P. Adamson-C. Rapp (ed.), State and Nature. Essays in Ancient Political Philosophy, 2019 [DRAFT] 1 George Karamanolis Early Christian Philosophers on Society and Political Norms I. Introduction Christianity was born in a non-Christian society. This is not a mere historical fact, as is the case with the other cults and religions that emerged in the Roman empire and coexisted with pre- existing religions and with the indigenous Roman cultural and political norms; rather, it was a cause of long-lasting frictions, debates, and often fierce polemics between Christians and non- Christians. This was the case because from very early on Christians considered non-Christian society and culture, Jewish and pagan alike, as erring and in need of conversion to Christianity. This is linked with the nature of Christianity. Clearly Christianity was more than a religion, or, to say the least, it was a special kind of religion. It was an ambitious, holistic movement that aspired to transform almost every aspect of Graeco-Roman society, culture, religion, art, literature, language, everyday and philosophical concepts, as well as philosophy. Christians worked hard to establish a Christian identity in the pagan societies where they lived. On the one hand, they argued that Christianity was nothing new but rather the fulfillment of the Logos operating within the history of humankind; yet on the other hand, they systematically criticized pagans and Jews for their beliefs, which they considered an aberration of the Logos, misguided and false. The Christian critique of pagan society, pagan beliefs and culture became a flourishing literary genre in the hands of early Christian intellectuals. 1 Writings with the title Contra Gentes proliferated in the period from the 2nd to the 5th century. 2 One standard topic was the Christian criticism of pagan norms and morals. 1 The criticism of Judaism is also strong in early Christianity, but this does not concern me here. Justin’s Dialogue with Trypho the Jew is the model of later literature. 2 Such are the works of Tatian and Ps. Justin with the title Against the Greeks, Tertullian, Ad Nationes, Athanasius, Against the Pagans. The Christians described themselves as a separate race, ἔθνος, and indeed as a third race, next to Jews and pagans (see e.g. Clement, Strom. VI.5.41.6). On the building of Christian identity, see Lieu (2004), esp. 238-268. On the intellectual debate between Christian and pagan thinkers in Karamanolis (2013), esp. 31-48. Striking evidence for the the Christian response to pagan society is to be found in the study of the Christian desecration of pagan artifacts- see Kristensen (2013).