Topical Bible: Philosophy: Greek Schools of

◄ Philosophy: Greek Schools of ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

The term "philosophy" originates from the Greek word "philosophia," meaning "love of wisdom." In the context of the New Testament, Greek philosophy had a significant influence on the cultural and intellectual environment of the time. The Apostle Paul, in particular, encountered Greek philosophical thought during his missionary journeys, most notably in Athens, a hub of philosophical discourse (Acts 17:16-34).

Stoicism

Stoicism, founded by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC, emphasized rationality and the natural order. Stoics believed in living in harmony with nature and accepting fate with equanimity. This school of thought is reflected in the New Testament when Paul addresses the Athenians at the Areopagus, where Stoic philosophers were present (Acts 17:18). The Stoic emphasis on self-control and virtue resonates with biblical teachings on self-discipline and moral integrity. However, the Stoic belief in an impersonal divine reason contrasts with the personal God revealed in Scripture.

Epicureanism

Epicureanism, founded by Epicurus, taught that the pursuit of pleasure, understood as the absence of pain, was the highest good. Epicureans believed in the material nature of the world and denied the existence of an afterlife. This philosophy is also mentioned in Acts 17:18, where Paul engages with Epicurean philosophers. The Epicurean focus on temporal pleasure and skepticism of divine intervention stands in stark contrast to the biblical worldview, which emphasizes eternal life and the sovereignty of God.

Platonism

Platonism, derived from the teachings of Plato, posited a dualistic view of reality, distinguishing between the material world and the world of forms or ideas. This philosophical framework influenced early Christian thought, particularly in the development of doctrines concerning the nature of the soul and the afterlife. While Platonism's emphasis on the immaterial aligns with biblical teachings on the spiritual realm, its abstract conception of the divine diverges from the personal and relational God of the Bible.

Aristotelianism

Aristotelianism, based on the works of Aristotle, focused on empirical observation and logical reasoning. Aristotle's philosophy emphasized the importance of virtue ethics and the pursuit of the "good life" through rational activity. While Aristotle's ethical teachings find some common ground with biblical moral principles, his reliance on human reason as the ultimate guide contrasts with the biblical assertion of divine revelation as the foundation of truth and wisdom.

Cynicism

Cynicism, originating with Diogenes of Sinope, advocated for a life in accordance

Nave's Topical Index

Acts 17:18
Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached to them Jesus, and the resurrection.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

A Foreshadowing
... well taught in the famous Greek schools of Alexandria ... of enthusiasm for the great
Greek philosophers and ... Neither science nor logic nor philosophy offered any ...
//christianbookshelf.org/forbes/saint athanasius/chapter 1 a foreshadowing.htm

Elucidations.
... That Greek philosophy, so viewed, did lead to Christ, and that this great principle
is ... than we can, what was suited to the Alexandrian schools, their intellect ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/clement/the stromata or miscellanies/elucidations 2.htm

Clement of Alexandria.
... what is true philosophy, 308, 311. sects of, contain half-truths, 313. successive
schools of, 313. Greek, foreign sources of, 314-317. ...
/.../clement/who is the rich man that shall be saved/clement of alexandria.htm

Succession of Philosophers in Greece.
... shaming of others, to make use of Greek poems ... But the style of philosophy among them,
as Hebraic and ... mentioned three men, there were three schools of philosophy ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xiv succession of philosophers in.htm

Paul Before his Conversion.
... from the Grecian games; he disputed with Greek philosophers of different schools
and addressed them ... even to the terminology of the Stoic philosophy when he ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 30 paul before his.htm

Circumstances Related of Origen.
... to elements of truth in other schools of thought ... aspect, as an eclectic revival of
Greek metaphysics (especially ... by the influence of Oriental philosophy and of ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter xix circumstances related of origen.htm

Of Wisdom, and the Academics, and Natural Philosophy.
... that which is accustomed to be proposed in the schools as an ... thought, nor nothing,
as the Academics taught, philosophy is altogether ... [383] In Greek, asu'staton ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap vi of wisdom and the.htm

Dionysius the Areopagite and the Alexandrine School.
... that Pantaenus was his superior in the philosophy of the schools, and that ... to
know"to adore and to comprehend"to conciliate the Greek Philosophy with the ...
/.../letters of dionysius the areopagite/dionysius the areopagite and the.htm

A Letter from Origen to Gregory.
... make of you a finished Roman lawyer or a Greek philosopher, so to speak, of one
of the schools in high ... wish to ask you to extract from the philosophy of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origens letters/a letter from origen to 2.htm

Education of Jesus.
... It is the men from the schools, on the ... nor indirectly, then, did any element of Greek
culture reach ... other, the fine efforts of religious philosophy put forth ...
/.../renan/the life of jesus/chapter iii education of jesus.htm