Reflections on Plato's Theology

S.P. Ward's concern in writing "Reflections on Plato's Theology" has been to analyse some of the principal features of Plato's theological beliefs in the middle and late period dialogues. In doing this, he presumes no knowledge of Greek, and although Greek is included for certain terms, all key words are translated. A bibliography and basic index is also supplied. In this respect, therefore, the work is a genuinely useful tool for encouraging further research on these fascinating themes, whilst providing a foundation of knowledge for the undergraduate and curious beginner.

The book focuses primarily on theological issues. These are discussed within the context of the philosophical methods designed to engineer the soul's salvation, rather than the wider moral and political issues which arise in implementing the ideal state. This emphasis does, therefore, tend to focus on Plato's fundamental beliefs concerning gods, souls, Forms, etc; the problems and inconsistencies that arise as a result, and the consequences for a credible theology. The importance of the work rests chiefly on Ward's ability to unify the seemingly disparate and sometimes contradictory strands of Plato's theological beliefs within this relatively narrow context, and then present them as a coherent whole. In respect to this, it is worth noting that Plato's philosophy was not a rigid and unchanging ideology, but developed as a flexible collection of theories and ideas. Ward attempts to take this development into account, without blindly assuming Plato's philosophy emerged as a fully formed philosophical system, which he then slowly chose to reveal to others over time. In doing this, he highlights possible problems as they arise within the context of a single dialogue. He then contrasts these with earlier and later theories by recourse to a number of other dialogues. This rather free mix and match approach invites criticism and speculation, whilst providing a more complete picture for the reader who seeks a more general, holistic view.