When1: 150
When2: 300
Who: Patristic Philosophy or Apologists
What: philosophic school
Where: Rome, Italy
Detail: School included Dionysius the Areopagite, Maximus the Confessor, Justin Martyr, Clement I of Rome, Aristides, Athenogoras, Theophilus, Melito, Apollinaris, Minucius Felix, Epiphanius, Lactantius, Irenaeus in Lyon, Hippolytus in Rome, Tatian, Aeneas of Gaza, Tertullian in Carthage, Arnobius, Hilarius, Clement of Alexandria, Nemesius, Eusebius, Origen, Cappadocians, and Paul, the Roman Catholic saint. Hippolytus set himself up as pope.
Epistemology
God inspired every word of the Bible, as shown by prophecy fulfillment. The succession of Bible prophets is a divine plan for people's education. God reveals more as people's ability to receive knowledge increases. New revelations are purer. Jesus is the final revelation.
People can immediately apprehend truth. Powers above reason give truth. Truth comes directly from God and comes through contact with God. Church doctrine is the only knowledge needed and people should believe it without question, because it is perfect truth. Revelation is above reason, because it is divine. Speculation or further reasoning about the Bible is having no faith.
Metaphysics
Matter is not good or evil. Matter can be for good or evil by people's actions.
Spirit combines rational thought and personality. It is consciousness. Spirit can be separate from body, can go to another body, is eternal, and is unchanging. Life-force mediates between spirit and matter and animates body.
Good and evil forces exist in the world. Evil comes from demons and the evil soul in man.
God created world from nothing in one moment, without cause except for God's willing, which is infinite and unchanging. God gave people free will and action control, which can lead to evil.
Pantheism opposes Church doctrine.
Mind
Conscience is knowledge of duty and action worth, relative to self and behavior. Self-consciousness gives people knowledge of sin and their need to repent.
History
History is a succession of revelations. Adam revealed nature's perfection and God's gift of mind. Moses revealed Jewish law. Jesus was the perfect revelation for which the previous two revelations had prepared people. The Comforter {Paraclete, Apologist}, who can be Holy Spirit, will reveal fourth revelation at world end. On judgment day, good will separate from evil, or all good will overcome all evil.
Humans are universe meaning and purpose and control universe destiny. This purpose and Church unify people.
History records how human will works relative to God and other people. Jesus is center of history.
Because free people take actions, history cannot repeat.
Previous gods are evil demons in the world.
Theology
God is spiritual personality. People can have personal relation with God, as with father. Because God and people are spirits, relations can exist between people and God, and one such relation is love.
Social Sciences>Philosophy>History>Ethics
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Date Modified: 2022.0224