God the Saviour in Greco-Roman popular philosophy

Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BRILL
Abstract
God is often referred to as Saviour (σωτήρ) in Greco-Roman popular philosophy. His function as saviour is described as both cosmological and ethical: On the cosmological level, God is responsible for the preservation of the world and for saving it from the conflicting natural forces that threaten to tear it apart. On the ethical level, God saves humans from the suffering caused by their folly by helping them to gain the insight to live well-ordered and rational lives. In my essay, I will trace these motifs in various popular-philosophical texts and show how God’s soteriological role is reflected within popular philosophy.
Description
CITATION: Thom, J. C. 2019. God the Saviour in Greco-Roman popular philosophy. In: Du Toit, D. S., Gerber, C. & Zimmermann, C. (eds.) Soteria : salvation in early Christianity and antiquity. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, pp. 86.
Keywords
Salvation, Salvation -- Biblical teaching, Salvation -- Christianity -- History of doctrines Early church, ca. 30-600
Citation
Thom, J. C. 2019. God the Saviour in Greco-Roman popular philosophy. In: Du Toit, D. S., Gerber, C. & Zimmermann, C. (eds.) Soteria : salvation in early Christianity and antiquity. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, pp. 86