The Moral Psychology of Clement of Alexandria

Mosaic Philosophy

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality
Cover of the book The Moral Psychology of Clement of Alexandria by Kathleen Gibbons, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kathleen Gibbons ISBN: 9781315511474
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: October 4, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Kathleen Gibbons
ISBN: 9781315511474
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: October 4, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

In The Moral Psychology of Clement of Alexandria, Kathleen Gibbons proposes a new approach to Clement’s moral philosophy and explores how his construction of Christianity’s relationship with Jewishness informed, and was informed by, his philosophical project. As one of the earliest Christian philosophers, Clement’s work has alternatively been treated as important for understanding the history of relations between Christianity and Judaism and between Christianity and pagan philosophy. This study argues that an adequate examination of his significance for the one requires an adequate examination of his significance for the other.

While the ancient claim that the writings of Moses were read by the philosophical schools was found in Jewish, Christian, and pagan authors, Gibbons demonstrates that Clement’s use of this claim shapes not only his justification of his authorial project, but also his philosophical argumentation. In explaining what he took to be the cosmological, metaphysical, and ethical implications of the doctrine that the supreme God is a lawgiver, Clement provided the theoretical justifications for his views on a range of issues that included martyrdom, sexual asceticism, the status of the law of Moses, and the relationship between divine providence and human autonomy. By contextualizing Clement’s discussions of volition against wider Greco-Roman debates about self-determination, it becomes possible to reinterpret the invocation of “free will” in early Christian heresiological discourse as part of a larger dispute about what human autonomy requires.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In The Moral Psychology of Clement of Alexandria, Kathleen Gibbons proposes a new approach to Clement’s moral philosophy and explores how his construction of Christianity’s relationship with Jewishness informed, and was informed by, his philosophical project. As one of the earliest Christian philosophers, Clement’s work has alternatively been treated as important for understanding the history of relations between Christianity and Judaism and between Christianity and pagan philosophy. This study argues that an adequate examination of his significance for the one requires an adequate examination of his significance for the other.

While the ancient claim that the writings of Moses were read by the philosophical schools was found in Jewish, Christian, and pagan authors, Gibbons demonstrates that Clement’s use of this claim shapes not only his justification of his authorial project, but also his philosophical argumentation. In explaining what he took to be the cosmological, metaphysical, and ethical implications of the doctrine that the supreme God is a lawgiver, Clement provided the theoretical justifications for his views on a range of issues that included martyrdom, sexual asceticism, the status of the law of Moses, and the relationship between divine providence and human autonomy. By contextualizing Clement’s discussions of volition against wider Greco-Roman debates about self-determination, it becomes possible to reinterpret the invocation of “free will” in early Christian heresiological discourse as part of a larger dispute about what human autonomy requires.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Employee Relations Audits by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book King Leir by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book Egyptian Foreign Policy From Mubarak to Morsi by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book Women's Ritual Competence in the Greco-Roman Mediterranean by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book Justice, Property and the Environment by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book Popular Viennese Electronic Music, 1990–2015 by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book Rural Disorder and Police Reform in Ireland, 1812-36 by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book Wall Memorials and Heritage by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book Gay-Straight Alliances by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book Empowerment and Participatory Evaluation of Community Interventions by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book The Evolution of the Medieval World by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book The Education of Migrant Children and China's Future by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book Divided Village: The Cold War in the German Borderlands by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book State Formation in Japan by Kathleen Gibbons
Cover of the book The Lights of Home by Kathleen Gibbons
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy