6) The Hellenistic Worldview and Its Impact on Early Christianity

Introduction to the Hellenistic Influence on Christianity

In the Western cultural landscape, reality is often perceived through a dualistic lens that distinguishes between the material and the immaterial worlds. This bifurcation has its roots in Hellenistic and Greek philosophy, a worldview that notably influenced early Christian thought.

Christoplatonism: A Synthesis at Alexandria

The melding of Christianity and Greek philosophy was notably evident in Alexandria, Egypt, where the catechetical school under the leadership of Clement (c. 150-215) and Origen (c. 182-251) fostered a synthesis known as Christoplatonism. This hybrid philosophy, neither fully Platonic nor entirely Christian, paralleled its heretical Gnostic counterparts like Basilides and Valentinus, both of whom were educated in Alexandria. Christoplatonism gained momentum throughout the third and fourth centuries with the rise of Egyptian monasticism and the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Christoplatonism increasingly diverged from the apostolic witness of early Christianity.

Tertullian’s Critique: Defending Apostolic Christianity

Tertullian (c. 155-240) criticized this philosophical influence on Christian doctrine sharply, arguing that heresies in the early church sprang from philosophical ideologies that were fundamentally at odds with Judeo-Christian beliefs. He famously questioned, "What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" asserting that Christian teaching should remain distinct from philosophical discourse, emphasizing simplicity and purity of heart in the pursuit of divine truth.

John Harrigan believes it can be confidently asserted that the dominant source of heresy in the early church was Hellenistic philosophy and mythology, which were diametrically opposed to the faith and tradition of Judaism in the second-temple period. These are indeed two different ways of thinking, or "patterns" of thought.

The Divergence of Worldviews: Greek vs. Hebrew

We observe two different worldviews, the "Greek view" of the universe (material and immaterial) versus the "Hebrew view" of the universe (heavens and earth). As the biblical heavens were consolidated and relegated to ideal immateriality (and the earth was conversely relegated to evil materiality), the prime eschatological doctrines of the apostolic church were altered. The Hellenistic lens significantly altered foundational doctrines, such as the day of the Lord, the resurrection, and the messianic kingdom. Early scriptural interpretations began with the concept of a singular, immaterial 'heaven' rather than the dynamic, pluralistic 'heavens' depicted in scripture, leading to a reinterpretation of the entire biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation.

Scriptural Distortions and Theological Implications

The distortion of the first verse of the Bible is thus a source of distortion throughout the rest of the Scriptures. Instead of beginning with plural, continuous, physical, and dynamic heavens, we start with a singular, discontinuous, nonphysical, and static "heaven," which in turn becomes the field upon which the rest of redemptive history is played out.

The whole "spiritual" hermeneutic of the School of Alexandria, which in turn largely informed the Western theological tradition, operated upon the basis of this distortion. As Origen articulated:

And again [Paul] says, "We shall be caught up in the clouds to meet Christ in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." We are therefore to suppose that the saints will remain there [in their progress to ideal immateriality] until they recognize the twofold mode of government in those things which are performed in the air. . . . If anyone indeed be pure in heart, and holy in mind, and more practiced in perception, he will, by making more rapid progress, quickly ascend to a place in the air, and reach the kingdom of heaven, through those mansions, so to speak, in the various places which the Greeks have termed spheres, i.e., globes, but which holy Scripture has called heavens; in each of which he will first see clearly what is done there, and in the second place, will discover the reason why things are so done: and thus he will in order pass through all gradations, following Him who hath passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, who said, "I will that where I am, these may be also.”

In like manner, many modern believers reinterpret what "holy Scripture has called heavens." Rather than opening their Bible and reading, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," they intuit, In the beginning God created the natural (material) and the supernatural (immaterial).

In the contemporary context, this misinterpretation persists, often illustrated simplistically as two separate realms (heaven and earth). However, a more historically and scripturally accurate depiction would recognize a plurality of heavens and the earth as a unified but multifaceted creation. This concept was understood in the Second Temple period and vividly described in texts like Second Enoch, where the heavens are not merely layers but a complex array of realms through which beings like Enoch traversed, reflecting a cohesive cosmology.

Theological Dissonance and the Need for a Biblical Worldview

When trying to identify the lack of continuity between the Scriptures and modern presentations of the gospel, we must begin with the issues of cosmology and worldview. Otherwise we are doomed to perpetual theological dissonance, akin to placing a soccer team on a basketball court and expecting them to get a touchdown! So it is when you try to place biblical entities on a Hellenistic playing field. Once you change the field of play, all the rules and roles of the game get confounded.

Conclusion: Reaffirming a Cohesive Biblical Cosmology

One's worldview is the ultimate determining factor of one's hermeneutics. Once the first verse is changed, then the interpretation of the rest of the Bible is changed. From Genesis to Revelation--the creation, the fall, the covenants, the prophets, the cross, the church, the day of the Lord, and the new heavens and new earth everything takes on a different meaning. And it is this meaning, the theology and "good news" of the Bible, which is ultimately at stake in the enterprise of articulating and clarifying a biblical worldview.

In sum, recognizing the influence of Hellenistic philosophy on early Christianity is crucial for addressing theological dissonance today. By returning to a biblical cosmology that views heaven and earth as interconnected parts of God’s creation, we can foster a more accurate understanding of scripture and its teachings about the universe.