Early Christian Theology_Justine

Early Christian Theology

A, Justine(d.165) or 2nd C Apololgetes

(Aristides, Athenagoras, Theophilus, Tatian)

Influence from Plato/ Gnostic worldview:

1.     God without name.

2.     Emphasize negative descriptions of him.

3.     God as "being," sometimes to on(neuter)

4.     Emanationist/continuum thingking, confusing the Doctrine of the Trinity.

 

Justine

Influence from Plato/Gnostic worldview:

1.     God makes the world from pre-existing substance, as in Plato. Justin thinks Plato got the idea from mMoses.

2.     Human beings have autexousion, somewhat like libertarian free will.

3.     The Greeks lived meta logou, according to reason, so according to J

4.     Problem:

·         Trying to make Christianity academically respectable.

·         Trying to make Christianity attractive by making it as much like the Greek views as possible.

 

A.   Justine's Apologetic method

1.     Try to persuade the Jews that J is the Messiah

 

 

 

5.     Justin on the Resurrection

·         It is possicble, because G, who created all, has the power to raise from the dead

·         The promise of salvation requires this

 

·         The resurrection is physical : the body …

 

 

Summary

·         Investigates the3 logic of the Scripture accounts themselves, giving biblical evaluations.

·         Gives the benefit of the doubts to pagan thought. Not much sense of antithesis.

·         (a) anticipates presuppositionalism, (B) neutrality.

 

J -> Logos