The Use Of Classical Greek Philosophy In Early Lutheranism -- By: Jordan Cooper

Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 26:1 (Sep 2018)
Article: The Use Of Classical Greek Philosophy In Early Lutheranism
Author: Jordan Cooper


The Use Of Classical Greek Philosophy In Early Lutheranism1

Jordan Cooper

and

Dan Lioy

Keywords

Metaphysics Lutheran scholasticism Faith and reason Philosophy and theology Prolegomena.

About The Authors2

Jordan Cooper

PhD student at the South African Theological Seminary (graduating April 2019).

Dan Lioy

PhD (North-West University) The Senior Research Manager at the South African Theological Seminary, Dan has a particular research interest in intertextuality, Biblical ethics and spiritual care in professional settings.

This article: https://www.sats.edu.za/cooper-lioy-classical-greek-philosophy-early-lutheranism

Abstract

This article is an examination of the use of classical philosophy in the Lutheran tradition from Martin Luther through Johann Gerhard. It focuses particularly on the essentialist philosophies of both Plato and Aristotle as used and modified in these Lutheran writers. The claim made in this article is that though critical of Aristotelian thought on certain points, the first generations of Lutheran theologians also incorporated certain aspects of these philosophies in a positive manner within their theological systems. The goal of this article is to demonstrate that such positive evaluations of certain aspects of both Aristotle and Plato’s philosophies can be found throughout these thinkers, as well as to demonstrate the usefulness of these categories in the contemporary church.

1. Introduction

The Lutheran tradition has sometimes had a reputation for being opposed to philosophy, especially in view of the fondness for mystery over syllogistic reasoning that is apparent in Lutheran theological texts. It is well known that Martin Luther often spoke disparagingly about the abuses of Aristotelian thought in the medieval church. Today, there are hardly any influential Christian philosophers who identify as part of the Lutheran Reformation. This leads to a caricature of Lutheran thought which is opposed to reason and philosophy more generally. It is the argument of this paper, however, that this notion is mistaken. Though critical of Aristotelian philosophy on certain points, the early Lutheran writers were not opposed to philosophy as such, and often utilised ancient Greek metaphysical categories to explain their own thought.

This article addresses the question: did the Lutheran reformers use reason and Greek ...

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