Greek Philosophy and Christian Thought in Antiquity (AP8105A)

Content

This unit introduces the student to Greek philosophy from the Pre-Socratics, through Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Epicureans, Neo-Platonists, Cynics and Sceptics, down to prominent Coptic philosophers such as Clement of Alexandria, John Philoponus, Isidore of Pelusium, and Pseudo-Dionysius. It explores the interaction between Greek philosophy and antique Christian thought generally, through common themes such as the nature of God, the soul, the good life, truth, and metaphysics. Students will also be introduced to the nature of philosophical inquiry, to several key texts, and to methods of argumentation. They will gain a sense of the history of ideas.

Learning outcomes

Pedagogy

Lectures (12 hours) Tutorial discussions and student presentations (24 hours) Online discussion forum

Indicative Bibliography

• Adamson, Peter. Classical Philosophy. *A history of philosophy without any gaps, volume 1. Oxford University Press, 2014. (recommended for purchase)
• Annas, J. The Morality of Happiness. Oxford University Press, 1993.
• Annas, J. Plato: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2003.
• Barnes, Jonathan (ed). The Complete Works of Aristotle, Volumes 1 & 2. Princeton University Press, 1984.
• Cooper, John M (ed). Plato: Complete Works. Hackett, 1997.
• Davison, Andrew. The Love of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy for Theologians. SCM Press, 2013.
• DeWeese, GJ. Doing Philosophy as a Christian. IVP Academic, 2011.
• Hard, Robin (trans). Epictetus. Discourses, Fragments, Handbook. Oxford University Press, 2014.
• Hill, J. The History of Christian Thought. Lion, 2003.
• Karamanolis, George. The Philosophy of Early Christianity. Acumen Press, 2013. (recommended for purchase)
• Long, A. A. Hellenistic Philosophy: Stoics, Epicureans, Skeptics. 2nd edition, Duckworth, 1986.
• Murray, Michael and Rea, Michael, “Philosophy and Christian Theology”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2015/entries/christiantheology-philosophy/.
• Reeve, CDC & Miller, Patrick Lee. Introductory Readings in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy. Hackett, 2006.
• Shields, C. Aristotle. Routledge, 2007.
• Stumpf, SE & Fieser, J. Socrates to Sartre: A History of Philosophy. 7th edition. McGraw-Hill, 2003.
• Vasiliou, I. Aiming at Virtue in Plato. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
• Vlastos, Gregory. Socrates: Ironist and Moral Philosopher. Cornell University Press, 1991.
• Waterfield, Robin (trans). The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and Sophists. Oxford University Press, 2000.

Assessment