PHILOSOPHY (11-16s'o-fy),(Gr.40tocroola,fii-os of-ee'ab, love of wisdom), used by the Greeks to denote skill in, or zeal for, any art or science or any branch of knowledge.
During his visit to Athens, St. Paul was en countered by certain philosophers of the Epicure ans and of the Stoics (Acts xvii:18), the two great moral schools of Greek philosophy. This is the only instance related in the New Testatnent of an encounter between Christianity and West ern speculation. But Eastern speculation, in many ways and under many forms, tried from the earliest times to penetrate into the mysteries of Christianity, and in the philosophy against which Paul warned the Colossians (Col. ii:8 et seq.), we recognize not only an outgrowth of Eastern speculation, but the prototype of that fantastic mysticism which afterward played so conspicuous a part in the history of the Eastern Church under the name of Gnosticism (comp. I Tim. vi:2o). Schaff, Bib. Dict.
1. Value of KnoWledge of Greek Philos ophy. In the articles on GNOSTICISM and LOGOS it has been shown that a knowledge of Greek phi losophy throws light on one of the most recondite doctrines of Christianity, bringing us acquainted with expressions and opinions current through out the civilized world during the rise and prog ress of Christianity, and showing how these modes of expression came to be adopted by the first converts to Christianity, and afterwards to be employed by St. John in his Gospel. Indeed, if a knowledge of the sacrificial language of the Jews throws light upon Christ's mission, in so far as its object was to put an end to the numerous sacrifices and ceremonial ministrations of the Jewish priesthood, it is not less evident that a knowledge of the philosophical language of the Greeks will throw light upon the first use amongst the Christian converts, and upon the subsequent adoption by St. John into his Gospel, and by St. Paul into his Epistles, of the remarkable language employed to describe the mission and the nature of Christ. But not only may a knowledge of ancient learning. and more
especially of ancient philosophy, supply valuable assistance for the better understanding of Chris tian doctrines ; but we may derive front such knowledge the fullest and clearest proofs of the benefit conferred by Christianity on the progress of principle and civilization : and we may add, that we have a direct warrant from St. Paul to employ ancient learning, and more especially Greek philosophy', in rendering to thc Christian religion the services we have specified.
2. St. Paul's Denunciation of Moral EVils. (1) Vices and Crimes. Perhaps there does not occur in the Christian record a more striking and important passage than that which we shall quote from the Epistle to the Romans: that Epistle which, for its general and paramount interest (being equally addressed to Gentile, Jew, and Christian), has been placed first of the Epistles. Indeed, the Epistle to the Romans proves, by the plainest facts, that Christianity was absolutely necessary for the removal of the most intolerable evils that ever oppressed the world. The Apostle of the Gentiles, having in the opening chapter given a fearful picture of the vices and crimes of Rome, the truth of which is fully established by the writings of Tacitus and Suetonius, Martial and the Roman satirists (and in the next chapter, he charges the same neglect of moral duty, under pretense of a sounder faith, upon the Jews), proceeds to address Gentile and Jew in a strain of manly and noble eloquence, which, if we estimate the magnitude of the interests, individual and domestic, private and public, religious, moral, and political, which then depended and still de pends on the understanding and reception of Christianity in its truth and power, must be al lowed to leave every other example cf reasoning and eloquence far behind it. The words of St. Paul, following his exposure of the wickedness of Rome (of heathen vices as the direct conse quences of heathen superstitions) are contained in ROIT1. 1:21, 24-26, 28, 29, etc.