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Embracing Greek Philosophical Thinking in the Fathers of the 2Nd - 5Th Centuries

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Embracing Greek Philosophical Thinking in the Fathers of the 2Nd - 5Th Centuries ARTYKUŁY VOX PATRUM 36 (2016) t. 65 Eirini ARTEMI* EMBRACING GREEK PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING IN THE FATHERS OF THE 2ND - 5TH CENTURIES Hellenistic philosophy is the root of Christian theology. Christian theology could not exist without the intellectual curiosity that was unique to ancient Greece1. Early Christian Fathers were slow to develop a distinctly Christian philosophy. When they did, their philosophical environment was mainly Stoic, Epicurean, Platonic, Aristotelian and Neo-Platonic. This mind-set directly in- fluenced the historic development of Christian philosophy and theology. In the beginning of Christianity, there was a absolute hostility towards Greek Philo- sophy. The conflict between the two modes of thought, Greek philosophy and Christianity, is recorded in Paul’s encounters with Epicurean and Stoic philos- ophers in Acts (Acts 17: 18), his diatribe against Greek philosophy in 1 Cor- inthians (1Cor 1: 18-31) and his warning against philosophy in Colossians (Col 2: 8). However, as Christianity spread throughout the Hellenic world, increasingly church leaders were educated in Greek philosophy. The dominant philosophical traditions of the Greco-Roman world at the time were Stoicism, Platonism, Aristotelism, Epicureanism and later Neoplatonism. These were readily incorporated into Christian ethics and Christian theology2. To many of the early Church Fathers, classical philosophy was erroneous for the simple reason that it did not emanate from divine revelation. It was secular and pagan. Also, the first Christian apologists, who defended against Greek pagan theology and Greek philosophy in many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in the early church and Patristic writers such as Origen, Justin Martyr, Tertullian and later Cappadocian Fathers, confidently used philosophical reasoning, and though they attacked philosophers they used their language whenever they could. They thus created the basic method of traditional Christian theology3. * Dr Eirini Artemi – Theologist & Classical Philologist, Post-Doc of Ancient Greek and Byz- antine Philosophy of University of Patras, M.A. & Ph.D. of Theology of National and Capodistrian University of Athens, Lecturer in the Hellenic Open University, email: [email protected]. 1 Cf. D. Allen – E.O. Springsted, Philosophy for Understanding Theology, Louisville 2007, 17. 2 Cf. D.W. Graham – J.L. Siebach, Philosophy and Early Christianity, “FARMS. Review of Books” 11 (1999) fasc. 2, 212. 3 Cf. G. Patronos, Hellenism and Christianity, Athens 2003, 17. 32 EIRINI ARTEMI Generally, the early Church Fathers complained that whereas Greek phi- losophers may have argued over words, Christianity possessed the Word, true wisdom as revealed by God. So, the early Church Fathers believed that study- ing Greek thought would contaminate Christian morality and promote heresy. For the early Church Fathers, there would be no compromise between Greek philosophy and Christian revelation. However, there were other Church Fa- thers who defended the value of studying classical literature and philosophy4. The classical Greeks could aid in the moral development of children because the Greeks, though pagan, still embraced a virtuous life. Knowledge of Greek thought helped Christians to explain their beliefs logically and enabled them to argue intelligently with critics of Christianity. It was Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215) who engaged reason to support faith by trying to make Christianity more intellectually respectable5. As Clement once wrote in his Stromata: “thus philosophy acted as a schoolmaster to the Greek, preparing them for Christ, as the laws of the Jews prepared them for Christ”6. Using the language and techniques of Greek philosophy, Christian intellectuals changed Christianity from a simple ethical creed into a theoretical system. From this “Hellenization of Christianity” Christian theology was born in a linguistic form. Christ was depicted as the divine Logos in human form. Stoicism was incorporated into the belief that all are equal and united in Christ7. 1. The adaptation of Greek philosophical thought in the data of the Triune God’s Revelation. At first, when the early Christians began to explain the distinctive concept of God that had been revealed in the historic Person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, they do not seem to have been concerned about the methodological issues of human thinking that had been developed in Greek philosophy8. Later, as the Christian Fathers pulled together the impli- cations of the self-revelation of Triune God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit – a new realization of the essence and nature of God came into view. Two terms, oÙs…a and ØpÒstasij, were adopted by the Christian Church from Greek philosophy. They were terms based on the language and culture of a given society with an academic discipline9. Generally, the two major intellectual configurations of history, Hellenism and Christianity are usually treated by most scholars as very important fea- tures of the fourth and the fifth centuries. The conditions and processes which 4 Cf. ibidem, p. 25-43. 5 Cf. E. Artemi, Clement’s of Alexandria teaching about the cryptic philosophical tradition, VoxP 34 (2014) t. 62, 61-71. 6 Clemens Alexandrinus, Stromata I 5, 28, PG 8, 717D, transl. E. Artemi. 7 Cf. J. Zizioulas, Hellenism and Christianity: The Meeting of Two Worlds, Athens 2003, 103. 8 Cf. J.A. Fowler, The Triune God in Christian Thought and Experience, Fallbrook 2013, 17. 9 Cf. E.G. Flett, Persons, Powers and Pluralities. Toward a Trinitarian Theology of Culture, Cambridge 2011, 224. See Th.F. Torrance, The Mediation of Christ, Colorado 1992, 48. EMBRACING GREEK PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING 33 occurred during the three centuries before that and which lead to this dynamic synthesis of Hellenism and Christianity are still difficult to trace. In Orthodox Patristic Theology, the use of Greek philosophy was con- cerned mainly with terminology and schemes and less about the acceptance or rejection of Greek religious thinking. Certain Greek Fathers affirmed until the 14th century that Patristic Hellenism was focused on the notion of self- transcendence rather than its earlier focus during the pre-Christian era. So the Fathers wanted to have a smooth path that neither rejected secular wisdom nor elevated it to something to be venerated. The official position of the Church repelled both fanatic monks’ contempt for “secular” wisdom, and the exces- sive admiration by certain scholarly circles, which had upset the established equilibrium and composure of the great Greek Christian Fathers10. Greek thinking passed through a creative encounter with Christianity and suffered major transformations, whilst for Christianity, its Hellenization was not eliminated. It was made to change orientation, to obtain information that it had not previously had. For example, in the area of Christology, the purpose of these transformations was to preserve the heritage of Jewish monotheism from misconceptions and polytheism, Neoplatonism etc. In the history of the Church, the spirit of the Greek Fathers, built on the New Testament, offered solutions how to avoid these risks11. According to George Martzelos: “the use of contextual representations and images in order that the doctrinal truths to be understood by people with dif- ferent cultural backgrounds, is often not only legitimate but also necessary. This is a fundamental missionary and educational authority, which is deeply rooted in the history and the life of the Church. But the use of these contextual representations and images [was] limited only to the morphology of the doc- trine and leaves intact and unformed its essence”12. Mainly, the early Christian Fathers of the 4th and 5th centuries saw in ancient Greek thought elements or germs of divine revelation. But also before them, Origen, Justin Martyr, Ter- tullian and Clement of Alexandria adopted some terms from Greek philoso- phy. They viewed Greek philosophy as a useful means for interpreting and sharing their faith. The Cappadocian fathers in particular, and the Alexandrian and several Antiochian theologians formulated the attitude of Orthodox Chris- tianity toward ancient Greek heritage13. Early Church Fathers like Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and John Chrysostom added that the purpose of education should be to develop the human being into a person possessing 10 Cf. Zizoulas, Hellenism and Christianity, p. 99. 11 Cf. ibidem, p. 111-112. 12 Cf. G.D. Martzelos, Theologikos animismos and orthodoxy pneumatology, “Kath odon” 4 (1993) 105. 13 Cf. D.J. Constantelos, Hellenic Paideia and Church Fathers – Educational Principles and Cultural Heritage, http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith8143 [access: 18.12.2015]. 34 EIRINI ARTEMI faith in a core of values and persistent motivation to apply them in everyday life until the icon of Christ is formed in him or her. Early Christians came to the conclusion that they too should strive to like- wise keep before their eyes those things of beauty, goodness and excellence, such as will inspire them to truth, wisdom, and love of God. Also, they conclud- ed that they should educate their children in that same tradition of the Ortho- dox Christian Faith and Hellenic (Classical) wisdom. Further, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, the Theologian, and John Chrysos- tom became successful men of letters, great theologians and Church leaders. They had studied in Athens, Constantinople, and Antioch – called Athens of East. They had the best education available and became effective social reform- ers, defenders of Orthodox Christianity, and supporters of Greek learning14. 2. The friendly and hostile attitude of Church Fathers to Greek philo- sophy in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The development of Christian philosophy and apologetics was due on one hand to the hostile attacks of detractors against the apologists and, on the other hand, to the desire for understanding the mean- ings revealed by this teaching and for reaching a more comprehensive vision of the world and human life. On the other side, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Cle- ment of Alexandria and Origen, were in favor of the Greek philosophy and distinguished it from the Greek pagan theology.
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