1st Edition

Athenagoras Philosopher and Theologian

By David Rankin Copyright 2009
    204 Pages
    by Routledge

    202 Pages
    by Routledge

    Athenagoras of Athens was a Christian thinker of the second century who engaged with contemporary philosophical thought in the matters of the divine, and the relationship of that divine to the material world. While clearly a Christian apologist, Athenagoras presents doctrines of God, of the Holy Trinity, and of other theological matters which clearly evidence an engagement with Greek philosophical thought which goes beyond the merely linguistic and embraces the notion of God as true being. Athenagoras is a Church Father who has not been given great attention in twentieth-century and early twenty-first-century scholarship. This book explores Athenagoras' undeniable place in the development of Christian thought on the divine, on the Trinity, on the human person, and on the resurrection. His work provides an important link between the mid-second-century and the work of Justin and that of the third-century Christian theologians of the East.

    Chapter One Athenagoras: philosopher and theologian; Chapter Two Athenagoras' corpus: one lump or two?; Chapter Three Athenagoras and contemporary theological and philosophical conversations; Chapter Four How do we know about God? Epistemology; Chapter Five What do we know about God? First principles; Chapter Six Subordinate topics; Chapter Seven Influences on Athenagoras; Chapter Eight Conclusions;

    Biography

    Revd Dr David Rankin, Principal and Director of Studies in Church History, Trinity Theological College, Brisbane, Australia.

    'This volume, which includes a bibliography and a subject index, reflects Rankin's deep grasp of the philosophical and theological issues at stake in the apologetic enterprise shared by educated Christians in the second century, and should serve as a standard introduction to Athenagoras for the coming generation.' Religious Studies Review