Universal Salvation in Late Antiquity: Porphyry of Tyre and the Pagan-Christian Debate
Michael Bland Simmons
Abstract
This book explores the background to the effort of the Neoplatonist philosopher Porphyry (c.A.D. 232–305) to devise a system of universal salvation as a means of countering the Christian soteriological challenge, and the Christian reactions to this, notably from Eusebius of Caesarea. The main arguments are that Christianity received an enormous boost, despite efforts at suppression, from the economic, social, and political troubles, including famines and plagues, of the “Third Century Crisis,” and that Porphyry’s efforts to counter it on an intellectual level, though provoking indignant respon ... More
This book explores the background to the effort of the Neoplatonist philosopher Porphyry (c.A.D. 232–305) to devise a system of universal salvation as a means of countering the Christian soteriological challenge, and the Christian reactions to this, notably from Eusebius of Caesarea. The main arguments are that Christianity received an enormous boost, despite efforts at suppression, from the economic, social, and political troubles, including famines and plagues, of the “Third Century Crisis,” and that Porphyry’s efforts to counter it on an intellectual level, though provoking indignant responses from Christian opponents, Lactantius, Arnobius, and Eusebius, proved futile, as Hellenic religion and philosophy were simply not equipped to provide a universal way of salvation which could attract the masses.
Keywords:
Porphyry,
universal salvation,
soteriology,
Neoplatonism,
Eusebius,
Third Century Crisis,
Against the Christians,
Philosophy from Oracles,
eschatology,
Late Antiquity
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2015 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780190202392 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: June 2015 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190202392.001.0001 |
