The newer religions of Christianity and, later, Islam would build their mansions right in the gap between Heaven and Earth, defining “faith” as a victory of things unseen over the world we see. A Christian definition of faith attributed to Paul the Apostle is “the conviction of things not seen.” Jesus tells a doubting Thomas, “Blessed are those who believe without seeing,” and Islam’s Qur’an says its text is “a guide for those mindful of Allah who believe in the unseen” (2:2–3). Plato’s cancellation of attention and reverence for the seen world became a matter of faith.
