Acts 17:18 - "Some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers met him. And some said, ‘What would this babbler say?’ Others said, ‘He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities’ - because he preached Jesus and the resurrection."

Philosophy is the study of man, nature, and society as a whole. The word, which comes from the Greek philos (loving) and sophia (wisdom), means love of wisdom. Philosophical thinking is the most general and abstract kind of thought. The philosopher tries to organize knowledge into a logical system, and he questions all of the ideas that men take for granted, trying to discover whether they can be justified by reason.

To the Greeks, who originated philosophy in the Western world about 600 B.C., it was the search for truth of every kind - the ultimate meaning of the universe, and the reasons for and the meaning of all phenomena. This, of course, makes it self-evident why the early Christians held philosophy in ill repute - they had the ultimate meaning and they felt that anyone who chose to look for meanings anywhere than in Christ was to be shunned. Of course, there were many who refused to hold to such a strict view as advocated by St. Paul, since the philosopher in general was held in high regard by the pagans.

The Greek and Roman philosophers gave lectures and taught in the schools and held discussions for which they charged fees. Many rich families paid philosophers to live with them as companions, educators, and spiritual advisors. For example, Alexander the Great was tutored by Aristotle, the greatest thinker of the age.

In the golden age of philosophy, much that the philosophers said sounded very similar to what we might expect from a rabbi of Jewish teacher. For instance, the philosopher-mathematician, Pythagoras said, "If you have a wounded heart, touch it as little as you would an injured eye. There are only two remedies for the suffering of the soul - hope and patience."

However, as with so many of man’s nobler ideals, the whole issue became clouded with narrower and more worldly concepts, so that by the time of the Acts, there were many branches of philosophy, such as Cyncism, Stoicism, Epicureanism, Platonism, Neo-Platonism, Gnosticism, and many more. And, too, many philosophers led highly moral and ethical lives, while others indulged in gluttony and immorality. The Church Fathers opposed the philosophers because they felt that they regarded the chief purpose of life as pleasure and denied the providence of God.

Modern philosophy began with Descartes, who threw out all preconceived ideas and started his own whole principle of thought on the basis of one idea: "I think, therefore I am." Much of modern philosophy centers on two problems, the nature of knowledge and the nature of reality.

Science made enormous strides in the first half of the twentieth century, and the vital importance to man of these scientific discoveries soon brought many scientists to realize that they must think about the meaning of their work. Philosophers, on the other hand, needed an enormous amount of scientific understanding to construct a valid picture of the universe. The scientist had to turn philosopher, and the philosopher had to become a scientist. Whitehead, Russell, Huxley, Einstein and many more are examples of this scientist-philosopher.

This has also held true in the field of theology. Scientific discoveries have necessitated the rethinking of some theological dicta, and many theologians are philosophers. Among these we may include Bonhoeffer, Tillich, Barth, Hartshorne, de Chardin, and Altizer among others.