Christian Philosophy in the Early Church

Christian Philosophy in the Early Church
Author: Anthony Meredith
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2012-05-24
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0567308189

A concise and accessible overview of the response of early Christian thought to classical philosophy and its integration into Christian theology.

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.

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.

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 Patient Ferment of the Early Church

The Patient Ferment of the Early Church
Author: Alan Kreider
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2016-03-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493400339

How and why did the early church grow in the first four hundred years despite disincentives, harassment, and occasional persecution? In this unique historical study, veteran scholar Alan Kreider delivers the fruit of a lifetime of study as he tells the amazing story of the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Challenging traditional understandings, Kreider contends the church grew because the virtue of patience was of central importance in the life and witness of the early Christians. They wrote about patience, not evangelism, and reflected on prayer, catechesis, and worship, yet the church grew--not by specific strategies but by patient ferment.

The Philosophy of Early Christianity

The Philosophy of Early Christianity
Author: George E. Karamanolis
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2014-09-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317547071

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

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.

The Philosophy of Early Christianity in the Era of Digitalisation

The Philosophy of Early Christianity in the Era of Digitalisation
Author: Yip Mei Loh
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2021-06-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1527570452

The benefits of the digital age are huge. Our lives have been transformed, both in the developed and the undeveloped world. However, this transformation has its dark side. The same powerful technologies have enabled cultural or religious grooming to flourish, unmoderated social ‘influencing’ to have free reign, fake information to spread, and sophisticated hackers to create destabilizing international mayhem. What place does the Church have in all this? How does it respond? What about the master philosophers of the neo-Platonic age, whose wisdom, borne of the great philosopher himself, was formed through the emerging doctrines of the early Christian church? The excellent and thought-provoking essays gathered here provide answers to these questions and more.

The Philosophy of Early Christianity

The Philosophy of Early Christianity
Author: George Karamanolis
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2021-05-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0429628234

This new edition introduces the reader to the philosophy of early Christianity in the second to fourth centuries AD, and contextualizes the philosophical contributions of early Christians in the framework of the ancient philosophical debates. It examines the first attempts of Christian thinkers to engage with issues such as questions of cosmogony and first principles, freedom of choice, concept formation, and the body–soul relation, as well as later questions like the status of the divine persons of the Trinity. It also aims to show that the philosophy of early Christianity is part of ancient philosophy as a distinct school of thought, being in constant dialogue with the ancient philosophical schools, such as Platonism, Aristotelianism, Stoicism, and even Epicureanism and Scepticism. This book examines in detail the philosophical views of Christian thinkers such as Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Basil, and Gregory of Nyssa, and sheds light in the distinct ways they conceptualized traditional philosophical issues and made some intriguing contributions. The book’s core chapters survey the central philosophical concerns of the early Christian thinkers and examines their contributions. These range across natural philosophy, metaphysics, logic and epistemology, psychology, and ethics, and include such questions as how the world came into being, how God relates to the world, the status of matter, how we can gain knowledge, in what sense humans have freedom of choice, what the nature of soul is and how it relates to the body, and how we can attain happiness and salvation. This revised edition takes into account the recent developments in the area of later ancient philosophy, especially in the philosophy of Early Christianity, and integrates them in the relevant chapters, some of which are now heavily expanded. The Philosophy of Early Christianity remains a crucial introduction to the subject for undergraduate and postgraduate students of ancient philosophy and early Christianity, across the disciplines of classics, history, and theology.