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What is meant by this? I am not understanding this concept. How does neoplatonism fit in? Was Augustine an opponent or proponent of hellenized christianity?
In the textbook I'm reading. Not sure of the context, that's what I'm trying to figure out. It seems to be Tertullian vs. Clement and (maybe) Augustine, where Tertullian was against Greek philosophy and Clement embraced it. I'm just trying to figure out where and if Augustine's City of God fits into this theory. Will have to access the situation and get back later. I was just wondering if anyone heard that term “hellenized Christianity” because I never did.
I have only heard of it in the context of the schism that split the Roman Catholics from the Greek Orthodox. Not sure what it means though.
I don't know about the term “Hellenized Christianity”, but in terms of Christian takings from Greek philosophy, I imagine it had something to do with the rise in Neoplatonism in the first few centuries A.D. Try looking at this:Christian Platonism and Christian Neoplatonism
That's an excellent link! (bookmarked) I already wrote out my assessment (and I spelled assessment correctly this time :-[ ) Here's one section from it. (I also used some sources about Clement of Alexandria, who seemed to be the one who started all this.) And where's Donnie? I'd really like to know what he thinks.The hellenization of Christianity had two major positive effects on the Church. Platonic philosophy held to a body-soul dualism. It was this belief that led to monasticism. ?Devout members of the church in the second and third centuries, who interpreted the Gospel in this heavily dualistic manner, sensed a grave danger to their souls from living in society.?[1] Cantor also explains how the monks helped spread Christianity throughout Europe. The Benedictine monks also spread learning and education throughout Europe, which leads to the second positive effect of Hellenized Christianity. The Greeks were about knowledge. They examined and questioned the natural world and the nature of man. By embracing this same thirst for knowledge, early Christians were able to logically argue their faith with unbelievers and defend it from heresy. Ancient Greek philosophers taught people how to think. If the early church went along with Tertullian?s thinking that ?after Jesus Christ we have no need of speculation, after the Gospel no need of research,? the church perhaps would have still been able to establish her own theology and tenets of faith, but it would likely not have become the institution of learning it was in Medieval society.[2] Requiring people to accept the Gospel on blind faith only, without allowing room for any questioning, could have been the demise of Christianity. 1. Norman F. Cantor, "The Civilization of the Middle Ages," (New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1993), 147.2. Tertullian, "What has Jerusalem to do with Athens?"
Hmmm…. I can't say I know for sure what to tell you, but some of what you wrote doesn't seem to jive entirely with what I know about this issue. Yes, I think that the Neoplatonists were able to add to early Christian theology to a certain degree, but I also think that they took things too far and that there was some early theological disagreement between them and the rest of the Christian church. So basically I'm not sure so much positivity (from a Christian perspective) can be attributed toward “Hellenized” beliefs.Second, I think that several things probably led to monasticism, but the way you put it, it sounds like there was direct causation between the it and Hellenized thought. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure how accepted dualism was in early Christian groups, and (I can't exactly remember) it sounds like that may have bordered some heretical beliefs. It is my understanding that one of the fundamental changes that led to monasticism was the tolerance of Christians within the Roman Empire after the Edict of Milan. Before that time, Christians were persecuted greatly; but rather than hurt their resolve, they only grew more resilient and many offered their "witness" to the Christian faith by becoming willing martyrs ("martyr" means "witness"). When the persecutions stopped in the 4th century, Christians needed a new way to show a kind of "extreme" witness, and so they began following the likes of St. Anthony of Egypt and lived in seclusion, and then in groups in seclusion.With that said, you do make some good points in your essay.
I don't disagree with you at all. This hellinization led to major disagreements in doctrine, but I agree more with Clements than I do Tertullian. I was just taking the “for” side and trying to defend it. I don't think this is the only cause that led to monasticism, but it's one. Seeing that monasticism was such a positive thing for early Europe, IMO, I do think the theory of hellenized Christianity contributed to this and also contributed to the church's growth.
