Christian Platonism: A History

Description

Platonism has played a central role in Christianity and is essential to a deep understanding of the Christian theological tradition. At times, Platonism has constituted an essential philosophical and theological resource, furnishing Christianity with an intellectual framework that has played a key role in its early development, and in subsequent periods of renewal. Alternatively, it has been considered a compromising influence, conflicting with the faith's revelatory foundations and distorting its inherent message. In both cases the fundamental importance of Platonism, as a force which Christianity defined itself by and against, is clear. Written by an international team of scholars, this landmark volume examines the history of Christian Platonism from antiquity to the present day, covers key concepts, and engages issues such as the environment, natural science and materialism.

Alexander J. B. Hampton is Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Toronto, specialising in metaphysics, poetics and nature. He is the author of Romanticism and the Re-Invention of Modern Religion (Cambridge, 2019) and co-editor of the forthcoming Cambridge Companion to Religion and the Environment. John Peter Kenney is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Saint Michael's College. He is the author of Mystical Monotheism: A Study in Ancient Platonic Theology (1991), The Mysticism of Saint Augustine: Rereading the Confessions (2005), Contemplation and Classical Christianity: A Study in Augustine (2013), and On God, the Soul, Evil, and the Rise of Christianity (2018).

''What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?' Tertullian famously asked. For every Christian thinker like Tertullian or Adolph Harnack who questioned the relation between Platonism and Christianity, there have been at least dozen others who have welcomed Platonism in its many varieties as an invaluable conversation partner in the effort to express the inner meaning of Christian faith and its commitment to transcendence. Christian Platonism: A History is a bold and comprehensive study of the interaction of the Platonic tradition and Christian thought over the past two millennia. More than twenty essays by noted scholars explore the concepts, the history, and the implications of Christian Platonism in a stunning new contribution to a perennial issue.' Bernard McGinn, University of Chicago Divinity School 'It is hard now to remember that just a few decades ago it was generally assumed that a 'dePlatonising' of Christianity was desirable. Today, the intimate relationship between Christianity and something broadly 'Platonic' from the outset is often seen as ineradicable and essential. Moreover, a deepening comprehension of this relationship is regarded as one key to a creative development of Christian theology and practice in the future. The essays in this splendid volume by a glittering array of distinguished scholars and thinkers explain exactly why.' John Milbank, University of Nottingham 'This comprehensive collection of essays elucidates why Jerusalem cannot leave Athens behind. The superb quality of Hampton and Kenney's book witnesses to the continuing relevance of the participatory ontology of the Christian tradition.' Hans Boersma, Nasthotah House Theological Seminary 'Far from considering Christian Platonism a mere stepchild, skirting the bounds of theological doctrine with remarkable spiritual fervor, this volume embraces and explores its richness as a font and wellspring of organic wisdom. I warmly recommend it.' Willemien Otten, University of Chicago Divinity School 'This book is a most welcome contribution to the burgeoning scholarly literature on Christian Neoplatonism. Neoplatonism is the longest and most enduring tradition in the history of philosophy and yet perhaps the most neglected. The Neoplatonic principle that all things are one in the One, that itself is Goodness beyond being, has inspired philosophers, theologians, and poets, and provided the very framework for the Christian tradition (and also heavily influenced Judaism, Islam and even later Indian thought). This edited volume, by internationally acclaimed scholars addresses this neglect with a comprehensive treatment, explaining in a readable manner the central concepts, themes of Neoplatonism and its engagements with science, religion and the arts.' Dermot Moran, Boston College 'This wonderful book will be of use to scholars and students for many years to come ... Highly recommended.' A. Jaeger, Choice