Friday Forum: Celebrations of Oneness in Plato and Judaism

Friday, January 16, 2026, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

TBA member and scholar Carl Levenson presents at Friday Forum on January 16! Join us for “Celebrations of Oneness in Plato and Judaism.”

Plato wrote dialogues in which Socrates, his teacher — who was executed for impiety in 399 B.C. –was the major figure. The conceptual basis of theology (Jewish, Christian, Islamic) goes back to Plato’s writing, with its debates about ethics and politics; science, art, and prophesy; and — above all — the “One” and the “Good.” The best introduction to Plato is the Parable of the Cave from Book Seven of the Republic (514a-517a). We’ll read it together (three pages — copies provided) and discuss it in the light of the Jewish tradition: scripture, liturgy, mysticism.