Paul, as you know, was the prime New Testament spokesman for the Judeo-Christian heritage. Plato, on the other hand, was suffused in the religion and pagan traditions of ancient Greece. But having set the scene with this pre-amble, let's not state unequivocally that everything Plato said was wrong.

In the first place, it has been said that even rat poison is 90% nutritious! What rat would bother to buy into eating something if it weren't good! The Devil is too smart for that as well. He never gives us error without encapsulating it fully in TRUTH! The fact is that Satan knows the Bible better than any person alive. He's had more time to study it. In Matthew 4:1-11 (especially vs. 6) we see just how well the Devil knows the Bible. He quotes the Scripture to Jesus. BUT, there is the slightest (this is what makes him so diabolical) error in Satan's words… And Jesus cuts him to the chase with "Get thee behind me Satan!"

1. About the Source:

The ideas Plato wrote in his Dialogues, he ascribed to his friend Socrates. Socrates, who taught by the oral method, died without writing anything down. So, Plato's pen records the ideas of both philosophers.

Socrates is clear about where his ideas come from. He spoke of "the FAMILIAR ORACLE within me" and told how he followed the prompting of this oracle in his daily decisions of life. What does the Bible say about such a person?

Leviticus 20:27 - God knows that a person with a "familiar spirit" has a demon inside, this is why He orders them put to death in this text.

1 Chronicles 10:13 - God considers it a terrible sin to consult the counsel of someone who possess a "familiar spirit". Surely, if our dead ancestors (having become glorious heavenly angels) were these "familiar spirits", wouldn't God endorse this contact? The truth is, these "familiar spirits" (no matter how lovely, loving and beautiful) are in fact demons. This is why it angers God when we communicate with them.

A) The Bible does not agree with Plato's first point that the body is separate from the soul.

We have already seen that the Bible teaches the UNITY OF MAN. Man does not HAVE a soul. Man IS a soul. Plato teaches:

And many people agree with Plato. They think, "we are created in the likeness of God". After all, even the Bible agrees". (See Genesis 1:27) "And since God is immortal, if we're created in His image, we must be immortal too!"

Now that's a real stretch! First, why do we single out immortality as the characteristic, which we share with God. God is also OMNIPOTENT (all powerful), OMNISCIENT (all knowing), and OMNIPRESENT (everywhere at once!) Who among us will be so bold as to stake claim on any of these other attributes for puny man?

When God says He created us in "HIS IMAGE" (Genesis 1:27), He is referring to the way we LOOK… Image means likeness. We have the physical likeness that resembles God's own. Now that's already pretty special… Don't push it!

B) The Bible differs with Plato's second idea that the body is something negative or evil.

Genesis 1:31 - God considered His entire creation to be "GOOD".

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 - Paul, instead of disparaging the body as Plato does, teaches us to honor and care for it as "the temple of God".

C) Not surprisingly, the Bible does NOT support Plato's third philosophy either.

PLATO CALLS DEATH A FRIEND to be welcomed with joy, for death liberates the soul from its body prison. (Dialogues of Plato: Phaedo, section 68, p. 199)

If death is such a great friend, such a spiritual attainment, why not just kill yourself and get it over with? (Even Plato admits that man must not open the door of his own prison - section 62, p. 191).

These ideas came into the Christian church when the Greeks and Romans "converted", but hung on to their pagan beliefs. In the interest of gaining converts, the church allowed these "differences"… Eventually, there were more believers of the pagan ideas then those of the former, pure faith. The once pure Christian faith NOW was combined with human tradition.

Isaiah 5:20 - God certainly does not agree with this twisting of truth.

It has long been Satan's plan to take God's words and twist them. In this manner he makes God out the liar and himself the bearer of truths. Surely God must consider it a terrible slap in the face that Satan has managed to get people to believe in the immortal soul. For this belief transforms DEATH, THE VERY CURSE GOD GAVE FOR SIN, INTO A BLESSING: it is now considered a portal to paradise!

Paul teaches that death is OUR ENEMY, not the FRIEND Plato claims it to be.

1 Corinthians 15:26 - but our enemy will come to end when man gains the immortality God plans for us to have.

Romans 5:12 & 15 - because of the sin of one man (Adam), we must all die. (Death is the PUNISHMENT for sin). Sadly, when we no longer believe the Bible about death as a punishment, the beauty of what Jesus did to restore to us Eternal Life, is no longer of any value! So, by believing in the IMMORTALITY of the SOUL, WE DO AWAY WITH OUR NEED FOR THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST. Step one leads to step two. Conclusion one, negates the need for the other. For why does Jesus need to die to pay our death toll if we ALREADY possess innate immortality? What's the point?