Pedagogical reading of the Christian novelty. An approach by means of the philosophy of education Joaquim Xirau and Octavi Fullat

Abstract

This paper conducts a pedagogical reading of Christianity from the perspective of the novelty it represented in relation to the Hellenistic world. Accordingly, we proceed to a hermeneutics which has in mind the philosophy of education of Joaquim Xirau (1895-1946) and Octavi Fullat (born in 1928). Therefore, the synthesis of Christian paideia, which met significant resistance in both the Christian and the pagan world, is revised. Next, we analyse the figure of Christ the Educator, from the moment that the Logos, that is, the Word, became flesh, according to the Gospel and Clement of Alexandria’s Paedagogus (lines 150-215). Besides, it is clear that the presence of a personal God –Christ made man– confers the Christian pedagogy an unequivocally personalistic dimension. Later, the influence that arises from the Christian proclamation that God is love is highlighted, since Christian pedagogy teaches to love and thus distinguishes between «eros» and «charitas». Otherwise, this dimension of love has become a mainstay of contemporary pedagogy, strengthening the idea of community, which has affected especially social education. Finally, there is a brief report on Christian teaching, understood as a long-term process that has allowed the articulation and the channelling of the European pedagogical path and, by extension, of the Western civilisation.

KEY WORDS: Christianity, Xirau, Fullat, Christian paideia, Logos, Word, person, love, community.