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Well Christianity is from a Hellenizing faction. That's still here.

rsj_hn 6y ago
Despite the fact that Koine ("common") Greek and Roman roads were used to spread Christianity, most converts didn't view themselves as "Hellenizing factions" or transmission vectors of Hellenistic culture anymore than they viewed themselves as Judaizers. But some did - it was a topic of much debate. The relationship (and philosophical differences) between Christianity, Hellenism, and Judaism is often discussed the in the letters of Paul: "Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him."
- Ericson2314 6y ago
  Early Christianity is very different than the views and practices of Herod or Josephus, I'll grant you. I suppose the most go-with-the-flow residents ended up as Arab Muslims after many rounds of assimilation. But there are many off-ramps along the way.
bobthechef 6y ago
That's not really an accurate view. Christianity is open to absorbing anything good in any culture (logos spermatikos) and the Greeks were unrivaled in terms of philosophical and artistic sophistication. St. John couldn't convert the Greeks to Christianity until he made the connection between Christ and Logos (John 1) because Hebrew genealogies didn't mean anything to the Greeks. And then it clicked. "Hellenizing" better describes the Seleucid influence, which lead to the Maccabean revolt, that not only led Jews to adopt Greek cultural practices and customs at odds with Jewish worship, but even to worshipping the pagan gods.

Despite the fact that Koine ("common") Greek and Roman roads were used to spread Christianity, most converts didn't view themselves as "Hellenizing factions" or transmission vectors of Hellenistic culture anymore than they viewed themselves as Judaizers. But some did - it was a topic of much debate. The relationship (and philosophical differences) between Christianity, Hellenism, and Judaism is often discussed the in the letters of Paul: "Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him."

Ericson2314 6y ago
Early Christianity is very different than the views and practices of Herod or Josephus, I'll grant you. I suppose the most go-with-the-flow residents ended up as Arab Muslims after many rounds of assimilation. But there are many off-ramps along the way.

bobthechef 6y ago

That's not really an accurate view. Christianity is open to absorbing anything good in any culture (logos spermatikos) and the Greeks were unrivaled in terms of philosophical and artistic sophistication. St. John couldn't convert the Greeks to Christianity until he made the connection between Christ and Logos (John 1) because Hebrew genealogies didn't mean anything to the Greeks. And then it clicked. "Hellenizing" better describes the Seleucid influence, which lead to the Maccabean revolt, that not only led Jews to adopt Greek cultural practices and customs at odds with Jewish worship, but even to worshipping the pagan gods.