Popularization or occlusion of truth in the Platonic myths: Plutarch, Numenius, and Maximus of Tyre

Abstract

Why does Plato critique traditional myth so vehemently in the Republic, yet compose his own imagistic narratives in the very same dialogue? In this chapter, I examine the responses of Plutarch, Numenius, and Maximus of Tyre. Plutarch defends the use of myth on the grounds that it opens up philosophy for a wider audience, if taught carefully, while Numenius argues that it piously hides the truth from the uninitiated. Maximus draws on both lines of argument. Defending Plato’s corpus, particularly against Epicureans, led the Platonists of the early Empire to speculate on questions of hermeneutics and literary theory.