Christianity and Greco – Roman Learning
...ed that philosophy interfered with God’s nature and purpose. Through God’s son Jesus Christ, Christians should not have any speculation, and by the existence of the Gospels there is no need for further research, “After Jesus Christ we have no need of speculation, after the Gospels no need for research.” Tertullian uses the Apostle Paul as an example of why Christians should be careful of philosophy, “Take heed lest any man you through philosophy or vain deceit, after the tradition of man.” (Colossians 2:8) Upon his visit to Athens, Tertullian comes to grip with the human wisdom which attacks and prevents truth. He asks himself, ‘What has Jerusalem to do with Athens, the church with academy, the Christians with the heretic?’ In Tertullian’s writings, he does not see the need for further development towards understanding Christianity, for a true believer will have no desire to believe anything else, ‘for we begin to believe that there is nothing else which we have to believe.’ Clement of Alexandra’s attitude towards secular learning was that philosophy he believed was a clear image of truth, a divine gift from God to the Greeks. Alexandra believed that philosophy acted like a school master to the Greeks, which would prepare them for Christ, like the laws of the Jews which prepared them for Christ. However to touch back on Tertullian’s point about, what does Christ and Jerusalem have to do with Athens and the Greeks. Why would the Lord prepare the Greeks for Christ? At the beginning of his argument Alexander defends philosophy and Greco – Roman learning, by stating that the Greeks should not be condemned because they take a more comprehensive investigation towards the works of the Gospe...