Hellenism

Hellenism the culture, ideals, and pattern of life of ancient Greece in classical times. It usually means primarily the culture of Athens and the related cities during the Age of Pericles. The term is also applied to the ideals of later writers and thinkers who draw their inspiration from ancient Greece. Frequently it is contrasted with Hebraism—Hellenism then meaning pagan joy, freedom, and love of life as contrasted with the austere morality and monotheism of the Old Testament. The Hellenic period came to an end with the conquest of Alexander the Great in the 4th cent. BC It was succeeded by the Hellenistic civilization . See Greece ; Greek architecture ; Greek art ; Greek literature, ancient ; Greek religion .

Bibliography: See R. Warner, Eternal Greece (rev. ed. 1962); D. Garman, tr., A Literary History of Greece (1964); J. Ferguson, The Heritage of Hellenism (1973).

Hel·len·ism / ˈheləˌnizəm/ • n. the national character or culture of Greece, esp. ancient Greece. ∎  the study or imitation of ancient Greek culture. DERIVATIVES: Hel·len·ist n. Hel·len·i·za·tion / ˌheləniˈzāshən/ n. Hel·len·ize / -ˌnīz/ v. Hel·len·iz·er / -ˌnīzər/ n.

Hellenism. Greek life and culture in the period from the conquests of Alexander the Great (4th cent. BCE) to the death of Constantine. For both Judaism and (in different ways) Christianity, Hellenism offered both threat and challenge. On the one side, it offered opportunity to enhance the Jewish understanding of God's nature and action toward his creation (as in the philosopher Philo or the historian Josephus). On the other hand, the adoption of Hellenistic ways threatened the requirements of Torah. For Christianity, Hellenism offered a vehicle of missionary extension and of theological (and christological) reflection. Yet at the same time there were those who thought that the involvement of the gospel in classical thought was an erosion of it.