Lecture 12: The Beginnings of Christian Philosophy
• The “way of transcending the world” is found in the dualistic
spiritual literature of the Greek and Roman world, culminating in
the revelatory literature associated with the god Hermes. It appears
among Christians in forms of dualism, such as Marcionism and
Gnosticism, which emphasized individual enlightenment and
despised material expressions of religion.• The “way of moral transformation”
was exemplified by such Greco-
Roman moralists as Epictetus. He
did not despise the manifestations
of divine power in the external
world, but he was most interested
in how the divine power
transformed the dispositions
and behavior of individuals and
societies. This way draws a sharp
connection between right thinking
and right acting.Moral Instruction in the New Testament
• The emphasis on moral instruction
continues one of the elements
found in the literature of the
New Testament.• While “participation in benefits”
dominates the narratives of the
Gospels and Acts and while the
same religious sensibility is found among those addressed by Paul
in his letters, three New Testament authors share the outlook of
“religion as moral transformation.”
o Paul himself has powerful religious experiences (visions,
speaking in tongues) and recognizes and approves such
experiences among his readers, but he is most interested in
molding his readers into a community of character. He thereby
reveals the disposition of a Greco-Roman moralist: BelieversOne way of being religious
in the Greco-Roman world
was that of transcending or
escaping the world—found
in the revelatory literature
associated with the
god Hermes.© Hemera/Thinkstock.