In the development of Christian theology and philosophy, such a direction as patristics played a huge role. Representatives of this layer of religious thinking are often called the Fathers of the Church, hence the name from the Latin word Pater, that is, the father. At the time of the birth of Christian philosophy, these people often turned out to be opinion leaders in Christian communities. They also influenced the development of dogma on many very important issues. Historians date the period of patristicism from early Christianity to the seventh century AD. A special science is engaged in the study of this era, as well as its main achievements.
Periodization
Traditionally, this direction of Christian thought is divided into Western and Eastern. In other words, we are talking about Roman (Latin) and Greek patristics. This division is based on the language in which the main works of this era are written. Although some Church Fathers are venerated equally in Orthodoxy and in Catholicism. Chronologically, patristics, whose representatives are described in this article, is divided into three major periods. The initial one lasted until the Council of Nicea in 325. Its heyday falls on the times before 451, and the decline continued until the seventh century.
The period to the Nicene Cathedral - the initial
Tradition also suggests that patristicism already existed in the earliest times. Her representatives wrote the first liturgical texts and precepts of church life. It is customary to refer the Church Fathers and the apostles, but very little historical data has been preserved about this. Only Paul, Peter, James, and other disciples of Christ can be regarded as such. The first representatives of patristics are also called the Apostolic Fathers. Among them, we can recall Clement of Rome, Tertullian, Cyprian, Lactantius and Novatian. Thanks to them, Western patristics formed. The ideas and representatives of this trend are mainly associated with the apology of Christianity. That is, these thinkers tried to prove that their faith and philosophy are no worse, but much better than those of the Gentiles.
Tertullian
This passionate and uncompromising man was a fighter against Gnosticism. Although he has been engaged in apologetics all his life, he can be given the palm in the development of the dogma of the early church. He did not express his thoughts systematically - in the works of this theologian you can find mixed discussions about ethics, cosmology and psychology. We can say that this is a unique representative of patristics. Not without reason, despite his desire for orthodoxy, at the end of his life he joined the dissident current within Christianity - the Montanists. Tertullian was such a fierce enemy of the pagans and Gnostics that he fell upon the whole of ancient philosophy with accusations. For him, she was the mother of all heresies and deviations. Greek and Roman culture, from his point of view, is separated from Christianity by an abyss that cannot be overcome. Therefore, the famous paradoxes of Tertullian oppose such a phenomenon as patristicism in philosophy. Representatives of the later period went a completely different way.
The era after the Council of Nicaea - heyday
This time is considered the golden age of patristicism. It is he who accounts for the bulk of the literature written by the Church Fathers. The main problem of the classical period is discussions on the nature of the Trinity, as well as polemics with the Manichaeans. Western patristics, whose representatives defended the Nicene Creed, can boast of such minds as Hilarius, Martin Victorin and Ambrose Mediolansky. The latter was elected bishop of Milan, and his works are more like sermons. He was an outstanding spiritual authority of his time. He, like his other colleagues, was heavily influenced by the ideas of Neoplatonism and was a supporter of the allegorical interpretation of the Bible.
Augustine
This prominent representative of patristics in his youth was fond of Manichaeism. Return to the bosom of Christianity he was helped by the sermon of Ambrose. Subsequently, he took priesthood and until his death was a bishop of the city of Hippo. The writings of Augustine can be considered the apogee of Latin patristicism. His main works are Confession, On the Trinity, and On the City of God. For Augustine, God is the highest essence and at the same time the form, good, and cause of all being. He continues to create the world, and this is reflected in the history of mankind. God is both the subject and the cause of all knowledge and action. In the world there is a hierarchy of creations, and the order in it, the theologian believed, is supported by eternal ideas such as Platonic. Augustine believed that knowledge was possible, but he was sure that neither feelings nor reason could lead to truth. Only faith can do this.
Ascension of man to God and free will according to Augustine
To some extent, the innovation introduced into Christian theology by this representative of patristics is a continuation of Tertullian's paradoxes, but in a slightly different form. Augustine agreed with his predecessor that the human soul is by its nature a Christian. Therefore, the ascent to God should be happiness for her. Moreover, the human soul is a microcosm. This means that the soul is by nature close to God and all knowledge for her is the path to it, that is, faith. Its essence is free will. She is twofold - she is evil and kind. All evil comes exclusively from man, for which the latter bears responsibility. And all good is done only by the grace of God. Without it, you can’t do anything, even if a person thinks that he does it all on his own. Evil God allows harmony to exist. Augustine was a supporter of the doctrine of predestination. From his point of view, God determines in advance whether the soul is destined for hell or heaven. But this happens because he knows how people manage their will.
Augustine about time
Man, as this Christian philosopher believed, has power over the present. God is the master of the future. There was no time before the creation of the world. And now it is rather a psychological concept. We cognize it with attention, linking the past with memory, and the future with hope. History, according to Augustine, is the path from curse and fall to salvation and new life in God. His theory of two kingdoms, the earthly and the divine, is also connected with the doctrine of time. Relations between them are very ambivalent - this is coexistence and struggle at the same time. The earthly world is experiencing prosperity and decline, and Adam's sin consisted not only in the fact that he refused to obey God, but also in the fact that he chose things and not spiritual perfection. The only representative of the kingdom of God on earth, which should come after the end of time, is the church, the mediator between man and the upper world. But as the theologian admitted, there was also a lot of spitting. Therefore, if a person is destined to achieve bliss, then he can finally do this without the church. After all, God intended it to this. The evaluation of Augustine's theology is very ambiguous, because his ideas both served to formulate Christian dogmas that lasted a thousand years and prepared the Reformation.
Period of decline
Like any historical phenomenon, patristics also changed. Her representatives began to deal more and more with political rather than theological problems. Especially when the Roman papacy began to form, claiming secular power. Among the interesting philosophers of this time can be called Martian Capella, Pseudo-Dionysius, Boethius, Isidore of Seville. Standing alone is Pope Gregory the Great, who is considered the last great writer of the patristic era. However, he is valued not so much for theological considerations as for the letters in which he codified the charter of the clergy, and for organizational abilities.
