Neoplatonism and Christianity
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Late Antiquity
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Early Christians including
Other Christians assimilated Neoplatonist ideas,[3] especially in their identifying the Neoplatonic One, or God, with Yahweh. The most influential of these would be Origen, who potentially took classes from Ammonius Saccas (but this is not certain because there may have been a different philosopher, now called Origen the Pagan, at the same time), and the late 5th century author known as Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.
Neoplatonism also had links with Gnosticism, which Plotinus rebuked in his ninth tractate of the second Enneads: "Against Those That Affirm The Creator of The Kosmos and The Kosmos Itself to Be Evil"[a] (generally known as "Against The Gnostics").[b]
Due to their belief being grounded in Platonic thought, the neoplatonists rejected Gnosticism's vilification of Plato's demiurge, the creator of the material world or cosmos discussed in the Timaeus. Although neoplatonism has been referred to as orthodox Platonic philosophy by scholars like Professor John D. Turner, this reference may be due in part to Plotinus' attempt to refute certain interpretations of Platonic philosophy, through his Enneads. Plotinus believed the followers of gnosticism had corrupted the original teachings of Plato.
Despite the influence this philosophy had on Christianity, Justinian I would hurt later neoplatonism by ordering the closure of the refounded Academy of Athens in 529.[4] Nevertheless, members of the rhetorical school of Gaza such as Aeneas of Gaza or Procopius of Gaza would synthesize neoplatonism with early orthodox Christian ideas without any disturbances.[5]
Middle Ages
Pseudo-Dionysius proved significant for both the Byzantine and Roman branches of Christianity. His works were translated into Latin by John Scotus Eriugena in the 9th century.
Neo-Platonism in Orthodox theology
From the days of the Early Church until the present, the Eastern Orthodox Church has made positive selective[citation needed] use of ancient Greek philosophy, particularly Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics.[6] For example, the term logos (Greek Λόγος) originated with Heraclitus and meant reason or thought. In the Christian context, Logos takes on a deeper meaning and becomes a name for the second person of the Trinity. The writer and theologian Gregory Palamas in the 14th century gave four distinct meanings for the term.[7] The most important principle to keep in mind is that early Christianity developed in a Greek milieu and a common vocabulary was used in philosophical, spiritual and theological writing. However, the meanings of words sometimes evolved along different lines. In other cases, philosophical ideas and concepts were sometimes adapted and changed by Christian writers. Any exegetical endeavor trying to unravel the influence of neoplatonic thought on Christian theology needs to keep these principles in mind. One should also note that philosophy was used quite differently in the Eastern and Western theological traditions.
The writings attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite are among the most enigmatic works of late antiquity. Byzantine scholars such as Gregory Palamas cited Dionysius especially in matters of Mystical Theology such as theoria, the divine energies and the unknowability of God.[8] At present, modern theologians and philosophers[9] are still debating whether Dionysius was a Neoplatonist with Christian influences or a Christian writer with Neoplatonic influences. Among Orthodox scholars, the latter view seems to be shared by such writers as Andrew Louth[10] and Vladimir Lossky.[11] However, other Orthodox scholars such as John Meyendorff believe that the Neoplatonism of Dionysius exerted both positive and negative influences on Orthodox theology.[12] Meyendorff maintains that Dionysius has led to some confusion in the areas of liturgical and ecclesiological formulations.
Renaissance
See also
- Augustine of Hippo
- Basil the Great
- Cambridge Platonists
- Cappadocian Fathers
- Christ the Logos
- Christian materialism
- Gregory of Nazianzus
- Gregory of Nyssa
- Irenaeus
- Maximus Confessor
- Neoplatonism and Gnosticism
- Origen
- Pseudo-Dionysius
- Allegorical interpretations of Plato
Notes
- Ancient Greek: Προς τους κακον τον Δημιουργον του κοσμου και τον κοσμον κακον ειναι λεγοντας
- Ancient Greek: Προς τους Γνωστικους
References
- ISBN 978-0-310-52156-3.
- ISBN 978-1-4384-1511-6.
- ISBN 978-0-8386-4011-1.
- ^ See Rainer Thiel, Simplikios und das Ende der neuplatonischen Schule in Athen, and a review by Gerald Bechtle, University of Berne, Switzerland, in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2000.04.19. Online version retrieved June 15, 2007.
- ISBN 978-0-7556-4296-0. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Constantine Cavarnos, Orthodoxy and Philosophy, The Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, 2003 pages
- ^ Gregory Palamas, 'The One Hundred and Fifty Chapters', in The Philokalia, The Complete Text Volume 4, translated by Palmer, Sherrand and Ware, published 1995 Faber and Faber. pages 360-361
- ^ Gregory Palamas, The Triads, edited by John Meyendorff, Paulist Press 1983.
- ^ Sarah Coakley and Charles M. Stang, Re-thinking Dionysius the Areopagite, John Wiley and Sons, 2009
- ^ Andrew Louth, Denys the Areopagite, Continuum Books, 1989, Pages 20-21
- ^ Vladimir Lossky, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, page 29
- ^ John Meyendorff, Byzantine Theology, Historical Trends and Doctrinal Themes, Fordham University Press, 1974, pages 27-28)
Further reading
- Edwards, Mark. 2006. Culture and Philosophy in the Age of Plotinus. Classical Literature and Society Series. London: Duckworth.
- Finan, Thomas and Vincent Twomey. eds. 1992. The Relationship between Neoplatonism and Christianity. Dublin: Four Courts Press.
- Jurdjevic, Mark (2004). "Prophets and Politicians: Marsilio Ficino, Savonarola and the Valori Family". Past & Present. 183 (183): 41–77. JSTOR 3600860.
- Gertz, Sebastian R. P. 2016. "Plotinos". In: Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum Bd. 27 (Lfg. 210/217), 988-1009
- Martin, Francis X. and John A. Richmond. 1991. From Augustine to Eriugena: Essays on Neoplatonism and Christianity in Honor of John O'Meara.Washington: Catholic University of America Press.
- Matthews, Alfred Warren. 1980. The Development of St. Augustine, From Neoplatonism to Christianity, 386-391 A.D. Washington: University Press of America.
- O'Daly, Gerard. 2001. Platonism Pagan and Christian: Studies in Plotinus and Augustine. Aldershot; Burlington, VT: Ashgate.
- Rist, John M. 1994. Augustine: Ancient Thought Baptized. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press.
- Schott, Jeremy (2013). "Plotinus's Portrait and Pamphilus's Prison Notebook: Neoplatonic and Early Christian Textualities at the Turn of the Fourth Century C.E". Journal of Early Christian Studies. 21 (3): 329–362. S2CID 170163349.
- Smith, Andrew. 2004. Philosophy in Late Antiquity. London/New York: Routledge.
- Stang, Charles M. 2016. Our Divine Double. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press.
- Trembovler, Larissa. 2000. "A Sound Mind in a Diseased Body: A Medical Aspect of the Soul-Body Relationship in Later Greek and Early Christian Philosophy. In From Athens to Jerusalem: Medicine in Hellenized Jewish Lore and in Early Christian Literature: Papers of the Symposium in Jerusalem, 9-11 September 1996. Edited by Samuel S. Kottek, 171-179. Rotterdam: Erasmus.