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Linux
Guest
Why has Plato been a big influence on Christian philosophers?
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utunumsint
Guest
Yes
Hellenistic Philosophy also had a big impact on Old Testament books. Platonism and Greek thought in general was part and parcel of the ancient world.
God bless,
Ut
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landon13
Guest
Ok, Plato has had such a great impact on Christianity because of, I believe, St. Augustine of Hippo. St. Augustine studied a great deal of the Neoplatonic writings and was one of the foremost pre-medeival Catholic philosophers. In the Confessions, he says that two books which really touched him were a work of Cicero and a work of Aristotle (descendants of Platonic thought.)Yes
Hellenistic Philosophy also had a big impact on Old Testament books. Platonism and Greek thought in general was part and parcel of the ancient world.
God bless,
Ut
Now, I personally do not think that the Hellenistic Philosophy had a big impact on most Old Testament books but it did have a great impact on Christianity and its spread and the formation of doctrines. In Scripture, the book of Acts, chapter 17, St. Paul debates with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers (Greek philosophers). The Hellenistic philosophy, which is a mixture of Ancient Greek and Roman philosophies and thoughts, really are the basis of a lot of Christian thought.
Through the spread of philosophy, brought on by the Hellenistic revival of Greek and Roman thought, the dispersion of ideas between early Christians and the Hellenic people, really influenced the influence of Greek thought on Christian philosophy most notably in such doctor’s of the faith as St. Augustine, Jerome, and others.
(I really have to stop myself here since it feels like I could write a 20 page essay on this topic!
)
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Peter_Plato
Guest
If you have read Plato it is clear why he has had such an influence on all philosophers, not just Christian thinkers. His thought is clear, unambiguous and sorts through the muck and mire that cause most thinkers to flounder helplessly. He considered in his writings many crucial human issues with a depth and clarity that few, even since his time, have come close to matching. He provides a solid grounding for meaningful thought about many subjects precisely because he was able to demonstrate where speculation could go off course.
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Bartolome_Casas
Guest
Linux, why do you ask? P.S. I like that O.S. you created!
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OrdinaryMelkite
Guest
Plato also was considered a unconscious “proto”-Christ anticipator by many Renaissance and Medieval thinkers.
Later philosophers as well.
Yep.
Later philosophers as well.
Yep.
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Linux
Guest
Interesting. Could you please go in to some depth about the proto-Christ bit, or is this just what you have heard in passing?
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Linux
Guest
(I really have to stop myself here since it feels like I could write a 20 page essay on this topic!
It would not be wasted.
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landon13
Guest
I really thought after I finished writing that post like, Maybe this will be my next project. Haha. Thanks for the topic since I may actually do this and write a paper on why Plato has influenced Christianity.
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utunumsint
Guest
One of the key factors for the early church’s use of Plato and Aristotle was in combating the polytheism of paganism. Although there were polytheists who tried to adapt Plato to their polytheistic world view, it did not work very well. They tended to lean towards philosophy and away from any religious literature. The Jewish and Christian monotheists went back to Plato and Aristotle again and again to bolster their apologetic work, especially during times of Roman persecution when non-religious arguments were often required.
God bless,
Ut
God bless,
Ut
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Charlemagne_II
Guest
Plato’s philosophy stressed the existence and primacy of spirit over matter. This was surely appealing to early Christians as a pagan confirmation of Christ’s teachings. Moreover, Plato depicts Socrates as a spiritual man who was martyred for his teachings … that too was consistent with the destiny of Jesus Christ. Socrates was a dedicated searcher for truth, and Christ proclaimed himself the truth that all men seek.
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sw85
Guest
In large part, it was because Plato’s speculations kicked off the chain of events that culminated in the conversion of the Roman Empire.
Plato discovered something like God through the exercise of pure reason, a vision which Aristotle perfected. The idea caught on in Greece to such an extent that temples to the Unknown God began springing up (unknown because He had not yet revealed Himself to them). Thus, when the apostle Paul arrived in Greece and saw the temples, he told them that he had come to tell them about their unknown God – and Greece saw this as the fulfillment of her hopes. Greece’s conversion gave impetus to the conversion of the rest of the Empire, Greece being its center of cultural and intellectual fashions since time immemorial.
Plato discovered something like God through the exercise of pure reason, a vision which Aristotle perfected. The idea caught on in Greece to such an extent that temples to the Unknown God began springing up (unknown because He had not yet revealed Himself to them). Thus, when the apostle Paul arrived in Greece and saw the temples, he told them that he had come to tell them about their unknown God – and Greece saw this as the fulfillment of her hopes. Greece’s conversion gave impetus to the conversion of the rest of the Empire, Greece being its center of cultural and intellectual fashions since time immemorial.
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LordVoldemort
Guest
Plato (Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn, “broad”; 424/423 BC – 348/347 BC) was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science. In the words of A. N. Whitehead:
“The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato. I do not mean the systematic scheme of thought which scholars have doubtfully extracted from his writings. I allude to the wealth of general ideas scattered through them.”
Plato’s sophistication as a writer is evident in his Socratic dialogues; thirty-six dialogues and thirteen letters have been ascribed to him. Plato’s writings have been published in several fashions; this has led to several conventions regarding the naming and referencing of Plato’s texts. Plato’s dialogues have been used to teach a range of subjects, including philosophy, logic, ethics, rhetoric, and mathematics. Plato is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy.
“The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato. I do not mean the systematic scheme of thought which scholars have doubtfully extracted from his writings. I allude to the wealth of general ideas scattered through them.”
Plato’s sophistication as a writer is evident in his Socratic dialogues; thirty-six dialogues and thirteen letters have been ascribed to him. Plato’s writings have been published in several fashions; this has led to several conventions regarding the naming and referencing of Plato’s texts. Plato’s dialogues have been used to teach a range of subjects, including philosophy, logic, ethics, rhetoric, and mathematics. Plato is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy.
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