That seems to me a confusion. From Hellenism - the syncretism of Judaism, Greek culture and philosophy, and elements of Egyptian culture we produced Christianity. Angelo Di Berardino and Basil Studer; trans. 1.1.3; Lib. 2; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1901). We have some ideas in common with them, he plainly announces (Cels. = Jerome, Ep. Ronald E. Heine; FC 80; Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1989] 14344). Broadly speaking, Hellenism is a polytheistic religion that understands the Gods are unchanging, unbegotten, eternal, and not in space. 163): the church's rule is silent about the issue of the origin of the soul. & C. Black, 1977] 345). The period of Hellenistic influence, when taken as a whole, constitutes one of the most creative periods in the history of religions. 13 Origen was as aware as Justinian (or Harnack) of the potential danger of philosophy to corrode the church's central convictions. Greg. 72e77c; Resp. 59 Princ. 27 Givens, Terryl L., When Souls Had Wings: Pre-Mortal Existence in Western Thought (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010) esp. Note, however, that the simultaneous origin of soul and body was not exclusively yoked to the Aristotelian theory of the embryo. 6.3.9; 6.3.13; 6.8.6; 6.17.23; 6.18.24; 6.19.1214 (teaching philosophy in Alexandria); 6.30; Gregory, Address 6; 13; 14 (teaching philosophy in Caesarea). 61 There is a substantial debate in the literature about whether rational souls were originally discarnate or were always associated with some sort of body. For similar lists of questions about the soul, see Princ. 2.9.2 where Origen claims that the goodness of these prelapsarian souls was the result of their Creator's beneficence (GK 404, 165.21). 2.9.4 (GK 408, 167.2731/Butterworth, 132). Some of them having to do with fundamental philosophical issues such as the nature of reality and the nature of God. The Greeks saw God as transcendent, present in everyday life and accessible to everyone, while Christianity's Saint Paul preached that "the power of God was made to work through human flesh," the savior Jesus Christ. 3:1011 (= Pamphilus, Apol. For a larger discussion of how philosophy engendered heresy for Origen, but could also be assessed positively, see Martens, Peter W., Origen and Scripture: The Contours of the Exegetical Life (Oxford Early Christian Studies; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012) 7277 and 11926CrossRefGoogle Scholar. Insofar as they were making that last point -- that polytheism was philosophically insufficient -- they were saying something similar to what Greek philosophers were saying. 36, no. 34.5; Comm. There follows (4) a brief argument against the pre-existence of the soul of Christ (ibid., 9394), an error attributed to the English translation of the phrase ab initio creaturae (Princ. Origen makes the very same point in Comm. Groups such as the Donatists in North Africa, for example, refused to recognize as Christians those who had sacrificed to the emperor or turned over holy books during the persecutions. 1:4647Google Scholar (on the antagonistic model Harnack uses for Jewish and Hellenistic cultures), 1:5657 (on the irreconcilability of Paul's theology with the Greek world), and 2:333 (on the dangerous atmosphere in which Origen lived as a Christian and philosopher). 2.9.2 (GK 404, 166.610/Butterworth, 13031). G. W. Butterworth; Gloucester, Mass. 2.1.13; Comm. In the English-speaking world, this thesis has been put forward most clearly by Hatch, Edwin, The Influence of Greek Ideas on Christianity (Library of Religion and Culture; London: Williams and Norgate, 1891; repr., New York: Harper & Row, 1957)Google Scholar. 2.9.5 (GK 410, 169.46/Butterworth, 133). ; Bibliothque de lcole des hautes tudes, sciences religieuses 37, 43, 44; Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1928) 3:1056. However, creationism becomes, according to J. N. D. Kelly, the prevalent Greek theory by the fourth century (Early Christian Doctrines [5th ed. 1.3233; 5.2933). With the exception of the notion of baptism as a rebirth, Christians generally and significantly avoided the characteristic vocabularies of the mystery religions. . viewers' guide. Justin Martyr was a key figure during this period who helped reconcile Hellenism with Christian teachings. Eph. 6.21 Origen refers explicitly to Philo's interpretation of Jacob's ladder in this latter work where Philo's view of pre-existence is developedsee also Jerome, Jo. But there probably was no formal senatorial enactment proscribing Christianity at this time. endstream endobj 127 0 obj <> endobj 128 0 obj <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/Type/Page>> endobj 129 0 obj <>stream 74 Platonic Opera (ed. Danilou refers the reader to Albinus/Alkinoos, Didaskalikos 16.2, however it is not this treatise, but Plato's Phaedrus, that Origen mentions several times in Cels. Reflecting this position, Tertullian once asked, What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? Despite this hostility, many Christians recognized the value of ancient letters. Rather it is best understood as the study of archaic Mediterranean religions in their Hellenistic phase within both their native and diasporic settings. 69 Princ. 22 Galen, de semine 2.2 (on Athenaeus, founder of the pneumatic school of physicians, who followed Aristotle); Alexander of Aphrodisias, de anima, 36.2223. pref.2). F. Rothwell; London: George Allen & Unwin, 1926) 92; see also 94, as well as his Origne: sa vie . Hellenistic religion was based on a polytheistic tradition of hundreds of Greek gods, conflicting with Christianity's adherence to belief in one God. It is difficult (2) to explain how such a wide spectrum of figures fluent in Greek, both foe and friend to Origen, erroneously attributed pre-existence to him (e.g., Pamphilus, Epiphanius, Rufinus, Jerome, Theophilus, John of Jerusalem, Theodore of Mopsuestia, among others). While majorities of both Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (84%) and Republicans and Republican leaners (61%) say religion should be kept separate from . This latter union was the result of a descent, but it was not precipitated by a sinful fall (see Origen against Plato, 8997; the arguments are rehearsed at Origen's Platonism, 3435). 0 Princ. Violence against them could be precipitated by a bad harvest, a barbarian attack, or a public festival of the emperor cult. Gen. 13.3; Cels. The persecuting emperor Valerian, however, became a Persian prisoner of war, and his son Gallienus issued an edict of toleration restoring confiscated churches and cemeteries. 50. Augustine and Cassiodorus provide indirect evidence for this benefit of the theory. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. Certain cult centres remained sites of pilgrimage or objects of sentimental attachment; but the old beliefs in national deities and the inextricable relationship of the deity to certain sacred places was weakened. 72e77a to argue for the soul's pre-existent state where it contemplated the forms. 2, Issue 1, February 2015. On the divine justice behind the diversity in this world, see Princ. For a concise and balanced discussion of how Origen interacted with particular philosophical positions, see Chadwick, Henry, Origen, in Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy (ed. Updates? Carl. John Austin Baker; 3 vols. This empire was so vast as truly to stagger the imagination. The first version of this essay was delivered during the Logos Conference (University of Notre Dame, 2012) at the invitation of Michael Rea. I examine three representative Pauline texts1 Cor 8:4-6, Rom 11:36, and Col 1:15-17to see how Paul speaks about the Christian God. %%EOF On the uncertainty about the origin of the soul in the Latin middle ages, see Evans, G. R., Philosophy and Theology in the Middle Ages (London: Routledge, 1993) 9295CrossRefGoogle Scholar; on the persistence of pre-existence, see Nauta, Lodi, The Preexistence of the Soul in Medieval Thought, RTAM 63 (1996) 93135Google Scholar. 25 All these verses (as well as Lev 17:14, Rom 7:23 and Gal 5:19) are listed and discussed at Princ. 4(14); Somn. Although Judaism and early Christianity were affected by the surrounding culture in certain ways, they diligently guarded their religious beliefs and practices from Hellenistic pagan influences, even to the point of martyrdom. 246bc. Historising Religion between Spiritual Continuity and Friendly Takeover. In his De Anima 7, Cassiodorus endorses the creationist view but acknowledges that it is a difficult mystery how God can create souls and assign to them Adam's guilt when they have done no prior wrong. Educated Christians shared this literary tradition with educated pagans. On the difficulties of finding a creationist view prior to Origen, see esp. 1623. MAKING APOLOGETICS APPEALING TO AFRICANS: A Clarion Call to Defending the Christian Faith in Africa, Daniel Boyarin, Apartheid Comparative Religion in the Second Century: Some Theory and a Case Study, The Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, vol. Ti. There was a noticeable lessening of concern on the part of the members of the dispersed religious group for the destiny and fortunes of the native land and also a relative severing of the traditional ties between religion and the land. The Christians were not respectful toward ancestral pagan customs, and their preaching of a new king sounded like revolution. Cant. In the history of Christianity Adolf von Harnack popularized its use for a paganizing . See the extensive recent discussion of this topic by Blosser, Become Like the Angels, 60141. Corrections? h The history of Hellenistic religions is rarely the history of genuinely new religions. ad Greg. 3.) Glen Bowersock, Peter Brown and Oleg Grabar; Cambridge, Mass. Here Origen adumbrates a major theme in his anthropology: the capacity for choice ( )usually rendered free will in English translationsthat he thought was characteristic of rationality (Princ. that only the Trinity is incorporeal (see 2.2.2; 2.3.3). 3.9 (432a) and Philo, Leg. Is Hellenism a religion? This is FRONTLINE's old website. Each persisted in its native land with little perceptible change save for its becoming linked to nationalistic or messianic movements (centring on a deliverer figure) seeking to overthrow Greco-Roman political and cultural domination. Neros persecution, which was local and short, was condemned by Tacitus as an expression of the emperors cruelty rather than as a service to the public good. The content here may be outdated or no longer functioning. 70.4 on the lost Stromateis of Origen, in which he compared Christian teachings with those of the philosophers, especially Plato, Aristotle, Numenius, and Cornutus. 2.18182; 20.182; Dial. And his conquest, which extended from India all the way through Egypt, [was] divided into three main areas within 20 years after his death. 1.pref.4. 5 See Harnack's distinction between Jewish and Hellenistic views of pre-existence and Origen's illustration of the latter variety (History of Dogma, 1:31831). To accomplish this, the Apologists adopted the philosophical and literary vocabulary of the broader culture to develop a more refined expression of the faith that could appeal to the sophisticated sensibilities of their pagan contemporaries. 3.1.1/GK 462, 195.8). It has been argued, however, that . St. Augustine held that although Classical literature contained superstitious imaginings, it included references to moral truths and learning that could be used in the service of God. The great Church Father compared Classical literature to the gold of the Egyptians, which God permitted the Hebrews to use on their journey to the Promised Land even though it had once been used in pagan religious practice. Some it rejects, others it approves of, the object being that the creature may be guided in accordance with these latter images. Thus, Origen continues, since there are in the nature of reason possibilities of contemplating good and evil, by following out which and contemplating them both we are led to choose good and avoid evil (Princ. And that Hellenization was most visible in a place like Sepphoris which was being reconstructed during the youth of Jesus. 75 There are numerous references to Phaedrus in Origen's writingssee, for example, the index to Cels. There were varying clashes between the two ideals Hellenism and Christianity which were often deemed 'incompatible'. We see bits and pieces of this in passages such as the prologue of the 4th Gospel where this concept of the logos comes to play. While it has been deployed in surprisingly fluid ways, most scholars associate the thesis with Adolf von Harnack, for whom it acquired a decidedly critical valence. On the opening chapters of Genesis as an allegory of the drama of pre-existent souls and their fall, see Peter W. Martens, Origen's Doctrine of Pre-Existence and the Opening Chapters of Genesis, ZAC 16 (2012) 51649. Christianity and Hellenistic philosophies experienced complex interactions during the first to the fourth centuries. de Boor; 2 vols. For that reason many have been unable to comprehend what their opinion should be concerning the question of the soul. Non-standard abbreviation: GK = Origenes: Vier Bcher von den Prinzipien (ed. 4.40; 6.43; 6.44. 3.1.16), or those who profess to believe in Christ (Princ. 19). More than a half-century later, the movie adaptation, due April 28, is putting that . 2.8; Hom. That's certainly an example of the way in which Greek literary forms and Greek language impacted Jewish civilization and literary traditions. Most notable was the shift from elements characteristic of native religion in its definition of religion (e.g., local tradition and custom, informal knowledge orally transmitted, and birth) to formulated dogma, creeds, law codes, and rules for conversion and admission that were characteristic of diasporic religion. Cant. And his conquest, which extended from India. Because among Greek philosophers there was a growing appreciation for the unity of the divine and for the notion that there may be a single simple divine principle underlying all things. 2.9.3 (GK 406, 166.21167.9/Butterworth, 131). So for some it probably meant no more than what it would be like to live in a modern city with a very mixed culture. As Christianity spread throughout the Hellenic world, an increasing number of church leaders were educated in Greek philosophy. 1.7.4 (see also Princ. 48 Danilou, Origen, 209. Love your neighbor as yourself. Gen. 1 (=Eusebius, Marc. Has data issue: false They refuted a variety of scandalous rumours, including allegations of cannibalism and promiscuity. However, this is not the only passage relied upon to reconstruct Origen's account of pre-existence, and indeed, one can develop the case without reference to any of Origen's enemies (pace Origen's Platonism, 34). Content may require purchase if you do not have access. The two excerpts illustrate how the God, who probably used to be seen as a one of a human-like nature, turned into an unconditioned entity. Total loading time: 0 and 55 As Origen presents the Gnostic view of human nature, it entailed a denial that humans had the capacity to make decisions for which God held them accountable. 6.19.58); Epiphanius, Pan. We have clear evidence in all of that architectural remains Hellenism was having a strong impact even on Galilee during this period. 54 Princ. 46 See esp. Note as well that Origen treated many biblical pericopes as symbolic of pre-existence. See as well, Pamphilus, Apol. its literature. Hier. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Jo. from Mount Holyoke College. Rather, they worked with the Greek idiom. Hft; Gtersloh, Germany: C. Berteslmann, 1950) 92185. 2, and Cels. Cartwright, Sophie 2.6.37). 2.178; Ep. In Fight Against ISIS, a Lose-Lose Scenario Poses Challenge for West. 1.7.2; 1.7.5; 2.9.7). 24 Princ. 80 For additional dissonances between Plato and Origen, see Scott, Journey back to God, 5369; Blosser, Become Like the Angels, 16372, 21619. Many Christians also rejected the literary traditions of the Classical world, denouncing the immoral and unethical behaviour of the deities and heroes of ancient myth and literature. While the Latin phrase is ambiguous, the larger context clarifies how it should be understood: in the lines that immediately follow, Origen says that Jesus's soul had already (iam) completely entered the Word before it was united to the body (GK 362, 143.12). For pre-existence in other Jewish texts from this same era, see Bostock, The Sources, 260361; Givens, When Souls Had Wings, 4651. 3.81 [SC 136, 182.34]). Edwards, however, suggests that we read the phrase as from the beginning of his creation, i.e., Christ's soul was only created with his body and that from this beginning it clung to the Word. Most notable of the Hellenists were Philo of Alexandria and the Apostle Paul. 66 Princ. For many others, both before and after Harnack, the Hellenization of Christianity has signaled a similar narrative of decline. Does it Make Sense to Speak of a Hellenization of Christianity in Antiquity? Much of this activity would have centered in Alexandria, the capital of Egypt, but there was similar activity going on in Palestine, and some of these literary products that survive in some cases only in fragments, were probably written in Palestine, by Jews who were adopting these Hellenistic literary modes. 51 Princ. translator's preface to book 3). Heinrich Karpp, Probleme altchristlicher Anthropologie: Biblische Anthropologie und philosophische Psychologie bei den Kirchenvtern des dritten Jahrhunderts (Beitrge zur Frderung christlicher Theologie 44. 3.21; C. Jul. 2018. Platonism and Christianity: A Mere Antagonism or a Profound Common Ground. Questions and Caveats, Recollection and Experience: Plato's Theory of Learning and Its Successors, Plato Christianus: bernahme und Umgestaltung des Platonismus durch die Vter. By and large, they sought both to make Christianity intelligible to members of Greco-Roman society and to define the Christian understanding of God, the divinity of Christ, and the resurrection of the body. 14.16; Hom. 49 Princ. All forms of paganismthe Oriental mystery (salvational) religions of Isis, Attis, Adonis, and Mithra as well as the traditional Greco-Roman polytheisms and the cult of the emperorwere regarded as the worship of evil spirits. 2.20.112114; 6.12.135, Exc. Theosis, vol. Although the blood of the martyrs, as contemporaries declared, had helped the church to grow, schism eventually arose with those who had yielded to imperial pressure. Here the prenatal state is described exclusively as a knowledge of forms (see esp. From this basis I trace the development of Christology to the end of the second century, demonstrating how Christian thought moved from its primitive understanding of Jesus to the foundations of the doctrine of the Trinity. Hellenism, however, was not merely a favourable soil for the reception and spread of Christianity, but it also exercised a profound influence upon the theological apprehension of it. A Definition of the Title Son of God in the Synoptic Gospels, Why Should an Atheist Have Faith [And This] In Jesus-Christ, NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTOLOGY: A CRITIQUE OF BOUSSETS INFLUENCE, THE RECEPTION OF JOHANNINE LOGOS: AN APPROPRIATION OF JAUSS-GADAMER HERMENEUTICS OF RECEPTION THEORY.
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