On November 6, 2008 at 00:21, mcn779 said...
The Jews were meticulous in keeping track ot their lineage.
There was no agenda other than it's accuracy. Of all
the ancient writings there are more copies of the New
Testament (approx. 20K) than any other and all from a
period in time that is closer to when the actual events
happened (100-150 years if I'm not mistaken). These question
don't arise concerning Plato and there is almost 1500
years separating the time he died and the earliest available
writing and there are only 7 copies of that. But we have
no problem believing that Plato existed.
Because Plato was just a guy, so his existence or non-existence wouldn't require nearly so much proof. But, having said that, he's mentioned by various contemporaries, one of who would have been the Church's own final answer to all things scientific, for a thousand years, and his student, Aristotle. And some of those contemporaries didn't really agree with him, and so wouldn't have had much reason to make him exist when he didn't.
