Author: A. Yu. Bratukhin (Perm State University)

Pages\n 123–131

Summary\n: The early Christian literature during the hundred years has passed the way from the unsophisticated works, which were written by the Apostolic Fathers exclusively for their coreligionists, until the exquisite philosophical treatises of Clement of Alexandria. However the main Christian genre of the Second Century is apologetic. Such apologists as Aristides, Justin Martyr, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus and others defended the new religion in front of pagans. These authors opposed the Christianity to the Greek philosophy. They considered it as strange and alien from the classical tradition, even if they called their doctrine “our barbarian philosophy (ἡ καθʼ ἡμᾶς βάρβαρος φιλοσοφία)” (Tatian. Orat. 35, 1) or simply “our philosophy (ἡ γὰρ καθʼ ἡμᾶς φιλοσοφία)” (Melito apud Eus. H. E, IV, 26, 7). Clement of Alexandria unlike them no always identified the orthodox Christianity with “barbarian philosophy” (sometimes he marked heretical schools by this notion too). Except “barbarian philosophy” he mentioned the Hebrew philosophy and the philosophy of Egyptians and Indians. Clement uses, as Plato did, words “the true philosophy” (ἡ ἀληθὴς φιλοσοφία). It becomes for him a summit of all previous doctrines. Synonyms of this notion are for him “genuine philosophy (ἡ ὄντως φιλοσοφία)” and “right (ὀρθή) philosophy”. This method allows Clement to speak with his readers as philosopher with philosophers. He not only writes about the synthesis of “the various elements of truth found in both Hebrew and Greek philosophy”, as A. C. Ittrer says, but makes the new doctrine (“the true philosophy”) the legitimate heir of the Greek philosophy. The Hebrew and Greek elements in his synthesis are not equal: Clement as usual doesn’t distinguish between “barbarian / Hebrew philosophy” as the pure Biblical doctrine and “the true philosophy”. Last term has meaning “orthodox Christian doctrine” and contrasts both Greek schools and Christian sects.

Keywords\n: Early Christianity, apology, the Alexandrian school, Clement of Alexandria, philosophical treatise.

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