"Ethos" and "Logos": A Second-Century Debate Between “Pagan” and Christian Philosophers

This essay analyses the most significant sources—some overlooked so far—on the debate on ethos and logos that was lively between “pagan” and Christian philosophers in the second century ce. Epictetus’s attribution of a behaviour based on ethos to the Christians should not be regarded as utterly nega...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Ramelli, Ilaria 1973- (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Brill 2015
Dans: Vigiliae Christianae
Année: 2015, Volume: 69, Numéro: 2, Pages: 123-156
RelBib Classification:KAB Christianisme primitif
NBF Christologie
NCA Éthique
VA Philosophie
Sujets non-standardisés:B Ethos logos Epictetus Musonius Lucian Galen Celsus Marcus Aurelius Montanism Syriac apology to Marcus Aurelius Justin Bardaisan Clement of Alexandria Origen Gregory Nazianzen Logos theology
Accès en ligne: Volltext (Verlag)
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Résumé:This essay analyses the most significant sources—some overlooked so far—on the debate on ethos and logos that was lively between “pagan” and Christian philosophers in the second century ce. Epictetus’s attribution of a behaviour based on ethos to the Christians should not be regarded as utterly negative, but should rather be connected with his teacher Musonius’s high appreciation of ethos, even over logos. Marcus Aurelius’s and Celsus’s negative attitude toward Christianity as an obstinate, irrational habit can be explained by the possible influence of Montanism, while the Syriac apology to Marcus ascribed to Melito reacts to anti-Christian accusations of irrationality by attaching logos to the Christians and a behaviour based on a bad ethos to “paganism”—the same as was done by Clement of Alexandria, one of the Christian intellectuals most committed to demonstrating the rationality of Christian belief. Literary problems related to the apology are tackled, and parallels are pointed out with both Justin and Bardaisan, two other Christian Platonists who attempted to construe Christianity as philosophy.
ISSN:1570-0720
Contient:In: Vigiliae Christianae
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15700720-12341205