EARLY CHRISTIANITY AND ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
EARLY CHRISTIANITY AND ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
Author(s): Andrei DorneanuSubject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Philosophy, History of Church(es), Theology and Religion, Comparative Studies of Religion, Religion and science , Biblical studies, Eastern Orthodoxy, Other Christian Denominations, Sociology of Religion, History of Religion, Psychology of Religion
Published by: Editura Arhipelag XXI
Keywords: Early Christianity; Ancient Philosophy; Apatheia; Cappadocian Fathers; Patristic Theology
Summary/Abstract: This article explores the relationship between early Christianity and ancient philosophy, focusing on how the Church of the first centuries engaged and transformed philosophical concepts in order to articulate and defend the Christian faith. In its missionary expansion, Christianity entered into dialogue with the Hellenistic world without compromising its salvific message. The writings of the apologists and the Cappadocian Fathers illustrate this process of theological expression within a philosophical framework.The study highlights the reinterpretation of the concept of apatheia, which, rather than signifying mere detachment as in Stoicism or Neoplatonism, becomes in Christian theology—especially in Gregory of Nyssa—a state of purification and healing of the passions through grace. The article concludes that the Christian appropriation of philosophical terminology was not simple adaptation, but a genuine conceptual transformation in the light of Revelation.
Journal: Journal of Romanian Literary Studies
- Issue Year: 2026
- Issue No: 44
- Page Range: 1453-1457
- Page Count: 5
- Language: Romanian
