As for whose teachings are more faithfully recorded, I think you'll
get different answers from different people.
Steve Schaffner sschaff@slac.stanford.edu
Opinions expressed may be mine, and || Immediate assurance is an excellent sign
may not be those of SLAC, || of probable lack of insight into the
Stanford University, or the DOE. || topic. Josiah Royce
> Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 09:28:59 -0500
> From: Ken W Smith <ken.w.smith@cmich.edu>
> Hi John,
>
> At 09:21 PM 3/15/96 EST, you wrote:
> >Question has arisn on a Compuserve forum -- is more known
> >about Socrates than Jesus -- or vice versa. Has anyone a book reference?
[...]
> McDowell's book does discuss exactly this problem and claims the
> oldest copy of the writings of Plato date to about 900 AD. Most of what we
> know about Socrates comes through the writings of Plato.
[...]
> But if we try to restrict, say, to the century after the death of
> the individual then it is an interesting problem. The next question is
> still "What do we count?" Do we count just fragments from that time period
> or do we allow later copies of things written from that time period? The
> Beatty papyrus of John has been dated (by some) to about 125 AD and it was
> believed that a fragment in the Dead Sea scrolls was of Mark, about 50-60
> AD! I don't believe *anyone* claims there is a fragment on the writings of
> Plato which date to within a century of Socrates' death.