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1. The True Foundation For the Christian Concept of God, 11
Sola Scriptura: An Unheeded Battle Cry, 11
The Early Church Fathers, 14
The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 14
Table I, 17
An Apostasy at the Hands of the Apologists, 19
Greek Philosophy Inspires the Apostasy, 19
The Influence of Greek Philosophy on Orthodox Christianity Is Well Known, 21
The Greek Influence on Present-day Criticism of Mormon Theology, 22
A Classical Theist's Idea of Mormon Theology, 23
Greek Elements in the Fundamental Tenets of Classical Theism, 24
A Summary of the Orthodox View of God, 24
Orthodox Christian Differences With Biblical Doctrine Are Significant, 27
The Breadth and Challenge of This Study, 27
Restrictions on the Scope of This Study, 27
A Summary of Contents and Direction, 28
The Nature and Goal of The Study, 29
This Book Is a Tribute As Well As a Critique, 30
Part 1: How God Prepared the Gentiles to Receive Christianity:
The Rise of Greek Philosophy
2. The Revolutionary Theology of the Greek Philosophers, 34
Theology Begins Among the Greeks, 35
Pythagoras Discovers God by the Numbers, 36
Heraclitus Discovers God in Opposition, 37
The Greek "Logos," 37
Parmenides Reinvents God and Reality, 38
Anaxagoras Sees God as Pure Mind, 40
Plato Fashions Greek Theology, 40
Plato's World of Forms As the Agents of God, 42
Plato's Alternative Concept of God and the Creation, 43
Aristotle Places the Capstone on Greek Theology, 44
Aristotle's Use of the Term "Ousia," 45
Aristotle and the Greek Love of Logic, 47
3. The Problem of Evil and the Development of Hellenism, 50
The Stoics Espoused a Monistic View of the Universe, 50
Stoic Idealism Had a Profound Influence on Ethics, 52
The Platonists Advocated a Dualistic View of the Universe, 52
Influence of the Problem of Evil on Greek Theology, 53
The Book of Job and the Problem of Evil, 54
The Platonistic Response to the Problem of Evil, 56
The Stoics Found an Ethical Solution to the Problem of Evil, 57
Greek Gnosticism and Its Strange Theology, 57
The Problem of Evil and the Free Agency of Man, 59
Understanding the Problem of Evil, 60
Modern Revelation and the Problem of Evil, 61
Philo of Alexandria Forged the Path to the Theological Apostasy, 63
4. The Greek Education System and the Spread of Hellenism, 68
Greek Education—the Model for Modern Education Systems, 68
Greek Education Emphasized Literature, Philosophy and Argument, 70
Greek Education Spread Quickly to Rome, 71
Jewish Education and Culture Remained Strictly Separate, 72
The Nature of Jewish Education, 73
A Deep Rift Between the Jews and the Gentiles, 73
The Skeptics and the Appeal of Christianity, 74
The Greek Fascination for Christianity Did Not Include the Scriptures, 75
Greek Methods of Interpretation Were Used to Distort the Scriptures, 75
Philo and the Greek Method of Allegory, 76
The Apologists Adopted Allegorical Interpretations of the Scriptures, 76
The Greek Love for Sophistry Infects the Early Church, 77
The Development of Neoplatonism, 78
Christianity and Greek Culture Mutually Affected Each Other, 79
Jewish Commandments vs. Greek Ethics, 80
Jewish Inspiration vs. Greek Teaching, 81
Changes to the Gospel Were Inevitable, 81
Part 2: How Greek Philosophy Influenced Early Christianity:
The Theological Apostasy
5. Foundations of the Theological Apostasy, 84
Evidence of the Apostasy, 84
Signs of the Apostasy: Lack of Unity, 85
Signs of Apostasy: Adoption of Greek Philosophy, 86
Signs of Apostasy: Behavior of Church Leaders, 87
Causes of Apostasy: Heresy, 90
Causes of Apostasy: Early Persecution, 90
Beginnings of Apostasy: Writings of the Apostolic Fathers, 94
Clement of Rome, 94
Ignatius of Antioch, 96
Polycarp of Smyrna, 100
Papias of Hierapolis, 102
Hermas' Shepherd, 102
6. The Apologists and the Theological Apostasy, 186
Criticism of the Early Church, 106
Justin Martyr, The "First" Apologist, 108
lrenaeus, the Most Renowned of the Greek Apologists, 111
Lack of Information About the Gospel at the Time of Irenaeus, 111
No Clear Biblical Canon, 113
Greek Exegesis Resulted in Inaccurate Interpretation, 114
Confusion Interjected by Heretics and False Teachers, 115
Another Example of Irenaeus' Errors: the Age of Christ, 116
The Apologists Tackled Tough Questions, 117
The Apologists Responded to Jewish As Well As Greek Criticism, 118
Hellenization of the Early Church, 119
Renewed Persecution, a Catalyst for Apostasy, 120
Apologies Addressed to Marcus Aurelius, 120
The Impact of Stoic Philosophy, 121
The Boldness of the Early Apologists Offended Rome, 123
Apologetic Writings After 161 AD., 124
Christian Descriptions of God Before 161 AD., 124
Justin Martyr's View of God the Father, 129
Tatian Embraces the Hellenized God with Enthusiasm, 131
Melito Introduces Metaphysics to Christian Theology, 132
Athenagoras Teaches the Platonistic God, 134
lrenaeus Becomes the Father of Co-Substantiality, 136
Theophilus Introduces the Term "Trinity," 138
Minucius Felix Concurs in Latin, 140
Summary of the New Doctrine Developed by the Apologists, 141
Justin Martyr—A Heretic, or Simply Misunderstood?, 143
Presenting a United Front to Rome, 143
The Apologists Were Glorified by Their Deaths, 145
The Rise of Catholicism Advanced the Apostasy, 147
7. Heresies and Heretics, 153
Heretical Jewish Sects Clung to the Law of Moses, 154
The Judaizers, 154
Cerinthus and Gnostic Ebionism, 154
The Essenes or Clementines, 155
Ebionites Described by Epiphanius, 156
The Elkasaites, 157
Docetism Denied the Suffering of Christ, 157
Christian Gnosticism Began in Infamy, 158
Simon Magus, 158
Menander, 158
The Nicolaitans, 159
The Ophites, the Cainites and the Sethites, 159
Carpocrates, 159
The Syrian Gnostics Followed Platonistic Dualism, 159
Satornilus, 160
Tatian, 160
Bardesanes, 161
The Egyptian Gnostics Were Monistic, 162
Basilides, 162
Valentinus, 163
Ptolemy, Heracleon and Mark, 164
Marcion, 165
Errors Made While Opposing Heretics, 167
Creation Out of Nothing, 167
A Residue of Gnosticism Remained in Orthodox Christianity, 168
Monarchianism, the Foundation of Arianism, 170
Montanism Claimed Endless New Revelations, 170
The Defeat of Montanism Ended the Concept of Ongoing Revelation, 172
The End of the Battles Against Heresy and Its Effect on the Early Church, 172
8. The Arian Controversy: Cementing the Theological Apostasy, 176
How Roman Persecution Was Triggered, 177
Roman Trials Preceded the Condemnation of Christians, 178
Christian Reactions Bewildered Roman Authorities, 179
Roman Persecution After Marcus Aurelius, 180
The Persecution by Decius, 181
A Controversy Arises Over Treatment of the "Lapsed," 182
The Baptism of Heretics Is Accepted by the Early Church, 183
Roman Persecution Continues, 184
The Final Battle, Diocletian's Persecution, 184
The Rise of Constantine and the Edict of Milan, 187
The Untimely Rise of the Arian Controversy, 188
Monarchianism the Great Heresy of the Third Century, 188
Modalism Under the Hand of Sabellius, 190
The Conflict Between Dionysius of Rome and Dionysius of Alexandria, 191
Subordination of the Son to the Father, 193
Paul of Samosata, The Forerunner of Arius, 193
Lucian Takes the Next Step Toward Arianism, 195
The Tenets of Arianism, 195
The Controversy Begins With the Excommunication of Arius, 196
Differences Between Arianism and Mormonism, 196
The True Nature of the Arian Controversy, 198
How the Controversy Came to Nicaea, 199
Arianism After Nicaea, 200
Systematizing the Theological Apostasy, 201
Part 3: The Influence of Greek Philosophy On Classical Theism Today:
What Are the Attributes of God?
9. Understanding the Attributes of God, 286
The Importation of Greek A Priori Assumptions Into Christianity, 206
The Danger of Using A Priori Assumptions to Leam About God, 208
Unbiblical Assumptions About God Must Be Rejected, 208
Examples of False A Priori Assumptions in Aristotelian Physics, 209
False A Priori Assumptions About Metaphysics, 211
Classical Theism Recognizes Some of Its Own Assumptions, 213
Dogmatism, 214
The Danger of Relying on Greek Terminology, 216
The Attributes of God, 217
A Note About the History of Theology After the Fourth Century, 217
10. The Personal God, 228
Greek Philosophy and Christianity Merged, 220
The Philosophers' View of God as a Person, 221
The Classical Attempt to Define the Personal God: The Trinity, 223
The Modern Expression of an Unsolvable Enigma: The Trinity As Three Separate Persons, But One Individual, 225
The Separateness of the Persons in the Trinity, 227
Justin and the Separateness of the Father and the Son, 228
Metaphysics, the Cradle of the Trinity, 230
What Does the Bible Say About "Co-substantiality"?, 231
Justin Martyr's Teachings About the Genesis of Christ, 232
Christ, the "Beginning of the Creation of God," 233
Rejection of Pre-Mortal Birth As the Means for the Genesis of Christ, 233
Rejection of Pre-Mortal Creation as the Means for the Genesis of Christ, 234
The Idea of "Emanation" and the Rejection of "Division" as the Means for the Genesis of Christ, 235
What's Wrong With Being Created by God?, 238
The Orthodox Answer to the Genesis of Christ, 239
The Timing of Christ's Genesis, 240
The Biblical View of the Genesis of Christ, 241
The True Origin of Christ, 242
God's True Nature as an individual, 242
Was the Godhead Different in the Old Testament?, 243
Biblical Evidence for Three Separate Centers of Consciousness, 244
Separate Knowledge Dictates Separate Centers of Consciousness, 245
11. The Corporeal God, 250
False Assumptions About Corporeality, 250
"Face to Face" With the Biblical God, 251
"Theophanies" and "Anthropomorphisms" in Bible Passages, 253
Does the Bible Say That God Has Wings?, 253
Is God Only a Spirit?, 255
God's Resurrected Body is Different From That of Mortal Men, 257
Numbers 23:19 As Proof That God Is Corporeal, 259
The Invisible God, 260
Greek Origins of Incorporeality as a Supposed Attribute of God, 262
The Oassical Doctrine of a Transcendent God Is Based on Greek Metaphysics, 263
The Greek Notion of a Transcendent, Incorporeal God, 264
Transcendence and Incorporeality in Hellenized Judaism, 266
Earliest Christian Views on the Transcendency and Corporeality of God, 267
Early Christian Belief in a Corporeal God, 268
The Apologists Imported the God of Greek Philosophy Into Christianity, 268
Not All the Apologists Agreed That God Was Incorporeal, 271
What Does the Bible Teach About the Transcendency of God?, 271
Oassical Attempts to Defend the Transcendence of God From the Bible, 272
Incorporeality, an Idolatrous Doctrine, 273
The Real God Contrasted With Idols, 274
12. God,The Creator, 278
The Classical Doctrine of Creation, 278
What "Things" Did God Create?, 279
No Biblical Support for the Idea that God Created Reality, 279
"All Things" Does Not Include Space and Time, 281
Space and Time Are Not "Things," 281
A Theological Argument Against the Creation of Time and Space, 282
God Is Not Confined, or Limited by Space or Time, 282
Being "In" Time Does Not Give God a Beginning or an End, 284
"Eternity" Is Not the Pleroma, 284
Straining the Scriptures Provides No Biblical Support, 284
Being "In" Time Does Not Make God Dependent on Time or Space, 285
Philosophical Problems With the Creation of Time and Space, 286
Vacuum and Quantum Theory, 286
Irenaeus Missed an Important Argument, 287
Biblical Creation of the Heavens and the Earth, 288
Renovation of the Earth Appears in the Original Hebrew, 288
What Is Included in "The Heavens and the Earth?," 289
God's Additional Creations Told in Modern Revelation, 289
Ineffective Efforts to Support the Ex Nihilo Doctrine From the Bible, 290
Passages Used to Support Ex Nihilo Creation Actually Refute Metaphysics, 291
Romans 4:17 and "Being," 292
Hebrews 11:3 and "Phenomenon," 293
Ginomai Does Not Teach Creation Out of Nothing, 294
Development of the Ex Nihilo Doctrine in the Early Church, 295
13. The Omnipotent God, 304
How Powerful Is Omnipotence?, 304
Problems with the Oassical View, 306
Omnipotence and Corporeality, 307
Einstein and the Power of Corporeality, 308
Mormonism Teaches that God Is Omnipotent, 309
14. The Omniscient God, 311
Classical Theism's Position on God’s Omniscience, 311
Can God Know the Future?, 311
Mormon Theology On God’s Omniscience, 313
Classical Theism’s Idea of How God Knows the Future, 315
How Does God Really Know the Future?, 316
Greek Barriers to Understanding the Omniscience of a Corporeal God, 319
Modern Advances in Knowledge Support the Corporeality of God, 320
Power of the Human Brain, 321
15. The Omnipresent God, 324
Understanding Omnipresence, 324
Classical Theism’s Notions of God’s Omnipresence, 325
God Has a Specific Location in Space and Time, 327
The Personal God and the Dilemma of Omnipresence, 328
Classical Reactions to the Dilemma of Omnipresence, 329
Is God’s Omnipresence an Irrational Paradox?, 330
Mormons Believe God’s Omnipresence is Rational, 331
Biblical Omnipresence, 332
Where Is God’? Not in Temples Made With Hands, 332
Unworthy Temples, 334
Omnipresence as a Consequence of Omniscience, 335
Immanence and Transcendence, 337
God’s Ability to Travel as an Aspect of Omnipresence, 337
God’s Nearness as an Aspect of Omnipresence, 338
Communication as an Aspect of Omnipresence. 339
A Modern Analogy to Biblical Omnipresence, 340
Some Insights on the Nature of God’s Telecommunication System, 342
16. The Immutable and Eternal God, 345
Scriptural References to God’s Immutability, 345
Immutability an Essential Attribute of God, 346
The Static Versus the Dynamic View of God, 346
In What Way Does God Remain Unchanged?. 347
In What Ways Does God Change?, 349
Changes in Knowledge and Wisdom, 349
Changes in Bodily Characteristics, 350
Changes In Office, Title or Position, 350
Origin of the Classical View of Immutability, 354
The Idea of God As a Necessary Being, 354
Origin of “The Necessary God” Concept, 355
The Biblical Doctrine of God’s Necessity, 355
What If God Did Not Exist?, 356
Has God Always Been “God?”, 357
From Everlasting to Everlasting, 358
Christ's Exaltation to the Office of “God,” 359
Christ Was Exalted to the Godhead Because of His Immutable Righteousness, 361
Joseph Smith’s Teachings About God’s History, 362
Joseph’s Teachings Are Compatible With God’s Immutability, 363
Eternal Progression and Immutability, 364
Was the Father Exalted?, 365
Does Christ's “Creation” as a Spirit Refute His Immutability?, 366
17. The Plural and Only God, 371
Classical Theism’s Position: One God “by Nature”, 371
The Scriptures and “The Only God”, 372
God’s Oneness Is Figurative, 373
The Principle of Agency in the Godhead, 374
Who Are the Agents of God’?, 375
The Origin of Angels, 376
Special Agents of God, 377
Understanding Passages in Isaiah, 378
Christ’s Submission To The Father, 379
Paul and the Oneness of Many Gods, 380
Corporate Aspects of the Godhead’s Functionality, 383
Other Passages Confirm the Father’s Authority as Singular, 384
Is Biblical Theology Monotheistic?, 384
Failure of the Greek Mind to Grasp the Godhead’s Functionality, 385
The Confused Doctrine of Subordination, 387
Part 4: Classical Theism Reacts to the Biblical Concept of God:
Philosophical Problems With Eternal Progression
18. Man and the lnfinite, 393
An Ontological Look at God and Man, 393
The Classical Doctrine of Man's "Finiteness," 395
The Biblical Response to the Orthodox Doctrine of Man's "Finiteness," 397
The Principle of Progression, 398
An Infinite Number of Gods, 399
A Finite Look at Infinity, 401
Infinity in Mormon Theology, 405
Beginnings in Mormon Theology, 405
The Number of Gods in the Universe, 406
Logical Requisites For Eternal Progression, 407
The Function of Free Agency, 408
19. Answering Philosophical Objections to The Doctrine of Eternal Progression, 413
The Problem of an Infinite Number of Past Events: Can an Infinite Number Be Traversed in a Real Universe?, 414
Can an Infinite Number Be Traversed?, 416
If Not Men, Hasn't God Traversed an Infinite Number?, 417
Conclusion On the Problem of an Infinite Number of Past Events, 418
The Problem of Eternal Progression With an Infinite Past, 419
Segment One of Eternal Progression: The Intelligence, 420
Greek Notions About The Intelligence, 422
Segment Two of Eternal Progression: The Spirit, 422
Segment Three of Eternal Progression: Mortality, 423
An Adjunct to Segment Three: The Spirit World, 424
Segment Four of Eternal Progression: Resurrection and Eternal Life, 424
An Overview of God's Creative Cycles, 426
The Duration of God's Eternal Rounds, 428
Was There a Beginning of Time?, 429
Greek Beliefs About the Cycle of Eternal Progression, 429
The Problem of Achieving Omniscience by Eternal Progression, 430
Man's Knowledge in Pre-Mortality, 432
Obtaining Omniscience, 433
How Man Gains Knowledge, 435
Man Can Become Omniscient, 436
The Coherent Concept of God, 436
20. A Summary of Greek Influences on the Christian Concept of God, 441
Erroneous Greek Philosophical Concepts Incorporated into Early Christian Doctrine, 442
1. Strict Monotheism: The Numerically Singular God, 442
2. The "Logos": Embodiment of the Metaphysical God's "Reason," 443
3. Dualism: The Absolute Distinction Between Mind and Created Things, 444
4. The Metaphysical Universe: Man's Universe Is an illusion, 444
5. Metaphysical Theism: God Exists in the Pleroma, the World of "Forms," 444
6. God As Transcendent: Existence Outside Time and Space, 445
7. The Supposed Inferiority of Created Things, 446
8. The Supposed incomprehensible and Unknowable God, 446
9. The Supposed Incorporeality of God: Mind Without Matter, 446
10. Creation and Some Distorted Beliefs About God's Omnipotence and Omniscience, 446
11. Distorted Ideas About the Omnipresence of God, 447
12. God As The "Unmoving Mover": God Differs From Men Because He Never Changes, 447
13. The Origin of Christ: No Pre-Mortal Birth for the Firstborn Son of God, 448
14. Rationalism: Reason Rather than Revelation, 448
15. Logic More Important Than Empirical Truth, 448
Scripture Index 451
Subject Index, 457
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