THE HISTORY OF OPINION$ CONCERNING CHRIS T. BOOK II. CONTAINING THE HISTORY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY, H CHAPTER I. Of Chriftian Platonifm. AVING fhewn what were the boafted principles of the Platonic school, as held by Plato himself, by his followers about the time of the christian æra, and by Philo; let us now fee what use was made of them by the philofophizing chriftians, many of whom were educated in the Platonic school of Alexandria, Abfurd and confufed as the fyftem must appear C4 appear to us at this day, it should be confidered that it was the only philosophy that was in vogue at the time of the promulgation of christianity; so that perfons of a liberal education could not well be supposed to adopt any other. In that age, the chief fubject of deliberation was the choice of a master in philosophy; and though those who then gave lectures at Alexandria, claimed the privilege of felecting what they thought proper from the fyftems of all the philofophers, and on that account called themselves Eclectics, the different doctrines were fo difcordant, that it was not much of any of them that could be adopted into other. any Accordingly, we find that, with respect to every thing of much confequence, fuch as the doctrine concerning God, the maker and governor of the world, and the first principles of all things, the philofophers of Alexandria were, or pretended to be, wholly Platonifts. And it must be allowed that, compared with other fyftems, there were many things exceedingly fper cious in the doctrine of Plato, and fuch as would would render it peculiarly captivating to religious and pious perfons, who were fhocked with the principles of Ariftotle, as leading to atheism, and who revolted at the rigour of the ftoics, but were charmed with the fublimity of Plato. Alfo, the air of mystery which accompanied his doctrine would not, perhaps, upon the whole, leffen the favourable impreffion which it was calculated to make upon the mind. The things which moft ftruck the chrif tians in Platonism, were the doctrine of one God, a being of perfect goodness, that of his univerfal providence, that of the foul, and its immortality, and that of the improvement of the mind confifting in its refemblance to God, and a kind of union with him. These things pleased the chriftians fo much, that they perfuaded themfelves that Plato had actually borrowed them from the writings of Mofes, with which they faid he might have been acquainted during his refidence in Egypt, or in his travels in the Eaft. Juftin Martyr, and others of the Fathers, infist much upon this. It was on account of this suppofed pofed refemblance between Platonism and the doctrine of the fcriptures, that this philofophy was thought to be the best preparation for the ftudy of christianity; and that it was even imagined that it was given to the world by a particular providence, as introductory to the chriftian dispensation. "The Greek philofophy," fays Clemens Alexandrinus, “cleanses the mind and prepares it for the reception of faith, on "which truth builds knowledge *." Other extracts will be given from this writer hereafter, which will more clearly fhew what his ideas on this fubject were. 66 That chriftians were really ftruck with the principles of Platonism above-mentioned, is not a matter of conjecture only, but appears clearly in their writings. M. Felix fays, that "according to Plato's Ti"mæus, God is the parent of the world, "the author of the foul, and the maker of "things in heaven and earth. It is nearly," fays he," the fame doctrine with our * Φιλοσοφία δε η Ελληνική, οιον προκαθαίρει και προεθίζει την ψυχήν εις παραδοχήν πίσεως, εφ η την γνωσιν εποικοδομεί η αληθεια. Strom, lib. 7. Opera, p. 710, ❝ own." |