Early Christian writers about ancient philosophy (part I)

Abstract

Christian theology often is called Christianized philosophy. However in the early centuries of Christianity Christian
writers don’t refer to the ancient philosophy positively. The philosophy was a relic of paganism, and treated it’s teachings
as vain and chattery philosophical views. The first Christian writers had to face up with philosophy, so many of them
critically or positively wrote about it. The first time apostle Paul came into contact with philosophers during his stay in
Athens. Apologists then went on to write about the philosophers just as later the Fathers of the Church drew inspiration
from ancient philosophy as well. In their opinion theology and philosophy differed from each other like the truth from the
belief. Revealed in Scripture the knowledge about God is truth, because it was proclaimed by the prophets and apostles,
which was inspired of the Holy Spirit. They didn’t speak from himself, but God spoke through them. But philosophers
trusted their own mind and were seeking knowledge about the beginning, about truth, about God etc. Since the first century,
Christian theology and philosophy saw this bond of “mutual understanding” unite them to this day.