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1.4 - Creation, Begetting, Desire, and Re-Creation

from I - Concepts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2021

By
Kevin Corrigan
Edited by
Alexander J. B. Hampton  and
John Peter Kenney
Alexander J. B. Hampton
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
John Peter Kenney
Affiliation:
Saint Michael's College, Vermont
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Summary

Christian Platonism is a catch-all phrase. It recognizes that Plato and his successors, including the whole of ancient pagan thought, formed part of the complex background to the emergence of a new religion. Both pagans and Christians were mutually transformed by their prolonged encounter on many issues, but especially on the questions of creation, desire, and return. The chapter begins with Judaeo-Christian influence upon major features of the Platonic tradition and then articulates a hidden conversation that lies behind Christian thinking about the Trinity, the structure of reality, and the creation of the human being.

Keywords

CreationGnosticismPlotinusOrigenGregory of Nyssa
Type
Chapter
Information
Christian Platonism
A History
 , pp. 79 - 100
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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