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HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

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calls the revelation which is extended to the entire human race, the<br />

1 From the point of view of the history of civilisation we may notice the<br />

parallel in the boundless deification of the Koinan Emperors.<br />

2 So also by the Stoics of the time of the Kmpire, philosophy, which among<br />

them likewise aimed to be a cure for sick souls (Epictetus, Dissert. III. 23, 30),<br />

is set forth as a sermon of the deity himself, through the mouth of the wise<br />

man (ib. I. 36).<br />

s In Kuseb. Frcep. Ev. XI. 18, 8.<br />

4 Apol. 11.8; cf. Min. Fol. Oct. 16, 5.<br />

5 On the other hand, to be sure, Justin as well as Philo derives the Greek<br />

philosophy from the Jewish religion, as a borrowing.<br />

224 Hellenistic-Roman Thought : Religious Period. [PART II.<br />

Xoyos &lt;nrepfjM.TiKos. But that which has appeared in former time, so<br />

dispersed and often obscured, is not the full truth : the entire, pure<br />

logos has been revealed in Christ, Son of God, and second God.<br />

In this teaching there prevails, on the one hand, with the Apolo<br />

gists, the effort to set forth Christianity as the true and highest phil<br />

osophy, and to show that it unites in itself all teachings * of abiding<br />

worth that can be discovered in the earlier philosophy. Christ is<br />

called the teacher (StSao-xaAos), and this teacher is Reason itself.<br />

While Christianity was by this means brought as near as possible to<br />

rational philosophy, and philosophy s principle of knowledge made<br />

essentially equivalent to that of religion, this had yet at the same<br />

time the consequence, that the conception of the religious content<br />

itself became strongly rationalistic with Justin and similar Apolo<br />

gists, such as Minucius Felix : the specifically religious elements<br />

appear more repressed, and Christianity takes on the character of a<br />

moralising deism, in which it acquires the greatest similarity to<br />

religious Stoicism. 2<br />

On the other hand, in this relation the self-consciousness of<br />

Christianity speaks out, for with its perfect revelation it regarded<br />

all other kinds of revelation, universal as well as particular, as super<br />

fluous ; and at this point the Apologetic doctrine became of itself<br />

polemic, as is shown especially in Atfienagoras. Revelation here,<br />

too, is still regarded as the truly reasonable, but just on this account

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