The Showdown of Christianity versus the Pagan United Front
Consider the successive stances taken by Christianity and the pagan philoso-
phies toward each other. The earliest Christian philosophers, writing in con-
sciousness of their weakness, are apologetic. Justin (ca. 150 c.e.), who studied
at Ephesus before his conversion, tries to justify his faith by showing its
compatibility with Platonism and Stoicism (CHLG, 1967: 158–167). In the
next generation, Clement of Alexandria, who was taught by an ex-Stoic and
had likely been at Athens, echoes the same themes as the pagan syncretizers,
as well as drawing on the Jewish syncretism of Philo of Alexandria two
centuries before. As the church gathers strength in the following generation
(the early 200s), Origen uses Philo’s allegorical methods, but the emphasis now
has left the abstract plane of metaphysical similarities with the pagan philoso-
phies (CHLG, 1967: 189–192). Instead Origen stresses the particularistic
elements, and strikes back at the pagan critic Celsus by claiming that the Old
Testament provided the basis of Greek ethics and science. This is argument on
the same plane as that of the Taoists who disparaged their Buddhist rivals in
China by claiming that their doctrine had been taught to them originally by
Lao Tzu on his travels to the West.
Until 200 c.e., the professional philosophers seem oblivious to the threat
of Christianity. Sextus, though he attacked everything else, did not bother to
attack the new religions, which must indicate that as yet they had little presence
among intellectuals. The “pagan” philosophers of this period did not defend
traditional polytheism, or even pay much attention to it; their interest in
religions, if they had any, was in mystical doctrines which could be interpreted
as universalistic metaphysics. The Gnostic and occultist sects were a separate
enclave, full of particularistic doctrines and generally looked down upon by
serious intellectuals.
Now a new organizational player became visible on the field, and the terms
of play were transformed (see Figure 3.7). Around 250 c.e. the power of
Christianity was becoming visible, with sympathizers in high political circles.
In the series of political coups around the middle of the century, there were
sharp reversals of religious policy. The reign of Alexander Severus (222–235)
was sympathetic to Christianity, and Philip the Arab (r. 244–249) was rumored
to be a believer; in between, Maximinus (235–238) was hostile. Decius (249–
251) launched a crackdown by ordering everyone to participate in sacrifices
to the gods, but the edict was withdrawn by Gallienus in 260. Aurelian in
274–275, seeking to replace the traditional cults, tried to establish the mono-
theism of the sun god (Chadwick, 1967: 119–122). The strength of Christian
organization was beginning to tell. The first large-scale systematic persecutions
of Christians, begun under Decius in 250, resumed under Diocletian in 304 as
Partitioning Attention Space: Ancient Greece^ •^123