In the formation of Christian theology and philosophy, such a direction as patristics played a huge role. Representatives of this layer of religious thinking are often called the Fathers of the Church, hence the name from the Latin word Pater, that is, father. At the time of the birth of Christian philosophy, these people often turned out to be opinion leaders in Christian communities. They also influenced the formation of dogmatics on many very important issues. Historians date the patristic period from early Christianity to the seventh century AD. Special science is studying this era, as well as its main achievements.
Periodization
Traditionally, this direction of Christian thought is divided into Western and Eastern. In other words, we are talking about Roman (Latin) and Greek patristics. This division is based on the language in which the main works of this era are written. Although some Church Fathers are revered equally in both Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Chronologically, patristics, whose representatives are described in this article,divided into three major periods. The initial one lasted until the Council of Nicaea in 325. It flourished before 451 and declined until the seventh century.
Pre-Nicaea period - initial
Tradition also says that patristics already existed in the earliest times. Its representatives wrote the first liturgical texts and prescriptions for church life. It is customary to refer to the Fathers of the Church and the apostles, but very little historical data on this has been preserved. Only Paul, Peter, James and other disciples of Christ can be perceived as such. The first representatives of patristics are also called the Apostolic Fathers. Among them we can recall Clement of Rome, Tertullian, Cyprian, Lactantius and Novatian. Thanks to them, Western patristics was formed. The ideas and representatives of this trend are mainly associated with the apology of Christianity. That is, these thinkers tried to prove that their faith and philosophy were no worse, but much better than those of the pagans.
Tertullian
This passionate and uncompromising man was a fighter against Gnosticism. Although he was an apologetic all his life, he can be given the palm of the hand in establishing the dogma of the early church. He did not present his thoughts systematically - in the works of this theologian one can find mixed discourses on ethics, cosmology and psychology. We can say that this is a unique representative of patristics. Not without reason, despite his desire for orthodoxy, at the end of his life he joined the dissident movement within Christianity.- Montanists. Tertullian was such a fierce enemy of the pagans and gnostics that he lashed out with accusations against the whole of ancient philosophy as a whole. For him, she was the mother of all heresies and deviations. Greek and Roman culture, from his point of view, is separated from Christianity by an abyss that cannot be crossed. Therefore, the famous paradoxes of Tertullian oppose such a phenomenon as patristics in philosophy. Representatives of the later period took a completely different path.
The era after the Council of Nicaea - heyday
This time is considered the golden age of patristics. It is he who accounts for the bulk of the literature written by the Church Fathers. The main problem of the classical period is the discussion about the nature of the Trinity, as well as the controversy with the Manicheans. Western patristics, whose representatives defended the Nicene Creed, boast such minds as Hilary, Martin Victorinus, and Ambrose of Milan. The latter was elected Bishop of Milan, and his works are more like sermons. He was the pre-eminent spiritual authority of his time. He, like his other colleagues, was strongly influenced by the ideas of Neoplatonism and was a supporter of the allegorical interpretation of the Bible.
Augustine
This outstanding representative of patristics in his youth was fond of Manichaeism. Ambrose's sermons helped him return to the bosom of Christianity. Subsequently, he took the priesthood and until his death was the bishop of the city of Hippo. CompositionsAugustine can be considered the apogee of Latin patristics. His main works are “Confession”, “On the Trinity” and “On the City of God”. For Augustine, God is the highest essence and at the same time the form, goodness and cause of all being. He continues to create the world, and this is reflected in the history of mankind. God is both the subject and cause of all knowledge and action. There is a hierarchy of creations in the world, and the order in it, as the theologian believed, is supported by eternal ideas like Platonic ones. Augustine believed that knowledge was possible, but at the same time he was sure that neither feelings nor reason could lead to truth. Only faith can do this.
The ascent of man to God and free will according to Augustine
To some extent, the innovation introduced into Christian theology by this representative of patristics is a continuation of Tertullian's paradoxes, but in a slightly different form. Augustine agreed with his predecessor that the human soul is by nature Christian. Therefore, the ascent to God should be happiness for her. Moreover, the human soul is a microcosm. This means that the soul is by nature close to God and any knowledge for it is the way to it, that is, faith. Its essence is free will. It is twofold - it is evil and good. Everything bad comes exclusively from man, for which the latter bears responsibility. And all good things are done only by the grace of God. Without it, nothing can be done, even if a person thinks that he is doing it all on his own. God allows evil to existharmony. Augustine was a supporter of the doctrine of predestination. From his point of view, God determines in advance whether the soul is destined for hell or heaven. But this happens because he knows how people control their will.
Augustine about time
Man, as this Christian philosopher believed, has power over the present. God is the master of the future. There was no time before the creation of the world. And now it's more of a psychological concept. We know it with attention, linking the past with memory and the future with hope. History, according to Augustine, is the path from damnation and fall to salvation and new life in God. His theory of two kingdoms - earthly and God's - is also connected with the doctrine of time. The relationship between them is very ambivalent - it is coexistence and struggle at the same time. The earthly world is experiencing prosperity and decline, and Adam's sin consisted not only in the fact that he refused God in obedience, but also in the fact that he chose things, and not spiritual perfection. The only representative of the kingdom of God on earth, which should come after the end of time, is the church, the mediator between man and the upper world. But as the theologian admitted, there are also a lot of tares. Therefore, if a person is destined to achieve bliss, then he can eventually do it without the church. After all, God intended him to do so. The assessment of Augustine's theology is very ambiguous, because his ideas both served to formulate Christian dogmas that existed for a thousand years and prepared the Reformation.
A period of decline
Like any historical phenomenon, patristics also changed. Its representatives began to deal more and more with political rather than theological problems. Especially when the Roman papacy began to form, claiming secular power. Among the interesting philosophers of this time are Marcianus Capella, Pseudo-Dionysius, Boethius, Isidore of Seville. Standing apart is Pope Gregory the Great, who is considered the last great writer of the patristic era. However, he is valued not so much for theological reflections, but for the letters in which he codified the charter of the clergy, and for organizational skills.
Main problems of patristics
The Church Fathers thought about God's saving plan for humanity and the place of Christianity among the surrounding cultures (Judaism, Hellenism, Eastern traditions). They came to the conclusion that it is naturally impossible to know the highest truth. This is only available through revelation. They agreed that the world was created by God from nothing, it has a beginning and an end. They gave rise to a rather difficult theodicy, according to which, the main culprit of evil is a person who has badly used his free will. The fight against dissident currents that arose inside and outside the church, as well as the development of rhetoric, sharpened the pen of the theologians and made their works a model of the flourishing of Christian thought. Patristics, the main ideas and representatives of which are described above, became the subject of imitation for many centuries in both Eastern and Western church traditions.
