After the apostles, some strands of post-Temple Jewish thought expressed concern over what they perceived as a “Two Powers in Heaven,” criticizing Christian claims about the Son as potentially heretical. In response, certain Christian writers—especially apologists in a Hellenistic context—sought to articulate the gospel using Greek philosophical categories, laying the groundwork for Trinitarian theology. Yet Paul and John demonstrate a careful balance: they insist that the gospel’s core truth cannot be distorted to appease external authorities, whether philosophical, rabbinic, or otherwise. At the same time, they communicate this truth in ways intelligible to their audiences—Paul adapting his style to Jew and Gentile alike, and John framing the Logos in a language familiar to a Jewish-Hellenistic readership. For them, the integrity of revelation is paramount, but expressing it necessarily engages the conceptual tools of the surrounding culture, showing that faithful articulation and philosophical borrowing are not mutually exclusive.
Stephen D Green, researched and worded by AI
