Part I. Accomodation to Culture in Gnosticism and Abelard

-interpret culture through Christ and understand Christ through culture -harmonize with exceptions (the don't necessarily seek Christian sanction for all of cultlure) Christ training men in ther present social existence for the better life to come -inadequately defined by use of such terms as "liberal" and "liberalism" is more aptly named Culture-Protestantism. -Pauls conflict with the Judaizers, Nazerenes and Ebionites indicate there were groups which were more Jewish than christin...or loyalty to Jesus Christ without abandoning any important part of current Jewish tradition
Gnostics Basilides, Valentinus, the author of Pistis Sophia saught to reconcile the gospel with the science and philosophy of their time Ptolemain astronomy body was the souls tomb saught to raise Christianity from the level of belief to that of intelligent knowledge, and so to increase its attractiveness and its power. "what is less obvious is that this attempted entailed his naturalization in the whole civilization. Christianity as so interpreted became a religious and philosophic system, ....Jesus was spiritual savior, not the Lord of life; his Father was not the source of all things nor their Governor participation in the life of culture was now a matter of indifference..it involved no great problems...a Gnostic had no reason for refusing to pay homage to Caesar or to participate in war Jesus was an individual and spiritual matter, which had its place in the life of culture as the very pinnacle of human achievement he rejected what seemed ignoble in it and cultibated what appeared to be most religious and most Christian. tendency to interpret Christianity as a religion rather than as a church, or to interpret church as a religious association rather than as new society religion separated from ethics it becomes different from what it is in the church; it is now a metaphysics, a "Gnosis," a mystery cult rather than a faith governing all life.
Abelard Jesus became for Abelard the great moral teacher who "in alll that he did in the felsh...had the intention of our instruction" doing in a higher degree what Socrates and Plato had done before him conflict between Christ and culture is gone

Gnostics (ie. Basilides, Valentinus, the author of Pistis Sophia)
-saught to raise Christianity from the level of belief to that of intelligent knowledge, and so to increase its attractiveness and its power.
-saught to reconcile the gospel with the science and philosophy of their time (Ptolemain astronomy)
body was the souls tomb
-less obvious, but this entailed His naturalization in the whole civilization.
-Christianity as so interpreted became a religious and philosophic system (among many)
-dealt with soul & had no claim on a person's total life
-Jesus was spiritual savior, not the Lord of life; his Father was not the source of all things nor their Governor -participation in the life of culture was now a matter of indifference.. it involved no great problems...a Gnostic had no reason for refusing to pay homage to Caesar or to participate in war
-Jesus was an individual and spiritual matter, which had its place in the life of culture as the very pinnacle of human achievement
-he rejected what seemed ignoble in it and cultibated what appeared to be most religious and most Christian.
-tendency to interpret Christianity as a religion rather than as a church, or to interpret church as a religious association rather than as new society religion separated from ethics it becomes different from what it is in the church; it is now a metaphysics, a "Gnosis," a mystery cult rather than a faith governing all life.