Influence of Hellenic philosophy on Christianity

The influence of Hellenic philosophy on Christianity is a subject of much dispute among Philosophers, Christians, and Biblical Scholars.

Christianity originated in Judah, an Aramaic culture with philosophies and modes of thought distinct from the Classical Greek thought which was dominant in the Roman Empire at the time of Christ and centuries following.

The conflict between the two modes of thought is recorded in scripture, in Paul's encounters with Epicurian and Stoic philosophers in Acts 17, his diatribe against Greek philosophy in 1st Corinthians 1 and 2, and his warning against philosophy in Colossians 2:8. In the first, he debates the Greeks; in the second, he argues that Christianity and Greek Wisdom are incompatible, because Christianity is the means by which "the foolish shame the wise." In the third, he warns Christians not to allow themselves to be spoiled by philosophy.

Over time, however, as Christianity spread throughout the Hellenic world, an increasing number of church leaders were educated in Greek Philosophy, leading to a fusion of the two modes of thought.

One early Christian writer of the second and early third century, Clement of Alexandria, demonstrated the assimilation of Greek thought in writing: "Philosophy has been given to the Greeks as their own kind of Covenant, their foundation for the philosophy of Christ ... the philosophy of the Greeks ... contains the basic elements of that genuine and perfect knowledge which is higher than human ... even upon those spiritual objects." (Miscellanies 6. 8)

Augustine of Hippo, who ultimately systematized Christian philosophy, wrote in the 4th and early fifth century: "But when I read those books of the Platonists I was taught by them to seek incorporeal truth, so I saw your 'invisible things, understood by the things that are made' (Confessions 7. 20)

Hebrew Versus Greek Thought Regarding God

The article on God goes into greater detail regarding the contrasts between the Hebrew and Hellenic concepts of God.

In summary, however, Hebrews and early Christians had no systematic theology. They understood God to be: "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." (Exodus 34:6–7)

It was not until the fusion of Platonic and Aristotelian theology with Christianity that the concepts of strict omnipotence, omniscience, or omnibenevolence became commonplace.

The Platonic concept of Forms had an enormous influence on Hellenic Christian views of God. In those philosophies, Forms were the ideals of every objection in the physical world, and objects in the physical world were merely shadows of those perfect forms. Platonic Philosophers were able to theorize about the forms by looking at objects in the material world, and imagining what the "Perfect" tree, or "Perfect" man would be.

The Aristotelian view of God grew from these Platonic roots, arguing that God was the Infinite, or the "Unmoved Mover."

Hellenic Christians and their medeival successors then applied this Form-based philosophy to the Christian God. Philosophers took all the things that they considered Good -- Power, Love, Knowledge, Size, and posited that God was "infinite" in all these respects. They then concluded that God was omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent. Further, since God was perfect, any change would make him less than perfect, so they asserted that God was unchanging, or immutable.

St. Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologica, article 3, wrote succinctly: "By 'God,' however, we mean some infinite good."

Anselm, a medeival monk, later defined God as the "Being than which no greater can be conceived."

With the establishment of the formal church, the development of creeds and formal theology, this view of God as Omni-Everything became nearly universal in the Christian World.

Modern Debate Regarding Hellenic Christian Thought

Recently, a great deal of debate has arisen regarding the influence of Platonic thought on Christian Thought. Movements such as Open Theism and Process Theology have argued that the God of the Jews and non-Hellenized Christians was not a God of Infinities, but rather, was the greatest in all those respects, and above humanity, and all other gods.

In support of their position, Open Theists and Process Theologians cite the problem of evil, the problem of prayer, and the problem of sin, which make the existance of an omniscient, omnipotent and omnibenevolent God logically untenable. They also cite many scripture passages in which God is seen to change his mind, have emotions, be delayed in carrying out his plan, become furious, and be surprised.

Mainline Christians, as well as adherents to the majority of world religions, argue that God is in fact omniscient, omnibenevolent, and omnipotent, and that Open Theism and Process Theology are attempts to belittle the attributes of God. They cite the thought of the majority of Christians for the last 2000 years, as well as the majority of Jewish and Muslim Scholars, who agree.

Daniel W. Graham and James L. Siebach, "Philosophy and Early Christianty," 210-220; Cook, "How Deep the Platonism," 269-286 in Farms Review of Books, vol. 11, no. 2 (1999). http://www.angelfire.com/az3/LDC/hebrewthought.pdf

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