Channels, Fall 2016

Channels • 2016 • Volume 1 • Number 1 Page 5 simply imported Hellenistic philosophy into their theology. Any theological development would have to choose between conflicting positions. Where would the fathers turn to answer such questions? If we give any credence to the fathers’ self-interpretation, 25 we must recognize that their basic understanding of God from both the Scriptures and the apostolic tradition would have guided these decisions. The lexical flex of key terms and the complex philosophical milieu must be kept in mind as we examine specific fathers. The lexical contours of the terms απαθεια and απαθης indicate that assuming a complete negation of emotions from the outset would be misinformed. In fact, lexical factors indicate this term may be focused on strong desires, and non-Christian sources use these terms in a manner that does not completely exclude all emotions. Furthermore, the complex philosophical background indicates that the fathers had to critically assess multiple conceptions of the divine nature. This undermines the claim that early Greek fathers uncritically imported an understanding of God from Hellenistic culture. These facts provide basic parameters for us to fairly examine specific father’s claims regarding divine impassibility. Assessment of Primary Sources Justin Martyr Justin Martyr lived from AD 100-165. 26 A number of works have been attributed to him, but the only definite authentic works we possess are the First and Second Apologies and the Dialogue with Trypho . 27 He is one of the first Greek apologists. His intellectual background seems to be that of eclectic Platonism, but he strongly held to Christianity as the one true philosophy. 28 In his conversion account in The Dialogue with Trypho, Justin describes his attempts to find satisfaction in various philosophical schools. He finds the greatest satisfaction in Platonism, but a conversation with an “old man” convinces him of Platonism’s shortcomings and of the pure truth of Christianity. 29 Justin Martyr shows a tendency to speak of God in an apophatic manner, a recurring theme throughout the apologists. 30 He consistently describes God as ineffable, saying, “But to the Father of all, who is unbegotten, there is no name given . . . But these words, Father, and God, and Creator, and Lord, and Master, are not names, but appellations 25 Something that I would suggest is crucial to any scholarship in historical theology. 26 Weinandy, Does God Suffer? 85. 27 Barnard, Justin Martyr, 14. 28 Barnard, Justin Martyr , 38. 29 Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 2-8. There is debate over the historical veracity of this account. See Barnard, Justin Martyr, 7-12, for a convincing defense of taking this account as actually representing his experience. 30 Castelo, The Apathetic God, 50. This practice naturally arises from Biblical depictions of the transcendence of God the Father, such as statements that he dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim 6:16), and has never been seen by men (John 6:46). The apophatic statements of the fathers also to seem to reflect some Platonic and Pyrrhonic apophatic rhetoric. See A. H. Armstrong, “On Not Knowing too Much About God,” 129-154 for a discussion of these influences. It is important to note that this choice to draw upon philosophical rhetoric does not equate to an uncritical importation of Hellenistic philosophy, but a choice to utilize Hellenistic resources to engage in Biblically grounded explanation of key theological concepts