Catholics and Protestants celebrate Easter according to the Gregorian calendar, while the Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar. This year, both calendars match up, so all Christians will celebrate Easter together on Sunday, April 20th. This special event brings unity to Christian traditions.
These important days also bring to mind Christian theology, which is the study of religious beliefs and practices in Christianity. It focuses on the Bible’s Old and New Testaments and Christian traditions.
When I was young, I studied liturgy and Latin before diving deeper into Christian theology. I was amazed by its originality. Christian theology is influenced by the philosopher Plato. Without his ideas and language, religious heritage wouldn’t be as we know it.
Plato lived from 427 to 347 BC
Plato lived from 427 to 347 BC and started the Academy in Athens, a center of learning until about 27 BC during the Pax Romana. Even though Plato lived 80 years and his Academy lasted over 350 years, his philosophy has influenced history for almost 2,400 years.
Islamic philosophy, Sufism, and Shia doctrine were also built on Plato’s ideas. Some philosophers, called peripatetics, actually based their work on Neoplatonism, a school of thought inspired by Plato.
Jewish Kabbalah also draws from Neoplatonic ideas introduced in the Middle Ages, which were new to traditional Judaism.
Plato is a key part of our civilization’s philosophical foundation, but Aristotle also plays a crucial role.
Aristotle
Aristotle is the second most important pillar of our intellectual heritage. Losing knowledge of both Plato and Aristotle would mean losing an essential part of our civilization’s identity. Understanding philosophy, religion, and life requires knowledge of these two great thinkers.
