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In this paper, the author explores the Jerome phrase: „Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ“, and places this in a broader patristic context. Accordingly, the work is divided into two sections. The first touches on several historical situations from early Christianity in which the Church had to stand in defense of Scripture against distorted interpretations. It had been in conflict with Judaism since apostolic times, and during the 2nd century had to resist Marcion, Montan, and the Gnostics. The great challenge was to confront pagan philosophical and scientific thought. These were the demanding circumstances in which the Church took a stand and gave birth to the principles of reading and interpreting the Word of God. In the second section, the author examines the theological premises or principles that underlie Jerome’s exegesis. The first of these principles is: Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ, and the second is derived from the first: Ignorance of Christ is ignorance of the Scriptures. The third premise of Jerome’s exegesis is that Scripture is one and unique, and the fourth is that it should be read in a „spiritual“ way in the community of believers – the Church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From its beginnings, spreading among the pagans, Christianity was in contact with Hellenistic culture, and especially with Hellenistic philosophy. As a result of this, Christianity began, albeit reluctantly, a process of close engagement with Hellenistic culture based on mutual respect and highlighting those elements of the culture that Christians regarded as being sound. Far from being painless this process was in fact very painful and it was characterized by tension and by fundamental disagreements. Disagreements arose first of all within the Christian community, which did not have a common stand about accepting or rejecting philosophy; it was therefore necessary to establish internal clarity. At the same time, the relationship with philosophy as an external collocutor was problematic because it was necessary to avoid extreme solutions--from one side a radical rejection and from the other non-critical acceptance. The process reached its conclusion in a positive way with mutual respect, thanks to those Christian writers who understood as well trained philosophers that there was no fundamental contradiction between Christianity and philosophy--a truth which these writers learned from their own rich life experience. In the article, which is divided into three parts, the author shows that Clement of Alexandria was one of the most meritorious of the early Christian fathers, the first to explain and defend wholehearted acceptance of Greek philosophy, contrary to some Christian circles which preferred a radical rejection of philosophy. The first section describes how in the early Christian era the "question of philosophy" was complex and delicate and how acceptance was accompanied by resistance, for example in the writings of Tatian and Tertullian. Resistance can also be seen in some circles of the Alexandrian Church who criticized Clement's position. The author seeks to reconstruct central arguments of "enemies of philosophy". In the second and third sections of the article the author describes Clement's method of addressing these arguments and his demonstration that philosophy serves as a helpful propaedeutics of Christianity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]