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The eastern and western religions
The influence of Plato's religious philosophy on the Christian faith
The eastern and western religions
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The main idea of the Justin Martyr reading is that there is a relation between Christianity and Platonism. Justin stresses the fact of Logos, which is the Word of God, as being Jesus Christ Himself. He then states how logos plays an important role in both the theology of Christianity and philosophy of Platonism. This is because both Christians and philosophers relate to logos, but the former recognizes it more explicitly. The true access to logos is through Christ. Any contradiction on the philosopher’s side only exists because they do not know Christ in its entirety, even though Christ is there (McGrath 5). The main idea of the Clement of Alexandria reading is that philosophy was given to the Greeks by God in order to inform them about the …show more content…
coming of Christ, just like he gave the Ten Commandments to the Jews. He also states the fact that God is the source of all good things and that some of those things associate with the Old and New Testaments directly while they associate with philosophy indirectly. However, philosophy is direct in a way because it allowed the Greeks to become closer to Christ in the same way the Law of Moses did so with the ebrewHebrewshdhdHebrews because it prepared them for His perfection (McGrath 6). Both Justin and Clement disagree more than they agree.
The only thing that the authors would agree on is the main idea that God revealed Himself to Greek philosophers. By delving deeper into this idea, we can find the disagreements that both authors would have. Justin Martyr would say that Christ promulgated Himself as the Word of God, and both Christians and philosophers would be involved in this Word even if they are involved in different ways. For example, Christians would know Christ as a whole while philosophers would know Christ through the wisdom of logic which could be a contradiction. This is okay because Christ is made known to humanity in an already secular way. The only contradiction would be that philosophers don’t know Christ in the religious way, but they don’t need to know Christ in this way because religion is not their forte. Clement of Alexandria would disagree, saying that Christ isn’t revealed to us as one thing (logos), but as everything. God revealed Himself to the Hebrews in the Ten Commandments, the Ten Plagues, bread falling from the sky, rainbow, and through the universe. Clement just says the Law of God because it is most familiar to Christians. The way God revealed Himself here is similar to the way he did so to the Greeks, because God’s Law to the Greeks is
philosophy. While both authors put substantial effort into their arguments, I agree with Justin over Clement. This is because while both authors write on behalf of Gods revelation to Christians and philosophers, Justin’s argument simply makes more sense. It is more practical for a basic understanding between Christians and Philosophers to have a cornerstone of the Word of God (that being Christ Himself) than for the entire ideology of philosophy being similar to God’s law to the Jews. It also makes more sense for philosophers to have less of an understanding of God’s Word since they are secular, after all. In relation to the readings, my position is that God didn’t ‘give’ philosophy or even Christianity to us, rather, He gave Himself to us as the seeds to Christianity and Philosophy.
One of the main principles of Christianity is the belief in both the divinity and humanity of Jesus, that these two natures are combined harmoniously in one being. In general, all modern Christians believe that Jesus was human, he was considered to be “The Word was made flesh” (John, I: 14). However, Jesus was more than just a human, despite being subjected to pain, suffering and death like all other human beings, he was sinless and also possessed the power to heal and to defy death in order to ascend, both body and spirit, into heaven. He was all man and all God, a combination of these two elements, remaining distinct but united in one being. The deity of Jesus is a non-negotiable belief in Christianity, which is referred to in many parts of scripture, “God was revealed in the flesh” (I Timothy, 3:16). The Christian faith does not perceive Jesus as God but rather a reincarnation of God, a mysterious deity who is the second person of the Holy Trinity. Throughout history, controversy has surrounded the issue of the humanity and divinity of Jesus, leading to the formation of Docetism, the belief that Jesus was fully divine but not fully human, Arianism, that Jesus was superior to all of creation, but less divine than God, and Nestorius, that there were two separate persons within Jesus. This the proportion of the divine and human within Je...
Comparing El Grecos St Francis Venerating the Crucifix to El Grecos St John the Baptist
Justin Martyr was a Christian who believed that Christianity was not about the religion, but it was the reasoning or philosophy behind it. Although there is no evidence of him actually saying that philosophy goes with Christianity. In the First Apology he uses philosophy to argue why his belief is right. It was his duty to show Emperor Titus Aelius Adrianus Antoninus Pius Augustus Caesar, that it would be easier and safer for him and his peers to just deny their faith in God when they were asked. He then says, “But we scorn to purchase life at the expense of a lie.” Their value of life would mean nothing after denying God, they might as well consider themselves as evil as those who killed the martyrs for accepting God to be their ruler.
The mindsets of people in society are often heavily influenced by the conflicts and circumstances that are common within the time-span in which these people lived. In times of war, people may be more patriotic; in times of pestilence, people may be more pious. Whether cynical or optimistic, the understandings of these mindsets allow for a better insight into how theses people lived their lives and the philosophies that guided them. In the case of the philosophers Plato and Epictetus, their philosophies sprang up amidst collapsing cities and exile. Plato and Epictetus’ philosophies differed due to their individual experiences in that Plato believed that all is not what it seemed, while Epictetus believed that what was presented should only matter if they are within an individual’s concern.
...tween God and Jesus. Arius was a leader of a congregation that believed, “Christians worshiped Jesus, but at the same time came from monotheistic Jewish tradition, in which God alone is worshiped (Fisher, 2008, p. 320). In other words, Arius believed Jesus did not have the same status as God because he was a human. Others believed that “Jesus is properly worshiped as the incarnation of God” (Fisher, 2008, p. 320). In order to resolve this issue, Constantine formed a general council, called the Nicene Council. They debated the issue for decades and they finally dismissed Arius’s beliefs and created the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed states that the Father came down from heaven as the Holy Spirit and he was made man through the Virgin Mary. This creed is a “profession of faith for many Christians dominations” (Fisher, 2008, p. 320) and has helped unify all Christians.
Aristotle and St. Augustine have both been influenced by Plato. Their philosophy on morality, politics, and the purpose of life has been platonically influenced. St. Augustine is the true heir of Plato because he has taken Plato’s ideal state, and revealed the implications of the lives that the citizens of the earthly city lead, in the City of God. Plato’s state is an ideal state, that would not function in reality. St. Augustine has taken Plato’s notions, and have furthered the implications of living a life that strives towards a common good. The consequences, whether negative or positive, cannot be seen in the earthly state, but can be seen in the City of God.
“To stand up for what you believe in is more important than to be scared of imprisonment or death.” – Socrates The Apology
But this certainly does not mean that they do not share common beliefs or stories about Jesus (Isa in Arabic). In fact both the books agree totally on the
Throughout the first 400 years that Christianity was present in the world it changed dramatically. It started small in an area near the eastern Mediterranean area but within these 400 years, it grew to encompass the whole of the Mediterranean and its surrounding. Throughout this time of growth, there was also much change within the beliefs of Christianity with the main belief centering around Jesus Christ. While Christianity grew and made it to new areas it was introduced to new people that interpreted the different scriptures and preaching of what it meant to be a Christian. Some of the most influential writings in these years came from Irenaeus of Lyons, a second-century writer, Christian, theologian, and bishop. He expressed his beliefs of what made a Christian a Christian within his writing. One of his most famous writings, The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, highlights the idea of the Holy Trinity and the Rule of Faith in the interpretation of the bible. Irenaeus believed that the Rule of Faith was ultimately necessary and required when reading and interpreting the word of Christianity saying, in the words of Isaiah, “If ye believe not, neither shall ye understand” (paragraph 3). In the eyes of Irenaeus, the Rule of Faith is one of the main things that makes a Christian a Christian.
For centuries now Christians have claimed to possess the special revelation of an omnipotent, loving Deity who is sovereign over all of His creation. This special revelation is in written form and is what has come to be known as The Bible which consists of two books. The first book is the Hebrew Scriptures, written by prophets in a time that was before Christ, and the second book is the New Testament, which was written by Apostles and disciples of the risen Lord after His ascension. It is well documented that Christians in the context of the early first century were used to viewing a set of writings as being not only authoritative, but divinely inspired. The fact that there were certain books out in the public that were written by followers of Jesus and recognized as being just as authoritative as the Hebrew Scriptures was never under debate. The disagreement between some groups of Christians and Gnostics centered on which exact group of books were divinely inspired and which were not. The debate also took place over the way we can know for sure what God would have us include in a book of divinely inspired writings. This ultimately led to the formation of the Biblical canon in the next centuries. Some may ask, “Isn’t Jesus really the only thing that we can and should call God’s Word?” and “Isn’t the Bible just a man made collection of writings all centered on the same thing, Jesus Christ?” This paper summarizes some of the evidences for the Old and New Testament canon’s accuracy in choosing God breathed, authoritative writings and then reflects on the wide ranging
There is something in every person that defines who that person is. It shapes how the individual lives their life, and what they believe. Something that acts as a lens which effects how a person sees everything. This is commonly known as a person’s worldview. Plato and Augustine were two highly influential philosophers who expressed their worldviews through their writings. In each worldview there is often a central idea or point that is fundamental to entire worldview. Plato and Augustine have similar worldviews in the sense that both have a central point around which everything revolves. They differ in that Plato sees that point as the Good and Augustine sees it as God, and each central point has a different role, type of existence, and way of being attained.
Jesus and Paul are two crucial characters in the New Testament. They both depict the Gospel on which Christianity is based upon, but there is debate about rather these two versions of the Gospel are complementary. Scholars like George Shaw claim that Paul is “anti-Christian,” and he “produced a fantastic theology” (Shaw 415-416). On the other hand, I believe that even though Jesus and Paul may present the Gospel different at times, they are still advocating the same religion. Through the understanding of the Gospels and Paul’s letters it is clear that Jesus and Paul have the same underlining goals and values.
Plato believes in the absolute ideas, of the spiritual realm, and the belief of a higher power. Unlike Plato, Socrates, believes in the ideas on earth rather than the spiritual belief. This forces distance between Plato and the teachings of Socrates. Not only that, but also he believes that the ideal of society is the ideal of perfectionism in the spiritual realm. Plato’s views branch from the teachings he received growing up, and in growing up learning and interpreting on his own became key. Augustine believes in salvation and that is by God’s grace through faith that people are saved. He believes that the peace of society rests solely on man being saved. Love which Augustine focuses on primarily is the basis of faith for God. Man’s
...ipture it is specifically shown that God has a one-ness, that though it is not directly stated, it is implied that there is a Trinity, and it is also specifically stated that Christ was fully human (his humanity) and fully God (his deity) at the same time.
Imagine that you are in a position of authority, because of your degree from Iliff, at a church, in a teaching setting, at a nonprofit, or (if none of those work for you) within your circle of friends. Someone comes to you (knowing about your excellent Iliff education) and demands to know why you—and the