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Christianity
Article Free Pass- Introduction
- The church and its history
- The essence and identity of Christianity
- The history of Christianity
- The primitive church
- The internal development of the early Christian Church
- Relations between Christianity and the Roman government and the Hellenistic culture
- The early liturgy, the calendar, and the arts
- The alliance between church and empire
- Theological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries
- Liturgy and the arts after Constantine
- Political relations between East and West
- Literature and art of the “Dark Ages”
- Missions and monasticism
- The Photian schism and the great East–West schism
- From the schism to the Reformation
- Christianity from the 16th to the 20th century
- Contemporary Christianity
- Christian doctrine
- The nature and functions of doctrine
- Scripture and tradition: the apostolic witness
- Evangelism: the first teaching about the God of Jesus Christ
- Catechesis: instructing candidates for baptism
- Liturgy: the school and feast of faith
- Ethics: obeying the truth
- Aversion of heresy: the establishment of orthodoxy
- Apologetics: defending the faith
- Restatement: respecting language and knowledge
- Inculturation: respecting places and peoples
- Dogma: the most authoritative teaching
- Consensus: patterns of agreement
- Theology: loving God with the mind
- Symbolics: creeds and confessions
- Development: the maturation of understanding
- Schism: division over substantial matters
- Controversy: fighting over the faith
- Ecumenism: speaking the truth in love
- God the Father
- God the Son
- God the Holy Spirit
- The Holy Trinity
- Anthropology
- What it is to be human
- The human as a creature
- The human as the image of God
- Human redemption
- The problem of suffering
- The resurrection of the body
- Progressive human perfection
- The “new man”: The human being in the light of Christ
- The “reborn human”
- Human liberation
- Joy in human existence
- The charismatic believer
- Christian perfection
- Fellow humans as the present Christ
- The church
- Church tradition
- Eschatology
- Expectations of the Kingdom of God in early Christianity
- Expectations of the Kingdom of God in the medieval and Reformation periods
- Expectations of the Kingdom of God in the post-Reformation period
- The role of imminent expectation in missions and emigrations
- Eschatological expectations and secularization
- Concepts of life after death
- Aspects of the Christian religion
- Christian philosophy
- Christian mysticism
- Christian myth and legend
- The Christian community and the world
- The relationships of Christianity
- Christian missions
- Ecumenism
- Christianity and world religions
- Related
- Contributors & Bibliography
- Year in Review Links
- Introduction
- The church and its history
- The essence and identity of Christianity
- The history of Christianity
- The primitive church
- The internal development of the early Christian Church
- Relations between Christianity and the Roman government and the Hellenistic culture
- The early liturgy, the calendar, and the arts
- The alliance between church and empire
- Theological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries
- Liturgy and the arts after Constantine
- Political relations between East and West
- Literature and art of the “Dark Ages”
- Missions and monasticism
- The Photian schism and the great East–West schism
- From the schism to the Reformation
- Christianity from the 16th to the 20th century
- Contemporary Christianity
- Christian doctrine
- The nature and functions of doctrine
- Scripture and tradition: the apostolic witness
- Evangelism: the first teaching about the God of Jesus Christ
- Catechesis: instructing candidates for baptism
- Liturgy: the school and feast of faith
- Ethics: obeying the truth
- Aversion of heresy: the establishment of orthodoxy
- Apologetics: defending the faith
- Restatement: respecting language and knowledge
- Inculturation: respecting places and peoples
- Dogma: the most authoritative teaching
- Consensus: patterns of agreement
- Theology: loving God with the mind
- Symbolics: creeds and confessions
- Development: the maturation of understanding
- Schism: division over substantial matters
- Controversy: fighting over the faith
- Ecumenism: speaking the truth in love
- God the Father
- God the Son
- God the Holy Spirit
- The Holy Trinity
- Anthropology
- What it is to be human
- The human as a creature
- The human as the image of God
- Human redemption
- The problem of suffering
- The resurrection of the body
- Progressive human perfection
- The “new man”: The human being in the light of Christ
- The “reborn human”
- Human liberation
- Joy in human existence
- The charismatic believer
- Christian perfection
- Fellow humans as the present Christ
- The church
- Church tradition
- Eschatology
- Expectations of the Kingdom of God in early Christianity
- Expectations of the Kingdom of God in the medieval and Reformation periods
- Expectations of the Kingdom of God in the post-Reformation period
- The role of imminent expectation in missions and emigrations
- Eschatological expectations and secularization
- Concepts of life after death
- Aspects of the Christian religion
- Christian philosophy
- Christian mysticism
- Christian myth and legend
- The Christian community and the world
- The relationships of Christianity
- Christian missions
- Ecumenism
- Christianity and world religions
- Related
- Contributors & Bibliography
- Year in Review Links
Christianity and classical culture
The attitude of the earliest Christians toward paganism and the imperial government was complicated by their close association with Greco-Roman literary and artistic culture: it was difficult to attack the former without seeming to criticize the latter. Nevertheless, the Christian opinion of other religions (except Judaism) was generally very negative. All forms of paganism—the Oriental mystery (salvational) religions of Isis, Attis, Adonis, and Mithra, as well as the traditional Greco-Roman polytheisms and the cult of the emperor—were regarded as the worship of evil spirits. Like the Jews, the Christians (unless Gnostic) were opposed to syncretism. With the exception of the notion of baptism as a rebirth, Christians generally and significantly avoided the characteristic vocabularies of the mystery religions.
Many Christians also rejected the literary traditions of the classical world, denouncing the immoral and unethical behaviour of the deities and heroes of ancient myth and literature. Reflecting this position, Tertullian once asked, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” Despite this hostility, many Christians recognized the value of ancient letters. St. Paul could quote such pagan poets as Aratus, Menander, and Epimenides. Clement of Rome cited the dramatists Sophocles and Euripides. Educated Christians shared this literary tradition with educated pagans. The defenders of Christianity against pagan attack (especially Justin Martyr and Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century) welcomed classical philosophy and literature; they wished only to reject all polytheistic myth and cult and all metaphysical and ethical doctrines irreconcilable with Christian belief (e.g., Stoic materialism and Platonic doctrines of the transmigration of souls and the eternity of the world). Clement of Alexandria, the second known head of the catechetical school at Alexandria, possessed a wide erudition in the main classics and knew the works of Plato and Homer intimately. His successor at Alexandria, Origen, showed less interest in literary and aesthetic matters but was a greater scholar and thinker; he first applied the methods of Alexandrian philology to the text of the Bible. Augustine held that although classical literature contained superstitious imaginings, it included references to moral truths and learning that could be used in the service of God. The great church father compared classical literature to the gold of the Egyptians, which God permitted the Hebrews to use on their journey to the Promised Land even though it had once been used in pagan religious practice.
The Apologists
The Christian Apologists of the 2nd century were a group of writers who sought to defend the faith against Jewish and Greco-Roman critics. They refuted a variety of scandalous rumours, including allegations of cannibalism and promiscuity. By and large, they sought both to make Christianity intelligible to members of Greco-Roman society and to define the Christian understanding of God, the divinity of Christ, and the resurrection of the body. To accomplish this, the Apologists adopted the philosophical and literary vocabulary of the broader culture to develop a more refined expression of the faith that could appeal to the sophisticated sensibilities of their pagan contemporaries.
Second-century Platonists, for example, found it easy to think of Mind (nous) or Reason (Logos) as divine power immanent within the world. Philo of Alexandria had spoken of the Logos as mediating between the transcendent God and the created order. Although some of their coreligionists were offended by the use of Greek philosophical ideas, the Apologists made important advances in the development of Christian thought and were the first of the Christian theologians.
-
People
- (German theologian and church historian)"/> (German theologian and church historian)"/> Adolf von Harnack (German theologian and church historian)
- al-Ḥākim (Fāṭimid caliph)
- (Flemish theologian)"/> (Flemish theologian)"/> Cornelius Otto Jansen (Flemish theologian)
- (king of Scotland)"/> (king of Scotland)"/> David I (king of Scotland)
- (Dutch humanist and scholar)"/> (Dutch humanist and scholar)"/> Desiderius Erasmus (Dutch humanist and scholar)
- Elaine Pagels (American scholar)
- (German theologian)"/> (German theologian)"/> Ernst Troeltsch (German theologian)
- (German theologian)"/> (German theologian)"/> Ferdinand Christian Baur (German theologian)
- (king of Denmark)"/> (king of Denmark)"/> Harald I (king of Denmark)
- (Bohemian religious leader)"/> (Bohemian religious leader)"/> Jan Hus (Bohemian religious leader)
- (Czech philosopher)"/> (Czech philosopher)"/> Jerome Of Prague (Czech philosopher)
- Jesus Christ
- (English philosopher)"/> (English philosopher)"/> John Locke (English philosopher)
- John Toland (British author)
- (Mohawk chief)"/> (Mohawk chief)"/> Joseph Brant (Mohawk chief)
- (Spanish architect)"/> (Spanish architect)"/> Juan de Herrera (Spanish architect)
- Keshab Chunder Sen (Hindu philosopher and social reformer)
- (German religious philosopher)"/> (German religious philosopher)"/> Martin Buber (German religious philosopher)
- Martin E. Marty (American historian of religion)
- (mother of Jesus)"/> (mother of Jesus)"/> Mary (mother of Jesus)
- Mary Hannah Fulton (American physician and missionary)
- Matthias Flacius Illyricus (European religious reformer)
- Michael Psellus (Byzantine philosopher, theologian, and statesman)
- (Italian artist)"/> (Italian artist)"/> Michelozzo (Italian artist)
- Mieszko I (duke and prince of Poland)
- Minh Mang (emperor of Vietnam)
- (Danish bishop and poet)"/> (Danish bishop and poet)"/> N.F.S. Grundtvig (Danish bishop and poet)
- (German religious leader)"/> (German religious leader)"/> Nikolaus Ludwig, count von Zinzendorf (German religious leader)
- Nikolay Aleksandrovich Berdyayev (Russian philosopher)
- Olaf I Tryggvason (king of Norway)
- Olaf II Haraldsson (king of Norway)
- Pelagius (Christian theologian)
- (American theologian)"/> (American theologian)"/> Philip Schaff (American theologian)
- (French philosopher)"/> (French philosopher)"/> Pierre Bayle (French philosopher)
- Pseudo-Dionysius The Areopagite (Syrian author)
- (German theologian, scientist, and philosopher)"/> (German theologian, scientist, and philosopher)"/> Saint Albertus Magnus (German theologian, scientist, and philosopher)
- (Russian painter)"/> (Russian painter)"/> Saint Andrey Rublyov (Russian painter)
- (Christian bishop and theologian)"/> (Christian bishop and theologian)"/> Saint Augustine (Christian bishop and theologian)
- (Anglo-Saxon historian)"/> (Anglo-Saxon historian)"/> Saint Bede the Venerable (Anglo-Saxon historian)
- (Christian Apostle)"/> (Christian Apostle)"/> Saint Paul, the Apostle (Christian Apostle)
- Saint Theophilus of Alexandria (Egyptian theologian)
- Sir Sigmund Sternberg (British philanthropist and entrepreneur)
- (Danish philosopher)"/> (Danish philosopher)"/> Søren Kierkegaard (Danish philosopher)
- (king of Hungary)"/> (king of Hungary)"/> Stephen I (king of Hungary)
- (American missionary and educator)"/> (American missionary and educator)"/> Susan Lincoln Tolman Mills (American missionary and educator)
- Theōdūrus Abū Qurrah (Syrian bishop)
- Tu Duc (emperor of Vietnam)
- (grand prince of Kiev)"/> (grand prince of Kiev)"/> Vladimir I (grand prince of Kiev)
- (prince of Bohemia)"/> (prince of Bohemia)"/> Wenceslas I (prince of Bohemia)
- (British missionary)"/> (British missionary)"/> William Carey (British missionary)
-
Places
- Armageddon (biblical place)
- (ancient city, Israel)"/> (ancient city, Israel)"/> Caesarea (ancient city, Israel)
- (Ireland)"/> (Ireland)"/> Clonmacnoise (Ireland)
- (Spain)"/> (Spain)"/> El Escorial (Spain)
- Le Temple (prison, Paris, France)
- (monasteries, Greece)"/> (monasteries, Greece)"/> Metéora (monasteries, Greece)
- (mosque, Córdoba, Spain)"/> (mosque, Córdoba, Spain)"/> Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba (mosque, Córdoba, Spain)
- (mountain, Greece)"/> (mountain, Greece)"/> Mount Athos (mountain, Greece)
- (ridge, Jerusalem)"/> (ridge, Jerusalem)"/> Mount of Olives (ridge, Jerusalem)
- (Italy)"/> (Italy)"/> Rome (Italy)
- (monastery and church, Assisi, Italy)"/> (monastery and church, Assisi, Italy)"/> San Francesco (monastery and church, Assisi, Italy)
- School of Alexandria (institution, Alexandria, Egypt)
- (ecclesiastical state, Europe)"/> (ecclesiastical state, Europe)"/> Vatican City (ecclesiastical state, Europe)
- (Scotland, United Kingdom)"/> (Scotland, United Kingdom)"/> Whithorn (Scotland, United Kingdom)
-
Topics
- (Christianity)"/> (Christianity)"/> Annunciation (Christianity)
- apocrypha (biblical literature)
- apologetics (Christianity)
- (Christianity)"/> (Christianity)"/> Apostle (Christianity)
- (Christianity)"/> (Christianity)"/> Ascension (Christianity)
- (Christianity)"/> (Christianity)"/> Assumption (Christianity)
- (Christianity)"/> (Christianity)"/> baptism (Christianity)
- (denomination)"/> (denomination)"/> Baptist (denomination)
- (biblical literature)"/> (biblical literature)"/> Beatitude (biblical literature)
- (sacred text)"/> (sacred text)"/> Bible (sacred text)
- biblical literature
- canon law (religion)
- catechism (religious manual)
- (liturgical vessel)"/> (liturgical vessel)"/> chalice (liturgical vessel)
- (doctrine of Christ)"/> (doctrine of Christ)"/> Christology (doctrine of Christ)
- church (Christianity)
- Church Father (Christianity)
- church year (Christianity)
- city mission (Christianity)
- confirmation (Christianity)
- creationism
- (religious symbol)"/> (religious symbol)"/> cross (religious symbol)
- (Christianity)"/> (Christianity)"/> ecumenism (Christianity)
- gospel music
- heresy
- (Jesus Christ)"/> (Jesus Christ)"/> Incarnation (Jesus Christ)
- justification (Christianity)
- kerygma and catechesis (Christian theology)
- Kingdom of God (Christianity)
- Kirishitan (religion)
- (Christianity)"/> (Christianity)"/> Last Supper (Christianity)
- (philosophy and theology)"/> (philosophy and theology)"/> logos (philosophy and theology)
- Lord’s Prayer (Christianity)
- (theology)"/> (theology)"/> Mariology (theology)
- ministry (Christianity)
- moral theology
- (biblical literature)"/> (biblical literature)"/> New Testament (biblical literature)
- oratorio (music)
- (religion)"/> (religion)"/> ordination (religion)
- original sin (theology)
- Passion music (vocal music)
- patristic literature (Christianity)
- (Christianity)"/> (Christianity)"/> Protestantism (Christianity)
- Religionsgeschichtliche Schule (biblical criticism)
- Roman Catholicism
- Second Coming (Christianity)
- Sunday school
- theological liberalism (religion)
- tithe (almsgiving)
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