1.2.2; 1.2.4; 1.2.911; 1.4.4; 1.5.5; 4.4.1. 1:4); John 9:2 (Hom. My field is New Testament studies-in essence the continuation of his interest. Has data issue: false Educated Christians shared this literary tradition with educated pagans. Philo of Alexandria had spoken of the Logos as mediating between the transcendent God and the created order. Patriots 2023 NFL Draft takeaways: A stud early, but some odd picks on John Austin Baker; 3 vols. 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. With the exception of the notion of baptism as a rebirth, Christians generally and significantly avoided the characteristic vocabularies of the mystery religions. This led to a change from concern for a religion of national prosperity to one for individual salvation, from focus on a particular ethnic group to concern for every human. 1.pref.5; Cels. Hellenistic religion, any of the various systems of beliefs and practices of eastern Mediterranean peoples from 300 bc to ad 300. The "Triumph" of Hellenization in Early Christianity: Sanneh/Wiley This is FRONTLINE's old website. Organized empire-wide persecutions occurred, however, at moments of extreme crisis and as a response to the growth of the faith. Origen occasionally used terms like gnosis or gnostikos to describe his opponents (Comm. He customarily mentioned Marcion, Valentinus and Basilides by name, or grouped them together as heretics (Princ. 3.9 (432a) and Philo, Leg. Nav. " he!W'0`Y>},h)T:;M}&Dj75@10UGvIEf& Today, much of modern Christianity has become inseparable from Greek philosophy and thought. 1623. On Stoic definitions, see esp. 14.16; Hom. 34.5; Comm. Princ. 23 De Anima 27 (see also 25 and 34 and the corresponding discussions in Waszink, De Anima). hom. 2.9.5 (GK 408, 168.12410, 168.28/Butterworth, 133). Jo. 246de; 248c), which Origen also uses in Cels. Non-standard abbreviation: GK = Origenes: Vier Bcher von den Prinzipien (ed. 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. At the same time, Origen was convinced that philosophers were not an unalloyed evil. Comm. It has received its most extended critique in Gavrilyuk, Paul L., The Suffering of the Impassible God: the Dialectics of Patristic Thought (Oxford Early Christian Studies; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004)CrossRefGoogle Scholar. 148 0 obj <>stream Christologische Forschungen und Perspektiven, Tendenzen und Brennpunkte der neueren Problematik um die Hellenisierung des Christentums, Verlag der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Die Hellenisierung des Christentums im Urteil Adolf von Harnacks, The Influence of Greek Ideas on Christianity, The Suffering of the Impassible God: the Dialectics of Patristic Thought, Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy, Origen and Scripture: The Contours of the Exegetical Life, La notion d'hrsie dans la littrature grecque, IIeIIIe sicles, Iamblichus and the Theory of the Vehicle of the Soul, Become Like the Angels: Origen's Doctrine of the Soul, L'apport d'Origne pour la connaissance de la philosophie grecque, Origen, Patristic Philosophy, and Christian Platonism: Re-Thinking the Christianisation of Hellenism, When Souls Had Wings: Pre-Mortal Existence in Western Thought, Perception, Sensibility, and Moral Motivation in Augustine: A Stoic-Platonic Synthesis, Der ursprngliche Sinn der Dogmatik des Origenes, Philosophy and Theology in the Middle Ages, The Preexistence of the Soul in Medieval Thought, El problema del mal en Orgenes: importancia y significado teolgico del tiempo en la argumentacin sobre el mal del, L'origine du mal selon Origne et dans ses sources, Journey Back to God: Origen on the Problem of Evil, Rethinking Gnosticism: An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category, Des Origenes Lehre vom Urstand des Menschen, Thologie de l'image de dieu chez Origne, Alcune osservazioni sull interpretazione Origeniana di Genesi 2,7 e 3,21, Origen, Greek Philosophy, and the Birth of the Trinitarian Meaning of, On the Confusion of Tongues and Origen's Allegory of the Dispersion of Nations, Origen's Platonism. The "Christian" churches of this world are predominantly antinomian to some extent. 4.2.1), opponents (Princ. Jo. Thus, the Christians could very well be unpopular, and they often were. So too Bostock: It must be recognized however that the Platonic or Pythagorean doctrine of pre-existence was not antagonistic to Jewish belief and that the difference between them was one of emphasis and viewpoint rather than of fundamental philosophy (The Sources, 260). 20 See Comm. Religion from the death of Alexander to the reformation of Augustus: 32327, Religion from the Augustan reformation to the death of Marcus Aurelius: 27, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hellenistic-religion, ReligionFacts - Hellenic Reconstructionism. Broadly speaking, Hellenism is a polytheistic religion that understands the Gods are unchanging, unbegotten, eternal, and not in space. Hellenistic religion | Britannica Heinrich Karpp, Probleme altchristlicher Anthropologie: Biblische Anthropologie und philosophische Psychologie bei den Kirchenvtern des dritten Jahrhunderts (Beitrge zur Frderung christlicher Theologie 44. 3.47; 4.6768; 4.54; 5.613; 6.14; 7.42; 7.44; esp. 2; cf. 15 Below I focus on Phaedrus since Origen specifically alludes to this work when discussing pre-existence. 89 This terminology is in concert with a growing number of scholars who have argued that the prevailing approach of early Christian intellectuals to philosophy was neither wholesale acceptance nor straightforward rejection, but a transformation of the vocabulary, themes, arguments and assumptions of philosophers for Christian ends. 48 Danilou, Origen, 209. 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). For pre-existence in other Jewish texts from this same era, see Bostock, The Sources, 260361; Givens, When Souls Had Wings, 4651. Significant statements on pre-existence in Plato's writings surface at Meno 80d81c; 85e86b; Phaed. Cant. Erskine, Andrew; Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World; Oxford: Blackwell, 2003) 26479Google Scholar; Drobner, Hubertus R., Christian Philosophy, in The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies (ed. ; 3rd German edition; London: Williams and Norgate, 1897) esp. The opposition of the Jews to them led to breaches of the peace. = Jerome, Ep. The requirement created an issue of conscience, especially because certificates could be bought. 28 Comm. Cant. Jo. As a historical process Hellenization was influential on post-exilic Judaism and early Christianity. 2. Jo. The first, the conquest by Alexander, which brought Greek culture to the middle eastern territories. And what was the language and culture of the Hellenistic world? 2.9.5 (GK 410, 169.613/Butterworth, 13334). 3:1011 (= Pamphilus, Apol. Elsewhere: the only regrettable doctrine that has a real basis in his writings is the doctrine of the preexistence of souls (The Patristic Period [ed. 2.9.6 (GK 412, 169.2128/Butterworth, 134). The first German . Hellenistic religion, any of the various systems of beliefs and practices of eastern Mediterranean peoples from 300 bc to ad 300. Religious Syncretism, Hellenism, and Christianity Love your neighbor as yourself. With few exceptions, each of these religions, originally tied to a specific geographic area and people, had traditions extending back centuries before the Hellenistic period. 167; Jerome, Comm. He has written for the "Valley Citizen" newspaper, where his work won first- and second-place awards in sports and outdoor features from the Idaho Press Club. 1.pref.2 (GK 84, 8.1927/Origen: On First Principles [trans. Hellenism refers to the spread of Greek culture through the Mediterranean region after the fourth century B.C. Violence against them could be precipitated by a bad harvest, a barbarian attack, or a public festival of the emperor cult. See also Princ. Pamphilus, Apol. Jerome, Ep. Angelo Di Berardino and Basil Studer; trans. Glawe, Walter, Die Hellenisierung des Christentums in der Geschichte der Theologie von Luther bis auf die Gegenwart (Neue Studien zur Geschichte der Theologie und der Kirche 15; Berlin: Trowitzsch und Sohn, 1912)Google Scholar; Grillmeier, Aloys, HellenisierungJudaisierung des Christentums als Deuteprinzipien der Geschichte des kirchlichen Dogmas: Mit ihm und in ihm. Hellenism and Christianity - Edwyn Bevan - Google Books These are two poles around which the dialogue develops during the course of the subsequent centuries. 2.1; 2.3 (736a316); 2.4.25 (738b). Most notable of the Hellenists were Philo of Alexandria and the Apostle Paul. 4.40 (SC 156, 290.25/Origen: Contra Celsum [trans. He was a philosopher and scriptural interpreter who lived in Alexandria from around 30 B.C. Second-century Platonists, for example, found it easy to think of Mind (nous) or Reason (Logos) as divine power immanent within the world. 2, Issue 1, February 2015. Consider for instanceand I mean this as an examplewhether one should be considered a heretic who investigates the question of the human soul, since concerning it the Church's rule has handed down neither that it is derived from the propagation of the seed, nor that it is more honorable and more ancient than the structure of bodies. For additional passages on the creation of these rational beings, including their potential existence in God's Wisdom (i.e., Son), see Comm. would have been the Syrian kingdom, the Seleucid kingdom, and the Ptolemaic kingdom which survived in Egypt, which was finally taken over by Rome in 31 B.C. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites.