The Philosophy of Early Christianity

The Philosophy of Early Christianity
Author: George E. Karamanolis
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2014-09-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 131754708X

First published in 2014. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Aristotle and Early Christian Thought

Aristotle and Early Christian Thought
Author: Mark Edwards
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2019-03-13
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1315520192

In studies of early Christian thought, ‘philosophy’ is often a synonym for ‘Platonism’, or at most for ‘Platonism and Stoicism’. Nevertheless, it was Aristotle who, from the sixth century AD to the Italian Renaissance, was the dominant Greek voice in Christian, Muslim and Jewish philosophy. Aristotle and Early Christian Thought is the first book in English to give a synoptic account of the slow appropriation of Aristotelian thought in the Christian world from the second to the sixth century. Concentrating on the great theological topics – creation, the soul, the Trinity, and Christology – it makes full use of modern scholarship on the Peripatetic tradition after Aristotle, explaining the significance of Neoplatonism as a mediator of Aristotelian logic. While stressing the fidelity of Christian thinkers to biblical presuppositions which were not shared by the Greek schools, it also describes their attempts to overcome the pagan objections to biblical teachings by a consistent use of Aristotelian principles, and it follows their application of these principles to matters which lay outside the purview of Aristotle himself. This volume offers a valuable study not only for students of Christian theology in its formative years, but also for anyone seeking an introduction to the thought of Aristotle and its developments in Late Antiquity.

The Routledge Handbook of Early Christian Philosophy

The Routledge Handbook of Early Christian Philosophy
Author: Mark Edwards
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 656
Release: 2020-11-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 1134855982

This volume offers the most comprehensive survey available of the philosophical background to the works of early Christian writers and the development of early Christian doctrine. It examines how the same philosophical questions were approached by Christian and pagan thinkers; the philosophical element in Christian doctrines; the interaction of particular philosophies with Christian thought; and the constructive use of existing philosophies by all Christian thinkers of late antiquity. While most studies of ancient Christian writers and the development of early Christian doctrine make some reference to the philosophic background, this is often of an anecdotal character, and does not enable the reader to determine whether the likenesses are deep or superficial, or how pervasively one particular philosopher may have influenced Christian thought. This volume is designed to provide not only a body of facts more compendious than can be found elsewhere, but the contextual information which will enable readers to judge or clarify the statements that they encounter in works of more limited scope. With contributions by an international group of experts in both philosophy and Christian thought, this is an invaluable resource for scholars of early Christianity, Late Antiquity and ancient philosophy alike.

The History of Western Philosophy of Religion

The History of Western Philosophy of Religion
Author: Graham Robert Oppy
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2009
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9781844652242

The twentieth century saw religion challenged by the rise of science and secularism, a confrontation which resulted in an astonishingly diverse range of philosophical views about religion and religious belief. Many of the major philosophers of the twentieth century - James, Bergson, Russell, Wittgenstein, Ayer, Heidegger, and Derrida - significantly engaged with religious thought. Idiosyncratic thinkers, such as Whitehead, Levinas and Weil, further contributed to the extraordinary diversity of philosophical investigation of religion across the century. In their turn, leading theologians and religious philosophers - notably Buber, Tillich and Barth - directly engaged with the philosophy of religion. Later, philosophy of religion became a distinct field of study, led by the work of Hick, Alston, Plantinga, and Swinburne. "Twentieth-Century Philosophy of Religion" provides an accessible overview of the major strands in the rich tapestry of twentieth-century thought about religion and will be an indispensible resource for any interested in contemporary philosophy of religion.

Stoicism in Early Christianity

Stoicism in Early Christianity
Author: Tuomas Rasimus
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2010-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0801039517

An international roster of scholars highlights the place of Stoic teaching in early Christian thought.

Christian Philosophy in the Early Church

Christian Philosophy in the Early Church
Author: Anthony Meredith SJ
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2012-06-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567184544

Written by a master of the subject with a long teaching experience, this book is a concise and accessible overview of the response of early Christian thought to classical philosophy and its integration into Christian theology.

Early Christian Thinkers

Early Christian Thinkers
Author: Paul Foster
Publisher: SPCK
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2012-04-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0281065160

This book introduces twelve key Christians from the second and third centuries, a formative period for the Church. These figures are: Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tatian, Theophilus of Antioch, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Perpetua, Origen, Hippolytus, Cyprian, Gregory Thaumaturgos and Eusebius. Each chapter is self-contained and requires no preliminary knowledge of the figure under discussion, making this an ideal book for laity and for undergraduates studying Christian origins or Patristics.

Backgrounds of Early Christianity

Backgrounds of Early Christianity
Author: Everett Ferguson
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 676
Release: 2003
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780802822215

New to this expanded & updated edition are revisions of Ferguson's original material, updated bibliographies, & a fresh dicussion of first century social life, the Dead Sea Scrolls & much else.

Socrates and Other Saints

Socrates and Other Saints
Author: Dariusz Karlowicz
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 114
Release: 2017-01-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1498278744

Many contemporary writers misunderstand early Christian views on philosophy because they identify the critical stances of the ante-Nicene fathers toward specific pagan philosophical schools with a general negative stance toward reason itself. Dariusz Karłowicz's Socrates and Other Saints demonstrates why this identification is false. The question of the extent of humanity's natural knowledge cannot be reduced to the question of faith's relationship to the historical manifestations of philosophy among the Ancients. Karłowicz closely reads the writings of Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and others to demonstrate this point. He also builds upon Pierre Hadot's thesis that ancient philosophy is not primarily theory but a "way of life" taught by sages, which aimed at happiness through participation in the divine. The fact that pagan philosophers falsely described humanity's telos did not mean that the spiritual practices they developed could not be helpful in the Christian pilgrimage. As it turns out, the ancient Christian writers traditionally considered to be enemies of philosophy actually borrowed from her much more than we think--and perhaps more than they admitted.