The so-called philosophical teaching of that era seems to have been widely distributed while as we know, the scriptures were reserved from the general public to the highest ranking clerics and apparently these pagan philosophers...
And as it is today; a person goes into a religion or theology without first becoming a child of God, aka, getting saved...No Holy Spirit guidance in the scriptures...It would be and apparently is an easy step to become a product of your environment...And that environment is that final authority comes from intellectual knowledge and man's wisdom, philosophy...
What I find interesting is that some of these sources speak of interpreting the 'allegorical' meaning of the verses or words thru a spiritual sense...
This tells me two things: one that only they (the thinkers) have the ability to be 'spiritual insiders' and two:
the average intelligent person is beholden to their spiritual ability only, to know what God says and means...And of course this is hogwash, and deception at it finest...
And so it holds that over the centuries, not only are those church goers conditioned from birth that they cannot understand the scriptures, and that the real Truth comes from their exceedingly educated (in religion and philosophy) priests and bishops, they believe it to the point that they will not even investigate the scriptures to see if what they are told is the truth...But hey, where can you actually see 'religion' up front and close more than in a Catholic church???
The bottom line is, those teachers study about the bible, they study religion and philosophy...But unlike many of us, none of them actually study the Bible, the very words of God...
But the beauty is when it seems all is lost God intervenes. The printing press created a Reformation. The internet created an environment where children of God can gather from all over the world and discuss Scripture. We don't have to have degrees from all the "leading institutions" to work through the meaning of a passage and the history behind it.
The bottom line is, those teachers study about the bible, they study religion and philosophy...But unlike many of us, none of them actually study the Bible, the very words of God...
You're right. When we open Scripture for ourselves instead of relying on others to tells us what the words mean a whole new world opens up. We are given the opportunity to know our Lord and Master better. Obviously, we need to be guided by the Holy Spirit and I think try to pursue the Truth where ever it might lead.