The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

I. Alexandria—Seat of Two Paralleling Schools

1. GREEK PHILOSOPHY TAKES ROOT IN ROMAN EMPIRE

Rome was founded some seven hundred years before Christ. But for centuries the Romans were a fierce, barbarous people, taking little interest either in speculative philosophy or in religion. Not until the second century B.C. did philosophy begin to be studied at Rome, being then introduced by Grecian philosophers. At first there was strong opposition from Roman leaders. CFF1 703.3

But following Rome’s military conquest of Greece the two nations began to commingle. And soon Grecian religion and philosophy began to flourish at Rome. Though victorious in war, the conquerors began to adopt the philosophical opinions of the vanquished. CFF1 703.4

Before long every major Grecian school of philosophy had its devotees among the Romans—Platonists, Pythagoreans, Stoics, Epicureans, Pyrrhonics, and others. Some later schools openly denied the immortality of the soul. But Platonism, with its insistence on Innate Immortality, was embraced by others, such as Cicero (106-43 B.C.). He greatly admired Plato, and wrote much to establish the theory of Immortal-Soulism. In fact, he sought to do among the Romans what Plato had done for this doctrine among the Greeks. Nevertheless, even Cicero confessed that he felt assurance of the soul’s immortality only when he was arguing the case—while in his hours of sober reflection he doubted it. Thus: CFF1 704.1

“I have read and re-read Plato’s Phaedo, but, how it is, I know not, while I read I assent; when, however, I have put aside the book and have begun to cogitate for myself on the immortality of souls, all my assent slips away.” ¹ CFF1 704.2

2. NEOPLATONIC SCHOOL RESULT OF ECLECTIC CHOICE

Then, about the beginning of the Christian Era, a unique school was started in Alexandria, Egypt, now of course, constituting part of the Roman Empire. It was an eclectic ² school, significantly called the School of Neoplatonic Philosophy. Wearying of the endless disputes and bickerings between the different sects of philosophy and religion, certain pagan philosophers formulated a plan of gleaning from each school what was deemed best, and consonant with reason—rejecting the rest of the clashing. Thus the rivals joined forces, with Platonism as the determining factor in the selection. CFF1 704.3

This eclecticism, it should be added, was stimulated by the Roman lack of sympathy with subtle metaphysical niceties and distinctions. To the hardheaded Romans the disputes of the Greek philosophers were trifling and unseemly. So Neoplatonism built upon this new platform, with its deletions and refinements, but with the immortality of the soul remaining one of its most conspicuous planks. CFF1 704.4

It is to be borne in mind in this connection that the masses of the Greeks and Romans were still silent before the mystery of death, and the afterlife had no fixed place in their thoughts. The cold criticism of the philosophers, the skepticism of the poets, and the sneer of the satirists had cast a pall of gloom over the sorrowing. And the hypothetical hope of immortality was but the uncertain hope of the few, not the expectation of the masses. CFF1 705.1

3. ALEXANDRIA THE CENTER OF CONFLICTING CULTURES

But let us probe a little deeper. The conquests of Alexander the Great, extending from the Mediterranean to the Indus, brought the Occidental and Oriental peoples, cultures, and civilizations closer together, opening new areas of philosophical and mystical lore. The monotheistic Hebrews, whose home lay between the two, yielded a distorted contribution through Philo. Then the succession of the Romans to the empire drew East and West even more closely, together. CFF1 705.2

Alexandria became the new world center of philosophical and intellectual activity. Here the learning of Egypt continued to flourish. Here Greek polytheism, deifying nature, and Persian Dualism, with its principles of good and evil eternally struggling for mastery, came to the fore. And added to these, Indian mysticism, pantheism, emanation, reincarnation, and reabsorption were all interjected in varying degrees. And here, finally, the new Christian faith began to establish itself. CFF1 705.3

So in this cosmopolitan city with its conflicting conceptions of monism and dualism, monotheism and polytheism, magism and mysticism, and asceticism and Orientalism—but primarily Platonism—a common platform of postulates was now brought forth in the early centuries of the Christian Era. Thus, we repeat, this religious eclectic philosophy was developed under the name of Neoplatonism, which supplanted the classical philosophies, the pagan division of which became intensely hostile toward Christianity. (See Pictorial Chart I, pages 524-527, for time sequence and relationship.) CFF1 705.4

Neoplatonism sought to become the representative and type of all religions, contesting with Christianity for the mind and conscience of man. It was a syncretism that sought to array all the influences and forces of paganism under its banners in a final attempt to resist and turn back the dread rival religion, Christianity, that was spreading alarmingly. Like the rising sun, it seemed destined to eclipse every lesser light. CFF1 706.1

4. PAGAN NEOPLATONISM BECOMES ANTI-CHRISTIAN

As noted, pagan Neoplatonism was nearly coeval with the rise of Christianity, but erelong it developed strong anti-Christian and pantheistic attitudes. It centered first in Alexandria, then transferred to Rome under Plotinus. Neoplatonism grew out of the failure of the previous pagan philosophies to satisfy the longings of the human soul for certainty concerning God, and the origin, nature, and destiny of man and the universe. The assumptions of the older philosophies, including the original Platonism, had resulted in a reaction of disillusionment and skepticism. This led to a recasting of the old and the development of Neoplatonism. CFF1 706.2

This new development now crystallized at Alexandria. There Philo, as noted, at the very dawn of the Christian Era first sought to show the inner harmony between Plato and Moses, or Greek philosophy and the Jewish religion, just as Origen soon endeavored to do with Christianity and Platonic philosophy. It was an attempt to combine the conflicting systems into one synthesis. Philo was clearly one of the pioneers in this broad Neoplatonic movement—the last great stand of Greek philosophy. CFF1 706.3

And so it came to pass, as we shall shortly see, that the speculations of Plato, admittedly one of the world’s greatest pagan philosophers, came to exert more influence on the religious opinions of compromising Christians than those of any other philosopher. He became the unsurpassed molder of both Christian and pagan thought in this area of human destiny. CFF1 706.4