Dermot Griffin

Although not a typical philosopher I like to think the Trappist monk and author Thomas Merton, who I must say has left a lasting impression on me, got...

If we’re defining Neo-Scholasticism as the revival of medieval Christian philosophy then I personally don’t see a problem with it; I’m currently writi...

I like to think that I am a Roman Catholic by denominational preference but an Eastern Orthodox Christian at heart. We of course have Byzantine rite c...

While I totally understand your point I tend to like JPII because of his personalism, the belief that man is a unique being in the universe that has e...

Ahhh, yes. I’ve heard of the book but never bothered to read it. I’ll have to look into it!

Forgot to mention that I like Levinas. And Kafka’s The Trial is a great book.

I should say Kant’s transcendental theology. People seemed to be more interested in Kant for his ethical writings because that’s the brunt of his work...

I’ll keep your words in mind. You make a good point. I work for the public school system already and thankfully the school I’m at currently is vocatio...

I see your point but maybe save this for higher education. I’d rather students get into people like Marcus Aurelius because it teaches them how to hav...

I’ll definitely keep this as advice for the future! What subject(s) did you teach?

The way I see it subjective atheism isn’t a bad thing; there are many good arguments to be an atheist. Collective atheism is truly the bad idea. In so...

I generally am a tad cagey about the historicity surrounding events like the stigmata; in none of the private writings of St. Francis does he mention ...

I think I better understand the authors point. However could not the “Christian humanism” that rose during the Renaissance be a kind of spiritual huma...

Well let’s be honest. If St. Thomas came to the conclusion that the geocentric theory was false and that the heliocentric theory was true this would’v...

Interesting read. After thinking this over for the past week I like to think that the Renaissance was definitely a continuation of certain ideas that ...

Well I am still a believer in the fact that Jesus understood Greek at least a little bit. It is well documented that Koine Greek was popular in his da...

I originally adhered to Marxism and dubbed myself a staunch atheist early in college but soon discarded these beliefs. I think Marx got a few things r...

I work mainly with high schoolers but for elementary school topics like the Golden Rule and perhaps a simpler version of the trolley problem could be ...

Very true. The problem with the prolonged after effects of Vatican II is that a certain faction of Catholics seem to put down tradition. I’m not sayin...

I think it’s time we all reconsider Eriugena, then. Pope Benedict XVI gave an address years ago praising his thought.

I think what he meant by things not created is God, as classical theism states God cannot be created. But I’m just speculating. What I know of Eriugen...

I’ve considered Orthodoxy over the years, maybe someday. They tended to respect Greek thought long before people like Anselm and Aquinas showed up. It...

I see your point and this is exactly what I think the issue is. I see myself as a devout Christian who believes that through the study of the Jesus of...

Very important idea in intellectual history. I wonder if the church will ever absolve Eriugena’s condemnation.

Would Spinoza have read Eriugena? I can definitely see the similarities between the two. A lot of Orthodox Christian philosophers and theologians defi...

“Eriugena” is generally how it is spelt. “Scotus” meant “Gael” as in one who comes from the Gaelic culture originating out of Ireland. His full name w...

It seems Putin advocates, if I may coin this term, “Neo-Tsarism.” He seeks a revival of Imperial Russia. My Russian history isn’t that good but I thin...

The term “moderate” will have to do. As much as I love Aristotle I think his political thought isn’t practical for the world today. Plato’s emphasis o...

I’m speaking generally but you’re right. You can’t be civil with tyrants. Interestingly of we go back to the study of antiquity not all tyrants were h...

If you know anything about Hannah Arendt she called an engagement in politics the vita activa or active life; she subsequently borrowed this term from...

I agree but I think civil discourse is the only way to deal with issues regarding politics. Trump did fo some positive things with the economy but han...

Interesting… When exactly was the Jewish Canon actually formalized or closed? I’ve heard that the Council of Jamnia in the 2nd century was the officia...

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the Biblical canon at least somewhat “defined” by Christ’s day? Or are you just saying people do naturally pick an...

I agree. All the evidence points to the concerns of Jesus caring about issues within Judaism and among Jewish society whether he was influenced by Hel...

I never would have thought that the Jews living in Galilee were “less observant and less literal” than others. Could this have been because of the pre...

I have seen a few publications in theology journals from Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics attempting to revive this kind of movement. What I enj...

If sufficient evidence appeared proving Grimes’ thesis then yes, I would not have a problem with that.

Currently re-reading The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky. An Inquiry into the Good, Kitaro Nishida. Love and St. Augustine, Hannah Arendt. The ...

We simply don't know if he actually did have an education like that. Perhaps the “lost years” may suggest he went to a Greek gymnasium in order to rec...

Sorry, it’s hard to follow all this at work. I never considered the actual change in dialect of Aramaic in the region of Galilee. To my knowledge Hebr...

Perhaps you would find this passage from Mack’s book The Lost Gospel interesting: “We tend to think of Galilee as a natural part of the land of Israel...

This is an interesting theory. Truthfully I have never ever in my life believed in the whole substitutionary view of atonement, where Jesus gets what ...

I wonder how many observers of Jewish orthodoxy condemned the works of people like Plato, Aristotle, the Cynics, and the Stoics. Perhaps very few due ...

What do you think of the idea that Jesus was influenced by Greek philosophy? I mean Hillel must have been influenced by it. So perhaps Jesus was influ...

Well seeing as how he grew up in a very Hellenistic society he must’ve been familiar with the kind of philosophy accessible to the every day man. The ...

Pierre Grimes is an insightful man. However due to my piety as a Christian, I must disagree with him when he says that the teaching of Jesus comes dir...

Very true. I like to think that Yamamoto is probably one of the most influential figures of Bushido other than Miyamoto Musashi.

Could you possibly tell me more about this “Neo-Classical God?” First time I’ve ever heard of it.

There is nothing like the Hagakure.

I appreciate the input. Which work is this from? I’m primarily using Robert Bretall’s A Kierkegaard Anthology when it comes to mapping his works out.