Before we consider the various arguments for and against the existence of God, we need to have some appreciation of the historical, philosophical and theological understanding of the term ‘God’. This is important, because the understanding of God will have obvious implications in terms of defending his existence. What is also significant in terms of the philosophy of religion is the massive impact Greek philosophy has had on Christian belief.

The God of the Greeks

Plato

Plato is one of the founding fathers of Western philosophy and he has had a massive impact on religious and philosophical thought. He lived from around 427–347 bce, spending most of his life in Athens. Plato founded the Academy in Athens and this institution has often been described as the first European university. Here people studied works in philosophy, politics, mathematics, theology and the sciences for nearly a thousand years.

The importance of Plato's philosophy for religious belief cannot be overestimated. As we shall see, some of the greatest Christian thinkers were familiar with the teachings of Plato, and his works were also translated into Arabic where they were a powerful force in Islamic philosophy.

However, there is another important philosopher that we should mention who was alive before Plato. At around twenty years of age, Plato met a remarkable man: Socrates. Because Socrates himself wrote nothing down, what we know of his teachings is mainly through Plato's works.