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Paul M. Aijian, Ph.D. Prof, of Apologetics, Talbot Theologica^Seminary
T he last major system •of ancient Greek thought to make a contribu tion to the history of philosophy was Neo-Platonism. Following the main line of Platonic doctrine, but feeling the impulse of the religio- philosophical developments of the times, Neo-Platonism actually func tioned as a theory of salvation. Un derstood from this point of view the system takes its place as one of many answers to the question, “what do we do while we’re here?” . . . the question which seeks to find the se cret'of life in the area of human con duct or of fundamental human re lationships. ETHICAL-METAPHYSICAL DUALISM In a very literal sense this system of the philosopher Plotinus reflected its basic anthropomorphic genesis. The dualism which it established as the original division of good and evil in the universe probably was the pro jection of the inescapable struggle of the inner life of which more and more people were becoming aware. According to this notion the whole universe is the arena for the de termination of chaos (matter) by or der (God or Being). Every aspect of experience shared this dualistic char acter. At whatever level one touched the things of experience he was im pressed by the presence of the strug gle between the two fundamental ethical principles. Within even the Christian Church it has been hard to maintain the good as the ultimate qualification of things. So it is not difficult to see why pagan thought very easily adopted the notion that matter, because it was not an ultimate principle of nature, is evil. While the pagan mind held, on the other hand that good inheres in organization and order as the form by which matter is being shaped. SALVATION Almost inevitably, such a doctrine tended to produce a profound striv ing toward salvation. The human mind knew itself to be caught in the toils of a body which, because it is
matter, is evil. In order to escape the snare of this materially imposed inhibition on the full expression of the good principle (conceived reli giously as divine initiative) it was necessary to be released through the inspirational enlightenment of the inner life. This proved to be an ex perience mostly rational in nature. However, the vision supreme which constituted the summum bonum of life was so all-consuming that no part of the personality could success fully repudiate its claim and power. Disciplined study in the art of phi losophy, including ethics and the un derstanding of the dual nature of reality, was the pathway to this sal vation. The Christian will sympathize with these who seek the fulfillment of self in this or any other pagan manner. However, from the perspective of Christian revelation and experience some criticisms may be leveled against Neo-Platonism. The first criti cism attacks the metaphysical basis of the system. Resorting to a theory of emanations to relate this good^od principle to the lesser material levels of creation had the effect of reducing the system to a form of pantheism. The notion here was that the good, like some great light, gave of itself without diminution to the dark and evil materiality for the purpose of organizing it. A second criticism strikes at the way in which this pan theism eliminates all relevant distinc tions between good and bad while at the same time, at the lowest level of the material- order, it is never quite able to complete its unity by elim inating absolute matter. In the last place, the Neo-Platonic doctrine of salvation may be criticized because it endeavors to stamp out the demands and needs of the body rather than endeavoring to control them in the light of a higher spiritual interest. The freedom of the Christian doc trine makes room for the disciplined and therefore legitimate expression of the body. END.
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