key contributors to Christianity's impact on philosophy

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Hi Angela!

There's a lot to this. A line is hard to draw between Theology and Philosophy, so that's a whole other debate if the people you list will be a part of that. But if I had to post my top 5, it would probably be:

1) Aristotle. Yes...not even a Christian. But a lot of Christian Theology was described in terms of Aristotle's worldview. Most of Aquinas can only be understood if you know at least the basics of Aristotle's philosophy.

2) St. Augustine His work in "The Confessions" is fantastic!

3) Tertullian Not horribly well known (as opposed to Aquinas and Augustine), but he pretty much laid the foundation for understanding the Trinity. Can we really count him out of this list?

4) Thomas Aquinas. His Summa of Theology is one of the greatest (in terms of importance) documents in Christian Theology.

5) CS Lewis. I have to have a modern person in here. People might not agree with a lot of his writings and see basic flaws in logic in them, but CS Lewis has done a lot to bring some complex Christian ideas into very easy to read material. He tackled the problem of "what is evil?" extremely well for me with his book "The Screwtape Letters."

Those are my personal top 5. There are countless others we can pick too.

Matt

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The key contributors to Christianity's impact on philosophy can be divided into different categories, such as ancient philosophers, theologians, and modern thinkers.

1) Ancient Philosophers:
- Aristotle: Although not a Christian himself, Aristotle's philosophy heavily influenced Christian theologians, especially through the works of Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas utilized Aristotelian concepts such as natural law, teleology, and virtue ethics to develop his own theological framework.
- Plato: Plato's ideas of the Forms and the immortality of the soul have had an enduring impact on Christian philosophy, particularly in discussions on the nature of God and the afterlife.

2) Christian Theologians:
- St. Augustine: As one of the most influential Christian thinkers, Augustine's writings explored topics such as the nature of evil, original sin, and divine grace. His philosophical reflections on free will and God's sovereignty continue to shape Christian thought today.
- Thomas Aquinas: Aquinas sought to reconcile Christian theology with Aristotelian philosophy. His works, most notably the Summa Theologiae, established a systematic framework for understanding Christian doctrine in light of reason and philosophical inquiry.
- Anselm of Canterbury: Anselm's ontological argument for the existence of God and his concept of "faith seeking understanding" have had a profound influence on philosophical theology.

3) Modern Thinkers:
- Blaise Pascal: Pascal's wager argument, which suggests that it is rational to believe in God even without certainty, has been influential in discussions on the rationality of religious belief.
- Søren Kierkegaard: Kierkegaard's existentialist philosophy, emphasizing subjective faith and the importance of personal commitment to God, has had a significant impact on Christian existentialism and the philosophy of religious experience.
- C.S. Lewis: While not primarily a philosopher, Lewis's writings, such as "Mere Christianity" and "The Problem of Pain," have made important contributions to Christian apologetics and engaging with philosophical questions from a Christian perspective.

To delve deeper into this topic and explore the specific ideas and contributions of each thinker, you can refer to relevant books and scholarly articles.