ABSTRACT
This chapter will examine the interaction of Christian thought with the traditions of Greek philosophy that emerged from Platonic circles in the epoch preceding Plotinus. The topics of greatest interest will be the understanding of the goal of human life, speculations concerning the First Principle (which Christian called God) and the reconciliation of obstinate evil with divine justice (theodicy). It will be argued that affinities between Christian and Middle Platonic thought arose not primarily from direct influence but from a shared Platonic and Philonic heritage.
