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How Greek Philosophy Corrupted the Christian Concept of God Paperback – July 15, 2009

by Richard R. Hopkins (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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How Greek Philosophy Corrupted the Christian Concept of God brings profound new insights to the Trinitarian doctrines of "orthodox" Christianity. With clear and precise documentation, the book shows how these doctrines migrated into early Christianity from Greek philosophy. The various aspects of Trinitarian belief are isolated, linked to their Greek sources, and carefully analyzed to show they differ radically from biblical teaching. The writings of early church fathers, portrayed in their historical context, show that during the second century, theological concepts taught in Platonism were adopted as Christianity struggled to end Roman persecution. Emperor Marcus Aurelius, a famous Stoic philosopher, was putting Christians to death because their belief did not conform to the Hellenized religion of the day. The book shows that the early Church Fathers sought to save their people's lives by redefining the Christian God in Greek terms. Their efforts brought metaphysics to Christianity and ushered in concepts like the Trinity. After presenting the historical setting in which these philosophical errors were embraced as Christian doctrine, the book compares orthodox Christian theology today, called "classical theism," to biblical teachings. The book identifies how Greek phillosophy has influenced major atributes of God taught in classical theism. The book constitutes a major challenge to those who accept the tenants of classical theism but do not know the many aspects of their doctrine that are based on Greek philosophy.
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  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Horizon Publishers, an Imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.
  4. Publication date
    July 15, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.3 x 8.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0882907824
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0882907826
  8. See all details
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About the Author

Richard R. Hopkins graduated from UCLA and was a Los Angeles trial attorney for twenty-one years. He served a mission to the New England States Mission under Presidents Truman G. Madsen and Boyd K. Packer. He was ordained a seventy in 1971. He and his wife have four sons and and growing number of grandchildren.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Horizon Publishers, an Imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.; 2nd ed. edition (July 15, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0882907824
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0882907826
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.7 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.3 x 8.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Richard R. Hopkins

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4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

celestial3
5.0 out of 5 stars TRUTH ALWAYS LEADS TO THE TRUTH, ALWAYS!
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2009
Verified Purchase
What is always interesting about any book, cd, movie, are the comments it brings from people who attack it for personal reasons ( not caring if true or false ), rather then the edvidence the issue in question presents. Not that I haven't felt a personal emotion on subjects I feel strongly about ( while others may wish to ignore ) but I try to base them on what is in front of me. One review praises the Greek, lets just say way of thought, as the higher level ( please, history is there for all to see, right and wrong ) and then ends with a few words on faith. What is faith friend? It's not just what's convenient for you. Another just makes his a personal attack on someone's faith rather then what is presented and already known to many ( again, history is edvidence if you know where, and are not afraid to look ) whether of the same faith or not. Religion of course is not for everyone, but it seems truth isn't as well. This book is well researched, and not for the unaware or unperceptive mind. Especially for those who feel they would lose something ( or things ) rather then gain or add on to. I've known people from many religions, and they all say they're the one, and they have something the other hasn't. One fact for sure is that the truth is out there, and yes surrounded by untruth, but if your searching for answers that will help you find even more, then this is a eye opener. Truth always leads to the truth. But first open up your mind and your heart. Too many people think with something else. That's what controls them.
4 people found this helpful
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F Pare
5.0 out of 5 stars GreekPhilosophy vs God
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2012
Verified Purchase
I was pleased to find this book offered on Amazon. It is the best resource I have ever encountered which provides an overview of the influences during the 1st through 4th centuries A.D which changed the principles of theology from those understood by the apostles of Christ to those incorporated into the various creeds adopted after 325 AD.
3 people found this helpful
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Diane Z.
5.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2017
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This is a very scholarly book. You can't read through it quickly. But it is very eye opening, and will cause you to reflect on what you really believe.
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Paul
1.0 out of 5 stars Mormon Propaganda Under the Guise of Historical Analysis
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2005
Verified Purchase
"How Greek Philosophy Corrupted The Christian Concept of God" is nothing more than the regurgitation of Mormon doctrinal beliefs under the guise of historical investigation, much in the same sense that The 7-Habits of Highly Effective People (written by Mormon, Stephen Covey) was nothing more than Mormon doctrine written under the guise of how to develop effective leadership. Hopkins is a former trial attorney, missionary for the Latter-day Saint (LDS) Church, and has held many prominent offices in the Mormon Church. What starts out as a book intended to show the effects of Hellenism upon traditional Christian theology, turns into a pitch for Mormonism as being the answer to undo what Hellenism supposedly did.

This book is not well-written, theologically speaking, as it merely repeats many of the same arguments that LDS leadership have been asserting the past 150+ years to try and convince those willing to listen, that there just might be something in Mormonism that might be true. A "classic" example of this is found on pages 357-8 of Hopkins' book, where he attempts to convince the reader that there might have been a time when God was not. Hopkins writes,

Classical theists have had great difficulty explaining the incarnation of Christ and the passage in Philippians noted above [2:5-7]. But that is only the icy tip of their dilemma. The Bible does not support the notion that Christ has always been a member of the Godhead. That notion is as unbiblical as the Greek notions mentioned above. It is contradicted in both the Old and New Testaments. While many passages teach that God "has always existed...throughout all eternity," no passage teaches what Dr. [Francis] Beckwith claims-that God (and specifically God the Son), "has always existed as God throughout all eternity." What then does the Bible say about the length of time during which God the Son has been "God," i.e. a member of the Godhead?"

It is comments like the above which permeate Hopkins' attempt at supposedly providing an objective look at the historical development of Christian doctrine. Unfortunately, his Mormon view is so tainted with the very Hellenism he hopes to expose, that he fails, miserably, in providing either an historically accurate, or theologically sound, representation of just what Christians believe. After all, Hopkins is hoping, himself, to become a god one day, which is perhaps the epitome of Hellenistic thought; man becoming a god.

If one truly desired to get a taste of the effects of Greek thought upon Christian doctrine, he would do himself a favor by looking into either Ron Nash's "Christianity & the Hellenistic World," or Everett Ferguson's "Background of Early Christianity." Both supply ample evidence and documentation that just because Christianity grew up amid Hellenistic thought and culture does not necessarily mean that it merely mimicked its environment. Dr. Edwin Yamauchi, History Professor at Miami (Ohio) University writes of Nash's book, "Professor Nash has written a lucid and superb book, which will prove especially useful to students in colleges and universities who still hear some ill-founded comparisons between the pagan mystery religions and Christianity from their professors." The Biblical Archeologist writes of Ferguson's book, "An impressive achievement in both scope and execution....Its strengths are its comprehensiveness and its very valuable bibliographical resources."

In conclusion, it is no overstatement to assert that Richard Hopkins' book is a book about the propagation of Mormonism. Although it contains allusions and statements from Christian leaders down through the centuries, those same allusions and statements are given in a context designed to get the reader to consider Mormonism as true; that it is the restoration of what Hellenism supposedly took away. Fortunately, though, Mormonism is not true, and neither is the premise of Hopkins' book, that Hellenism essentially corrupted everything that Christianity represents.
53 people found this helpful
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