This Neoplatonic influence had a number of important consequences for Christianity. First, it encouraged a more allegorical approach to Scripture, which argued that although the literal meaning of the text was important (the particulars), what was more important was the deeper spiritual meaning that the literal pointed toward (the universals). It also meant that the church began to de-emphasize the physical world in favor of the spiritual. Thus, although the churches continued to feed the poor and take care of the sick, they began to put more and more emphasis on martyrdom and, failing that,
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