Vroege christenen en de antieke wijsbegeerte

Samenvatting

Early Christian theologians judged pagan philosophy from a position of superiority: they had God’s truth as revealed in Scripture. The pagans possessed a partial knowledge of the truth. Christian theologians were the least negative about Plato’s philosophy. They rejected his doctrine of pre-existence of the soul and of creation from chaotic matter, but welcomed his doctrines of life of the soul after death and of the good Creator. The Platonic view on time and eternity influenced their doctrine of the Trinity. Christian theologians argued that even as Israel took gold and silver vessels with them when they left Egypt, so they were justified in using pagan philosophy to the glory of God.