FIRST CHRISTIANS | Gurus in the Desert Egypt is the crucible of Christianity, not Judaea. The ancient desert hermits, like St. Anthony & St. Macarius, helped to fashion the idea of monasticism, which eventually made its way into Europe in the late 5th century CE via John Cassian. These saints were of course Coptic Christians, the very first expression of Christianity, and our last link with an earlier form of Christianity - a tradition of eremitical life that has all but disappeared from our modern world. After the execution of Jesus, activity shifted from Judea to Egypt. It was here that Christian doctrine was infused with Neo-Platonic thought, thus providing the theology with a platform from which the Christian religion could be disseminated into Europe. First century Egypt had a rich philosophical inheritance. It had been an important locus for philosophical inquiry when Pythagoras, and later Plato, travelled there to study under the priest at ‘On. By the time of the Alexandrian philosophers, 400 years later, Egypt had become a veritable center of culture, intellect and discourse. Their ideas were translated into theological inquiry and spiritual practice by the early Christians living there, as well as the hermits of the desert. The first century Jewish philosopher, Philo Judaeus’ allegorically reinterpretation of the Jewish scriptures represents the apex of Hellenistic Jewish-Platonic syncretism. This hermeneutical method was echoed by the early church fathers and still is part of the Orthodox Church today. Plotinus’ Neo-Platonic metaphysical writings inspired centuries of Pagan, Christian, Jewish, Islamic and Gnostic mystics. The Alexandrian school of Christian theology remained influential until the 8th cent. CE. It was founded by Origen and Clement, who proposed to unite the mysticism of Neoplatonism with the practical spirit of Christianity.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 14:00:01 +0000
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