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Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

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LECTUREXIXTHE GOSPEL OF PHILOSOPHIC HEATHENISMIN the last two lectures we have been tracing areformation <strong>of</strong> heathenism in the Neopythagorean andPlatonistic school <strong>of</strong> thought, <strong>of</strong> which Plutarch hasremained to posterity as the chief representative. Thisschool, dead as we have seen in Cicero's time, anddead in Seneca's time, by the time <strong>of</strong> Domitian badd. Drevailed more and more, and in less thhundred years became the foremost if not the soleampion <strong>of</strong> Grecian thought. In the reign <strong>of</strong> Sep-mius Severus the whole philosophy <strong>of</strong> the Greeks hadcome to the acknowledgment <strong>of</strong> one supreme God,and that a God not distinct from but embracing thedeities <strong>of</strong> the popular mythology. When the Christiansattacked the polytheism <strong>of</strong> the established religion,it replied, " We grant what you teach. We also knowhat there is one Lord over all; but we maintain thahe gods likewise whom we honour are gods. Athere is one Caesar who has many servants. Crefects, Tribunes, Centurions, Decurions, so there isone God under whom are ranged the other gods, whorule the affairs <strong>of</strong> men."2 We now come to a very1 In this chapter I have followed the original life by Philostratusthroughout. I have likewise had specially before me the work <strong>of</strong>Baur, Apollonius und Christies, and Kellner's chapter, Flavinsstratus, der Neo^ythagoraer, as well as Zeller, v. pp. 131-144; butwhile availing myself <strong>of</strong> all these writers, I have endeavoured to formmy own opinion.3 Tzschirner, Fall des Heidenthums, p, 556.207

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