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Neoplatonism was a major influence onChristian theology throughoutLate Antiquity and theMiddle Ages in the East, and sometimes in the West as well. In the East, major Greek Fathers likeBasil,Gregory of Nyssa andGregory of Nazianzus were influenced by Platonism and Neoplatonism, but also Stoicism often leading towards asceticism and harsh treatment of the body, for examplestylite asceticism. In the West,St. Augustine of Hippo was influenced by the early NeoplatonistsPlotinus andPorphyry. Later on, in the East, the works of the Christian writerPseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, who was influenced by later Neoplatonists such asProclus andDamascius, became a critical work on which Greek church fathers based their theology, likeMaximus believing it was an original work ofDionysius the Areopagite.
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Early Christians includingOrigen,Gregory of Nyssa, and Augustine were influenced by Neoplatonism, but none accepted it uncritically and they accepted absolute monism and itsemanationists' views.[1] Certain central tenets of Neoplatonism served as a philosophical interim for theChristiantheologianAugustine of Hippo on his journey fromdualisticManichaeism to Christianity. As a Manichee, Augustine had held that evil has substantial being and that God is made of matter; when he became a Neoplatonist, he changed his views on these things. As a Neoplatonist, and later a Christian, Augustine believed that evil is a privation of good and that God is not material. Perhaps more importantly, the emphasis on mystical contemplation as a means to directly encounter God or the One, found in the writings ofPlotinus andPorphyry, deeply affected Augustine. According to his own account of his important discovery of 'the books of the Platonists' inConfessions Book 7, Augustine owes his conception of both God and the human soul as incorporeal substance to Neoplatonism. But Augustine was also critical of Neoplatonism doctrines and their formulations, and he rejected the Neoplatonists'immaterialism.[2]
Other Christians assimilated Neoplatonist ideas,[3] especially in their identifying the Neoplatonic One, or God, withYahweh. The most influential of these would beOrigen, who potentially took classes fromAmmonius Saccas (but this is not certain because there may have been a different philosopher, now calledOrigen the Pagan, at the same time), and the late 5th century author known asPseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.
Neoplatonism also had links withGnosticism, which Plotinus rebuked in his ninth tractate of the secondEnneads: "Against Those That Affirm The Creator of The Kosmos and The Kosmos Itself to Be Evil"[a] (generally known as "Against The Gnostics").[b]
Due to their belief being grounded in Platonic thought, the neoplatonists rejected Gnosticism's vilification of Plato'sdemiurge, the creator of the material world or cosmos discussed in theTimaeus. Although neoplatonism has been referred to as orthodox Platonic philosophy by scholars likeProfessor John D. Turner, this reference may be due in part to Plotinus' attempt to refute certain interpretations of Platonic philosophy, through hisEnneads. Plotinus believed the followers of gnosticism had corrupted the original teachings of Plato.
Despite the influence this philosophy had on Christianity,Justinian I would hurt later neoplatonism by ordering the closure of the refoundedAcademy of Athens in 529.[4] Nevertheless, members of therhetorical school of Gaza such asAeneas of Gaza orProcopius of Gaza would synthesize neoplatonism with early orthodox Christian ideas without any disturbances.[5]
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Pseudo-Dionysius proved significant for both theByzantine andRoman branches of Christianity. His works were translated into Latin byJohn Scotus Eriugena in the 9th century.
From the days of the Early Church until the present, theEastern Orthodox Church has made positive selective[citation needed] use of ancient Greek philosophy, particularly Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics.[6] For example, the termlogos (GreekΛόγος) originated withHeraclitus and meant reason or thought. In the Christian context,Logos takes on a deeper meaning and becomes a name for the second person of the Trinity. The writer and theologianGregory Palamas in the 14th century gave four distinct meanings for the term.[7] The most important principle to keep in mind is that early Christianity developed in a Greek milieu and a common vocabulary was used in philosophical, spiritual and theological writing. However, the meanings of words sometimes evolved along different lines. In other cases, philosophical ideas and concepts were sometimes adapted and changed by Christian writers. Any exegetical endeavor trying to unravel the influence of neoplatonic thought on Christian theology needs to keep these principles in mind. One should also note that philosophy was used quite differently in the Eastern and Western theological traditions.
The writings attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite are among the most enigmatic works of late antiquity. Byzantine scholars such as Gregory Palamas cited Dionysius especially in matters of Mystical Theology such as theoria, the divine energies and the unknowability of God.[8] At present, modern theologians and philosophers[9] are still debating whether Dionysius was a Neoplatonist with Christian influences or a Christian writer with Neoplatonic influences. Among Orthodox scholars, the latter view seems to be shared by such writers asAndrew Louth[10] andVladimir Lossky.[11] However, other Orthodox scholars such asJohn Meyendorff believe that the Neoplatonism of Dionysius exerted both positive and negative influences on Orthodox theology.[12] Meyendorff maintains that Dionysius has led to some confusion in the areas of liturgical and ecclesiological formulations.
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Marsilio Ficino, who translated Plotinus, Proclus, as well as Plato's complete works into Latin, was the central figure of a major Neoplatonist revival in the Renaissance. His friend,Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, was also a major figure in this movement. Both were students of Jewish mysticalKabbalah, which was heavily influenced by neoplatonism. Renewed interest in Plotinian philosophy contributed to the rational theology and philosophy of the "Cambridge Platonist" circle (B. Whichcote,R. Cudworth,J. Smith,H. More, etc.). Renaissance Neoplatonism also overlapped with or graded into various forms ofChristian esotericism.
