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2.2 - Platonism and Christianity in Late Antiquity

from II - History

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2021

By
John Peter Kenney
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

The relation of early Christianity to ancient Platonism has been a conflicted issue in historical scholarship, bringing to the fore latent questions about the nature of philosophy and shape of Christian theology. This chapter is intended to build upon recent advances in the scholarly interpretation of both Platonism and Early Christianity, in order to disentangle some long-standing interpretive issues. It emphasizes the role of Platonism and Christianity in the emergence of monotheism in late antiquity and the importance of Platonism in the development of the philosophical idea of transcendence.

Keywords

monotheismtranscendenceOrigenGregory of NyssaAugustinePseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
Type
Chapter
Information
Christian Platonism
A History
 , pp. 162 - 182
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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