How Greek Philosophy Corrupted the Christian Concept of God (Paperback)

~ (Author) "One of the most inspiring expressions of the Protestant Reformation was found in its battle cry, sola Scriptura ("only the Scriptures")..." (more)
Key Phrases: classical theists, theological apostasy, sensory universe, New Testament, God the Father, Holy Ghost (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

How Greek Philosophy Corrupted the Christian Concept of God brings profound new insights to the Trinitarian doctrines of "orthodox" Christianity. With clear and precise documentation, the book shows how these doctrines migrated into early Christianity from Greek philosophy. The various aspects of Trinitarian belief are isolated, linked to their Greek sources, and carefully analyzed to show they differ radically from biblical teaching. The writings of early church fathers, portrayed in their historical context, show that during the second century, theological concepts taught in Platonism were adopted as Christianity struggled to end Roman persecution. Emperor Marcus Aurelius, a famous Stoic philosopher, was putting Christians to death because their belief did not conform to the Hellenized religion of the day. The book shows that the early Church Fathers sought to save their people's lives by redefining the Christian God in Greek terms. Their efforts brought metaphysics to Christianity and ushered in concepts like the Trinity. After presenting the historical setting in which these philosophical errors were embraced as Christian doctrine, the book compares orthodox Christian theology today, called "classical theism," to biblical teachings. The book identifies how Greek phillosophy has influenced major atributes of God taught in classical theism. The book constitutes a major challenge to those who accept the tenants of classical theism but do not know the many aspects of their doctrine that are based on Greek philosophy.

About the Author

Richard R. Hopkins graduated from UCLA and was a Los Angeles trial attorney for twenty-one years. He served a mission to the New England States Mission under Presidents Truman G. Madsen and Boyd K. Packer. He was ordained a seventy in 1971. He and his wife have four sons and and growing number of grandchildren.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Horizon Pub & Dist Inc (July 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882907824
• ISBN-13: 978-0882907826
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #434,566 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, July 2, 2003

By	Dan Bradshaw "Dan" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: How Greek Philosophy Corrupted the Christian Concept of God (Hardcover)

This is an excellent summary of exactly what the title suggests. Richard Hopkins exposes with detailed documentation how "orthodox" Christian thinking of God today actually is extremely Hellenistic and came into existence much after the time of Christ. He skillfully uses quotes and ideas from Greek and modern philosophers, the early Christian Apologists, and scripture to effectively convey his ideas. Though Biblical and Hebrew thinking of God are actually simplistic, he shows that it was made to be metaphysical, or incomprehensible to satisfy the non-Hebrew mind. While the early Christian apologists are to be commended for helping to keep Christianity alive, these well-meaning philosophers made some grave errors in the attempt to make Hebrew Christianity acceptable to the Greek as the mantle passed to them. Some difficult ideas that have plagued mankind for millennia, such as the problem of evil, are solved as well. This book convincingly shows that many essential Biblical truths about the nature of God, as believed by "orthodox" Christianity today, are not at all what the earliest Christians believed. The fact that many read the Bible with "a priori" or pre-conceived ideas is thoroughly exposed, as the genesis of these ideas come to light. This is a must-read for any truth-seeking Christian that could never make sense of the doctrine of the Trinity.

23 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book, but........., September 25, 2004

By	R. Bartlett (California USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: How Greek Philosophy Corrupted the Christian Concept of God (Hardcover)

I would like to see a revised edition with a better subject index and a glossary of Bible, theology, and philosophy words used in this book. It is NOT an easy read for those with a light background in these subject areas. I think a more succinct version for those who don't care to indulge in 450 pages of "heavy" theological and Greek metaphysical history would also be appreciated by a wider audience. This is all that keeps it from being a five-star book. For those with the background and the dedicated interest, it is a very wonderful book.
The author clearly demonstrates why the so-called "orthodox" churches of today,who think they believe in the Bible, and only the Bible, do not. Within less than two hundred years after the death of Christ the apostasy began. The teachings of Christ became an admixture of Judaism, Greek and Oriental philosophy, and other philosophical beliefs that eventually became evident in the fourth century with the Arian controversy and the doctrine of the Trinity.
As the author, Richard Hopkins, says, "To understand the Bible it is necessary to think like an ancient Hebrew, not like an ancient Greek",......the natural tendency of the Greeks was to view the figurative language of the Jews in a metaphysical light. "It is the transition from a figurative interpretation of literal facts to a metaphysical interpretation of those facts that most clearly marks the theological apostasy..."
Taking the doctrine of the Trinity as an example, in the Bible Jesus says, "...the Father and I are one." This was the Jews figurative language. They meant they are one in purpose, etc. But, for the Greeks, who interpreted everything metaphysically, what Jesus said took on a whole other meaning. The Greeks interpreted all passages in the Bible allegorically to suit their pet theories, and they had a bunch. "....reserving the purity of Gospel truths from the metaphysical assumptions of Hellenistic thought was essentially impossible." The Jews could not have thought up the Trinity "....because that notion is metaphysical and the Jews had no concept of metaphysics."
Contrary to Elaine Pagels, and others, the Gnostic "gospels" are not new, not lost, not Chrisitian, and not deserving of being canonized. Most Gnostic teaching were heretical, and some were downright foolish. This book explains that thoroughly.
As I said, it is a wonderful read, but have your collegiate, philosophy, and Bible and theology dictionaries handy if you do not have a good biblical and philosophy background. Although everything is explained--sooner or later--the dictionaries will speed up your reading.
It should have been five stars. The content was, but the rest wasn't. Do read this book, especially if you wonder where so much of today's "orthodox" teachings come from.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How Greek Philosophy Corrupted the Christian Concept of God, November 11, 2009

By	Sarah R. Taylor "icnebavo" (Provo, UT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This is one of the most baldly biased and poorly written books I have ever read. From page 1: "Neither Protestants nor Catholics actually base their beliefs on the Bible. Though this may surprise some Christians, to believe otherwise is more than naive--it is a failure to apprehend the very essence of what is known as "Christian orthodoxy." Whether one believes this to be the case or not, it is not pleasant to be hit over the head with opinion statements as clumsily and frequently as Hopkins unabashedly offers them. He doesn't make arguments so much as repeatedly state his opinions using different words.

I found myself wondering, throughout the course of the book, whether Horizon Publishers requires that their works be edited. Hopkins capitalizes all manner of improper nouns (one gets the sense that he was German in a past life), drowns his sentences in prepositions, and seems averse to using periods more than a couple of times per page.

This book could be about 1/8 as long as it is and contain all of the same information. If you're looking for a good argument supporting the corruption of early Christianity, look elsewhere.