1 - The Christian conception of philosophy and Christian philosophical methodology

Summary

The attitude of early Christian thinkers towards philosophy is marked by an apparent contradiction. On the one hand they voice strong criticism and even contempt of philosophy, claiming that philosophy is full of false views, many of which lead to heresies (Tatian, Or. 2, 19, 25; Tertullian, Apol. 46.18), while on the other hand they repeatedly define Christianity as philosophy and they employ recognizable philosophical arguments to vindicate their positions. Already Justin (Dial. 8.1–2) declares that Christianity is philosophy and indeed the perfection of philosophy, and later Christians continue on the same track; they speak of Christianity as “the true philosophy”, the “highest philosophy”, “the philosophy of Christ” and the “philosophy according to the divine tradition”. Of course, there are varieties of this attitude among early Christian thinkers. Justin, Clement and Origen are more sympathetic to philosophy and more assertive of the philosophical character of Christianity than Tatian, Tertullian or Athanasius. The difference between them, however, I suggest, is not of substance but of degree. As we shall see below, all sides converge in the view that philosophy is untrustworthy while Christianity is the true or the real philosophy that alone should be trusted.