12 Apr 2008 All day CRASSH, 17 Mill Lane

Description

Convener: Dr Christophe Erismann (CRASSH)

During late Antiquity, an interesting doctrinal shift can be observed: Aristotelian logic and its Neoplatonic complements, in particular the teachings of Aristotle's Categories and Porphyry'sIsagoge, was progressively accepted as a tool in Christian theology. Various authors – Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, Cyril of Alexandria, John Philoponus, Leontius of Byzantium, Maximus the Confessor, Theodore of Raithu, John of Damascus and Boethius can be mentioned on different accounts – used concepts which originated in logic in order to support their theological thinking.

 

This conference, which proposes to consider first and foremost Greek Patristics, brought together historians of philosophy and logic as well as theologians and specialists of Patristic thought. It aimed at analysing both how philosophical concepts – like essence (ousia), genus, species, nature, individual and hypostasis – were integrated into Christian thought after the Councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon and how their 'Christian' use is the occasion of interesting philosophical considerations on their definition and interrelations. This should contribute to emphasise in what way Patristics constitutes an important chapter of the history of philosophy.

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