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THE CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST ATTITUDE TOWARDS PHILOSOPHY OF THEIR TIME
Abstract
Christian teaching is a doctrine of salvation, rescue and love brought along by Christ, not by a philosophical, abstract and theoretical system. Thus, Christianity is a religion revealed in a different manner as compared to the philosophical currents from the period of Christ and His Apostles, because they were seen as converting people and bringing them on God's path and not as issuing a new philosophy that might compete with the already existing ones. The influence on the development of Christian philosophy apologetics was due on one hand to the hostile attacks of detractors against the apologists and, on the other hand, to the desire of understanding the meanings revealed by this teaching and of reaching a more comprehensive vision of the world and human life. Considering all this, after a more profound evaluation, we have noticed that this precise influence addresses the form and not the foundation of the theological speech. The non-Christian philosophic influence only applies to terminology as a working instrument, but, as far as content is concerned, there are huge differences between the Christian culture and its values on one side, and the ancient Greek philosophy, on the other side.
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References8
The Apology of Aristides, in “Ante-Nicene Fathers”, vol. IX, Peabody, Hendrickson Publishers, 1994, p. 501;
Karen O. Bullock, The Writings of Justin Martyr, Nashville, Broadman & Holman, 1998, p. 37;
Justin the Martyr and Philosopher, Dialogue with Trypho, 1,8,4, in PSB Vol. 2, Bucharest, Publishing House of the Biblical Institute and BOR Mission, 1980, p. 100;
Hans von Campenhausen, Greek Parents of the Church, Humanitas Publishing House, Bucharest, 2005, p. 27;
Theophilus of Antioch, The Three Books of Theophilus to Autolycus on the Christian Religion, Tr. with Notes by W B Flower, Cape Town, Biblio Bazaar, 2010 p. 31;
Irenaeus, Against Heresy, in “Ante-Nicene Fathers”, vol. I, Peabody, Hendrickson Publishers, 1994, p. 925;
Athenagoras, A Plea to the Christians, in PSB Vol. 2, Bucharest, Publishing House of the Biblical Institute and BOR Mission, 1980, p. 373;
Robert McQueen Grant, Jesus after the Gospels: The Christ of the Second Century, Louisville, Westminster Press, 1990, p. 97.
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