Describe the factors that contributed to the development of early Christian theology.
Early Christian theologians include St. Anselm, Peter Abelard, St. Thomas Aquinas, William of Occum, and others.
St. Anselm- In a book named “Faith Seeking Understanding”, St. Anselm reasoned that proper reason should supplement the Christian faith. This concept of reasoning along with the faith in Christian doctrines was a shift from the traditional Christian beliefs. He gave the famous concept of “ontological argument for the existence of God” which means there must be any cause behind the thoughts that come to our mind. These were all Aristotelian school of thought.
Peter Lombard- Lombard argued that one can learn about God by three things namely; reasoning, having faith and studying the works of God. Peter Lombard said that one does not need to escape from the physical world to experience God.
Peter Abelard- He translated Aristotle’s works and introduced a method of studying that was popular in the Scholastic period. He believed that theological questions should be backed by arguments and counter-arguments. He wanted to remove the inconsistencies and arrive at a position where the authority of Bible will be considered final.
The factors that contributed to the development of early Christian theology are as follows:
1. Rediscovery of Aristotle’s works- During the holy Crusades, Aristotle’s works was rediscovered. The Christian theologians were greatly influenced and they tried to incorporate his philosophy and ideas within the Christian doctrines.
2. Islamic influence- The Islamic philosophers incorporated the ancient knowledge and wisdom of the Greeks and Romans. Persian Philosophers were immensely influenced by Aristotle’s philosophies and arguments, and they accepted Aristotle’s ideas within the religious doctrines. In fact, the Islamic philosophers studied Aristotelian philosophies much earlier (2-3 centuries) than their Christian counterparts.
3. Jewish influence- Jewish Philosophers, such as Maimonides (1135-1204 AD), wanted reconciliation between Aristotelian philosophy and Judaism. He wanted to end the conflict among religion and philosophical/scientific thoughts by incorporating Aristotle’s philosophies and philosophical arguments.
4. The Works of early Christian theologians- The works of St. Anselm and other early Christian theologians were influenced by the works of Islamic/Jewish philosophers. Like them, these Christian theologians also incorporated the ideas and philosophies of Aristotle into the Christian doctrines.