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The Pythagorean "Harmony of Nature" and Patristic Philosophical Appropriation
By: Evangelos Dim. Kepenes (Junuary 17, 2026, 16:22)
The Philosophical Synthesis
The formation of Patristic dogma was not a simple recording of Biblical truth, but an effort to reconcile Scripture with the pre-existing structures of Greek cosmological philosophy. A central role in this process was played by the Pythagorean theory of the "Harmony of nature" and the "union of opposites." In the Pythagorean system, harmony arises from the coupling of elements in opposition (finite - infinite, monad - dyad, odd - even), creating a universe governed by static mathematical proportions.
In this system, nature does not change radically but is "restored" through mathematical and musical ratios. Musical ratios, in particular, create musical harmony (string intervals / planetary distances) and govern both the motion of celestial bodies ("Harmony of the Spheres") and cosmic music ("Music of the Spheres"). In Pythagorean music, harmony restores the balance of the soul with the universe.
The concept of synthesis (the formation of a unity from heterogeneous elements) provided the intellectual framework within which Patristic literature formulated the doctrine of the "harmonious union of the two natures of Christ." Simultaneously, Patristic thought utilized elements from philosophical currents, such as pantheism and hylozoism, which perceived material nature as "divine- imbued", considering matter to be animated by an inherent "spirit." However, while Scripture teaches that creation is renewed by the Holy Spirit (Psalm 104:30), the Fathers utilized the concept of ensouled matter to describe the ontological 'theosis' (deification) of created nature through the Incarnation of the Logos, who, by assuming human nature (according to dogma), renders it a partaker of incorruptibility."
Thus, Patristic thought established the ontological connection between the Uncreated and the created, confessing that the Uncreated entered into createdness through the Incarnation. In this way, however, the apostolic testimony concerning the "from heaven" origin of Jesus's body (1 Cor. 15:46)—that is, that "that which is born in her is of the Holy Spirit"—which constituted the visible manifestation of the invisible God "in the likeness (homoíōma) of sinful flesh," was altered. Here, "likeness" does not indicate identity of essence but morphological representation: a faithful similitude that externally resembles the prototype (the earthly man), without partaking in the inherent corruption of his sinful nature, as seen also in Philippians 2:7: "being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man."
[3667 /homoíōma ("likeness, particular similarity") is a comparison used to increase understanding. 3667 /homoíōma ("resemblance") does not require one element of a comparison to be derived from the other; indeed, it can be wholly separate from it. Rather, 3667 (homoíōma) refers to a basic analogy (resemblance), not an exact copy.]
The Construct of Dyophysitism: A Tool for Restoring Nature from Corruption and the "Deification" of Matter
Through the construct of dyophysitism, the Fathers sought to abolish the ontological distinction between the Heavenly (Spirit) and the Earthly (Matter) by introducing a dyophysite Savior who philosophically synthesizes two distinct natures into one hypostasis. This synthesis serves the Patristic "thought" of restoring nature from corruption and achieving the metahistorical 'theosis' (deification) of humanity, which had been interrupted by the Fall.
These thoughts echo earlier religious systems, as patrologists themselves acknowledge: "The Fathers did not live or act in isolation from the spiritual climate of their era. Their work constitutes to a degree a mirror of the contemporary philosophical currents, religious beliefs, cosmological conceptions, and political or civic preferences. The factors defining the spiritual climate of the first centuries of the Church's life were Judaism, Hellenism, Gnosticism, Religions, and the State. This diverse and dynamic world constituted both a great problem and an instrument for the Church's theologians. The problem: If the theologian did not express himself through this spiritual world, he risked remaining utterly foreign to the People of the age, who naturally had learned to think only with the structures of that world. The instrument: Ultimately, Christian writers worked effectively using the spiritual climate or the linguistic tool of the era" (Styl. G. Papadopoulos, "Patrology I, p. 51").
In simple terms, patristic scholars admit that this ontological synthesis overlooks the biblical reality of Regeneration (Palingenesia) in order to preserve the philosophical and religious thought of that era. However, if the Gospel of salvation must fundamentally adapt to changing human thought-structures to be understood or accepted, then it self-invalidates. It forfeits its right to be an eternal, absolute, and self-existent truth. It becomes relative, culturally contingent, and ultimately, a mere human invention
The "New Creation"
According to apostolic teaching, the "New Creation" is not a future metaphysical "restoration" of material nature, but an already accomplished reality: "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17).
Here, "creation" does not refer to a biological or molecular reconstitution of matter, but to the redefinition of man's functional framework. The "new" man is defined by his new relationship with the fulfilled Promise and his functional integration into the Body of Christ, not by a presumed transubstantiation of his biological essence.
The new creation is the reborn, spiritual man who functions in Christ, not the salvation of the old material form. Even the Petrine hope for "new heavens and a new earth" does not concern a geological renewal, but the complete replacement (fulfillment) of the earthly Temple (the type) with the true heavenly Temple and the new functional ministry (Is. 65:17-20).
The same "thought" argues that the resurrection of the dual-natured Christ is the beginning of the meta-historical restoration of nature to its original good state, overlooking the apostolic truth: "Christ, who is born timelessly—without beginning (B 30,9) and not in time, as the apologists generally think, recapitulates all creation in his divine-human person. That is, he re-creates the fallen world and renews it based on himself, for participation and as a prototype […] Man in Christ returns to the prelapsarian blessed state, proceeds toward his ultimate purpose, nature is restored (A’ Theodorou) and the interrupted journey toward perfection resumes under new conditions. However, the final phase of recapitulation will be realized at the end, meta-historically" (Styl. G. Papadopoulos, "Patrology I, p. 297").
The Patristic interpretation of (Rom. 8:19-22 "the creation groans and suffers together") as supposedly the groaning of the natural environment for material incorruption collapses before the Biblical usage of the term "creation."
The concept of "Creation" focuses on Humanity: Just as Christ commanded the preaching "to all creation" (Mark 16:15), referring to people and not the natural environment, so also in Rom. 8:19-22 "creation" describes the human race subjected to the futility of death (Psalm 39:5 LXX). Humanity is that which, as the crown of creation, awaits freedom toward the eternity offered by the Only Begotten Son of God through faith.
Liberation from Corruption: The "bondage of corruption" refers to human mortality rather than a transubstantiation of material nature. Paul clarifies that it is not the nature that suffers, but humanity as a whole (the creation). Specifically, he states: "For we know that the whole creation groans together and suffers together [suffers the pains of childbirth together] until now; and not only they, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit..." (Rom. 8:22-23).
It must be underscored here that the phrase "groans and suffers together" (reflecting the Greek prefix syn- in systenazei and synodinei) refers to the collective existential travail of humanity. Paul draws a clear distinction between two groups sharing the same mortality: the portion of humanity that does not yet possess the "earnest" (pledge) of the holy Spirit, and those who, despite having received it, continue to groan within themselves while awaiting the redemption of their body.
Corruption concerns man (Rom. 1:23) who "exchanged" the glory of God for images of corruptible man, worshiping the creation (the human-idol) rather than the Creator.
Change versus Transformation
Patristic dogmatics substitute biblical positions, favoring the concept of the 'transformation' (metamorphosis) of essence over the biblical concept of 'change'. The Apostle Paul declares: 'We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed' (1 Cor. 15:51). The word 'changed' (allagēsometha) denotes a radical transition to a different state (replacement) rather than a mere improvement or embellishment of the existing nature. Furthermore, Scripture teaches the dissolution of the earthly dwelling rather than its preservation: 'if our earthly house of this tent [tabernacle] is dissolved [καταλυθῇ (katalythē)], we have a building from God' (2 Cor. 5:1).
This obsession with preserving matter culminates today in the intuitive circles of the "global awakening." There, the trinitarian god and the "cosmic christ" are presented as sending messages about the "ascension to the 5th dimension" and the energetic restoration of the "goddess Earth" and its five kingdoms (humans, animals, plants, minerals, water). This modern deception is the natural conclusion of the Patristic ontological dualism where: the goal is the "restoration" of the created rather than its submission to the lordship of the Spirit and the Kingdom of Grace that leads to true Regeneration (Palingenesia).
Conclusion
The connection of Pythagorean harmony with Christian doctrine led to a hybrid philosophical construct serving political and linguistic expediencies, altering the character of the Biblical architecture. The Trinity and Dyophysitism, as philosophical constructs, sideline the Biblical truth of functional rebirth, trapping faith in a sterile metaphysics of essences that ignores the holistic "change" through spiritual regeneration promised and fulfilled by God through Jesus Christ.
Psalm 104:5 ("He established the earth upon its foundations; it shall not be moved forever and ever") reveals that the replacement of the "Old" (Law / Death / Powers) by the "New" (Grace / Life / New Creation / Spiritual Temple) does not constitute a meta-historical reversal of the established "it shall not be moved," but the final restoration of the Kingdom of God "not of this world" (John 18:36), over the powers and principalities that reigned over its inhabitants through the types of heavenly things, drawing their power from the Law, the ministry of death. The swallowing up of the defeated "eternal Death" by "eternal Life," Christ, radically changed the form of the world through rebirth into a living hope of "immortality" after biological death. Nature is not restored, but eternal Death was conquered by immortality.
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