Robert Louis Wilken's The Spirit Of Early Christian Thought

Ostensibly, intellectualism appears as incongruent with the nature of belief, commonly misunderstood. Endeavoring to unify these perceived incongruences, Robert Louis Wilken’s book, “The Spirit of Early Christian Thought” demonstrates how the “Christian intellectual tradition came into being” (pg. xiv). Intellectualism isn’t disconnected from believing, rather, the function and belief of the Church established its pattern of intellectual thought. The Church was Christocentric and thus, their intellectualism was Christocentric as their tradition was in “thinking about the God who is known and seeking the One who is loved” (pg. 311). The hearts and attention of the early church were captivated by God, enveloping and formulating their intellect. Wilken has wonderfully detailed the pattern of Christian intellectual progression throughout the earliest and most formative centuries of church history, demonstrating the synthesis of belief and intellect amongst some of the great heroes of church history. Summary Wilken gives focus to several of the church’s greatest intellectuals, most thoroughly covering, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine and Maximus the Confessor, describing them as “the most rewarding, the most profound, and the most enduring” (pg. xix); detailing five areas impacting the development of Christian intellectualism: Foundations, Christian teachings, dealing with the believer, the stuff of Christian culture, and the Christian life. Christian thought found its origin in “God’s revelation, not in human wisdom” (pg. 14), establishing the source of Christian intellectualism as transcendent of the temporal, yet existing within history. The Bible “formed Christians into a people” (pg. 52), providing a history, from Israel’s beginnings to Christ’s resurrection. God revealed himself in the pages of the Bible, demonstrating that “what is seen with the eyes is not the fullness of what there is to see” (pg. 24). Christ was their foundation and is the “sole object” (pg. 72) and focal point of the Bible; consequently, Christ penetrated the lives, actions, thoughts, and affections of the early church. Worship formed their intellect and practice, these three aspects were inseparable. Genuine belief and worship necessitated critical thinking, as Wilken writes, “there could be no believing without thinking about what was believed” (pg. …show more content…
82). Knowledge of God is an unending and unfathomable pursuit, stretching and transforming the minds of those who seek him, consequently, the church gave themselves to pursuing the knowledge of God. Wilken highlights three predominant discussions amongst the church leaders: The Trinity; the nature, substance, and will of Christ; and mankind, created in the image of and participating in the knowledge of God. Drawing heavily upon Augustine, Wilken appeals to thought as a prerequisite to belief. Belief is not independent of knowledge, rather, historical knowledge shapes Christian belief, necessitating faith in the authority of a witness, thus, Wilken writes, “faith, is a constituent part of historical knowledge” (pg. 169). Christianity wasn’t void of historicity, however, it required more than simply believing in Christ’s historicity, it required belief in Christ as Lord, which produces hope and love in the believer. The fruit of belief in Christ, cannot be found within ourselves, rather, it is found “outside of history” (pg. 197) and the church is meant to offer the world a glimpse of life in Christ, foreshadowing “the peace for which all men and women yearn, the peace that God alone can give” (pg. 211). As Christian intellectualism developed, so did the material outworking of their devotion to Christ impacting Christian life. Orthodox doctrine was communicated through simple hymns, and Prudentius made it “possible for Christians to find pleasure as well as edification in poetry” (pg. 236). As the doctrine of the incarnation developed, inevitably the church deepened its understanding of sacramental realities and the role of material items in worship. The incarnation was evidence that “merely mental contemplation” (pg. 258) was insufficient, or Christ would not have come in a physical way. This tangible participation was fundamental to the believer’s transformation, which was an essential aspect of true Christian intellectualism. Study of and belief in Christ produces a measure of Christ-likeness in the believer, one could not study Christ, without desiring the perfection and holiness of Christ; though these virtues are unattainable outside of the working of the Holy Spirit, aside from humility, “the mark of true virtue” (pg. 277). Believers are transformed because they seek and love Christ, Gregory