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'What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What agreement is there between the Academy and the Church?' Tertullian's outburst is still being echoed in some quarters, notably in the Biblical Theology School, which tries to minimize the influence of Greek thought on the Christian tradition. There are some circles in the World Council of Churches which would use its new formula of doctrinal orthodoxy to exclude the Unitarians and Quakers. Yet as Ernest Scott wrote, 'Liberty is inherent in the Christian Faith, and liberty always makes for difference'.
Athens or Jerusalem? (first published in 1965), based on the Minns Lectures of 1963, is unique as it gives a comprehensive survey of Christian thought and is designed to show that it is an amalgam of elements from both Athens and Jerusalem, and other sources as well. It concludes with a consideration of the question: how far is it possible to diverge from the mainstream of Christianity without ceasing to be Christian?
List of contents
Introduction 1. The Unity and Diversity of the Bible 2. The Teaching of Jesus and the Teaching about Jesus 3. Athens or Jerusalem? The Impact of Hellenism 4. Athens Accepted 5. The Limits of Syncretism 6. Athens and Jerusalem
About the author
L. A. Garrard was a retired professor of divinity at the University of Glasgow, where he was also a former president of Trinity College. After serving parishes in Port Glasgow and Angus, Scotland, for the next seven years, Galloway was appointed as professor of religious studies at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. He returned home in 1960 to fill the post of senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow.
Summary
Athens or Jerusalem? (first published in 1965), based on the Minns Lectures of 1963, is unique as it gives a comprehensive survey of Christian thought and is designed to show that it is an amalgam of elements from both Athens and Jerusalem, and other sources as well.
