Hellenism Adapted to Christianity -
Christian Philosophy
(2nd Episode)
الحلقة الثانية . الهلّينستية المتطبعة بالمسيحية . الفلسفة
المسيحية
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Written by: Izapilla Penijamin
Translated by: Ni'ma Sharaf
Who can be convinced that the Jews and Pagan Romans who were
chasing Jesus at full length during his call, then caused him a
mortifying horrendous death, would eventually let his call spread
extensively and his teachings thrive profusely.
In the ancient world of Christianity, some thinkers were fiercely
determined to try their utmost to attract the Pagan nations to
this religion, so they incorporated the principles of Hellenistic
philosophy, which are readily available in the vicinity, into the
body of religion, casting aside the idolatry-practice, rites and
liturgies of this Pagan precept. Among those thinkers, Philo
comes to the fore; he believed in the possibility to harmonise
and reconcile between the Holy Book and Platonic doctrine.
Dr. A.W. Hopkins supports this view in his comment on Plotinus:
'his theological edifice had a considerable effect on the leaders
of Christianity'. The Christian scholars tried to draw the
contours of Christianity in a manner that makes it sound
consistent with the humane trend of the Greek-Roman philosophy,
and created a profile based on this philosophy. Aklumais of
Alexandria and Origen Adamantius took the example of Neoplatonism
to be the foundation of early Christian dogma. Equally true,
Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, who was satiated with the Greek
ideology, endorsed Christianity and Paganism simultaneously with
focus on the works of the pagan Plotinus that derives from Plato
philosophy. However, his endeavours worked out in the end and he
presented Christianity to the Latin world with a Greek attire.
Augustine followed suit of him.
With the passage of a whole century Dionysius the Areopagite, a
Syrian priest, unified the Platonic philosophy with the Christian
theology. According to the Bible Encyclopaedia, his writing
rendered a big number of spiritual values and ethos of the Middle
Ages Christianity attuned to the Platonic philosophy. This hit on
the core beliefs of Christianity and crept into the worship
practice and religious convictions. It is noticed however that
the Platonic Christians reckon Plato's philosophy as the main
route to the comprehension of the Gospel teachings and church
traditions. As the opposition of reformers raised up against
them, it was claimed that this merging of philosophy and Pagan
legacy into the mould of Christianity, would make it more
alluring and appealing to the public sense.
Nonetheless, the most ominous thing that was imposed on
Christianity is the 'Trinity'. The Syriacist George Kiraz says in
this respect: “the trinity creed is derived from a source
completely alienated from the Jewish and Christian Scriptures.
This creed had been grown and transplanted by the Platonic
fathers.” (See his book: “Church of the First Three Centuries”).
The fathers were able to reconcile what is totally
irreconcilable, making a threefold god looks like one god
throughout some sophistry, alleging that three entities can be a
mono god while in the meantime each one can keep its own
properties. This was seriously detrimental for the minds of lay
people who have no insight into the sinews of philosophical
argumentation. Yet, it was tackled under the pretext that God's
intentions and designs are beyond our comprehension, so people
yielded to an inconceivable god because of fathers satiated with
Paganism.
This way, Jesus highly-valued will to the believers went in vain
for ever, though still folded in some Gospels. The will as cited
hereunder:
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified
thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gave me to
do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with
the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have
manifested thy name unto the men which thou gave me out of the
world: thine they were, and thou gave them me; and they have kept
thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou
hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words
which thou gave me; and they have received them, and have known
surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that
thou did send me (Book of John, 17:3-8) ……And when he had spoken
these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud
received him out of their sight.” (Book of Acts, 1:9)