Defender of the faith : can the early Church apologists inform the needs and direction of the Church today?

Abstract

Both the second century and the modern age are suspicious of the message and influence of Christianity within their respective cultures; the culture of religious pluralism and the prevailing civil religions of each time period suggest that tools used by the early Church fathers may prove useful in a modern context. In this thesis I will examine the extent to which the second century apologists are able to inform and assist the modern apologetic project. The second century apologists demonstrated a keen ability to navigate cultural norms and, in many cases, work within the ambient philosophical discourse of their time in order to produce a defense of the Christian message in terms understandable to an outside audience. Translating forward their ability to work within the cultural context of their time via language amenable to their audience sheds new light on potentially useful methods for modern apologists.