Being in Greek Philosophy and the View of God in Early Christianity

Author: Zhang Xuefu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: This book systematically explores the development of the Being concept from ancient Greek philosophy to early Christian theology, elaborates on the internal construction of the Christian Trinity theology theory and its implied Greek philosophical factors, recreates the refinement of this God concept by ancient Church Father thinkers, and analyzes the disagreements and debates they had surrounding the core concepts of Christian theology and the fundamental framework of the "Trinity." The book discusses the relationship between Greek philosophy's Being and early Christian theology of God. The exploration of Being is the foundation of Greek metaphysical thought, while the Trinity concept of God reflects the characteristics of Christian faith. In the 2nd century, Christianity gradually separated from Jewish traditions and, immersed in the vast sea of Hellenism, theologians engaged in a major theological exploration: how to defend the worship of Jesus Christ without contradicting the monotheistic tradition of the Old Testament. Therefore, the Christian concept of God primarily explores the relationship between Christology and monotheism. In the 4th century, as debates arose among Christian thinkers about the divinity of the Holy Spirit, the relationship between the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and the Christian concept of God began to surface. Thus, the formation of the Christian concept of God as Trinitarian theology is closely related to the development and challenges Christianity faced in the Greek world. In the long historical period that followed, the Christian concept of God was primarily expressed in the language of Greek philosophy as its main theological discourse.