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9 - The Almost, but Not Quite, Physicalists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2025

Ellen Scully
Ellen Scully
Affiliation:
Seton Hall University, New Jersey
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Summary

A study of passages from Irenaeus, Methodius, Philoxenos of Mabbug, and John of Damascus that have been labeled physicalist by previous scholars reveals that none of these authors teaches physicalist soteriology. Rather they serve to demonstrate that authentic physicalist soteriology is far less common than the much wider body of almost but not quite physicalism in early Christian thought. This chapter offers a methodological primer for the task of identifying authentic physicalism in the Christian tradition.

Keywords

physicalist soteriologyIrenaeusMethodiusPhiloxenos of MabbugJohn of Damascusmethodology
Type
Chapter
Information
Human Salvation in Early Christianity
Exploring the Theology of Physicalist Soteriology
 , pp. 266 - 288
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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