NEMESIUS OF EMESSA: CRITICISM OF THE DOCTRINE OF FATE AND THE ESTABILISHMENT OF THE SCIENTIFIC WORLDVIEW

  • Григорий Исаакович Беневич
Keywords: providence, fate, laws of nature, prayer, indispensality

Abstract

The article deals with Nemesius of Emessa’s criticism of the doctrine of fate in his
treatise “On the Nature of Man” and the importance of this criticism for the emergence of
the scientific worldview. Nemesius teaching of God’s providence and fate is compared to
the Stoic and Midlle-Platonist’s teaching. Special attention is paid to the issue of prayer in
the criticism of the pagan philosophers’ doctrine of fate and to the role of “miracle” and
Christian faith in Resurrection in the establishment of the scientific worldview. The notion
of fate is not rejected in Nemesius (unlike in many othe Christian authors) but is secularized
in favor God’s sovereignty over the laws of nature established by Him. At the same time
these very laws are proved as such

Author Biography

Григорий Исаакович Беневич

Институт истории христианской мысли
Русская Христианская гуманитарная академия, Санкт-Петербург - Россия

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Published
2011-04-06