the other books in his 'Socrates Meets' series -- such as _Socrates Meets Marx_ and _Socrates Meets Kant_ -- are quite good.

I would encourage you to read Plato for a taste of the 'real' Socrates -- well, Plato's version of the real Socrates. The best introduction is Five Dialogues (Second Edition; containing the _Euthyphro_, _Apology_, _Crito_, _Meno_, and the _Phaedo_), published by Hackett.

Amazon.com: Five Dialogues (9780872206335): Plato, G. M. A. Grube: Books


----------

