Worldview and Melodic Imagery in Clement the Alexandrian, Saint Athanasius, and their Antecedents in Saints Ignatius and Irenaeus

Doru Costache, ThD. Senior Lecturer, St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College.

Abstract: The paper addresses aspects of the melodic imagery utilised within two Alexandrine apologies, Exhortation to the Gentiles, by Clement, and Against the Gentiles, by St Athanasius, together with their significance for the early Christian interactions with broader cultural milieus, as well as for the articulation of the ecclesial worldview. Borrowing from various sources, the two fathers employed musical metaphors and analogies for both the active rapports between the Logos and the universe, and the theological meaningfulness of the cosmos. Beginning with a review of the Christian antecedents of this approach in St Ignatius and St Irenaeus, the paper highlights, together with the continuity of tradition in representing the cosmos by way of melodic imagery, the relevance of this topic to current researches into the articulation of the cosmos as another Scripture.

 

Introducing the Master of Greek Philosophy

Greek philosophy remains foundational to the history of ideas in the Western and Eastern traditions. It has shaped disciplines as diverse as theology, ethics, politics, science, and metaphysics. In particular, the writings of Plato, Aristotle, and the later Hellenistic and Byzantine philosophers have exercised enduring influence on Christian theology, especially in the Patristic and medieval Byzantine periods.

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