Plato had a lot more influence on the early church than Aristotle did. I'm not sure if that's true in the African churches, though. I for some reason associate Aristotle with the alexandrian church and with gnosticism (& with islam), at least until Aquinus.
> Plato had a lot more influence on the early church than Aristotle did.
Yes, certainly in Augustine of Hippo. But I don't think the metaphysics (or ethics) has made it into modern era as much as Aristotle filtered through Aquinas.
There are so many ways to practically apply Plato.
The simplicity of his elocution, his use of systematic pauses when communicating — that's a common advice given to contemporary speakers — the relevancy of the cycle of political systems, that ancient Greeks were first taught sports and music to acquire psychological balance, a necessary prerequisite to efficient further studies, etc.
Having knowledge of Plato & other old fellows, almost feels like cheating at life: it equips ones mind with knowledge and skills that has been deemed worthy by enough humans to help it endure for millennia.
The people who don't know about them can't fathom how much they miss.