ALEXANDRIAN THEOLOGY. When Saint Mark introduced Christianity
into Egypt, the city of Alexandria was already a great center of
learning where Hellenistic thought thrived side by side with
Hebrew teachings. The most eloquent exponent of philosophy of
the time was PHILO OF ALEXANDRIA (20 B.C.-A.D. 50), who sought
to fuse and harmonize Greek thought and Hebrew religion. When
Christianity found a fertile ground in Alexandria, a school that
was originally established to teach CATECHUMENS soon developed
into a flourishing center for the dissemination of all types of
knowledge and was able to stand against the influence of other
centers of learning in the metropolis, such as the schools
founded by Ptolemy I and Ammonius Saccas (in 323 and 193 B.C.,
respectively). The new Christian school soon attracted many of
the luminaries of law, philosophy, logic, and rhetoric, and
eventually evolved a new system of thought in harmony with
Christian teaching. Among the outstanding figures of this school
were Athenagoras, PANTAEN