Communio viatorum is a theological journal from Central European perspectives founded in 1958 by J. L. Hromádka and J. B. Souček, published by the Protestant Theological Faculty of Charles University in Prague three times a year.
Communio Viatorum seeks to promote research and scholarly debate in all theological disciplines. Since its foundation special attention has been paid to both biblical studies and Czech Protestant history. The journal is also interested in articles that reflect new accents within the field of theology as well as relevant challenges from neighbouring disciplines, developments in the Church worldwide as well as new moves within society. It seeks to promote an ongoing process of theological debate from a specific Central European Protestant background, but open to authors from all around the world and all denominations who wish to engage in such a conversation.
Articles published here are indexed in the ATLA Religion Database® and are included in the full-text ATLASerials® (ATLAS®) collection. They are also indexed and abstracted in the Web of Science – Arts and Humanities Citation Index® of Clarivate Analytics, in Scopus, in CEEOL, and in ERIH PLUS.
The previous journal homapage with an archive of published issues
COMMUNIO VIATORUM, Vol 66 No 2 (2024), 107–138
Attention to Oneself in an Apologetic Perspective: The Reception of Ancient Philosophical Practices in St. Basil the Great
Ioannis Kaminis
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/30296374.2024.11
published online: 12. 11. 2024
abstract
The purpose of this article is to present Saint Basil’s utilization of the philosophical heritage along with the ancient Greek literature for the benefit of Christianity. Saint Basil’s approach was influenced by a lineage of Christian philosophers, including the St. Justin the Philosopher, Origen, St. Gregory Thaumaturgus and his grandmother St. Macrina the Elder. Initially, early Christians like St. Justin the Philosopher and Clement of Alexandria portrayed Christianity as the true philosophy and the culmination of knowledge in antiquity. Then Origen employed more philosophical methods and practices in his Christian educational program. St. Basil followed this tradition, but infused his teaching with a holistic Christian interpretation. For instance, he emphasized attention to oneself in a Christian perspective. Additionally, his Address to the Young: On how they might derive benefit from Greek literature demonstrates Christianity’s capacity to assimilate and embrace other traditions while interpreting them in a manner that promotes virtue, the moral development of human being and devotion to Christ.
keywords: St. Basil the Great; St. Gregory Thaumaturgus; Late Antiquity; Christianity; ancient Greek literature; ancient Greek philosophy; Christian education
Attention to Oneself in an Apologetic Perspective: The Reception of Ancient Philosophical Practices in St. Basil the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
