Pupil of the stoic philosopher Pantanaeus. Eventually surpassed his teacher as leader of the so called "catechetical school" at Alexandria with Origen. Among the first of a succession of Christian scholars thoroughly familiar with the wisdom of Greece and enthusiastic for its philosophy, yet loyal to the teaching of Christ. Considered the "first Christian scholar." He aimed to be an apostle to the intellectual Hellenistic world. After Clement, Greek thinking united with Christian thought.

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Clement-of-Alexandria, history, Origen, Pantanaeus[/tags]

By A.D. 185 Pantanaeus was teaching at Alexandria. He was a converted Stoic philosopher and was a very able thinker. Clement was his pupil. He lectured on Christianity as the true philosophy. He aimed to enter the thought-world of the pagans to show the superiority of the catholic faith. His teaching asked the big questions of meaning (thus, was "gnostic"), but it also refined orthodox answers (and thus, "Christian Gnosticism").

[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Gnosticism, history, Pantanaeus[/tags]