the culture called Hellenism. Partial identification of the two terms occurred there and they became the synonyms of the entire Greek-Roman civilization, juxtaposed with the barbarian world. Isocrates explained the meaning of the word Hellenes in the following words: “The word Hellenes has taken on the meaning that no longer denotes origin but rather a way of thinking, so the term Hellenes refers rather to those who participate in our education rather than to people of common origin.’227 In addition, the concepts of paidéia and humanitas were extended and deepened within the indicated civilization and were applied to all people. The recognition of the existence of an all-encompassing interpersonal relationship was something new in the ancient thought. Its advocates were the Roman aristocrat Seneca and the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius. However, one may observe a tendency to associate humanitas with the concepts close to the Greek philanthropy in the works of Seneca. As is observed by W. Pawlak: “[…] additionally, the humanitas of Seneca can, in the Platonic spirit, denote a persistent idea of mankind by which unsustainable ←64 | 65→human beings are formed.’228 Pliny the Elder, on the other hand, pointed to the relationship between humanitas and doctrina, and thus, like Cicero, applied the term humanitas to an intellectual or literary formation. Pliny the Younger was the closest to the Ciceronian understanding of humanitas. With reference to Cicero, more than a century later, he defined humanitas as the ability to develop lower feelings without disturbing the higher ones.229 Like Cicero, he pointed out that both the concept and the idea of humanitas originated in ancient Greece.230
Over time, the concept of humanitas started to be identified with ordinary kindness. It was indicated by Quintilian, who under the influence of Cicero emphasized the special role of education in the formation of a person.231 An oversimplification of the concept of humanitas was objected to by the Roman poet Gellius who, in the second century AD stressed the ethical and also the intellectual (educational) aspect of both this concept and the concept of idea. He wished to restore its original meaning close to the Greek paidéa: “Those who created the Latin words and used them appropriately, gave a different meaning to the word humanitas than the common people expected and which was expressed by the Greek word φιλανθρωπία [philanthrôpía], denoting some kindness and friendliness towards all people without distinction, however humanitas denoted more or less the same as the Greek παιδεία [paidéia] or what we call education and assimilation of noble skills. Those who truly desire them and strive for them are to the greatest extent humanissimi.232 Gellius was of the opinion that the only true Latin equivalent of the word humanitas was animi cultura.
The above considerations show that the meaning of the Roman humanitas was very broad. The idea involved various factors namely, universal human duties, broadly understood love and affection, the improvement of living conditions, the pleasure of experiencing literature, art, contemplation, learning, rational action improved by virtues. All of this was supposed to increase the good of both the individual and the whole community.
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2.2. THE MEETING OF CHRISTIANITY WITH THE GREEK PAIDÉIA AND THE ROMAN HUMANITAS
2.2.1. Does a Christian need paidéa?
The Greek ancient culture, whose ideals were concentrated in the term paidéia, had a significant impact on the thought and culture of the early Christianity, developed in the context of Hellenism.233 Christianity took over the foundations of the Greek culture as indispensable for the formation of man, although the anthropocentric perspective was replaced by the theocentric one. Christianity aimed not so much at the perfection of man on his own but at his openness to God in the perspective of the ultimate goal of the human life, the salvation.
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