The Greek context for early Christianity
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Write a “thesis-based” persuasive esay of at least 1000 to 1200 words, related to some aspect or theme from the first half of our course regarding: 1) The Early Church, or 2) The Medieval Church.
Some possible topics
The Greek context for early Christianity
The Jewish influence on early Christianity
The early spread of Christianity
Women in early Christianity
Justin Martyr’s idea of Logos Spermatikos
Gnosticism
Constantine and the rise of Imperial Roman Christianity
The Monastic movement
The cult of Thecla
Early theology: Irenaeus, Origin, Clement or Augustine
Eastern Orthodoxy
Hesychasm
The development of the New Testament Canon
the Arian debate
The origins of the Creeds
Celtic Christianity
The Great (East vs. West) Schism
The Crusades and Spain
The Mendicants: Franciscans and Dominicans
Mysticism
Scholastic theology
Medieval attempts to rationally prove the existence of God
The Great Western Schism (Avignon Papacy)
The Renaissance
Humanism
Sample Solution
Throughout the history of Christianity, one particular development has been essential in shaping both the early and medieval church: Greek philosophy. By integrating aspects from Greek thought into their teachings, early Christians were able to create a new way of interpreting Scripture that was more accessible to non-Jewish converts. Similarly, when Augustine—one of the most influential figures in early Christianity—incorporated elements from Plato and Aristotle into his theology, it provided a framework for understanding faith deeply rooted in reason that would be adopted by later generations of theologians during the Middle Ages. As such, Greek influence not only helped create core doctrines within Christianity but also enabled ideas to be passed down through time, ultimately transforming how we view faith today.
Starting with Paul’s missionary journey as documented in Acts 17:16-21 , scholars have noted that early Christians adopted certain Hellenistic customs like using debate clubs (called “schools”) as a platform to discuss spiritual matters which were often structured around philosophical debates about God and morality . This allowed Christian thinkers like Justin Martyr to use established languages like Latin or Greek to explain complex concepts like Logos Christology – which states Jesus is both human and divine – thus making them more comprehensible for Greeks who had little knowledge about Judaism . Likewise, this same tactic was employed by Augustine whose interpretation of Trinity drew heavily upon Neoplatonic philosophies which argued for an all-encompassing Creator figure . Believing unity should exist between faith and Man’s rational capacity , he maintained that each person should strive toward self-knowledge as well as spiritual growth leading him towards his famous motto “Love God and do what you will” . As a result, this approach proved successful since it enabled individuals within society–regardless if they held personal beliefs or not–to connect with each other by exploring universal truths via meaningful discussion rather than relying solely on scriptural passages alone.
Consequently due to these shifts made within Christianity brought about by blending elements from Greco-Roman culture together with traditional Jewish practices , many components still remain relevant today such as questioning life purpose/meaning , formulating answers based off prior experiences while remaining open minded towards others views etc. The incorporation of logic/rationality found within theological debates further adds value since it allows us understand why certain doctrines are accepted/rejected helping shape our own individual faiths accordingly moving forward . Thus illustrating just how much power lies behind merging multiple streams together thus creating something entirely original could potentially produce going forward regardless what background one comes from originally.
