The Impact of Christianity Response

The Impact of Christianity Response

The rise of Christianity in philosophy started back in Europe. The original Christians was

Jesus and his followers the Jews. Christianity gradually evolved from a Jewish sect to a separate

religion. Specifics of Christian doctrine need not concern us, and its central beliefs are well

known: Jesus is the son of God, and Jesus’ life, crucifixion, and resurrection are proof of God’s

love for humans and forgiveness of human sin; in addition, those who have faith in Christ will be

saved and have life everlasting. Through Augustine, Christianity became so permanently

interwoven with elements of Platonic thought that today, as the English prelate William Inge

said, it is impossible to remove Platonism from Christianity without tearing Christianity to

pieces. The final centuries of the empire had witnessed the spread of Christianity through all

classes of society and eventually an alliance between the Church and the state. Key contributors

to Christianity impact on philosophy is St. Augustine because he came from a town call Tagaste

not to far from Algerian city of Annaba that transferred Platonic and Neoplatonic themes to

Christianity. St.Thomas Aquinas was a key contributor because he blended Christianity with the

Philosophy of Aristotle, in effect graphing the principles and distinctions of the Greek

Philosopher to Christian revealed truth. Plotinus because he held the reality emanates from the

one. Pyrrho because he held that every theory can be opposed by an equally valid contradictory

theory; we must suspend judgment on all issues. Sextus Empiricus because he was the most

famous total skeptic. Hypatia because she instructed the students in Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus and

Ptolemy and she helped improved the mathematical rigor of Ptolemy’s astronomical theories,

stressing the importance of philosophy and mathematics to life. I think some philosophical...