The NT canon as anti-Platonic answer

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
Giuseppe
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Re: The NT canon as anti-Platonic answer

Post by Giuseppe »

In virtue of the same reason, I would have titled a thread on Dennis MacDonald's idea that Mark's Jesus is built on Odysseus as:

Mark's Gospel as anti-Pagan answer.
Secret Alias
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Re: The NT canon as anti-Platonic answer

Post by Secret Alias »

So anything Christian is necessarily 'anti' whatever it resembles?
Secret Alias
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Re: The NT canon as anti-Platonic answer

Post by Secret Alias »

The paper makes the case that the 13 letter, 4 Gospel cannon was created to make the Platonic collection in circulation in the first century a lesser collection in comparison.
I take issue with this part of the analysis. I don't see Clement have this sort of hostility to Plato and Platonism.
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DCHindley
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Re: The NT canon as anti-Platonic answer

Post by DCHindley »

I agree with you. The author of this paper really does not construct a very good argument for there being intentional correlation between the Platonic corpus in the edition he cites (a very real corpus, BTW) and the choice and number of NT books in the Christian canon.

I agree with AA that early Christians did not start to look at their Christology as a form of (Platonic) "Philosophy" until the time of Clement of Alexandria and then as developed by Origen. The prologue to John would not have much relevance before Philo, but he flourished in the 1st half of the 1st century CE, which could still make that gospel very early.

Could some folks have developed Philo's concept of godhead independently from the early Christian development of their ideas about the significance of Jesus and his unexpected death? Sure. I'm saying that these two worlds did not intersect until the time of Clement/Origen.

DCH
Jax wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 10:30 am
Secret Alias wrote: Sat May 15, 2021 9:50 am As always I find Giuseppe's take on things peculiar. Why is this 'anti'-Platonism? Not that I am interested in his response. Just making an observation.
The paper makes the case that the 13 letter, 4 Gospel cannon was created to make the Platonic collection in circulation in the first century a lesser collection in comparison.
Secret Alias
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Re: The NT canon as anti-Platonic answer

Post by Secret Alias »

And I don't know why we should think that this love of Plato began with Clement. Clement likely was part of a "platophilic" Christian tradition that dated back to Philo.
Secret Alias
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Re: The NT canon as anti-Platonic answer

Post by Secret Alias »

Some of Philo's works only survive because of Armenian monks. I wish we had someone at the forum who had some familiarity with Armenia.
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