THE SCHOOL OF ALEXANDRIA - ORIGEN - Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty PDF

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POPE SHENOUDA III

COPTIC THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
LECTURES IN PATROLOGY
THE
SCHOOL OF ALEXANDRIA
Book two
ORIGEN
Preparatory edition
1995
FR. TADROS Y. MALATY
St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church
427 West Side Ave.
Jersey City, NJ 07304
English text is revised by
ROSE MARY HALIM
Reverend Father Tadros Y. Malaty has kindly permitted that his books be published in the
COeRL. He has requested that we convey that any suggestions or amendments regarding
their translation are welcome, and should be forwarded to:
[email protected]

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Origen
6
THE DEANS
OF THE
SCHOOL OF ALEXANDRIA

3
ORIGEN
His Life
7
1

HIS LIFE

St. Didymus the Blind, the head of the School of Alexan-
dria in the latter half of the fourth century, described Origen as
the greatest teacher in the Church after the Apostles
1
.
J . Quasten states, "The School of Alexandria reached its
greatest importance under St. Clements successor, Origen, the
outstanding teacher and scholar of the early church,...a man of en-
cyclopedic learning, and one of the most original thinkers the
world has ever seen
2
."
G.L. Prestige says, He (Origen) was one of the greatest
teachers ever known in Christendom... He was the founder of bib-
lical science, and, though not absolutely the first great biblical
commentator, he first developed the principles of exposition to be
followed and applied the technique of methodical explanation on
the widest possible scale. He inaugurated the systematic treatment
of theology, by writing a book about God, the world, and religion
in their several relations. He finally completed and established the
principle that Christianity is an intelligent religion, by bringing the
strength and vigor of Greek philosophical insight to clarify the He-
brew religious institution and Christian spiritual history
3
.
J ean Danilou says, Origen and St. Augustine were the two
greatest geniuses of the early church. Origens writings can be said to
mark a decisive period in all fields of Christian thought. His research
into the history of the different versions of the Scriptures and his
commentaries on the literal and spiritual senses of the Old and New
Testaments make him the founder of the scientific study of the Bible.
He worked out the first of the great theological syntheses and was the

1 G.L. Prestige: Fathers and Heretics, S.P.C.K., 1968, p. 52.
2 Quasten: Patrology, vol. 2, p.37.
3 G.L. Prestige: Fathers and Heretics, S.P.C.K., 1968, p .43.
Origen
8
first to try and give a methodical explanation of the mysteries of
Christianity. He was the first, too, to describe the route followed by
the soul on her way back to God. He is thus the founder of the
theology of spiritual life, and it may be questioned whether he is not
to some extent the ancestor of the great monastic movement of the
fourth century
4
.
Hans Urs Von Balthasar says, "In the Eastern Church his
mysticism of ascent to God remained immensely powerful through
medieval and modern times, more powerful than the mysticism of
"dazzling darkness" of the Pseudo-Areopagite (whose dominant
influence was in the West). In the Western Church both J erome
and Ambrose unhesitatingly copied his work and thus bequeathed
it to posterity... His work is aglow with the fire of a Christian crea-
tivity that in the greatest of his successors burned merely with a
borrowed flame
5
."
Robert Payne says, This eunuch was the first great doctor,
the founder of scientific Biblical scholarship. He would use reason
and make reason itself the servant of Christ. He would batter down
the walls of Heaven by the main force of logic alone... And though
he was never officially granted the title of Doctor of the Church, he
was the greatest doctor of them all
6
.
B.F. Westcott says that though countless doctors, priests,
and confessors proceed from his school, he was himself accused of
heresy and convicted; though he was the friend and teacher of
saints, his salvation was questioned and denied
7
.
G.W. Barkley says, There can be no doubt that one of the
most influential of the early church fathers was Origen of Alexan-
dria
8
.

4 Jean Danilou: Origen, N.Y., 1955, p. VII..
5 Rowan A. Greer: Origen, Paulist Press, 1979, page xi.
6 Robert Payne: Fathers Of The Eastern Church, Dorset Press, New York, 1985, P. 43-44.
7 Brooke Fross Westcott: An Introduction to the Study of the Gospels, NY 1896, p. 429.
8 Gary Wayne Barkley: Origen; Homilies on Leviticus, Washington, 1990, p. 4.
His Life
9
The interpretation of Origen was a problem to earlier ages.
Scholarius, the first patriarch of Constantinople under the Turks,
made his own synthesis. The western writers say, "Where Origen
was good, no one is better, where he was bad, no one is worse
9
."
The Coptic Church was compelled to excommunicate him
because of some false ideas that he believed in, like the salvation
of the devil, and the universal salvation of all the human race, be-
sides his acceptance of priesthood from others than his bishop and
after making himself eunuch. Other churches excommunicated
him, his followers, and their writings after his death in the Council
of Constantinople in 553 A.D.
Eric Osborn states that the middle third of this century saw
some very good books on Origen. He mentions the work of Dani-
lou saying,
The work of Danilou
10
was comprehensive by conviction
and foreshadowed an end to disagreement. Origen was not either a
philosopher or an exegete or a systematic, or a sacramentalist, or a
mystic; he was all of them at once. The mistake which his inter-
preters had made was to isolate one element of his vision totale
du monde
11
. He was a man of the church, although the church
formed no part of his theology. For him, Christianity was not first
a doctrine but a divine force, active in history through its martyrs,
saints and community
12
. While Celsus regarded the vision of God
as accessible but difficult, Origen thought it was inaccessible and
easy
13
. His hermeneutic, like everything else was complex, and the
different strands had to be distinguished
14
.

9 Eric Osborn: The Twentieth Century Quarrel and Its Recovery, p.3, 2 (Colloquium Origenianum
Quintum, Boston College, August 14-18, 1989).
10 J. Danilou: Origne, Paris 1948.
11 Ibid 8.
12 Ibid 134.
13 Ibid 114
14 Ibid 198; (COQ,, p. 2.)
Origen
10
PRINCIPAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION ABOUT ORI-
GEN
15

1. The farewell speech made by St. Gregory Thaumaturgus,
the apostle of Cappadocia and Pontus, indicates and reveals their
relationship with Origen and his influence on them. This speech
has come down to us entire in its original language, Greek. While
the whole document tells us of the relation of Origen with his stu-
dents and the moving affection felt for him by St. Gregory, the sec-
ond part of it describes precisely the curriculum followed by the
master.
2. The Church History (Eccl. Hist.), book 6, of Eusebius,
who succeeded him at the school at Caesarea. He says, The little I
have to say about him I will put together from letters and from in-
formation supplied by those of his friends who are still alive
16
.
His main source of information was Origen's voluminous
correspondence, which he gathered into volumes and kept in the
library at Caesarea.
3. Pamphilus, a predecessor of Eusebius of Caesarea started
to collect material relating to Origen and at the same time to put
his library in order. He lived in Caesarea shortly after the death of
Origen, but it is not known whether he had known Origen person-
ally or not. Of the Apology for Origen that Pamphilus had com-
posed in prison with the help of Eusebius we only have Book I in a
Latin translation of Rufinus of Aquileia: the preface of this book,
addressed by Pamphilus to the Christians who were condemned to
labor in the mines of Palestine, contains precious hints on what
Origen meant and how he should be understood
17
.
Besides these sources we are informed about the contents
of the rest of the work in chapter 118 of the Bibliotheca of Photius.
Other scattered items are reproduced by various authors, St.
J erome, the historian Socrates, Photius and others: many seem to

15 Jean Danilou: Origen, Sheed and Woard, N.Y., 1955, Part 1, Chapter 1.
16 Hist. Eccles. 6:2:1.
17 Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p. 1.
His Life
11
come from the missing volumes of Pamphilus' Apology for Origen
or from lost works of Eusebius, such as his Life of Pamphilus
18
.

ORIGENS BOYHOOD
Origen, a true son of Egypt, was born probably in Alexan-
dria, in or about 185 A.D His name means Son of Horus, the god
of Light
19
, an Egyptian god, son of Isis and Osiris, symbolizing
the rising sun. In the first centuries, those born of Christian parents
sometimes bore names derived from pagan deities
20
.
It is not unlikely that Origen was baptized while he was an
infant, for he himself is one of the main supporters of infant bap-
tism in that period
21
.
Eusebius says that everything about Origen, even the things
he did in the cradle, deserves to be remembered
22
. He saw the six-
year-old Origen as though he were in his maturity, applying him-
self to the pursuit of the spiritual sense of the Scriptures. He re-
ceived his Bible training from his father, and St. Clement of Alex-
andria, a free spirit if ever there was one, taught him theology
23
.
His father Leonides was very careful to bring him up in the knowl-
edge of the sacred Scriptures, and the child displayed a precocious
curiosity in this respect
24
. He received from his father, a devout
Christian who became a martyr, a double education, Hellenic and
Biblical
25
. His father was the owner of a library of rare manu-
scripts, devoted to scholarship. Origen read widely in his father's
library, and asked endless questions. So many questions that he
had to be restrained and publicly rebuked. He was never satisfied
with easy answers
26
.

18 Henri Crouzel, p. 1.
19 Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford 1913, p. 152.
20 Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p.4 n. 11..
21 Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p.5.
22 Eusebius: H. E. 6:2:2.
23 Church History 50 (1981) : The Charismatic Intellectual: Origens Understanding of Religious
Leadership, p. 107.
24 J. Lebreton: The History of the Primitive Church, 1948, p.773.
26 Robert Payne: Fathers Of The Eastern Church, Dorset Press, New York, 1985, P. 44.
Origen
12
"Everyday he would set him to learn a passage (from the
Bible) by heart ... The child was not content with the straight-
forward, obvious meaning of the Scriptures, he wanted something
more, and even at that time would go in pursuit of the underlying
sense. He always embarrassed his father by the questions he
asked
27
."
Eusebius, the historian, tells us that Leonides
28
, seeing his
sons fondness of the Word of God during his boyhood, was accus-
tomed to go up to Origens bed while he was asleep, uncover his
chest and reverently kiss it as a dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit.
He thought of himself as blessed in being the father of such a
boy
29
. According to the Coptic Church, the kiss sometimes is a rit-
ual gesture denoting veneration. That is why the priest kisses the
altar and the Gospel book.

LEONIDES MARTYRDOM
Besides being fed on the Holy Scriptures, Origen was ex-
posed to the influence of martyrdom. In the tenth year of Septimius
Severus (202 A.D) a persecution against Christians started, which
was to last for several years in Egypt under a succession of pre-
fects. It had a special severity upon the Egyptian Church
30
. The
fires of persecution rose to a great height and thousands of Chris-
tians received crowns of martyrdom. It was during this persecution
that St. Perpetua and St. Felicity were martyred in Africa. Leonides
was arrested and thrown into prison. Origen, who had not then
completed his seventeenth year ardently desired to attain the mar-
tyrs crown with his father. He was only prevented from achieving
this desire by his mother who, at a critical moment, hid all his
clothes, and so laid upon him the necessity of remaining at home
31
,
to look after his six brothers. He strongly urged his father to re-

27 Eusebius : H.E. 6:2:7 -11.
28 "Leonides" means "son of Lion."
29 Eusebius: H.E 6:2:11.
30 W. Fairweather: Origen & Greek Patristic Theology, Edinburgh, 1901, p37.
31 Benjamin Drewery: Origen & The Doctrine of Grace, London, 1906, Introd.
His Life
13
main firm by writing to him, "Do not dream of changing your mind
for our sake... "
As a child, he had wished to be a martyr like his father;
thirty years later by his eloquent Exhortation to Martyrdom he
gave encouragement to his friends imprisoned and tortured by
Maximin. Finally under Decius he had the proud privilege of suf-
fering for Christ, and shortly after this glorious confession he
died
32
.

TEACHER OF LITERATURE
Leonides was beheaded and his goods were confiscated.
Origen, then seventeen years old, remained with his mother and his
six younger brothers. His refuge was with a noble lady of Alexan-
dria, who helped him for a time. But he could not be comfortable
there, since a heretic teacher, called "Paul of Antioch," had so cap-
tured this simple lady by his eloquence that she had harbored him
as her philosopher and adopted son, and gave him permission to
propagate his heresy by means of lectures delivered in her house.
Origen, as a churchman and an orthodox believer felt un-
comfortable, left the house and maintained himself and his family
by teaching secular literature and grammar.
The youthful Origen was unusual. He was a brilliant
scholar. His education had progressed sufficiently by the time of
his fathers death so that he could support the family by teaching.
Through his teachings to pagans, Origens faith found expression
as often as he had occasion to refer to the theological position of
pagan writers. As a result, some pagans applied to him for instruc-
tion in Christianity. Among others were two brothers, Plutarch and
Heraclas, of whom the former was martyred and the latter was yet
to hold the bishopric of Alexandria
33
.

32 The History of the Primitive Church, p. 928.
33 Fairweather, p.39.
Origen
14

ORIGEN AND THE SCHOOL OF ALEXANDRIA
Origen was about fourteen when he first attended the
school presided over by Clement, and he remained Clement's pupil
to the end, showing the influence of the master though he was to
use Clement's weapons with incomparably greater skill. He was a
good student
34
.
J . Lebreton says
35
,
On the day following the death of Clement of Alex-
andria, Alexander of J erusalem wrote thus to Origen: "We
knew those blessed fathers who preceded us and with
whom we ourselves shall soon be: Pantaenus, the truly
blessed master, and also the venerable Clement who be-
came my own master and assisted me and possibly others.
Through these I came to know you, altogether excelling,
my master and my brother
36
."
The School of Alexandria which had been dispersed by the
persecutions and the departure of St. Clement left it without a
teacher. St. Demetrius, Pope of Alexandria, recognized his ability,
appointed Origen as the head of the school, when he was eighteen
years old, due to his Christian zeal to preach and catechize. The
post was an honorable one, but it was not without its dangers, for
the persecution begun by the edicts of Severus (202) was still rag-
ing, threatening especially the converts and their masters.
Origen, immediately gave up all other activities and sold
his beloved manuscripts that he possessed
37
(perhaps the library of
Leonides spared by the exchequer), and devoted himself exclu-
sively to his new duties as a catchiest. Probably by that time his
brothers had grown up and taken over the support of the family,
setting him free for the service of the Church. Origen was to re-

36 Eusebius: H.E. 6:14:8-9.
37 Eusebius: H.E. 6:3:1-8.
His Life
15
ceive from the purchaser an income of four obols a day which
would have to suffice for his sustenance. Six obols were the
equivalent of one denarius, which represented a very low daily
wage. This gesture of reselling his library marks a complete renun-
ciation of secular studies. But he was not slow to realize that secu-
lar knowledge was of great value in explaining the Scriptures and
for his missionary work, and he would soon return to what he had
intended to abandon
38
.
According to Charles Bigg, He sold the manuscripts of the
Greek classics, which he had written out with loving care, for a
trifling pension, in order that he might be able to teach without a
fee
39
.
His catechetical instruction attracted many, and Origen
grew in his vocation as a Christian teacher
40
.
About the year 215, St. Alexander of J erusalem regarded
Origen, his master and friend, the successor to the venerable deans
of the Alexandrian School, Pantaenus and Clement, though - in his
eyes - even greater than these. On the day following the death of
St. Clement, Alexander wrote to Origen: "We knew those blessed
fathers who proceeded us and with whom we ourselves shall soon
be: Pantaenus the truly blessed master, and also the venerable
Clement, who became my own master and assisted me and possi-
bly others. Through these I came to know you, although excelling,
my brother
41
."
Here, I would like to refer to Origens role in the develop-
ment of the School of Alexandria:
1 - Origen devoted himself with the utmost ardor not only
in studying and teaching the Holy Scripture, but also giving his life
as an example of evangelical life. His disciple St. Gregory the

40 Rowan A. Greer: Origen, Paulist Press, 1979, page 4.
41 Ibid 6:14:8-9.
Origen
16
Wonder-maker says that "he stimulated us by the deeds he did
more than by the doctrines he taught."
Eusebius gives a vivid account of the asceticism practiced
by Origen. He lived with extreme simplicity, owning only one
coat, walking barefoot, sleeping on the floor, eating only what was
necessary to support life; and after a long days work, sitting up
half the night studying the Scriptures. Eusebius tells us that, "he
taught as he lived, and lived as he taught; and it was especially for
this reason that with the co-operation of the divine power, he
brought so many to share his zeal." He adds, "he persevered in the
most philosophical manner of life, at one time disciplining himself
by fasting, at another measuring out the time for sleep, which he
was careful to take, never on a couch, but on the floor, and indi-
cated how the Gospel ought to be kept which exhorts us not to
provide two coats nor to use shoes, nor indeed, to be worn out with
thoughts about the future
42
."
He tried to lead his disciples and his hearers along the same
way of asceticism and mortification which he imposed upon him-
self from his youth. To asceticism we must join prayers, with the
aim of freeing the soul and enabling it to be united with God. That
is what a Christian seeks by observing virginity
43
, by drawing
away from the world while living in the world
44
, sacrificing as
much as possible good fortune
45
, and despising human glory
46
.
As St. Gregory the Wonder-worker says, he strove to be
like his own description of the man leading the good life; he pro-
vided a model, I mean, for those in search of wisdom
47
.
Origen was immensely successful. Several of his pupils
were themselves martyred, another, many years later, became
bishop of Alexandria. He taught as much by his example as by his

42 Ibid 6:3:9, 10.
43 In Num. hom 11:3.
44 In Lev. hom 11:1.
45 Ibid 15:2.
46 In Joan. 28:23.
47 Or. Paneg. 11. PG 10:1081C.
His Life
17
eloquence. He undertook to visit and console the confessors in
prison, attended them to the scaffold and gave them their last kiss
of peace. The mob tried to stone him. His lodgings were picketed
by soldiers, though whether to arrest him or to extend the protec-
tion of a government more lenient than the populace towards so
distinguished a figure, is not clear
48
.
2 - At the beginning, Origens aim was concentrated on
preparing the catechumens to receive baptism, not only by teach-
ing them the Christian faith but also by giving them instructions
concerning the practical aspects of Christian life.
"If you want to receive Baptism," he says
49
, "you must first
learn about Gods Word, cut away the roots of your vices, correct
your barbarous wild lives and practice meekness and humility.
Then you will be fit to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit."
He was affectionate and, says Gregory, bewitching. He kin-
dled in the hearts of his pupils a burning love, "directed at once
towards the divine Word, the most lovable object of all, who at-
tracts all irresistibly to Himself by His unspeakable beauty, and
also towards himself, the friend and advocate" of Christ
50
.
3 - Origens task was not to prepare those people flocking
in increasing numbers to sit at his feet, to be baptized, but rather to
be martyred. His School was a preparation for martyrdom. Those
who were close to him knew that they were running the risk of
martyrdom. One pagan, Plutarch, converted by Origen was mar-
tyred; he was encouraged to the end by his master. Others still in
the catechumenate or else neophytes followed him. Eusebius men-
tions Severus, Heraclides, Hero, another Serenus, and two women,
Herais and Potamizena, whose martyrdom was especially glori-
ous
51
. Michael Green says, But it (School of Alexandria) was an
evangelistic agency as well as a didactic one. Some of the Gen-

49 In Leirt. hom 11:3.
50 G.L. Prestige: Fathers and Heretics, S.P.C.K., 1968, p. 49-50.
51 Eusebius: H.E. 6:4,5.
Origen
18
tiles came to him to hear the word of God, and became strong,
courageous Christians who sealed their testimony with their blood,
men like Plutarch, Severus, Heron and Heraclides, as well as
women like Herais: all were martyred. The preaching and teaching
went together, and there was much practical work as well, the vis-
iting of prisoners, the encouragement of those condemned to death
for their faith, as well as working for a living and the exercise of
great abstinence in food, drink, sleep, money and clothing
52
.
Eusebius describes the part Origen played at the time of
persecution. "He had a great name with the faithful," he says
53
,
"due to the way he always welcomed the holy martyrs and was so
attentive to them, whether he knew them or not. He would go to
them in prison and stay by them when they were tried and even
when they were being led to death... often, when he went up to the
martyrs unconcernedly and saluted them with a kiss regardless of
the consequences, the pagan crowd standing by became very angry
and would have rushed upon him and very nearly made an end of
him."
These heroic times left an indelible trace upon Origens
memory, and he recalled them towards the end of the long period
of peace which preceded the Decian persecution:
That was a time when people were really faithful, when
martyrdom was the penalty even for entrance into the church,
when, from the cemeteries whither we had accompanied the bodies
of the martyrs, we entered immediately our meeting places, when
the whole Church stood unshakable, when catechumens were cate-
chized in the midst of the martyrdom and deaths of Christians who
confessed their faith right to the end, and when these catechumens,
overcoming these trials, adhered fearlessly to the living God. Then
it was that we remember seeing astonishing and marvelous won-
ders. Doubtless the faithful were then few in number, but they were

52 Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church,1991, p. 204.
53 Eus. H.E. 6:3:3-7.
His Life
19
truly faithful, following the straight and narrow path which leads
to life
54
.
4 - As his crowd of disciples flocked to him from morning
to night, Origen realized that he had to divide them into two
classes, so he chose his disciple Heraclas, an excellent speaker, to
give the beginners the preparatory subject of Christian doctrines,
while he devoted himself to instructing the advanced students in
philosophy, theology and especially the Holy Scriptures.
5 - Origen gained a great number of pupils from the pagan
School of philosophy. As Lebreton says that at the period 218-230
A.D Origen was particularly brilliant and fruitful. He was at the
height of his powers; he enjoyed the confidence of Pope De-
metrius, and every day saw still more students attending his lec-
tures. These disciples came from everywhere, from the Hellenic
philosophies and from the Gnostic sects; they sought from Origen
the interpretation of the Scriptures and a knowledge of God. To
satisfy all their desires the master felt the need of a deeper study of
the Bible and of divinity. Accordingly he took up the study of Hel-
lenic philosophy, as he explains in a fragment of a letter quoted by
Eusebius: "When I devoted myself to speaking, the fame of our
worth spread abroad, and there came to me heretics and those
formed in Greek studies and especially philosophers; it seemed
good to me that I should examine thoroughly the doctrines of the
heretics, and what philosophers profess to say concerning truth
55
."
He felt that he was in need of deeper philosophical training,
and this could be found in the lectures of Ammonius Saccas
56
, a
well-known Alexandrian philosopher (174-242 A.D), taught Pla-
tonism, and from him Plotonus (205-270 A.D), learned Neoplaton-
ism. J . Quasten says,

54 In Jerem. Hom. 4:3.
55 Eusebius H.E. 6:14:11.
56 Saccas means "the sack, and the name was given to him because the longshoremen carried grain
onto the ships in huge sacks (Robert Payne: Fathers Of The Eastern Church, Dorset Press, New
York, 1985, P. 59.).
Origen
20
The period of his life as an educator can be divided into
two parts: the first, as head of the school at Alexandria, extending
from 203 to 23I A.D, was one of increasing success. The second
part of his life was spent in Caesarea of Palestine from 231 A.D
until his death. During the first period, he gained pupils even from
heretical circles and from the pagan schools of philosophy....This
busy schedule did not prevent him from attending the lectures of
Ammonius Saccas, the famous founder of Neoplatonism. His in-
fluence can be seen in Origens cosmology and psychology and in
his method
57
.
Origen was essentially a man of the student type
58
. But
unlike St. Clement, he was not a philosopher who had been con-
verted to Christianity, nor was his sympathy with philosophy. Per-
haps because he was afraid of the beauty of philosophical forms or
expressions as a dangerous snare that might entrap or distant him.
Perhaps it was only that he had no time for such trifles
59
. Origen
was a true missionary who realized that he must study philosophy
just to be able to expound Christianity to the leading minds of his
day and to answer their difficulties and stress the factors in Chris-
tianity likely to appeal to them most
60
.
In a letter written in defense of his position as a student of
Greek philosophy he says
61
: "when I had devoted myself entirely to
the Scriptures, I was sometimes approached by heretics and people
who had studied the Greek sciences and philosophy in particular, I
deemed it advisable to investigate both the doctoral views of the
heretics and what the philosophers claimed to know of the truth. In
this I was imitating Pantaenus who, before my time, had acquired
no small store of such knowledge and had benefited many people
by it."

57 Patrology, vol. 2, p. 38.
59 H. Chadwick: the Early Church, 1969, p100.
60 Danilou J: Origen, 1953, p73.
61 Eus. 6:9:12, 13.
His Life
21
It is worthy to note that not all the days of his long life
were spent in scholarship, he was a man who was always violently
liked or disliked. The story is told that the mob of Alexandria once
seized him, clothed him in the dress of a priest of Serapis, gave
him the tonsure and placed him on the steps of the great temple,
ordering him to perform the office of a priest of Serapis by distrib-
uting palm branches to the worshipers. Origen did as he was or-
dered, and as he placed the palms in the hands of the people and
blessed them, he cried out: "Come and receive the palms, not of
idols, but of J esus Christ!
62
''

ORIGEN LEARNED THE HEBREW LANGUAGE
After the sack of J erusalem in 70 A.D. and its destruction
during the following years, J ewish criticism against Christianity
was increasingly on the defensive, while Christian doctrine felt
able to go its own way, without engaging the rabbis in a continuing
dialogue. Origen seems to have been one of the few church fathers
to participate in such a dialogue. Origen may also have been the
first church father to study Hebrew. As everyone knows, St.
J erome says, "he was so devoted to the Scriptures that he even
learned Hebrew, in opposition to the spirit of his time and of his
people
63
." According to Eusebius, "he learned it thoroughly
64
." I
think he learned it at first out of his deep love of the Scriptures, to
discover the accurate meaning of its Hebrew text, and secondly for
defending Christianity against the J ews. His knowledge of the lan-
guage was never perfect, but it enabled him to get at the original
text
65
.
J .W. Trigg says, One reason Origen probably wished to
learn Hebrew was to become more proficient at finding the roots of
Hebrew names. Origen shared the belief, common in his time, that
the root meaning of a word remained somehow associated with it

63 Viris Illustribus 54.
64 H. E. 6:16:1; Jaroslav Pelikan : The Christian Tradition, Chicago, 1971, p. 20-21.
65 Jean Danilou: Origen, N.Y., p. 133
Origen
22
even when the word itself had come to mean something else en-
tirely and that knowledge of this original meaning could be a very
useful clue to the meaning of the text
66
.

ORIGENS SELF-MUTILATION
The presence of women at his lectures, while he was still a
young man, and the consequent possibility of scandal suggested to
him a literal acting on the words of the Gospel "there are eunuchs
who made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heavens sake"
Matt. 19:12. Origen felt obliged to take literally a word which the
tradition of the Church did not understand in that way, so in a way
lining up, in his youth, with those literalists whom he contested so
harshly for all the rest of his life. It is indeed intriguing to find the
one who is held to be the prince of allegory taking literally a verse
which earlier tradition had usually understood allegorically
67
.
Perhaps he regarded emasculation as simply one more of
the mortifications he imposed on the body. He said later that "those
who obey the teachings of the Savior are martyrs in every act
whereby they crucify the flesh; with its passions and desires." If
mortification was required, the emasculation was only an extreme
form of mortification, to be compared with fasting...
68
In his en-
thusiasm for the perfect life, he unwisely took this action to pre-
vent all suspicion, and at the same time he thought that he was car-
rying out a counsel of the Lord.
He tried to hide what he had done, but the secret was soon
known and brought to the attention of Pope
69
Demetrius, who for-
gave him willingly, but later used it against him when he was or-
dained a presbyter
70
.

66 J.W. Trigg: Origen, SCM, p.155.
69 The title of Papa, or Pope, was regularly given to the Bishops of Alexandria. (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist.
7:7:4; Robert Payne: Fathers Of The Eastern Church, Dorset Press, New York, 1985, P. 59.)
His Life
23
This act of self-mutilation, condemned by the civil law
71
,
was already disapproved of by the Church, and was later formally
condemned
72
. Origen himself wrote later when explaining this text
in Matthew: "If there are other passages, not only in the Old but
also in the New Testament, to which we ought to apply the words:
The letter kills, but the spirit gives life, we must allow that they
apply especially to this particular text
73
." Origen says that "true
purity does not consist in doing violence to the body, but in morti-
fying the senses for the Kingdom of God.

ORIGENS JOURNEYS
Origens reputation spread not only in Alexandria but
throughout the whole Church.
1 - About the year 212 A.D Origen went to Rome, during
the pontificate of Zephyrinus, and in his presence St. Hippolytus
gave a discourse in honor of the Savior
74
.
2 - Shortly before the year 215, we find him in Arabia,
where he has gone in order to instruct the Roman Governor at the
latters own request. "A soldier brought letters to Demetrius,
Bishop of Alexandria, and to the prefect of Egypt in which the
governor of Arabia requested them to send Origen to him as soon
as possible, as he wished to discuss doctrines with him
75
."
He was also called to Arabia several times for discussions
with its bishop. Eusebius mentions two of those debates, in the
year 244 A.D an Arabian synod was convened to discuss the
Christological views of Beryllus, Bishop of Bostra. The synod,
which was largely attended, condemned Beryllus, because of his
absolute monarchianism (one person as Godhead), and had vainly

71 Justin: Apol. 1:29.
72 First canon of the Council of Nicea, cf. note in Hefele-Leclercq, Histoire des Conciles, VI, Vol. I,
pp. 529-532.
73 In Matt. Vol. 15:1 (Lebreton: The History of the Primitive Church, p. 931).
74 St. Jerome: De Viris Illustribus 61.
75 Eusebius: H.E. 6:19:15.
Origen
24
tried to bring him round to the Orthodox position
76
. Origen hurried
to Arabia and succeeded in convincing Beryllus, who seemed even
to have written a letter of thanks to Origen
77
.
This link with Arabia is a continuation of Pantaenus
78
.
3 - Around the year 216 A.D, the emperor Caracalla had
arrived in Alexandria and had been the butt of gibes on the part of
the student population which greeted him as 'Geticus,' an ironical
title of honor because he had assassinated his brother Geta. The
Emperor looted the city of Alexandria, closed the schools, perse-
cuted the teachers and massacred them. Origen decided to leave
Alexandria in secret and withdrew for the first time to Caesarea of
Palestine. There, he was welcomed by his old friend Alexander
79
,
Bishop of Aelia, that is of J erusalem, and subsequently by Theoc-
tistus, Bishop of Caesarea (in Palestine). Not wishing to miss the
chance afforded them by the presence of so distinguished a biblical
scholar, they invited him to expound the Scriptures in the Christian
assemblies before them, although he was still a layman. Back in
Alexandria, Pope Demetrius was very angry for, according to the
Alexandrian Church custom, laymen should not deliver discourse
in the presence of the bishops. The Pope made a protest to the Pal-
estinian bishops, saying that it has never been heard of and it
never happens now that laymen preach homilies in the presence of
bishops. Bishops Theoctistus and Alexander retorted in a letter
which is possibly later and contemporary with the great crisis of
231-233 A.D - saying that this statement was manifestly incorrect.
They quoted cases showing that where there are men capable of
doing good to the brethren, they are invited by the holy bishops to
address the people. The Pope ordered the immediate return of
Origen to Alexandria, and the latter loyally obeyed the summons,

76 Fairweather, p. 60.
77 Jerome: Catal c. 60.
78 J. Danilou: The Christian Centuries, vol. 1, p. 184.
79 Eusebius reports passages of several letters that he wrote, including one to Origen in which he
mentions his past relations with Pantaenus and Clement (HE 6:9-11; 6:14:8-9). This Alexander
founded at Jerusalem a library which Eusebius used, as well as the one in Caesarea which origi-
nated in the library and the archives of Origen (HE 6:20:1) (H.Crouzel: Origen, 1989, p.15-16).
His Life
25
and everything seemed to settle down as it had been before. This
incident was a prelude to the conflict which was to break out some
fifteen years later.
Henri Crouzel states that another question can be asked
about this first sojourn of Origen's at Caesarea of Palestine. In his
Historia Lausiaca, Palladius reports the following concerning a
virgin called J uliana
80
:
It is also said that there was at Caesarea of Cappa-
docia a virgin named J uliana, of great wisdom and faith.
She took in the writer Origen when he fled from the rising
of the Greeks and hid him for three years, providing him
with rest at her own expense and caring for him herself. All
that I found, mentioned in Origen's own handwriting in a
very old book written in verses. These were his very words:
I found this book at the house of the virgin J uliana at
Caesarea when I was hiding there. She said she had got it
from Symmachus himself, the J ewish commentator.
Writers usually understand by this 'rising of the Greeks' the
persecution of Maximin the Thracian in 235 and accordingly sup-
pose that at that time Origen had to leave Caesarea of Palestine
where he had settled and hide at Caesarea of Cappadocia. Euse-
bius, who had also read the same note on the manuscript which
was to be found in his day in the library at Caesarea in Palestine,
reports that the commentaries of the Ebionite Symmachus -
Ebionism was a J udaeo-Christian heresy - were to be found there
and that Origen indicates that he had received these works with
other interpretations of the Scriptures by Symmachus from a cer-
tain J uliana, who, he says, had inherited these books from Symma-
chus himself
81
. This passage follows the chapter in which Euse-
bius explains how Origen composed the Hexapla
82
: Symmachus
was the author of one of the four Greek versions which were col-

80 147 PG 34:1250D.
81 Eusebius 6:17.
82 Eusebius 6:16.
Origen
26
lated in it. These chapters relate to the Alexandrian period of Ori-
gen's life
83
.
Crouzel also says, We also wonder whether it is not right
to see in the 'rising of the Greeks', not Maximin's persecution, but
the troubles in Alexandria when Caracalla visited the city and to
suppose that Palladius confused the two Caesareas, mentioning the
Cappadocian one when it should have been the Palestinian. The
fact is that the note in Origen's handwriting which he read and
which is the source of his information does not say which Caesarea
is meant and as the manuscript which contained it was found
among the books that Origin left to the library of Caesarea in Pal-
estine, it would seem more likely that the latter is meant. However,
it is possible that Palladius knew from some other source that
J uliana lived in Caesarea of Cappadocia
84
.
4 - At the beginning of the reign of Alexander Severus
85

(222-235 A.D), the Emperors mother, J ulia Mammaea, the last of
those Syrian princesses to whom the Severan dynasty owed much
of its brilliance, summoned Origen to come to Antioch in order
that she might consult him on many questions. She thought it very
important to be favored with the sight of this man and to sample
his understanding of divine matters which everyone was admiring.
According to Eusebius, Origen abode for some time at the
royal place and after hearing powerful testimony to the glory of the
Lord and the worth of divine instruction "hastened back to his
School
86
."
Origen mentions in his Letter to friends in Alexandria a
stay in Antioch, where he had to refute the calumny of a heretic
whom he had already confronted in Ephesus.

85 The emperor offered the Christians not only peace but favour. He set up in the private sanctuary,
the 'lararium' of his palace, the statues of Abraham and Jesus. The empress-mother dreamed of
reconciling the Christians with Roman civilisation.
86 Eusebius: H.E. 6:21:3,4.
His Life
27
5 - Origens next journey was into Greece, and involved
two years absence from Alexandria. He went in response of Achia,
apparently to act the part of peace-maker, and was bearer of writ-
ten credentials from his Bishop
87
. Origen chose the longest way
round: from Alexandria to Athens going through Caesarea of Pal-
estine which was not the most direct way, probably to visit his Pal-
estinian friends, Bishops Theoctistus and Alexander. There he was
ordained a priest, by the Bishop of this country
88
. To the two
bishops it seemed unfitting that a spiritual counselor of high au-
thorities like Origen should be no more than a layman. Moreover,
they desired to avoid all risk of further rebukes from Pope De-
metrius by licensing Origen to preach in their presence. Possibly
they wanted to give him greater prestige for the mission he was
undertaking to Greece.
Origen at this time was not thinking of settling in Caesarea;
once his mission to Greece had been accomplished, he would go
back to Alexandria and again direct his school.
Pope Demetrius counted this ordination much worse of-
fense than the former one, considering it as invalid, for two rea-
sons:
a - Origen had received priesthood from another bishop
without permission from his own bishop.
b - Origens self-mutilation was against his ordination. Un-
til today no such person (who practices self-mutilation) can be or-
dained.

ORIGENS CONDEMNATION
Pope Demetrius called a council of bishops and priests who
refused to abide by the decision, that Origin must leave Alexan-
dria
89
, but this did not content bishop Demetrius. He called another

87 Fairweather, p. 50.
88 Eusebius: H.E. 6:23,4.
89 H.M. Gwatick: Early Church History, London, 1909, vol. 2, p. 192.
Origen
28
council of bishops only (in the year 232), and deprived him of the
priesthood as the ordination was invalid and he became unfit for
catechizing. Beside the above-mentioned accusations, they consid-
ered that there were some errors in his teachings such as:
1 - He believed souls were created before the bodies, and
they are bound to bodies as a punishment of previous sins they had
committed
90
. The world is for them only a place of purification.
2 - The soul of Christ had a previous existence before the
Incarnation and it was united with divinity.
3 - All creation, even Satan aqnd demons, will return back
to its origin in God, (eternal punishment has an end)
91
.
We will deal with these errors attributed to him in chapter
four: Origen and Origenism.
Origen was deprived of his priesthood, and St. J erome says
that all the bishops endorsed the attack on Origen except the Bish-
ops of Palestine, Arabia, Achaia and Phoenicia. St. J erome at the
peak of his enthusiasm for Origen did not hesitate to write that, if
Rome called a senate against Origen, it was not on account of in-
novations in dogma, or to accuse him of heresy, as many of these
mad dogs claim nowadays, but because they could not stand the
splendid effect of his eloquence and scholarship for when he spoke
all were speechless
92
.
Origen sent a letter, probably from Athens, to friends at
Alexandria who presumably had warned him of what Pope De-
metrius thought of him. The fragment that J erome preserves which
comes from an earlier part of Origen's letter contains disillusioned
and bitter remarks about the limited confidence it is possible to
have in the Church leaders: it is wrong to revile them or hate them;
one should rather pity them and pray for them. One should not re-

90 De Principiis 1:8:1.
91 Ibid. 1:6:2; 3:6:6.
92 Epistle 33 to Paula,5.
His Life
29
vile anyone, not even the devil, but leave it to the Lord to correct
them
93
.
With a heavy heart Origen abandoned Alexandria forever
and made his way, accompanied by the faithful Ambrosius and
perhaps with a small following of copyists and stenographers to
Caesarea. He obeyed abhorring schism, and with noble Christian
unselfishness counted his expulsion from the place that was dearest
to him than any on earth, as not too great a sacrifice in order to
maintain the unity of the Church. For although he had powerful
friends in Alexandria and overseas and might have become the
leader of a great party to fight the bishop - but never did thus! He
calmly left Alexandria, feeling that nobody could deprive him of
his beloved church, as he says, "It sometimes happens that a man
who has been turned out is really still inside, and one who seems to
be inside may really be outside
94.
"
The work of correction, Origen says in one of his letters
about Ambrosius, leaves us no time for supper, or after supper for
exercise and repose. Even at these times we are compelled to de-
bate questions of interpretation and to amend manuscripts. Even
the night cannot be given up altogether to the needful refreshment
of sleep, for our discussions extend far into the evening. I say noth-
ing about our morning labor. For all earnest students devote this
time to study of the Scriptures and reading
95
.
J . Lebreton says,
Shortly after the condemnation of Origen, De-
metrius died. His successor was the priest Heraclas, whom
Origen had appointed as assistant, and who after his con-
demnation had taken his place at the head of the Catechet-
ical School. It seems that Origen tried at this time to return
to Alexandria and to take up his teaching once more, but
Heraclas upheld the sentence of Demetrius. In 247 Heraclas

94 In Lev. Hom 14:3.
95 Ep. to a friend about Ambrosius; Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford
1913, p. 156-157.
Origen
30
died in his turn, and was succeeded by St. Dionysius. He,
however, took no steps to recall to Alexandria the man who
had nevertheless been his own master. But in the time of
the Decian persecution, Origen was to receive, after his
painful confession of the Faith, a friendly letter from the
Bishop of Alexandria.
These facts enable us to understand better the sig-
nificance and the motives of the sentence of Demetrius: if
his two successors, sometime pupils of Origen, did nothing
to recall their master to Alexandria, it must have been be-
cause his dismissal was motivated not merely by the per-
sonal jealousy of Demetrius, but also by the Churchs own
interests
96
.

A NEW SCHOOL
The departure of Origen from Alexandria to settle in Cae-
sarea of Palestine divides his life into two main periods. Henri
Crouzel states that, according to most manuscripts of Eusebius
Origen's departure from Alexandria to settle in Caesarea of Pales-
tine took place in the tenth year of the reign of Alexander Severus,
say 231: one manuscript only gives the twelfth year, say 233. Eu-
sebius subsequently points out that shortly after the departure of
Origen, Demetrius, the bishop of Alexandria, died, after holding
his office for fully forty-three years. Earlier he had noted the ac-
cession of Demetrius in the tenth year of Commodus, that is in
190. So Alexander would have died in 233 and that date makes it
more likely that Origen settled in Caesarea in 233 than in 231
97
.
Pastoral concerns appear and grow stronger during the sec-
ond half of his life, for his priesthood and his preaching brought
him into contact not only with the intellectuals with whom he still
consorted but also with the generality of the Christian popula-
tion
98
.

96 The History of the Primitive Church, p. 944-5.
His Life
31
In the preamble to volume six of the Commentary on John,
the first book that he composed at Caesarea as soon as he could
start work again, Origen, who as a rule never speaks of himself,
allows the bitterness caused by the recent events at Alexandria to
show.
J . Lebreton says
99
,
The condemnations pronounced by men who had
been most closely connected with Origen - Demetrius,
who thirty years before had appointed him head of the
Catechetical School, and Heraclas, who had been his dis-
ciple and his collaborator - together with the exile which
removed him from the Church in which his father had died
a martyrs death and in which he himself had taught for
thirty years, and the pronouncements against him emanat-
ing from the whole world, were to Origen himself a terri-
ble blow. Yet he says little about them in his works, and
when he does so it is with moderation. The most explicit
passage is found in the Preface of the Sixth Tome of St.
J ohn:
In spite of the storm stirred up against us at Alex-
andria, we had completed the fifth tome, for Jesus com-
manded the winds and the waves. We had already begun
the sixth when we were torn from the land of Egypt, saved
by the hand of God the deliverer, who had formerly with-
drawn his people from thence. Since that time the enemy
has redoubled his violence, publishing his new letters,
truly hostile to the Gospel, and letting loose upon us all
the evil winds of Egypt. Hence reason counseled us to re-
main ready for combat, and to keep untouched the highest
part of ourselves, until tranquillity, restored to our mind,
should enable us to add to our former labors the rest of
our studies on Scripture. If we had returned to this task at
an unseasonable time, we might have feared that painful

99 Cf. The History of the Primitive Church, p. 945-6.
Origen
32
reflections would bring the tempest right into our soul.
Moreover, the absence of our usual secretaries prevented
us from dictating the commentary. But now that the multi-
tude of heated writings published against us has been ex-
tinguished by God, and our soul, accustomed to the mis-
fortunes which come to pass in consequence of the heav-
enly word, has learnt to support more peaceably the
snares prepared for us--now that we have, so to speak,
found once more a calm sky, we do not wish to delay any
longer in dictating the rest, and we pray God our Master
to make himself heard in the sanctuary of our soul, so that
the commentary we have begun on the Gospel of John may
be completed. May God hear our prayer that we may be
able to write the whole of this discourse, and that no fur-
ther accident may interrupt and break the continuity of
Scripture
100
.
This moving passage well brings out Origens great
grief, and also his efforts to overcome it and continue his
work in peace.
J . Lebreton also says, We can compare with this passage a
fragment of a letter from Origen to his friends, quoted by St.
J erome, Adv. Rufinum 2:18 : Is it necessary to recall the dis-
courses of the prophets threatening and reprimanding the shep-
herds and the elders, the priests and the princes of the people? You
can find them without our help in the Holy Scriptures and convince
yourselves that our own time is perhaps one of those to which
these words apply: Believe not a friend, and trust not in a prince
(Micheas, vii, 5), and also this other oracle which is being fulfilled
in our own days The leaders of my people have not known me
they are foolish and senseless children; they are ready to do evil
but know not how to do good (Jeremias, iv, 22). such men de-
serve pity rather than hate, and we must pray for them rather than
curse them, for we have been created, not to curse but to bless."

100 Comm. on John. 6:1:8-11.
His Life
33
Origen left Alexandria and made his new home in
Caesarea, in Palestine, where he was gladly welcomed by the bish-
ops. "They attached themselves to him as to a unique master, and
they entrusted him with the explanation of the holy Scriptures and
with the whole of Church teaching
101
," Bishop Theoctistus induced
Origen to found a new school of theology there, over which he pre-
sided for almost twenty years. In this School he taught St. Gregory
the Wonder-Worker for five years.
Ambrose and the book-producing organization had accom-
panied him to Caesarea, and a share in the dedication of two works
was bestowed on that loyal benefactor.
At the bishops request Origen also discussed the Scripture,
at least twice a week, on Wednesday and Fridays
102
. The new task
increased Origens humility, for he believed that the preacher had
to be first and foremost a man of prayer. Many times when he was
faced with an especially difficult passage, he would often stop and
ask his listeners to pray with him for a better understanding of the
text
103
.
His power as a teacher in Caesarea can fortunately be
measured by an account which was recorded by a grateful pupil.
His school at Caesarea exercised a magnetic attraction not only
over the neighboring country but on hearers from abroad, who
came to hearken to his wisdom from all parts, as the Queen of
Sheba came to Solomon.
Among the earliest of them was a young law student, by
name Gregory, afterwards surnamed the Thaumaturgus (Won-
der-worker), owing to the apostolic signs and wonders which he
wrought in his singularly successful labors as a missionary among
his own people. His name by birth was Theodore, and was subse-
quently changed to Gregory. He was born in Pontus, of a distin-
guished but pagan family. At the age of fourteen, after the death of

101 Eusebius: H.E. 6:27.
102 In Num. Hom., 15:1; In Jesu. Nav., Hom. 20; In 1 Sam. Hom. 2.
103 In Gen. Hom. 2:3.
Origen
34
his father, he came to know Christianity and accepted it. Gregory
wanted to become a lawyer, and set out for Beirut with his brother
Athenodorus, in order to study law there. The two brothers took
their sister with them as far as Caesarea, so that she could join her
husband, who had been appointed assessor to the Governor of Syr-
ian Palestine. Passing by Beirut on his journey, he arrived at
Caesarea, only to fall under Origens spell and find himself a cap-
tive, not of Roman law, but of Christian Gospel. He stayed for five
years under the tuition of the master, at the end of which, he re-
ceived the bishopric on the eve of returning home. Before leaving
Caesarea, Gregory addressed to his master a speech of farewell and
thanks (Panegyric). The admiration of the young disciple for his
master shows how great was the latters influence, and how much
he was loved.
At the end of the first part of the Panegyric, St. Gregory
describes in moving terms the fascination that the master's lan-
guage had for him when he spoke of the Word and the mutual af-
fection that grew up between them and him:
And thus, like some spark lighting upon our inmost
soul, love was kindled and burst into flame within us, - a
love at once to the Holy Word, the most lovely object of
all, who attracts all irresistibly towards Himself by His un-
utterable beauty, and to this man, His friend and advocate.
And being most mightily smitten by this love, I was per-
suaded to give up all those objects or pursuits which seem
to us befitting, and among others even my boasted juris-
prudence, - yea, my very fatherland and relatives, both
those - who were present with me then, and those from
whom I had parted. And in my estimation there arose but
one object dear and worth desire, - to wit philosophy, and
that master of philosophy, that divine man
104
.

104 Panegyric 6:84-4.
His Life
35
St. Gregory expresses the grief of farewell and weeps to
leave the almost monastic life he had led with Origen and his fel-
low students
105
.
... where both by day and by night the holy laws are de-
clared, and hymns and songs and spiritual words are heard;
where also there is perpetual sunlight; where by day in
waking vision we have access to the mysteries of God, and
by night in dreams we are still occupied with what the soul
has seen and handled in the day; and where, in short, the
inspiration of divine things prevails over all continually
106
.
Origen states that many like St. Gregory exaggerate in
praising him. He says, We ourselves also suffer from such exag-
gerations. Many who love us more than we deserve give to our dis-
courses and to our doctrine praises of which we cannot approve.
Others slander our books and attribute to us opinions which to our
knowledge we have never held. Those who love us too much and
those who hate us both stray from the rule of truth
107
.
Henri Crouzel says,
Following A Knauber
108
we think that the school of
Caesarea was more a kind of missionary school, aimed at
young pagans who were showing an interest in Christianity
but were not yet ready, necessarily, to ask for baptism: Ori-
gen was thus introducing these to Christian doctrine
through a course in philosophy, mainly inspired by Middle
Platonism, of which he offered them a Christian version. If
his students later asked to become Christians, they had then
to receive catecheticial teaching in the strict sense.
But the didascaleion of Caesarea is above all a
school of the inner life: all its teaching leads to spirituality.
It is striking to note that what Gregory admires most in
Origen is not the polymath or the speculative sage, but the

106 Panegyric 16.
107 In Luc. hom. 25.
108' Das Anliegen der Schule des Origenes zu Casarea,' Munchener Theologische Zeitschrift 19, 1968.
Origen
36
man of God and the guide of souls. Origen seems to Greg-
ory to have gone far on the road of spiritual progress that
leads to assimilation to God, so much so that he no longer
has for guide an ordinary angel but already perhaps the
Angel of the Great Council himself,' that is to say the Lo-
gos. He has received from God exceptional spiritual gifts:
he can speak of God, he is the 'advocate' or 'herald' of the
Word and of the virtues, the 'guide' of philosophy in its
moral and religious applications. He possesses to a unique
degree the gift of the exegete, analogous to that of the in-
spired author; he knows how to listen to God: 'This man
has received from God the greatest gift and from heaven
the better part; he is the interpreter of the words of God to
men, he understands the things of God as if God were
speaking to him and he explains them to men that they may
understand them'. Among the gifts he has received from
God, he has the greatest of all, 'the master of piety, the sav-
ing Word. With him the Word comes in bare-foot, not
shod with an enigmatic phraseology. He teaches the virtues
in wise and compelling terms, but above all by his exam-
ple: he puts his own lessons into practice, striving to fit
himself to the ideal they describe: he presents to his stu-
dents a model of all the virtues, so that they come to life.
God has given him the power to convince and that
is how he overcame the resistance of the two brothers. His
words pierced them like 'arrows
109
.
Origen paid several journeys during this period
110
:
1. Bishop Firmilian of Caesarea in Cappadocia, invited him
into his country 'for the good of the Churches' and then went him-
self to spend some time 'with him in J udaea ... to improve himself
in divine matter'."

110 Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p.30ff.
His Life
37
2. A journey to Nicomedia, Diocletian's future capital, near
the Asian shore of the Sea of Marmara, is attested by the conclu-
sion of the long letter he wrote to J ulius Africanus in reply to the
latter's objections to the authenticity and canonicity of the story of
Susanna in the Greek version of Daniel.
3. As we have seen before, Origen went to see Beryllus,
bishop of Bostra in the Hauran, capital of the Roman province of
Arabia, a country to which Origen had already been at the sum-
mons of its governor during the Alexandrian period of his life. Eu-
sebius attributes to Beryllus a doctrine derived from both mo-
dalism and adoptionism: the former, to safeguard the divine unity,
made of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit three modes of be-
ing of a single divine Person, while the latter thought of the Son as
a man whom God adopted. Beryllus maintained that 'our Lord and
Savior had not pre-existed in a mode of his own before his dwell-
ing among men and that He did not possess a divinity of his own,
but only that of the Father which dwelt in Him'. Many bishops had
discussions with Beryllus at a synod held in his own Church and
they summoned Origen to it; he succeeded in bringing Beryllus
round to a more orthodox opinion.
4. Another mission, likewise to Arabia, and related to the
reign of Philip the Arabian, who came from that country, was di-
rected against the views of certain Christians known by the name
of Thnetopsychites, that is people maintaining that the soul is mor-
tal.
5. The third mission was not unconnected, as regards the
opinions debated, with the two previous ones. The evidence for it
is found in the Dialogue of Origen with Heraclides and the bishops
his colleagues on the Father, the Son and the soul, the transcript in
part of the proceedings of a synod like the former, but of which we
know neither the time nor the place. But the doctrines discussed
are sufficiently akin to those in debate at the other synods to sug-
gest that this also was in Roman Arabia and at the same period.
We will return to this dialogue in the following chapter.
Origen
38

ORIGENS TEACHING AS SEEN BY A DISCIPLE
111

St. Gregory describes his feelings towards his teacher, Ori-
gen, as having the warmth of the true Sun which begins to rise
upon him. He was pierced with Origen's words, as by a divine ar-
row. His prayers were as Gods arrows, having the power to con-
vert his hearers. St. Gregory states that in his zeal, Origen, did not
aim merely at getting us round by any kind of reasoning; but his
desire was, with a benignant, affectionate and most generous
mind, to save us."
The pains he took to build them up in the faith are admira-
bly portrayed in Gregory's Panegyric, which gives us the first de-
tailed curriculum of Christian higher education. But what is not so
apparent from this account is the earnest prayer and confident use
of the Scriptures in evangelism which Origen employed. Some-
thing of his priorities in this matter may be gleaned from his letter
to Gregory. "Do you then, my son, diligently apply yourself to the
reading of the sacred Scriptures. Apply yourself, I say, for we who
read the things of God need much application, lest we should say
or think anything too rashly about them. And applying yourself
thus to the study of the things of God, . . . knock at its locked door,
and it will be opened to you . . . And applying yourself thus to the
divine study, seek aright, and with unwavering trust in God, the
meaning of the Holy Scriptures, which so many have missed. Be
not satisfied with knocking and seeking; the prayer is of all things
indispensable to the knowledge of the things of God. For to this the
Savior exhorted, and said not only 'Knock and it shall be opened to
you; and seek and you shall find' but also, 'Ask, and it shall be
given unto you'.
It was through the wise, dedicated, individual evangelism
of Christians like Origen that some of the most notable converts

111 The History of the Primitive Church, p. 948ff.
His Life
39
were brought into the Christian Church. Hand-picked fruit was the
best
112
.
In St. Gregorys eulogy, pulsating with grateful admiration,
the young man tells how he was first won by Origen and then
trained by him. The master was not merely a professor but above
all an educator; he transformed the person who gave himself up to
him:
When he saw that his efforts were not fruitless, he began to
dig the soil, to turn it over, to water it, to rake it over, and to use
all his art and all his care in order to work upon us; everything
that there was in the nature of thorns, thistles, or evil weeds, and
all that our minds produced like a virgin forest, he cut back or ex-
tracted by his reprimands and orders; he corrected us after the
manner of Socrates, and subdued us by his words if he found us
like wild horses, impatient of the bit rushing off the road, and run-
ning hither and thither, until by persuasion or compulsion, curbing
us by his speech as by a bit put into our mouths he succeeded in
training us. At first this could not be done without pain and suffer-
ing for us; neither custom nor exercise had taught us to follow rea-
son; but nevertheless he went on forming us by his discourses and
gradually purified us (7:96).
Side by side with this moral training, an encyclopedic
teaching was given.
Thus this whole course, encyclopedic and philosophical,
was but a preparation for the study of Holy Scripture which for
Origen was the most important subject of all, constituting Theol-
ogy.
He himself used to interpret the Prophets and clarified all
the obscure and puzzling passages such as occur frequently in the
holy Scriptures... He clarified and threw light upon all the enigmas
he encountered, because he knew how to listen to God and to un-
derstand him. One might say that these enigmas presented no diffi-

112 Cf. Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, 1991, p. 228-9.
Origen
40
culty to him, and contained nothing that he did not understand. Of
all the men of to-day, of whom I have heard or whom I have
known, there has not been one who was able as he was to contem-
plate the purity of the divine oracles, to receive their light into his
own soul, and to teach them to others. This is because the univer-
sal Head, he who spoke through the Prophets beloved by God, and
who inspires all prophecy and all mystical and divine discourse,
honored him as a friend, and set him up as a master. Through oth-
ers, he spoke in enigmas, but through Origen he gave the under-
standing of them, and whatever he, the Master supremely worthy
of belief, had by his royal authority ordained or revealed, this he
gave to this man to expound, and to explain the oracles, so that if
anyone were hard of heart and incredulous or still desirous to
learn, he was able to learn from this man and was in a sense com-
pelled to understand and to believe and to follow God. If he did all
this, it was in my opinion by the communication of the divine
Spirit; for those who prophesy and those who understand the
prophets need the same power, and no one can understand a
prophet unless the same Spirit who has prophesied give him the
understanding of his discourse. That is the meaning of the words
we read in the holy books: "He who shuts can alone open, and
none other" - the divine word opens by manifesting those enigmas
which are closed. This wonderful gift was received by this man
from God, he was given by heaven the marvelous destiny of being
to men the interpreter of the words of God, understanding what
God says in the way in which God says it, and expounding it to
men in a way that men can understand. Thus, there was nothing
inexplicable, hidden, or inaccessible to us; we were able to follow
every saying, barbarian or Greek, mysterious or public, divine or
human; we were able in all freedom to run through all, to examine
all, and to collect together and enjoy all the good things of the
soul. Whether it came from some ancient source of the truth or
from some other name or work, we drew from it abundantly and
with full freedom wonderful and magnificent thoughts. To express
the whole matter in brief, all this was for us a veritable Paradise,
an image of the great Paradise of God, in which we did not have to
His Life
41
work upon the soul below, nor to feed our bodies by fattening
them; we had only to develop the riches of the soul, like beautiful
plants which we had planted ourselves or which had been planted
in us by the Cause of all things, in joy and abundance (15:I74-
183),
This eulogy does honor to the disciple as much as to his
master. But at the same time we cannot help noticing a certain ex-
aggeration, whether in the praise of Hellenic philosophy, or in the
repeated praise of Origen himself as the unique master and sole
interpreter of the Scriptures. Origen doubtless was himself aware
of this exaggeration. We have a letter which he addressed to Greg-
ory shortly after the return of the young man to his own country;
we find in it some points which appear to be discreet corrections of
the Discourse especially on the dangers which may be found in the
good things of Egypt, and the necessity of prayer to understand the
Scriptures. At the end of the letter, Origen gives this exhortation:
As for you, my son, apply yourself above all to the reading
of the holy Scriptures. "Apply yourself," I say, for we need great
attention when we read the holy books so that we may neither say
nor think anything incautious concerning them. Be attentive to the
reading of the divine Scriptures, with faith and the intention of
pleasing God knock if the doors are shut, and the porter will open
to you, as Jesus said: The porter will open the door to him." Being
thus attentive to the divine reading, seek with an upright heart and
a very firm faith in God, the spirit of the holy Scriptures, so often
hidden. But do not content yourself with knocking at the door and
seeking: the most necessary thing for the understanding of divine
matters is prayer. The Savior, when exhorting us, did not content
himself with saying to us: "Knock and it shall be opened unto you,
seek and you shall fin; he also said: "Ask and it shall be given unto
you." Because of my fatherly affection towards you I do not fear to
speak to you thus. Whether we have done well or not, God and his
Christ know, and he who has a part in the spirit of God and the
spirit of Christ. May you yourself have part therein, an ever in-
creasing part, so that you may not merely say: "We are becoming
Origen
42
participators in Christ but also We are becoming participators
in God.

ORIGEN AS A PREACHER
113

Origen was dean of the Scientific School of Alexandria, at
the same time he was a preacher not in a formal way, but through
his zeal of the salvation of men. As a preacher, Origen was very
humble , because he knew there was much that he did not know
and yet he was not afraid.
His spiritual lectures were attended by men and women,
Christians, and non-Christians, poor and rich people. As we have
seen, even the pagan Queen, J ulia Mammaea desired to hear him
and to be instructed by him. Michael Green presents Origen as an
example of a lovely preacher saying:
A lovely example of the attitude to preaching
adopted by one of the great intellectuals at the end of the
second century, Origen, is found in his Commentary on
Psalm 36. One might expect that the head of the Catechet-
ical School in Alexandria, the man who outgunned the phi-
losophers on their own ground, was somewhat dull in his
preaching and academic in his approach to it; in fact, the
very reverse was the case.
In this commentary on Psalm 36 Origen is talking
of Christian preachers under the metaphor of arrows of
God. "All in whom Christ speaks, that is to say every up-
right man and preacher who speaks the word of God to
bring men to salvationand not merely the apostles and
prophetscan be called an arrow of God. But, what is
rather sad," he continues, "I see very few arrows of God.
There are few who so speak that they inflame the heart of
the hearer, drag him away from his sin, and convert him to
repentance. Few so speak that the heart of their hearers is

113 See David G. Hunter: Preaching in the Patristic Age, 1989, p. 42-3; Michael Green: Evangelism
in the Early Church, 1991.
His Life
43
deeply convicted and his eyes weep for contrition. There
are few who unveil the light of the future hope, the wonder
of heaven and the glory of God's kingdom to such effect
that by their earnest preaching they succeed in persuading
men to despise the visible and seek the invisible, to spurn
the temporal and seek the eternal. There are all too few
preachers of this caliber." He fears that professional jeal-
ousy and rivalry often render, what few good preachers
there are, useless in reaching those they try to win. And
continuing in a very humble and sensitive vein Origen
shares with the reader his dread that he should himself ever
turn into the devil's arrow by causing anyone to stumble
through what he did or said. "Sometimes we think we are
confuting someone, and we speak ill-advisedly, and be-
come aggressive and argumentative as we endeavor to win
our case no matter what expressions we use. Then the devil
takes our mouth and uses it like a bow from which he can
shoot his arrows
114
.
115

Green also says,
But it seems to have been Clement and Origen who
were most sensitive about the need of those without Christ,
and adept at pleading with them. We have already sampled
the caliber of Origen's preaching, his inner concern to be an
arrow in the Lord's hand, and his comments on Romans 9:1
where he asks the reader, "Do you have sorrow and grief
for the lost ? Do you care enough to be separated from
Christ for them ?" His predecessor in the Catechetical
School at Alexandria, Clement, had equal warmth, as his
Protrepricus makes clear. This is no mere Apology. It is a
missionary tract, full of love and concern for those whom
he is seeking to win. It may not be amiss to close this chap-
ter with some excerpts from this treatise, as a reminder that
the warmth of Christian love for the unevangelized and

114 Comm. on Ps. 36:3:3.
115 Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, 1991, p. 203.
Origen
44
genuine concern for their well being did not end with the
apostolic age.
"Do you not fear, and hasten to learn of himthat
is, hasten to salvationdreading wrath, loving grace, ea-
gerly striving after the hope set before us, that you may
shun the judgment threatened ? Come, come, O my young
people! For if you become not again as little children, and
be born again, as says the Scripture, you shall not receive
the truly existent Father, nor shall you enter the kingdom of
heaven. For in what way is a stranger permitted to enter ?
Well, I take it, when he is enrolled and made a citizen, and
receives one to stand to him in the relation of Father: then
he will be occupied with the Fathers concerns, then he
shall be deemed worthy to be made his heir, then he will
share the kingdom of the Father with his own dear Son
116
."
Origens homilies give us a good picture of himself as a
preacher, and of a third century preacher. He has no specific word
for "Preacher;" he calls him simply didaskalos, or "teacher;" that
is, the preacher was one sort of educator. When Origen preached,
he stood before the congregation and had the book of the Scripture
open before him; it was a corrected version of the Septuagint.
Origen did not preach regularly until he had been ordained
a presbyter.
When Origen was preaching in Caesarea, the bishop was
not present. But when he spoke of 1 Samuel as a guest preacher in
J erusalem, the bishop attended. In his homily on 1 Samuel 1-2,
Origen paid the bishop a compliment: "Do not expect to find in us
what you have in Pope Alexander, for we acknowledge that he sur-
passes us all in gracious gentleness. And I am not the only one to
commend this graciousness; all of you, who have enjoyed it , know
and appreciate it
117
.

116 Protrepticus 9; Cf. Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, 1991, p. 253.
117 Homily on Samuel 1-2,1. (translated by Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J.
His Life
45
Origen readily admitted that learning alone did not make a
good preacher. Again and again he asks his congregation to pray
for him, and especially for his enlightenment, that he might under-
stand the scriptures and explain them correctly. In one homily he
says to his hearers: "If the Lord should see fit to illuminate us by
your prayers, we will attempt to make known a few things which
pertain to the edification of the church
118
" In another passage, he
urges the congregation to pray for insight during each reading of
the Scriptures:
We should pray the Father of the word during each indi-
vidual reading "when Moses is read," that he might fulfill even in
us that which is written in the Psalms: "Open my eyes and I will
consider the wondrous things of your Law (Ps.. 118:18)." For un-
less he himself opens our eyes, how shall we be able to see these
great mysteries which are fashioned in the patriarchs, which are
pictured now in terms of wells, now in marriages, now in births,
now even in barrenness?
119

Elsewhere he says: "Lord Jesus, come again; explain these
words to me and to those who have come to seek spiritual food
120
."
He was appalled by the task confronting him, for what he had
to do was not just to state the truth but to state it in such a way that
his hearers could grasp it. "I often think of the maxim: It is
dangerous to talk about God, even if what you say about him is true.
The man who wrote that must, I am sure, have been a shrewd and
dependable character. There is danger, you see, not only in saying
what is untrue about God but even in telling the truth about him if
you do it at the wrong time
121
."
Origen as a preacher, gains men through love, or say a
close friendship. For example St. Gregory Thaumaturgus describes
in a very moving way the affection between himself and his mas-

118 Homily on Exodus 9.2 (Heine, 337)
119 Homily on Genesis 12.1(Heine, 176)
120 Homily on Jeremiah 19:14.
121 In Ezech. hom. 1:11; Jean Danilou: Origen, N.Y., 1955, p. 24-5.
Origen
46
ter, comparing it with that of Saul's son, J onathan, for David
122
.
And so he goaded us on by his friendship, by the irresistible,
sharp, penetrating goad of his affability and good purposes, all the
good will that was apparent in his own words, when he was pre-
sent with us and talked to us
123
. The friendship which unites the
pupil to his master, his true father, is the central idea of the mov-
ing peroration in which St. Gregory laments, with the support of
many biblical references, all that he is about to leave: he compares
himself to Adam driven out of Paradise, to the prodigal son re-
duced to eating the fodder of the swine, to the Hebrew captives
refusing to sing in a strange land, to the robbed J ew of the parable
of the Good Samaritan. And after asking his master to pray that an
angel may watch over him during his journey back to his distant
land, he ends his address as follows: Ask him urgently to let us
return and to bring us back to you. That alone, that more than any-
thing else, will be our consolation
124
. The rhetoric in which this
peroration is couched should in no way cast doubt on the youthful
friendship and admiration that inspired it
125
.
Origen, like other Alexandrian Fathers, such as Athena-
goras, Pantaenus and Clement mixed even their apologetic writings
with teaching and evangelism. They were missionaries, preachers,
evangelists, and in many instances, martyrs.
Origen as a sincere preacher asks every believer to have the
responsibility to be a representative of His Master, saying, There
was no need for many bodies to be in several places and to have
many spirits like Jesus, so that the whole world of men might be
enlightened by the Word of God. For the one Word was enough,
who rose up as a 'sun of righteousness' to send forth from Judaea
his rays which reach the souls of those who are willing to accept
him." He continues by pointing out that many have, in imitation of
Christ, carried out the message from Judaea into the rest of the

123 Panergyric, 6.
124 Ibid 16-19.
125 Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p.
His Life
47
world. "If anyone should want to see many bodies filled with a di-
vine spirit, ministering to the salvation of men everywhere after the
pattern of the one Christ, let him realize that those who in many
places teach the doctrine of Jesus rightly and live an upright life,
are themselves also called christs by the divine Scriptures in the
words, 'Touch not My christs, and do My prophets no harm
126
."
Green says, There is another passage in Origen which
sheds light on how seriously he took the responsibility of being the
visible representative of his Master. In his Commentary on Ro-
mans 9:1 he considers Paul's professed willingness to be cut off
from Christ if that would benefit his J ewish brethren and bring
them to faith. Origen asks the reader if he has sorrow and grief for
the lost, like that. Does he care so much that he would be willing to
be separated from Christ for their sake ? Of course that could not
happen. Nothing will be able to separate the Christian from the
love of Christ, as Paul has made clear at the end of the previous
chapter. Nor would it be possible to save others if one were about
to perish oneself. But even though it could not happen, Origen per-
sists in his challenging inquiry, would the reader be willing for
such a fate in order to rescue others ? "Have you learned the lesson
of dying to live from your Lord and Master ? Have you learned
from him who though by nature immortal and inseparable from the
Father nevertheless died and descended into Hades ? In the same
way Paul imitated his Master, and was willing to be accursed from
Christ for his brethren's sake, although nothing could separate him
from the love of Christ ! Is it so wonderful that the Apostle should
be willing to be accursed for his brethrens sake, when he knew
that the one who was in the form of God emptied himself of that
form, and took on himself the form of the Servant and was made a
curse for us ? Is it so wonderful if, when the Lord was made a
curse for slaves, the slave should be willing to be a curse for his
brethren ?
127
"

126 Contra Celsus 6:79.
127 In Rom. hom. 9:1; Cf. Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, 1991, p. 253.
Origen
48
Finally, Origen believes that Christ is speaking through
him.
Till now Joshua writes the Torah by our words, in
the hearts those who receive the word in straight faith will
all their spirits, with sound ear, sound heart, and unevil
thought
128
.

ORIGENS ATTITUDE TOWARD HIS ADMIRER
All the people were admired of him (St. John the
Baptist) and loved him. Surely John was a strange man,
worthy of the strong admiration of all men, for his life was
totally different than theirs... But this surpassed the limits
of reasonable love, for they asked if he was Christ.
St. Paul was afraid of this unsuitable and spiritual
love, as he speaks of him self: But I forbear, lest anyone
should think of me above what he sees me to be or bears
from me. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the
abundance of the revelations (2 Cor. 12:6,7. )
I myself suffer from this exaggeration in our
church, for the majority love me more that I deserve, and
praise my speech and teaching ... while others criticize our
homilies and attribute to me some ideas which are not
mine... These who exaggerate in loving us and those who
hate us both do not preserve the law of truth. Some lie in
their exaggerated love as others in their hatred.
Therefore we have to put limits to our love and do
not leave it in freedom to carry us here and there. . . . It is
written in the book of Ecclesiastes, Do not be overly
righteous, nor be overly wise, why should you destroy your-
self (Eccles. 7:16)
129
.
Origen, who was interested in the salvation of souls, did
not care of his own glory. Truly he was very kind and gentle to at-

128 In Jos. hom 9:3.
129 In Luc. hom. 25:2.
His Life
49
tract men to their Savior, but sometimes he was very firm for their
advantage, regardless their opinion on him. R. Cadiou says,
The great Alexandrian, whose pupils were always
quick to praise his gentle and penetrating methods of teach-
ing, allowed himself certain elements of rudeness as a
preacher. When he compared his own ideals of Christian
perfection with the routine practice of the faithful or with
the cupidity and laziness of certain members of the clergy,
he was as unable to control his impatience as any other
such intellectual Christian might be under the same circum-
stances. A certain sharpness began to appear in his style of
preaching, and he himself acknowledged it in one of his
homilies given at J erusalem. Do not expect, he says, to
hear from me the gracious words that you hear from your
Bishop Alexander. I agree with you that he is outstanding
in the charm which marks his gentleness, and I know you
have been accustomed to enjoy those delightful exhorta-
tions that pour forth from his fatherly heart, vivified as it is
with the spirit of charity. But in my garden the herbs are of
a sharper taste, and you will find them salutary remedies
when you come here to pray
130
.

MAXIMINS PERSECUTION
During the persecution initiated by Maximin, Origen took
refuge in Cappadocian Caesarea. His old friends Ambrosius
(Ambrose) and Protoktetuis, a priest of Caesarea, were seized and
thrown into prison. He wrote and dedicated to them his treatise,
"Exhortation to Martyrdom," in which he regarded martyrdom as
one of the proofs of the truth of Christianity, and a continuation of
the work of redemption.
Ambrose and Protoktetius were set at liberty and Origen
returned to Caesarea in Palestine.

130
In Sam. hom. 1 PG 12:995; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 86-7.
Origen
50
Traveling to Athens through Bithynia, he spent several
days at Nicomedia. there he received a letter from J ulius Afri-
canus, who asked him about the story of Susanna as an authentic
portion of the Book of Daniel. Origen replied in a lengthy letter
form Necomedia.
Under the reign of Decius (249 - 251), persecution rose
again and Origen was arrested. His body was tortured, he was tor-
mented with a heavy iron collar and kept in the innermost den in
the prison. For several days his feet were tied together to a rock;
and he was threatened with being burned at the stake.
Eusebius describes his suffering in the following terms:
The number and greatness of Origens sufferings
during the persecution, the nature of his death..., the nature
and the number of bonds which the man endured for the
word of Christ, punishments as he lay in iron and in the re-
cesses of his dungeon; and how, when for many days his
feet were stretched four spaces in that instrument of torture,
the stocks, he bore with a stout heart threats of fire and eve-
rything else that was inflicted by his enemies
131
.
Origen bore all these sufferings bravely. He did not die of
this persecution, but he died shortly afterwards and perhaps due to
it.
Photius, giving an account of Pamphilus Apology for Ori-
gen
132
, says there were two traditions about Origen's death. The
first said 'he ended his life in an illustrious martyrdom at Caesarea
itself at the time when Decius was breathing nothing but cruelty
against the Christians': that would imply his death during the per-
secution. The second tradition is the one attested by Eusebius: He
lived until the time of Gallus and Volusian, which Eusebius re-
ports at the beginning of Book 7; 'he died and was buried at Tyre
in his sixty-ninth year'. And Photius adds: 'This version is the true

132 Bibl. 118:92b.
His Life
51
one, at least if the letters which we have, written after Decius per-
secution, are not forgeries.
133
'
J ustinian made a charge that Origen in the very time of his
martyrdom denied Christ and paid his worship to the many gods of
the Greeks
134
.
Before Origen died, St. Dionysius of Alexandria, who had
succeeded Heraclas as Pope of Alexandria, sent him a letter On
Martyrdom, to lead a renewal of Origens old relation with the Al-
exandrian Church. This letter was probably an Exhortation to Mar-
tyrdom addressed to his former master when the latter was in
prison. This assurance of sympathy, coming from the Church of his
birth, from which he had been banished eighteen years, must have
been moving to receive.

THE DATE OF HIS DEATH
Henri Crouzel states that, according to Eusebius narrative
the date of his death was in the time of Gallus, the successor of
Decius, Origen, having completed seventy years, less one, that is
being sixty-nine: the date of his death would then be 254-255
135
.
The difficulty about this is that Gallus and his son Volusian were
overthrown in May 253 and that they did not reign two years
136
.
So we must suppose, either that Origen died under their successor
Valerian, or that he did not live for quite sixty-nine years. Given
the precision of this last figure. Crouzel gives more weight to the
dates 254-255 than he does the mention of Gallus reign
137
.
C. Bigg says, He was buried in Tyre, where for centuries
his tomb, in the wall behind the high altar, formed the chief orna-
ment of the magnificent cathedral of the Holy Sepulcher. Tyre was
wasted by the Saracens, but even to this day, it is said, the poor
fishermen, whose hovels occupy the site of that city of palaces,

134 Justin. Or; J. Pelikan: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600), p. 343.
135 Eusebius: HE 7:1.
136 Eusebius: HE 7:10:1.
Origen
52
point to a shattered vault beneath which lie the bones of "Ori-
unus
138
."

His Writings
53
2

ORIGEN'S WRITINGS

AMBROSE AND ORIGEN'S WRITINGS
In 217 A.D, or soon after that, Origen made a great friend,
Ambrose, a man of means and position whom he had won from
Valentinian heresy. According to Eusebius, Origen began his
commentaries on the Holy Scriptures being urged thereto by
Ambrose, his publisher, who put his fortune at the service of his
master. He dictated to more than seven amanuenses, who relieved
each other at appointed times. And he employed no fewer copyists,
besides girls who were skilled in elegant writing.
The object aimed at by the two friends is thus set forth by
Origen, writing to Ambrose:
Today, under the pretext of gnosis, the heretics set
themselves up against the holy Church of Christ, and mul-
tiply the volumes of their commentaries in which they pre-
tend to interpret the evangelical and apostolic writings. If
we ourselves keep silence, if we do not oppose them with
true and sound doctrines, they will attract famished souls
who, in the absence of healthy nourishment, will seize upon
these forbidden foods which are indeed impure and abomi-
nable... In your own case, it was because you could not find
masters capable of teaching you a higher doctrine, and be-
cause your love for Jesus could not abide an unreasoned
and common faith, hence you formerly gave yourself up to
those doctrines which subsequently you condemned and
rejected, as was right
1
.

1 In Joann., 5:8. This passage has been preserved for us in the Philocalia. (Lebreton, p. 934).
Origen
54
This passage reveals to us the fundamental motive of Ori-
gen's thought: in the city of Alexandria where Greeks, J ews, Gnos-
tics and Christians are greedy for religious knowledge, and all
claim to possess its secret, one cannot be satisfied with an "unrea-
soned and common faith;" the pride of a Christian will not suffer
this, nor his "love for J esus." But from whom is this high religious
knowledge to be sought, if not from the master of the Alexandrian
School? St. Clement had realized the indispensable necessity of
such instruction; he had managed to give an outline of it. But it
deserved to be expounded fully, and to this work Origen devoted
his life
2
.

HIS VOLUMINOUS WRITINGS
Origen was the most prolific Christian writer of antiquity.
St. Epiphanius
3
declared that Origen had written 6000 works-
scrolls of undoubted value and of varied lengths. The complete list
of his writings that Eusebius added to the biography of his friend
and teacher Pamphilus was lost. According to St. J erome who used
it, Origen's treatises are two thousand. St. J erome's question,
"which of us can read all that he has written?" is a sufficient testi-
mony to the magnitude of Origen's literary works. Charles Bigg
says, The marvel is not that Origen composed so much, but that
he composed so well
4
.
The Origenistic Controversies caused most of the literary
output of the great Alexandrian to disappear. The greater part of
his writings has perished as a result of the violent quarrels which
broke out concerning his orthodoxy. Not only the reading of his
works was proscribed but even preserving any of them was con-
sidered an illegal deed.

2 Lebreton: The History of the Primitive Church, p. 934-5.
3 Adv. Hear. 64;63.
His Writings
55
We possess only a small remnant of his work, mostly pre-
served, not in the original Greek, but in Latin translations. There is
a number of Latin translations. Some are made by Saint Hilary,
Saint J erome, and several others.. The greater part comes from the
pen of Rufinus of Aquileia. St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nzianzus
compiled an anthology (Philokalia Origenis).

THE LATIN TRANSLATION
The Latin translations of Origen's works, especially those
by Rufinus, are not accurate. For he wanted to present his author to
the Latin-speaking public and therefore did not hesitate to abridge
some passages that seemed to him to be too long or to add explana-
tions when he thought it advisable. Refinus thought that Origen's
books had been altered by heretics, and that he had the right to ex-
purgate them...
5

Heine has summarized Rufinus alteration of Origens text
along five lines
6
.
1. Heine suggests that Rufinus suppressed contradictory
elements in Origen.
2. Rufinus attempted to restore the original thought of Ori-
gen from other texts of Origens works.
3. He attempted to clarify Origens thought where he found
it obscure.
4. He admitted that he had abridged the text of Origen.
5. Rufinus translated the sense into Latin and did not give a
word for word translation.
However, the conclusion reached by Ronald Heine and
Annie J aubert appears justified. The homilies of Origen are para-
phrased in great length, yet they convey accurately all his thought.

5 Danilou: Origen, 1953, p X-XII.
6 Heine, Frs. of the Church, 71, p. 34-5; Gary Wayne Barkley: Origen; Homilies on Leviticus,
Washington, 1990, p. 21.
Origen
56
Even though Origens exact expression is lost, the genuineness of
the thought remains
7
.

THE FEATURES OF HIS WRITINGS
1. Lebreton says, "The widespread influence of Origen will
not surprise anyone who studies his teaching. In him, theology
aims no longer merely at refuting opponents, but also at instruct-
ing Christians; it sets out to penetrate revealed truths more closely,
and to co-ordinate them in a doctrinal synthesis in which the mind
can find a place for all that it believes and all that it knows
8
."
2. Origen, in his writings, as other Alexandrian Fathers,
was interested in witnessing to the Gospel as an experienced life.
Adalbert Hamman remarked that the Fathers of the Church preach
and write to instruct their congregations, not to provide universities
with topics for doctoral dissertations
9
.
3. David G. Hunter says,
Origen's homilies were preached spontaneously,
not prepared in writing. Their subject matter, always the
scriptures, was dictated by the serial reading of the books
of the Bible. They were utterly lacking in rhetorical polish,
and showed the simplicity that led the church to choose to
call discourses on the scriptures homiliai. After the reading,
and with little or no introduction , Origen would begin to
explain the scripture, verse by verse. He dealt first with the
literal sense, then with any spiritual (meanings) he discov-
ered. He always tried to find a way for his hearers to apply
the passage to their lives. He ended his homilies, some-
times quite abruptly, with a doxology
10
.

7 Heine, 71, p. 32; G.W. Barkley: Origen; Hom. on Leviticus, p. 23.
9 Adalbert Hamman: Dogmatik und Verkundigung in der Vaterzet, Theologie ind Glaube 61 (1971),
p. 109.
10 On the structure of Origen's homilies , see Nautin, "Origne predicateur: 123-31.
His Writings
57
The most spectacular example of Origen's spontaneity is
found in the homily on the witch of Endor. On the day Origen
preached this homily in J erusalem, before bishop Alexander, chap-
ters 25 to 28 of 1 Samuel were read. Origen began by saying that
the reading contained four periscopes or narratives, and that it
would take several hours to explain the whole passage. He then
turned to the bishop and asked him which passage he would like to
hear explained. The bishop answered: the one about the witch. And
Origen explained it
11
.
Another incident is equally interesting. While Origen was
preaching on the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2, a member of the
congregation suffered an attack of epilepsy or the like and began to
shout out. Others rushed to aid the person. Origen who was com-
menting on Hannah's words "My heart rejoiced in the Lord" (1
Sam. 2:1) worked the incident into his homily, explaining it as the
work of an unclean spirit that could not bear the congregation's
rejoicing in the Lord and tried to change their joy into sorrow
12
.
4. Origen used the techniques he learned from Alexandrian
literary study to refute heretical interpretations, to demonstrate to
the simple the need for seeking a deeper meaning, and to provide
the clues needed to reach the spiritual sense
13
.
5. N.R.M. De Lange in the introduction of his book Ori-
gen and the Jews states that Origen taking a great interest in the
customs and traditions of the J ews and knowing personally certain
J ewish teachers of his time, he is excellently placed to give a sym-
pathetic outsiders view of the Jews of his day and of their rela-
tions with their non-Jewish neighbors
14
.
For example, Origen tells us of a J ewish Midrash in a curi-
ous passage of Ezechiel, which unites Noah, Daniel, and J ob as

11 Homily on 1 Samuel 28,1.
12 Homily on 1 Samuel 1-2,10.
14 Origen and the Jews, Cambridge University Press, 1975, p.1.
Origen
58
types of just men who have been spared (16:11): I heard a J ew ex-
plain this passage by saying that they had been mentioned as hav-
ing known the three stages: happy, unhappy, happy...see Noah be-
fore the Flood when the world was still intact. See him in the de-
struction of the world saved in the ark. See him coming out after
the Flood becoming as it were the creator of a new world. Such is
the just man: he sees the world before the Flood, that is before the
end: he sees it in the Flood, that is in the destruction of sinful man
at the day of J udgment: and he will see it again at the resurrection
of all sinners
15
.
6. Except in Contra Celsum he almost never quotes from
profane authors. He is not a man who professes in private: he is
rather a lecturer, and above all he is a catchiest and a preacher. He
is quite willing to include idolaters, heretics and philosophers in
a single sweeping condemnation. He knows that the knowledge
which converts men to lead a holy life comes only from...Christ
and that Christ is found only in the Church which is filled with
his splendor - the Church, pillar and firm support of the truth,
where the Son of Man dwells in fullness. From the moment when
he becomes a priest, he is aware that he exercises the teaching
office of the Church, of which he bears the authentic character he
wishes to be the faithful steward of the divine mysteries. He
compares the writings of the apostles to the trumpets of Israels
army which reduced to rubble the walls of J ericho, the whole ma-
chinery of paganism, and the systems of its thinkers.
7. Henri Crouzel says,
The literary work of Origen has three essential
characteristics, often inseparable and found, in varying de-
grees, in almost every writing of his: exegesis, spirituality,
and speculative theology. An important part is often played
in his work by philosophy, philology and various subjects.
So we study Origen's exegesis, spirituality and theology,

15 In Ezek. hom. 4:8. PG 13:703; Jean Danilou : From Shadows to Reality, Studies in the Biblical
Typology of the Fathers, Newman Press, 1960, p. 76.
His Writings
59
and in his theology the place taken by philosophy. But
these three characteristics are not separable from each
other; he knows 'no distinction of the genres'. They con-
stantly interpenetrate, so that one of these aspects cannot be
' understood if abstracted from the other two. Usually it is
Scripture that forms the basis of his doctrine and it is from
Scripture that he derives both his spiritual and his theologi-
cal teaching, a spiritual teaching which always has theo-
logical foundations and a theological teaching from which
a spiritual flavor is never lacking
16
.
8. From the various works of Lomiento it emerges that,
contrary to many current evaluations, Origen is a writer of worth,
without useless ornamentation, but with a great power of expres-
sion
17
.
9. In the dedication of Book 20 of the Commentary on John
he prays to receive 'from the fullness of the Son of God, in whom it
has pleased all the fullness to dwell
18
.'
10. Origen constantly paid attention in his commentaries
and often also in his homilies to the different readings that he
found in the manuscripts.
11. Origen aims in almost all his writings and homilies to
refute, directly or indirectly, the major heresies of his time, and the
Gnostic sects, especially the trio Basilides - Valentinus - Marcion.
12. And though he gave an impression of vast authority in
his writings, he was prepared to be humble. "If anyone else can
find something better, confirming what he says by clear proofs
from Holy Scripture, let his opinion be preferred to ours
19
. Some-
times Origen makes no firm statement, but he gives several inter-

16 Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p. 54-5.
17 Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p.
18 Comm. on John 20:1:1; Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p.
19 De Principiis 2:6:7; Robert Payne: Fathers Of The Eastern Church, Dorset Press, New York,
1985, P. 53.
Origen
60
pretations of the same passage, and they clearly remain hypotheti-
cal: they are statements by way of exercise, gymnastikos. St. Atha-
nasius also expresses approval of this way of proceeding, when he
is writing about Origen
20
. Most of the time Origen expresses him-
self thus when neither Scripture nor reason allows him to affirm
more strongly, that is dogmatikos. The same can be said of the
exegeses that do not originate from the New Testament: they also
put forward interpretations by way of research
21
.
The researcher who merely suggests his solutions to the
reader and leaves the latter free to adopt others if he finds them
preferable cannot be other than modest. The Alexandrian's mod-
esty is noted by a considerable number of critics. The same goes
for the Scriptural interpretations of which we have just spoken;
they are suggested as something to reflect on and to contemplate
and Origen declares himself ready to abandon them if anyone finds
anything better
22
.
Pamphilus of Caesarea, a writer who shows the most intel-
ligent appreciation of Origen's manner, also emphasizes this aspect
in the preface to his Apology for Origen
23
:
We frequently find, however, that he speaks with a
great fear of God and in all humility when he excuses him-
self from expounding what comes to his mind in the course
of very advanced discussions and a full examination of the
Scriptures: and when he is expounding he is often wont to
add and to avow that he is not uttering a final pronounce-
ment nor expressing an established doctrine, but that he is
researching to the limit of his ability, that he is discussing
the meaning of the Scriptures and that he does not claim to
have understood that meaning wholly or perfectly: he says
that on many points he has a preliminary idea but that he is

20 DE decretis Nicaenae Synodi 27:1-2.
21 Cf. Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 164.
22 Cf. Henri Crouzel, p. 164.
23 PG 17:543 Cff; Cf. Henri Crouzel, p. 164-165.
His Writings
61
not sure that he has reached in every respect perfection or a
complete solution. Sometimes we see him recognizing that
he is hesitating about a number of points on which he raises
questions that come to his mind; he does not give a solution
to them, but in all humility and sincerity he does not blush
to admit that all is not clear to him. We often hear him in-
serting into his addresses words which today even the most
ignorant of his detractors would be too proud to utter
namely that if anyone speaks or expresses himself on these
subjects better than he, then it is preferable to listen to that
teacher rather than to him. In addition to this we sometimes
find him giving more than one answer to the same ques-
tion: and quite reverently, as someone who knows he is
speaking of the Holy Scriptures, after setting out the nu-
merous ideas that come to his mind, he asks those who are
listening to test each of his statements and to retain what a
prudent reader would find most correct. He does so most
assuredly because he wishes that all the questions that he
has raised and discussed be held worthy of consideration
before being approved or considered finally settled. The
fact being that, according to our faith, there are in Scripture
many things that are mysterious and wrapped in secrecy. If
we pay careful attention to the sincerity and catholic spirit
with which he describes all his writings in the preface to
the Commentary on Genesis, we shall easily get from this
text an insight into all his thought
24
.
Here is the passage from the Commentary on Genesis
which Parmphilus goes on to quote
25
:
If we were in every way too lazy and negligent to set
about research, even though our Lord and Savior invites us
to undertake it, we should certainly recoil (from such
work), considering how far we fall short of the spiritual

24 Henri Crouzel: Origen.
25 PG 17:544 Bcff.; Cf. Henri Crouzel, p. 165.
Origen
62
understanding with which the intellect needs to be endowed
if it is to devote itself to research into such great matters....
If in the course of discussion a profound thought occurs to
one, it must be stated but not categorically affirmed: to do
the latter would be the act of a rash man who had forgotten
himself and lost the sense of human weakness: or, alterna-
tively, the act of perfect men who knew in complete confi-
dence that they had been taught by the Lord Himself, that is
to say that they get what they assert from the Word of Truth
and from the very Wisdom by which everything was made;
or again it would be the act of men who have received from
heaven divine answers, having gone into the tempest and
the darkness where God is to be found, where the great
Moses found it so difficult to go, and having been there,
been enabled to understand and to express such great mat-
ters. But we, by the simple fact that we believe, however
poorly, in Christ Jesus, and that we boast of being his dis-
ciples, nevertheless do not dare to say that we have per-
ceived face to face the meaning that He has passed on to us
of what is contained in the divine books; for I am certain
that the world itself could not hold that in a manner pro-
portionate to the force and majesty of its meanings. That is
why we do not dare to affirm what we say in the way that
the Apostles did and we give thanks that, while so many are
unaware of their own ignorance and affirm, in all con-
science as it seems to them, to be a final truth every pass-
ing thought that occurs to them, without rule of order,
sometimes even in a stupid or a mythological way, we, in
relation to these great realities and to everything that is
beyond us, are not ignorant of our ignorance.
Origen's procedure can be compared to that of a professor
of philosophy who tries to present to his students different doc-
His Writings
63
trines with all their implications and in all their force even if he
personally holds yet another view or has not decided on any
26
.

ORIGENS MAIN SOURCES
N.R.M. Lange in his book, Origen and the J ews, speaks
of Origens sources concerning the J ews and J udaism in his writ-
ings. His work gives us an account of his sources as a whole
27
.
1. In the first place there is the Greek Bible (the Septua-
gint), with which Origen became familiar in his childhood, and
which permeated the whole of his thought. According to Tertullian
the text was available, with the Hebrew original, with the rest of
Ptolemys library in the Serapeum, and besides it was read publicly
by the J ews. In addition to the version of the Septuagint there were
others more faithful to the Hebrew text, notably that of Aquila. He
also collected other versions, including those attributed to Symma-
chus and Theodotion, the readings of which he included in the
Hexapla.
2. He referred to some of the extra-canonical books, such
as Enoch, the Assumption of Moses, the Testaments of the Twelve
Patriarchs, the Prayer of J oseph, Ezra and several other J ewish
apocrypha, including perhaps the Book of J ubilees. According to
Harnack, since Origen knew these he ought also to have known all
the J ewish apocryphal works listed by Nicephorus in his Sticho-
metria. In addition he often quotes from unnamed J ewish apocry-
pha which do not seem to have survived.
3. Philo is quoted by Origen in a few places by name, and
several more passages have been pointed out in which Origen
seems to echo remarks of Philo, sometimes attributed to one of
our predecessors. It would appear from this that Origen regarded
Philo as part of the heritage of the Church. We do not know how or
when the writings of Philo passed into the Christian tradition, but it

27 See Origen and the Jews: Nicholas De Lange, Cambridge University Press, chapter 2.
Origen
64
cannot have been long before Origens birth, perhaps after the
crushing of the J ewish revolt of 115 A.D, when many of his read-
ers may have entered the Church.
J ean Danilou says,
In the commentary on St. Matthew 15:3, he praises
him explicitly. Philo, who has won the respect of the
learned by his many volumes on the Law of Moses, writes
in his book about the traps set for the best by the good...
Here he is singing Philos praises and making a precise
reference to one of his works. Further on in the same com-
mentary (17:17) he writes of a man who lived before our
time and wrote books called Allegories on the Sacred
Laws
28
.
J ean Danilou
29
explains the effect of Philo on the thought
of Origen, saying,
We have seen how Philo interprets the image of
God, to the likeness of which man is made, as the Logos,
meeting place of ideas, and therefore containing in itself
the archetypal ideal of man. Origen adopts this theory, but
corrects it along Christian principles. The Logos, to the
likeness of which man is made, is not the invisible creation
prior to the visible world, that he is for Philo. He is the un-
created Logos, which became incarnate in J esus Christ. For
Origen the Logos has not the same nature as he has for
Philo, though the latter has exerted his influence. And this
Logos is identical with J esus.
I find in the creation of man a remarkable fact,
which I do not find elsewhere: God has made him to his
image and likeness. Certainly, when we say that man is
made in the image and likeness, we are not thinking of the
bodily frame. No corporeal being can contain the image of

28 Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 178.
29 Jean Danilou: From Shadows to Reality, p. 61-3.
His Writings
65
God, but what has been made in Gods image is the inte-
rior man, invisible, incorporeal, incorruptible, immortal. In
these qualities is the image of God more clearly under-
stood. But we must see what is this image and seek to what
particular likeness it is to which man is said to be formed.
For it is not said that God made man in his own image, but
to the likeness of the image of God. What, then, is this other
image to the likeness of which man has been made, if not
our Savior, who is the first born of all creation, of whom it
is written that he is the brightness of eternal light and the
figure of Gods substance; for he himself said: He who
has seen me, has seen the Father. All those who come to
him and strive to become partakers of that invisible image,
are daily renewed by their progress in the interior man to
the image of him who made them
30
.
But after this, Origen goes on to develop the alle-
gory of creation in the manner of Philo. Let us see by
means of allegory how man in the image of God has been
made male and female. Our interior man is composed of
soul and spirit. The spirit is called man, the soul (anima) is
called woman. If there is harmony between them, they unite
frequently and beget sons which are good dispositions and
salutary thoughts, by which they fill the earth, that is they
lead their bodily senses to higher levels
31
. This is pure
Philonian allegory. The same principle is applied to the
submission of animals to man. You shall have dominion
over the fishes of the sea and the birds of the air. We have
already explained the literal meaning of this passage.
Speaking allegorically (secundum allegoriam), it would
appear to me that birds and fishes signify those realities of
which we spoke earlier; I mean the dispositions of the soul

30 In Gen. Hom. 1:13.
31 In Gen. hom. 1:15.
Origen
66
and the thoughts of the beast
32
. This example is quite suf-
ficient to show how much our author borrows from Philo.
Equally, with the J ewish philosopher Origen gives us a
psychological and moral approach to the narrative of Gene-
sis. This double approach is Christian and valid, for it
represents the initial stages of Christian philosophy: it is
not, however, a development of the sense of the text, but
rather an extraneous addition. This moral allegorizing is
confined by Origen within limits and runs on definite lines.
Henry Chadwick says,
But Origen's evident debt to Philo must not be used
to put Origen into a Philonic strait-jacket with the effect of
obliterating the important differences between them. The
ethical, psychological and scientific exegesis of Philo is
now being combined with the typological exegesis of J ustin
and Irenaeus, seeking in the Old Testament for specific
foreshadowing of Christian doctrine in a way that is a natu-
ral and easy extension of the argument from prophecy
common in the canonical gospels and going back to the
earliest Christian generation
33
.
4. Origen has friends among Jewish teachers and the rab-
bis, and consults them about J ewish interpretations, customs and
traditions, of which he has a good knowledge. He makes use of
Jewish traditions in expounding the Scriptures.
G. Bardy, in an article in the Revue Biblique for 1925 enti-
tled Les traditions juives dans loeuvre dOrigne, collected
some seventy passages of Origen which he thought represented
borrowings of J ewish traditions.
J ean Danilou says,
A few examples of the more remarkable of these
J ewish traditions will show the sort of thing involved. The

32 In Gen. hom. 1:16, 20, 5-8.
33 Henry Chadwick: History and Thought of the Early Church, London, 1982, p. 183.
His Writings
67
Gnostic Apelles had rejected Noes Ark as unhistorical, on
the ground that it was quite impossible for so small a
space to contain so many animals and the food they would
need for a whole year. The space mentioned could not ac-
commodate even four elephants. In reply to this objection,
Origen says: I will tell him something I learned from my
masters and from other sensible men who knew a great deal
about Hebrew traditions. They used to say that it was clear
from Scripture that Moses had been educated in Egypt and
hence, they said, he calculated the number of cubits in the
Ark by geometry, an art at which the Egyptians excelled.
Well, geometricians have a method of reckoning which
they call proportional, and by this method of reckoning
which they call proportional, ... one cubit, in square meas-
ure and in cubic, can stand for six cubits and even for three
hundred
34
. And in the contra Celsum he explains that the
Ark was about forty kilometers long and one kilometer
wide. This is a proof of the literal accuracy of the text in
the rabbinical tradition, a thing not often found in Origen
35
.
We know hardly anything of J udaism in Alexandria at this
time, and any information Origen could offer would be most wel-
come. He knew the city well, having been born and brought up
there, and having lived there for the greater part of his life. In the
works produced before he left Alexandria there are some interest-
ing remarks about J ews and J udaism. What is to be made of these?
We know that in the great revolt of 115-17 A.D. many of the J ews
of Egypt were killed. In Alexandria, where the revolt was crushed
in its early stages, some of the J ews survived, but J ewish commu-
nity life appears to have come to an end and the power of the J ews
in Alexandria was destroyed.
We must turn now to the question of the J ews whom Ori-
gen consulted and whose statements he quotes. It is clear from

34 In Gen. 2:2.
Origen
68
what he himself says that there were several of these, but his lack
of precision makes it difficult to identify them and has generated a
great deal of confusion.
In the preface to his Commentary on the Psalms he says
that he sought explanations on the title of a psalm from the patri-
arch Ioullos and from someone who was said to be a scholar
among the J ews. This Ioullos is thought by some to be a rabbi Hil-
lel, who was not a patriarch but the son and brother of patriarchs.
It is also believed, on the evidence of Talmudic texts that he was in
contact with a famous rabbi of Caesarea, Hoschaia Rabba
36
.
St. J erome
37
says that Origen mentions by name the patri-
arch Huillus, who was his contemporary. St. J erome mentions a
teaching of this patriarch based on certain psalms, and also says
that Origen ended Book 30 of his commentary on Isaiah with his
interpretation of Isaiah 29:1ff
38
.
At least one of Origen's J ewish informants was a convert to
Christianity
39
, and it may be that he made use of several converted
J ews. It is clear that Origen prided himself on his contacts with
certain Jews.
There are many passages in which Origen attributes a
teaching to the Hebrews
40
.
5 A certain historical source was Josephus, whom Origen
several times quotes by name.
6. An interesting Greek J ewish document is the Midrashic
history, perhaps translated into Greek from a Hebrew original in
the third century, known as the Book of Biblical Antiquities.

37 Adv. Rufinum 1:13 PL 23:408.
38 Nicholas De Lange: Origen and the Jews: Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations in Third-
Century Palestine, Cambridge, 1975, p. 23.
39 Sel. in Ezech. 9:4; In Num. hom. 13:5; In Jer. hom 20(19):2.
40 Sel in Gen. 2:8; 41:45; In Ezech. hom 10:3; Sel. in Ps. 77:45; In Ps. prol. (PG 12:1056)); Sel in
Lam. 1:1; In John 6:14.
His Writings
69
7. There remain the Christian writers, both orthodox and
heretical:
Melito of Sardes
41
was certainly read by Origen, and had
made the pilgrimage to the places where the message was pro-
claimed and the deeds were done, where he recorded the canon of
Scripture then current
42
.
St. Pantaenus, who settled in Alexandria and taught there
perhaps until Origen's early youth.
St. Clement is a more concrete influence.
Another scholar of the time who has received but scant at-
tention is J ulius Africanus, celebrated for his correspondence with
Origen over the authenticity of the story of Susanna.
8. He was no less indefatigable in pursuit of secular learn-
ing. Porphyry, the Neoplatonist, who met him personally when
Origen was an old man complained that Origen "always consorted
with Plato" and studying the books of later Greek philosophers.
Academic pagans considered that Christians who exercised the
rights of rational thought were encroaching unfairly on the profes-
sional preserves of infidelity... Origen himself claimed the widest
liberty to drink all the springs of Hellenic rationalism. He asks how
he could deal with the religious difficulty of heretic and heathen
inquirers if he did not make himself familiar with their literature; it
was the course followed by Christian leaders in Alexandria both
before and after himself..
43
.
He attended the lectures of Ammonius Saccas who can thus
claim as his pupils in philosophy the two outstanding Greek think-
ers of the Christian era-Origen himself and after him, Plotinus.

41 Sel. in Gen. 1:26 PG 12:39A.
42 Nicholas De Lange: Origen and the Jews, p.18.
Origen
70
ORIGEN AND THE AGGADAH
44

Aggadah is a word that has many meanings. In the pre-
sent context it will be taken in its widest possible sense to include
the whole body of non-legal traditions and elaborations of the bib-
lical narrative which formed, or may reasonably be supposed to
have formed, the stock in trade of early Amoraim.
The Hebrews have a tradition in which the Lord God
planted the "paradise" or garden called Eden, and they say it is in
the middle of the world, like the pupil of an eye; that is why, they
say, the river Pheison is interpreted "mouth of a pupil, since it is
the first river that flows out of Eden. Their tradition is as follows:
Eden, which is interpreted "sweet, existed before the garden came
into being, for it was in it that the garden was planted.
Origen states that Adam spoke Hebrew, which would ac-
cord with the rabbinical belief that the world was created in He-
brew, but he mentions the fact in connection with the doctrine of
the angels of the nations an idea which is not particularly associ-
ated with rabbinical J udaism.
Origen mentions a tradition of the Hebrews that Adam
was buried at Golgotha. The immediate source of this tradition is
evidently not rabbinical. Harnack says that it is more probably
J udeo-Christian.
In a homily on Exodus Origen mentions a tradition (intro-
duced in the Latin by the words audiui a maioribus traditum)
that separate paths were cut through the Red Sea for each of the
twelve tribes. The same tradition is mentioned by Eusebius, who
ascribes it to the Hebrews, and it is not unlikely that Eusebius
source is Origen. At any rate the aggadah is well attested in the
J ewish sources. There are hints of it in the Mekilta, and it is spe-
cifically mentioned in the Midrash and in the Targum.

44 N.R.M. De Lange: Origen and the Jews, chapter 10.
His Writings
71
An outstanding instance of Origens adoption of aggadic
interpretations is his comment on the image of the ox devouring
the grass in the field in Numbers 22:4: J ust as a calf (tears up) the
greenery with its mouth, so too the holy people, making war with
its lips, has its weapons in its mouth, because of its prayers. Not
only does this interpretation echo various rabbinical remarks, but it
would also seem that Origen himself attributed it to a J ewish
source.
A more questionable example is the statement that the an-
gel who barred Balaams way
45
was the same angel of whom God
says to Moses My angel will go before you to guard you on your
way. According to L. Ginzberg, this angel was thought to be Mi-
chael, and he quotes two rabbinical remarks to this effect.
The Hebrew Tradition quoted by Origen, to the effect
that Phinehas was granted immortality
46
has already been noticed.

45 Numbers 22:22.
46 Numbers 25:11f.
Origen
72
1. TEXTUAL STUDIES
(THE HEXAPLA)

It is the first attempt at establishing a critical text of the Old
Testament. Nothing like it had ever been attempted on the Bible
before, and no subsequent study of the text could fail to profit alike
by its example and by its actual performance
47
. A golden book it
has been called with truth, for it touches not a single false note
48
. It
was an immense task to which Origen dedicated his whole life
49
; it
was begun in Alexandria, and it was finished probably in Tyre.
Charles Bigg says, The Hexapla, the first great achieve-
ment of Christian erudition, is impressive in many ways, not least
as a proof of the intelligence and sincerity of the community to
which it was addressed. But with all his devotion and learning
Origen was not a consummate master in the higher functions of
criticism. His equipment was insufficient. His knowledge of He-
brew was respectable, and for his age remarkable, but not pro-
found. He had a fair acquaintance with the grammar and diction-
ary, but had not penetrated into the genius of the language. Again
he was hampered by prejudice
50
.
Origen's Hexapla (the six-fold) is a milestone in biblical
scholarship that makes him the father of textual criticism of the
Bible in the Christian tradition. The work itself did not survive; in
fact, no one may ever have made a full copy of it because of its
sheer bulk and specialized function. It remained at Caesarea in
Palestine until the Arab conquest, where a number of scholars, in-
cluding the church historian Eusebius, and J erome, the translator
of the Bible into Latin, consulted it. It seems as if Eusebius had the

48 Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, p. 159.
49 Quasten, vol 2, p. 44.
50 Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, p. 162-163.
His Writings
73
column with the revised Septuagint copied, without the critical no-
tations, as a text for use by the church
51
.
Of the stately Hexapla time has spared us nothing but a
gleaning of scattered fragments. The original MS perished proba-
bly when the library of Caesarea was destroyed by the Arabs in the
middle of the seventh century, and its immense size-it consisted of
not less than fifty great rolls of parchment-must have prevented its
ever being copied as a whole, though the revised LXX was circu-
lated separately, and indeed still exists in a Syriac translation
52
.
It may, at first, appear surprising that Origen, whose real
devotion was to the allegorical sense of the Bible hidden under the
veil of the letter, paid such painstaking attention to the minutiae of
textual criticism and, in fact, to other matters pertaining to the let-
ter such as biblical geography, but this was entirely consistent with
his presuppositions
53
.
Origen constructed the Hexapla of the Old Testament to
furnish Christians with a valid text of the Scriptures in their
discussions with the Jews
54
.
To his mind, this textual work was only the first of the
exegete's tasks; his chief business was to explain the meaning of
God's word as it was contained in the Holy Scriptures. St. Gregory of
Nyssa shows us how Origen fulfilled this function. "He used to
explain the obscurities in Scripture," he says "and he could shed light
on them because he was such a wonderfully understanding hearer of
God's word-or he would expound parts that were clear in themselves
or at any rate were so to him. Of all men now living, I have never
known or heard of one who had pondered as he had on the pure and
luminous words and had become so expert at fathoming their
meaning and teaching them to others. The Spirit who inspires the

51 Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM Press Ltd, 1983, p. 85.
52 Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, p. 164.
54 New Catholic Encyclopedia, article: Origen and Origenism.
Origen
74
prophets and all divine and mystic discourse honored him as a friend
and had appointed him His interpreter.... The same grace is needed
for understanding the prophecies as for making them
55
."

ITS CONTENTS
Eusebius says, He (Origen) discovered versions made by
other translators of the Holy Scriptures beside the Septuagint. In
addition to the versions in current use, he also found those by Aquila,
Symmachus and Theodotion. He took them from the hiding-places
where they had long been lying and brought them to light
56
.
This work was called at first the Tetrapela or Fourfold
bible, for it contained the four Greek translations used in
Alexandria:
1. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old
Testament which the church employed. Once the church adopted it as
her Old Testament, the Jews who were faithful to the Septuagint until
about the beginning of the second century, abandoned it and
proclaimed the sole authority of the Hebrew Bible.
When the Septuagint contained words not in the Hebrew,
Origen marked them with an obelus. These were standard critical
marks developed by the Alexandrian textual critics of the second
century B.C. and still in use today
57
.
2. In Alexandria and in much of the Greco-Roman world
including some parts of Palestine, few of the Jews actually
understood Hebrew. They were in need of a new translation into
Greek, a word-for-word translation. Aquila, a Jewish proselyte living
at the beginning of the second century, did that. His translation was
very literal, preserving Hebrew word order and idiomatic turns of
phrase. He was influenced by the Palestinian rabbis.

55 On Paneg., 15 PG 10:1093C; Jean Danilou: Origen, NY, 1955, p. 19.
56 Eusebius: H.E. 6:16:1.
57 Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM Press Ltd, 1983, p.84.
His Writings
75
3. A second J ewish proselyte, living at the same period,
Symmachus, produced a translation in more acceptable Greek. His
work was more in the nature of a revision of the Septuagint. Ap-
parently synagogues in Alexandria used a three-columned Bible in
which, to the right of each transliterated Hebrew word was, first,
its translation by Aquila, and, second, its translation by Symma-
chus.
4. Another Greek translation, that of Theodotion.
J ean Danilou says, Having done all this and assembled
his materials, he composed the Hexapla, i.e., he took the six texts -
the Hebrew, the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew, the Septua-
gint, Smmachus, Aquila and Theodotion - and copied them out or
had them copied in six parallel columns. In the case of the Psalms,
so Eusebius says, he even produced an Octapla (nine-fold)
58
.
Origen uses diacritical marks to indicate divergences in
readings.
Later, and after he had settled in Palestine, Origen discov-
ered two more translations of the Hebrew Bible into Greek in addi-
tion to these. He supplemented the Tetrapla with the two of them.
1. An anonymous version he acquired at Nicopolis during a
visit to Greece.
2. Another anonymous version, this only partial, had been
discovered in the neighborhood of J ericho in a jar that contained a
number of Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.
V V V

58 Jean Danilou: Origen, NY, p.136-7.
Origen
76
2. BIBLICO-EXEGETICAL WRITINGS

Origen was the first of the great scientific exegetes
59
and all
his successors, even those who reacted against him, as St. J erome
did, owed him nearly everything
60
. In this field his labors are pro-
digious and range over nearly the entire field of Scriptures. Hardly
a book of the Bible, except Apocrypha, failed to be covered in the
course of his expositions, either in the simpler form of sermons or
in the profounder treatment of commentary, or in both... It was due
to Origen, more than to any other single master, that biblical inter-
pretation, and one of the principle divisions of Christian thought,
that of biblical theology, were established for all time in the center
of the activity of the Church
61
. It is said that he used to spend al-
most all the night kneeling, praying and reading the Bible. His
exegetical writings are numerous and were of three main types.
Origen who devoted all his life to the Bible hesitated in
publishing his work. As R. Cadiou says, The master was quite
aware of the dangers and the errors lying in wait for the exegete; con-
sequently he had long been deaf to the pleadings of Ambrose. Per-
haps his hesitation increased when he reminded himself that the
Christian suspicion of literary men was not yet entirely dead.
62
In
the preface of his first commentary, he writes,
This vast enterprise is truly beyond me and my
strength. I am forced by your lively curiosity, together with
the confusion with which your goodness and your tolerance
fill me to descend into the arena. For a long time I held back,
knowing the danger, which would still be very great if,
instead of discussing the Holy Scriptures, I wrote
commentaries to be left to posterity. But you bewitched me in

59 J. Quasten, vol. 2, p. 45.
60 Jean Danilou: Origen, NY, p. 132.
62 R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder 1944, Chapter IV.
His Writings
77
a thousand friendly ways. Now you have led me to this point
as if by an initiation into the knowledge of divine things. You
will be for me a witness before God. At the same time that He
examines my whole life, He examines the dictations I now
give and the feelings with which I give them. Sometimes I find
the true meaning and sometimes my interpretation is rather
forced, or perhaps I give the appearance of putting forward a
definite opinion. But truly I have analyzed the words, not
forgetting that when we speak of God we are judged by God,
a maxim that is well stated; nor have I forgotten the adage
that even to speak the truth on the subject of God is not
without danger. Nothing can be beautiful if we separate it
from God, especially the meaning of the Holy Scriptures
which have been inspired in order to lead us to Him who is
the Father of all things, through our Savior and High Priest,
the only-begotten Son. Therefore I beg of you to pray for me
that there may be granted me from the very beginning the
grace to search well. Those who search have already the
promise of finding; and undoubtedly those who fail to
approach Him as they should are not considered by God as
belonging to that class of men who duly search for the
principle of all things
63
.

KINDS OF EXEGETICAL WORKS
Origens exegetical works are of three kinds: The Scholia
or exegetical notes; his Homilies preached in Caesarea, J erusalem,
Athens, and elsewhere; and Scientific Commentaries.
In the form of Scholia, Homilies, or Commentaries he ex-
pounded nearly every book in the Bible, and many books were
treated in all three ways
64
.

63 In Psalm., Praef. PG 12:1077; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder 1944, Chapter IV.
Origen
78
I. Scholia

Scholia or brief notes on difficult points of sacred Scrip-
ture, especially grammatical difficulties.
The most complete list of his work was made by St.
J erome in his letter to Paula
65
, which was omitted in many
manuscripts and was unknown to earlier editors of
J eromes letters. It was rediscovered c. 1845
66
.
J . Quasten states that according to J erome, Origen
wrote Scholia on Exodus, Leviticus, Isaiah, Psalms I-I5,
Ecclesiastes and the Gospel of St. J ohn. Rufinus included
some on Numbers in his translation of Origen's homilies on
that book
67
. None have come down to us in their entirety.
The work which C. Diobouniotis and A. Harnack edited as
Origen's Scholia to the Apocalypse of St. J ohn cannot be
regarded as such, since it combines longer or shorter notes
to difficult passages of the Apocalypse from Clement of
Alexandria, Irenaeus, and Origen. Some fragments of the
Scholia have been discovered in the Catenae and in the
Philocalia, the anthology of Origen, which St. Basil and St.
Gregory Nazianzen prepared.
V V V

65 Epist. 33.
67 Rufinus, Interpr. hom.; Origen in Num. Prol.
His Writings
79
II. Homilies

The Homilies are what we should call Lectures rather than
Sermons. His object in preaching, Origen tells us, is not the ex-
planation of the letter so much as the edification of the Church;
hence he dwells here almost entirely upon the moral and spiritual
sense
68
.
A sentence from Eusebius
69
has given rise to divergent in-
terpretations: It is said that Origen, when he had passed the age of
sixty and had acquired by his long preparation a very great facility,
allowed the stenographers to take down the talks (dialexeis) given
by him in public, something he had never allowed before.
What were these dialexeis? The common view is that they
were homilies, for the Greek word homilia from which we get
homily means an 'informal talk'
70
.
Others have wished to restrict these dialexeis to conversa-
tions, like the Conversation with Heraclides found at Toura, of
which we shall have something to say below: this would exclude
the homilies
71
.
The historian uses the verb dialegesthai, which is from the
same root as dialexeis and says it means 'explaining the holy
Scriptures in public'. In the letter of the two bishops rejecting the
protests of Demetrius the words homilein and prosomilein from the
same root as homilia are applied to the same activity: so it is in-
deed homilies that are meant
72
.

68 In Lev. hom. 1:1; In Num. hom. 14:1; Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria,
Oxford 1913, p. 167.
69 HE 6:36:1.
72 Henri Crouzel: Origen, p.29.
Origen
80
We can infer from that that the greater number of the homi-
lies that have come down to us were delivered after 245 A.D But
not all: the Homilies on Luke for example seem to be of an earlier
date and to have been preached at the beginning of his stay in
Caesarea. But they are of a different structure from the rest and
much shorter; perhaps they were written out by Origen before or
after delivery
73
.
Most of the homilies must have been preached at Caesarea
in Palestine. However, we can be sure that the homily on the birth
of Samuel was preached in J erusalem before bishop Alexander, for
Origen says: 'Do not expect to find in us what you have in Pope
Alexander; we recognize that he exceeds us all in the grace of gen-
tleness' and a little further on: 'We have said this by way of intro-
duction because I know that you are used to listening to the very
sweet sermons of your very tender father. Papa, in Greek Papas,
was at the time the normal way of addressing bishops
74
.
Homilies, or popular expositions on some selected chapters
or verses from the Holy Scriptures, which he delivered in liturgical
meetings, aimed at popular edification. His work in interpretation
covered every book of the Old and New Testaments.
Origen's homilies often began with a prayer that the Spirit
would lead all present into the truth. It was not considered a unilat-
eral pronouncement from the preacher, but a mutual endeavor with
the people. He requested the prayers of the people, that "in answer
to your prayers the Lord grant me understanding that we are wor-
thy to receive the Lord's meaning
75
."
In Origen's time, Christian communities had three types of
liturgical assemblies.

73 Henri Crouzel: Origen, 1989, p.30.
74 Henri Crouzel: Origen, p.30.
75 In Ezek. Hom., 4:3; Carl A. Volz: Life and Practice in the Early Church, Minneapolis, 1990, p.
113.
His Writings
81
The first, and oldest, was the synaxis or assembly on Sun-
day, at which the Eucharist was celebrated. This assembly un-
doubtedly took place in the morning.
Then, on Wednesdays and Fridays, there was an assembly
in the afternoon, perhaps about three o'clock, which ended the fast
customary on those two days. This assembly also included the
celebration of the Eucharist.
And finally, on every day but Sunday there was an assem-
bly early in the morning, which was not Eucharistic
76
. The church
historian Socrates says he preached every Wednesday and Friday,
but Pamphilus, his biographer, claims "he preached nearly every
day in the church." Origen appears to be an exception in that he
preached before he was ordained as presbyter or at least there was
no careful distinction between preaching and teaching
77
.
J oseph T. Lienhard says
78
,
Most of Origen's homilies on the Old Testament
were delivered at Caesarea. In a passage that is often dis-
cussed, Eusebius wrote:
"At this period of rapid expansion of the Faith [that
is, under the emperor Philip, 244-249 A.D], when our mes-
sage was being boldly proclaimed on every side, it was
natural that Origen , now over sixty and with his abilities
fully developed by years of practice, should as we are told,
have allowed his lectures to be taken down by shorthand
writers, though he had never before agreed to this:
79
"
Henri Crouzel accepts Eusebius' testimony and dates most
of Origen's homilies after 245 A.D, except for the homilies on the

76 David G. Hunter: Preaching in the Patristic Age, 1989, p. 40.
77 Carl A. Volz: Life and Practice in the Early Church, Minneapolis, 1990, p.113.
78 David G. Hunter: Preaching in the Patristic Age, 1989, p. 40ff.
79 Eusebius: H.E. 6.36 (Willianson, 271).
Origen
82
Gospel of Luke, which he dates at the beginning of Origen's resi-
dence in Caesarea
80
.
Pierre Nautin, in his impressive book on Origen, rejects
Eusebius' remark that Origen was sixty before he allowed his
homilies to be recorded, considering it a hagiographic gloss meant
to glorify Origen's virtue.
81
Nautin has a different chronology: he
believes that the homilies on the Old Testament were preached in a
cycle of three years, probably from 239 to 242 A.D, and that the
homilies on Luke were preached at the same time
82
.

HOMILIES ON 1 SAMUEL
Origen preached on 1 Samuel in J erusalem, not in
Caesarea. There is no suggestion anywhere that Origen ever
preached on the historical books after 1 Samuel
83
.

HOMILIES ON LUKE
Because Origen's Homilies on Luke are so much shorter
than his homilies on the Old Testament, Nautin concludes that on
Sunday a short homily was given after each of the three readings,
perhaps by different preachers
84
.

HOMILIES ON EXODUS
In his thirteenth homily on Exodus Origen discusses the
reverence with which the word of God should be heard, and he
compares this with the reverence with which the body of Christ
should be received. He notes how careful the faithful are lest even
a fragment of the Eucharistic bread should fall to the ground, and
he says that they would consider themselves criminal-and rightly

80 Crouzel: Origne, p. 53.
81 Nautin, Origne, p. 93.
82 Ibid., p. 407-08.
His Writings
83
so-if that should happen on account of their own negligence. But,
he asks, why is the care exercised toward the Eucharist so dispro-
portionate to the care exercised toward the Word? Why do the
faithful consider it less sinful to hear the word in slipshod fashion
than to let a particle of the Eucharist fall to the ground for the same
reason
85
? Here Origen is expressing the attitude of the early
Church, which is echoed later by J erome
86
and Caesarius
87
in al-
most the same words: Scripture proclaimed and preached was held
in as great honor as the sacrament of Christ's body, and both were
equally necessary to the life of the Christian. It was right that the
bishop should take this ministry with the utmost seriousness
88
.

HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS
89

There is common agreement that the Homilies on Leviticus
were delivered in a three year cycle sometime between 238 and
244 A.D. Thus, they were delivered at the end of Origens life.
Rufinus translated this work at the same date as the Homi-
lies on Genesis and Exodus, between 403 and 405 A.D, for a cer-
tain Heraclius. He admits to having changed the text of this work
more than the other homilies on the Pentateuch.
This work provides us with the following:
1. Insights into the life of the church in the third century.
He refers to the practice of the Great Lent, which is dedicated to
fasting
90
; the ordination of the priest, in whose selection all people
participate
91
. He also mentions the process of Christian discipline,
based on Matthew 18:15-17
92
.

85 Cf. In Exod., 13:3
86 Cf. Tract. in Ps. 147.
87 Cf. Sermon 78:2.
88 Boniface Ramsey: Beginning to Read the Fathers, Paulist Press, 1985, p. 112.
89 Cf. Gary Wayne Barkley: Origen; Homilies on Leviticus, p. 20 ff.
90 In Lev. hom. 10:2.
91 In Lev. Hom. 6:3.
92 In Lev. Hom. 3:2.
Origen
84
2. The process of conversion and purification comes in
three stages: the conversion from sin or the offering by which sins
are absolved, then the turn of the soul to God, and finally the fruit-
fulness through the works of piety. These three stages cannot be
realized without the mystery of the Holy Trinity
93
.
3. He points to seven ordinances for the remission of sins
granted in the Gospels. With the exceptions of the first, which is
baptism, forgiveness depends on the works of the believer
94
.
4. In Hom. 12:5; 5:8; 7:5; and 12:4 Origen points out that
the J ews have rejected part of the Septuagint.
5. In his interpretation of the sacrifices and offerings, Ori-
gen explains that each of them is a type and shadow of Christ
95
, the
Victim and the High-Priest. Christs sacrifice is superior because it
takes place in heaven
96
.
6. In his homilies on Leviticus, Origen transformed the rit-
ual instructions of Exodus 12 into a visionary account of Christian
spiritual life
97
.
7. This work expresses Origens responses to his critics.

HOMILIES ON JOSHUA
This work dates from about 240 A.D.
In the first homily, Origen is at pains to show that the
names J oshua and J esus are etymologically the same. Origen is
the first to develop the J oshua story as a type of baptism and sub-
sequent Christian life: The Israelite journey to the Promised Land

93 In Lev. hom. 8:11:10.
94 In Lev. hom. 2:4.
95 In Lev. hom. 3:8; 4:8.
96 In Lev. hom 1:3.
97 J.W. Trigg: Origen, SCM, p. 189.
His Writings
85
under J oshua is renewed in the Christian journey to salvation under
J esus Christ
98
.
In this work, Origen makes a comparison between Moses,
the symbol of the Law, and his successor Joshua, the symbol of
Jesus.
I. He says that although Moses realized the exodus from
Egypt (Exod. 32:11), yet he confesses that he was unable to lead
the people to victory over the Amelekites, Moses asked him to
choose men and go out for the battle. J oshua alone has the power
to lead the army
99
.
II. The exodus of the people under the guidance of Moses
was out of order, while when J oshua led the people to pass the J or-
dan River the priests and the people were in order. The priests car-
ried the tabernacle on their shoulders where the tablets of the Law
and the manna were preserved
100
.
III. Origen asks: Why J oshua, the symbol of J esus, is called
the servant of Moses (Exod 24: 13)? He answers that J oshua
served him not as if he was his follower or lesser than him, but as
one who had the power to help him and protect him
101
. J esus Christ
the Son of God became a Servant of Moses for when the fullness
of the time had come "God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,
born under the Law" (Gal. 4:4)
102
.
IV. J oshua could not be a leader unless Moses dies (J os.
1:2); thus the soul cannot receive J esus Christ as her Groom unless
her first husband (Moses Law) dies, or she would be considered
as an adulterous ( Rom. 7:1-4).

98 Thomas Finn: Early Christian Baptism and the Catechuminate..., (Message of the Fathers of the
Church, 1992, p. 197-198.
99 In Jos. hom 1:1.
100 In Jos. hom. 1:4.
101 In Jos. hom. 1:2.
Origen
86
There was a necessity that Moses dies, so that the believers
would not be accused of adultery
103
.
If we do not understand how Moses dies we cant under-
stand how Christ reigns
104
.
V V V

His Writings
87
III. Commentaries

Commentaries, or exhaustive or learned notes. If the
homilies served the purpose of popular edification, the commentar-
ies were written in order to give a scientific exegesis
105
. In spite of
the allegoric, mystical and inner meanings, they have dogmatic
elements with which they are cumbered, and in many respects still
serve as models for commentators. They are a strange mixture of
philological, textual, historical, etymological notes and theological
and philosophical observation
106
.
C. Bigg says, The plan which he laid down for himself in
the Commentaries was to give first the literal, then the moral, then
the spiritual sense of each verse in regular succession. The text is
but the threshing-floor on which he pours out all the harvest of his
knowledge, his meditations, his hopes. Any word may open up a
train of thought extending throughout all Scripture and all time .
Hence there is much repetition and confusion. Even here the ob-
ject is not so much instruction as the deepening of the Christian
life
107
.
His Commentaries witness that he knew Hebrew but imper-
fectly, and this is a fatal defect in dealing with the LXX. But in the
New Testament he displays an accurate and intelligent apprecia-
tion of Greek grammar, such scientific knowledge as the times
could supply is at his call, and he had traveled in Palestine with a
keen eye for the geography of the Gospels
108
.
These are only a few of the items given in a long list of the
works of Origen found in a letter from St. J erome to Paula and
Eustochium. This list totaled at least 444 for the Old Testament

105 J. Quasten, vol. 2,p. 49.
106 Quasten, vol. 2, p. 48.
107 Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, p. 170-171.
108 Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, p. 170-1
Origen
88
and 130 for the New. But, of these, only 21 have survived in the
Greek original and only 186 in Latin translation.
His commentaries are: 25 books on the Minor Prophets, 25
on Matthew, 32 on J ohn, 15 on Romans, 15 on Galatians, etc. It
must be added that no small amount of Origen's exegetical work
survived piecemeal in the Catenas - a collection of valuable obser-
vations. These began to appear very early, and by 500 A.D, in the
hands of Procopius of Gaza, were in full swing.
The earliest commentaries we possess were written in Al-
exandria: those on the Psalms, Genesis, and the most important
Commentary on St. John
109
.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS
110

As we have already noted, Ambrose prevailed upon Origen to
publish his first commentaries in which the master had written his
interpretation of the Book of Psalms. Origen started with this
commentary. R. Cadiou gives the following reasons:
1. No part of the Old Testament was more familiar to
Christians, both learned and simple. It was habitually used, as their
principal hymnal, in the public prayers of the faithful.
2. Certain psalms were already a part of the liturgy of the
Eucharist and were not without influence on their interpretation.
3. The Psalter was also a source of personal piety.
What they sought in the psalms was the key to the
contemplative life, for it is clearly mentioned there under various
symbols. Who shall ascend unto the mountain of the Lord: or who
shall stand in His holy place? The innocent in hands, and clean of
heart. St. Clement had regarded this verse as a description of the
goal of him who seeks perfection. The prophet describes briefly, I
believe, the true Gnostic, he wrote. Written for seekers after
wisdom, the Psalter would become also the guidebook and the

109 Lebreton, p. 935.
His Writings
89
favorite reading of the spiritual exegete, for in that book the prophet
draws the image of Christ, speaks about Christ, and makes Christ
speak to angels and to men.

Date and Composition
111

According to Eusebius, he began to publish this work about
the year 222 A.D. Cadiou states that he cannot accept this date, for it
would mean that the numerous works which poured forth from his
pen before he left Alexandria must be crowded into a brief span of
seven years.
The De Principiis must have been composed at an
appreciable interval after the publication of the commentary, because
its viewpoint is quite different from that of the earlier book.
The first part of the Commentary was published in
Alexandria. It discusses twenty-five psalms only, and there is no
evidence that its various parts were all published at the same time.
Origen probably intended to comment on the entire Psalter,
but he began the work with such a minute examination that he was
able to complete it only to Psalm 25.
This commentary has almost entirely disappeared, but we
do have a fragment that reveals Origen's view on biblical interpre-
tation. In it Origen adopted as his own a J ewish tradition he
learned from the Hebrew. According to it, the Bible in its obscurity
resembles a series of locked rooms. Outside each room is a key,
but it is not necessarily the key that fits the lock to that room. All
the keys are available, even though they are not in the first place
one would seek them. Thus the obscure texts of the Bible can only
be properly understood by comparing them with other texts, the
process Origen understood Paul to be referring to when he wrote of
''comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (I Cor. 2:13)
112
.

Origen
90
Cadiou states that the introduction enables us to see the
general impression made upon Origen by the works of Hippolytus, by
what he had gleaned from his conferences with the Jewish rabbis, and
by his comparative study of the various Greek versions of the Bible.
It contains a discussion on the authenticity of the Book of Psalms, on
their various titles or epigraphs, and on their arrangement. It is
preceded by a mystical exhortation, according to the fashion in
Alexandria at that time, for this first work was written for the learned,
as indeed were all the works that followed it.
In this Commentary Origen states that a believer must pass
through the gates of sorrow to reach the knowledge of God
113
. This
was Origen for whom the Psalter chanted tales of struggle and sang
poems of victory unto salvation.
Origens Commentary on the psalms suggests, long in
advance, the history of the human soul that later fills the pages of the
De Principiis.
Origen distinguished fear from servility and called it
reverence, for he held that a Christian at prayer is not necessarily
motivated by the notion of punishment
114
.. He was especially
interested in expressing the virtue of hope and put it in its due place
in the Christian plan of life.
Hope was, in his view, a hunger and thirst after justice, a
longing for the kingdom of heaven, an intense desire to obtain Gods
mercy in the hour of death, and a perpetual eagerness for the
realization of all the mysterious promises which God, who does not
deceive us, made to His saints
115
.
He pointed out that the joy of the heart is very different from
the joys of the flesh. That joy is nourished by the bread and
stimulated by the wine to be found in the practice of contemplation. It

113 In Psalm. 4:2 PG 12:1137; ibid. 24:17 PG 12:1273.
114 In Psalm., 2:11 PG. 12:116; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder 1944, Chapter IV.
His Writings
91
is a spiritual joy, the light that shines forth from a soul in which virtue
glows, a joy inspired by the hope of the things of eternity. The hearts
of those who are immersed in the things of earth are too heavy to
know this joy, which is the only joy that is real and lasting; they
know nothing of the holy zeal of the Christian soul rejecting all
human interests, and they are ignorant that the Good and the Real are
one and the same thing
116
.
R. Cadiou says, Its theology of the Logos, for example,
indicates that in this book Origen was following in the footsteps of
Hippolytus, but in this theological domain the sweep and accuracy of
the pupils thought carry him far beyond the stand taken by the
master
117
.
In his comment on the words, I have slept and have taken
my rest, Origen thinks this may be a reference to the torpor which
seizes the soul and makes it clothe itself with a body; and after death
the soul descends into limbo from which, according to the traditional
teaching, Christ has released the souls of earlier times who were
imprisoned there
118
.

COMMENTARY ON GENESIS
A recently discovered Commentary on Genesis by Didy-
mus the Blind (c. 313-398 A.D), a writer who relied heavily on
Origen, does at least provide us with some notion of Origen's in-
terpretation, but even there the pages on the all-important first
chapter of Genesis are heavily damaged. We have only one signifi-
cant fragment left of Origen's Commentary on Genesis, the section
that deals with one verse, Genesis 1:14, which states that the stars
shall "be for signs." Origen picked up on the intention of the bibli-
cal author to repudiate the Babylonian ascription of the govern-
ment of the universe to the stars although he was less radical in his

116 R. Cadiou: Origen, Chapter IV.
Origen
92
attack on astrology than the Bible would have allowed him to be.
Belief in astrology, and the attendant belief that the stars rigidly
determined all events, was, as we have seen, extremely widespread
in Origen's time. Early Christian authors emphatically denied the
doctrine of astral fatalism because it fundamentally contradicted
the Christian message of redemption, but before Origen only
Gnostics had attempted to provide a rational argument against as-
trology, and they were only concerned with the freedom of the
spiritual part of a person from the control of the stars. Because, as
a Christian and as a Platonist, he believed in free will, Origen felt
compelled to undertake such an argument. Here is a case where
Origen's background in Platonism was clearly helpful in defending
the church's teaching. We may conjecture that the use of the word
"signs'' in Genesis was fortuitous; it is the term which Plotinus,
also an opponent of astrology, used to indicate the genuine, non-
deterministic function of the stars in the overall scheme of the uni-
verse, and we may presume that he inherited it from Ammonius. In
Genesis 1:14, therefore, the Bible for once spoke to Origen in the
technical language of Middle Platonism. Origen willingly affirmed
that God knows all events in advance and even revealed some of
them to the prophets, but even God's foreknowledge does not pro-
duce events, which spring from the free choice of responsible, ra-
tional creatures. If even God does not cause events to happen,
much less do the stars, who are God's servants, cause them
119
.

COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN
Of the Commentary on John, which may be considered
Origen's masterpiece, we possess in Greek only nine books: I, II,
VI, X, XIII, XIX, XX, XXVIII, XXXII; of these Book XIX has
lost its beginning and its end. In it Origen frequently discusses the
interpretations given by a Valentinian Gnostic, Heracleon, author
of the first commentary on J ohn; some fragments of the latter's
work Origen preserves. The first book contains a general introduc-

119 Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM Press Ltd, 1983, p. 89-90.
His Writings
93
tion, then goes on to expound only J ohn 1:la: 'In the beginning was
the Word', the second runs from J ohn 1:Ib to 1:7. The other vol-
umes get on a bit faster
120
.
We have in Greek eight books of his Commentary on the
Gospel of St. John. They comprise at least thirty-two volumes,
which he dedicated to his friend Ambrose. Nine of these volumes
are nearly intact. This work is of great importance for a study of
Origen the mystic, and his concept of the inner life
121
.
J .W. Trigg says,
Although he had made it to the thirteenth chapter,
more than halfway through the Gospel, Origen was clearly
running out of steam at the beginning of his thirty-second
book, composed perhaps fifteen years after he had under-
taken the project. There, in the preface, he told Ambrosius
he expected he could not complete the commentary and
would have to resume his study of J ohns Gospel in para-
dise...
The defense of orthodoxy was a major purpose of
Origens Commentary on John; as it was of his Commen-
tary on Genesis. Both books of the Bible had contributed
significantly to Gnostic systems, particularly Valentini-
ans... Origen carefully refuted (the Valentinain) Heracleon
interpretation (of the Gospel of J ohn) whenever he had the
opportunity...
Although the refutation of heresy was a valuable
fruit of his Commentary, its basic purpose was the exposi-
tion of the mystic sense of the Gospel...
J ohn not only leaned on J esus breast at the Last
Supper, but J esus made him, in effect, a second Christ,
when He gave Him Mary as his mother...

121 J. Quasten, vol. 2, p. 49.
Origen
94
Origen prayed at the very outset of his commentary
that God would assist him through Christ in the Holy Spirit
to attain to the Gospels mystical meaning
122
...
The Commentary on J ohn, like Origens Hexapla,
therefore, is the work of a student and teacher of gram-
mar
123
.

COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS
Origen was the first to regard the Song of Songs as cele-
brating the union of the soul with the Logos. Or rather, he saw it as
both these things together: the Words marriage was at once a un-
ion with the whole Church and a union with the soul. The Com-
mentary on the Song of Songs is the most important of Origens
works, as far as getting to know his ideas on the spiritual life he
was concerned with. In it, Origen works out a theory about the
three stages of the spiritual life
124
.
He calls them by the names of morals, physics and contem-
plation. He then goes on to say that to distinguish between these
three sciences, Solomon treated of them in three separate books,
each in keeping with the degree of knowledge it was concerned
with. First, in the book of Proverbs, he taught morals and set out
the rules for living a good life. Then he put the whole of physics
into Ecclesiastes. The aim of physics is to bring out the causes of
things and show what things really are, and thus to make it clear
that men should forsake all this emptiness and hasten on to what is
lasting and eternal. It teaches that everything we see is frail and
fleeting. When anyone in pursuit of Wisdom comes to realize that,
he will have nothing but scorn and disdain for those things. He
will, so to say, renounce that whole world and turn to those invisi-
ble, eternal things the Song of Songs teaches us about contempla-
tion in figurative terms, with images taken from love-making.

122 Comm. on John 1:15.
123 Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM Press Ltd, 1983, p. 148f..
His Writings
95
Thus, when the soul has been purified morally and has attained
some proficiency in searching into the things of nature, she is fit to
pass on to the things that form the object of contemplation and
mysticism; her love is pure and spiritual and will raise her to the
contemplation of the God-head
125
.
Origen also links the three ways with the three patriarchs,
Abraham, Isaac and J acob. Abraham represents obedience to the
commandments, Isaac is natural philosophy, and J acob, because of
his name Israel stands for contemplation
126
.
There are two kinds of love. There is a kind of love that is
physical; the poets also call it desire. There is a spiritual kind of
love as well, engendered in spirit by the inner man when he loves.
To put it more plainly, anyone who still has the image of the
earthly in the outer man goes where earthly desire and eros lead
him. But one who has the image of the heavenly in the inner man
will go where that desire and love of the things of heaven take him.
The soul is actuated by this love when she sees how beautiful
Gods Word is and loves his splendor: he shoots an arrow at her
and wounds her with his love
127
. Children cannot know what the
passion of love is. If you are a child where the inner life is con-
cerned, you cannot understand these things
128
.
That gives us all the factors comprised in the doctrine of
the spiritual senses. The spiritual senses are put into operation in
the soul by the Word. They are the unfolding of the inner life.
They correspond to various spiritual experiences, all concerned
with the Word present on the soul. They are thus bound up with
the perfection of the spiritual life. Those who reach the summit of
perfection and the height of bliss will find their delight in Gods
Word
129
.

125 Comm. Cant, 78, Danilou, p. 304-5.
127 Comm. Can. 67. (Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 306).
128 Ibid. 62 (Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 306).
Origen
96
Those who taste the things of God find that the things of
the body lose their appeal
130
.
1. Origen interpreted the Song of Songs on three levels:
On the literal level, which has no value in and of itself, the
poem is a play about relations between the bride and bridegroom.
In dealing with each unit of meaning, therefore, Origen explained
its place in this drama.
Following that he interpreted it on one or both of two alle-
gorical levels, the ecclesiastical and the psychological, we have
seen elsewhere in his exegesis. On the ecclesiastical level, the
bride is the church. On the psychological level she is the soul. In
either case the Bridegroom is the Logos. Thus, in verse 2:15, the
little foxes that ruin the vines can be heresies on the ecclesiastical
level or sins on the psychological level. Similarly, the approach of
the Bridegroom after a period of absence in 2:8 can refer either to
Christ's consolation of the church in times of Persecution or to His
giving the Christian teacher a sudden inspiration when he is at a
loss to explain a passage from the Bible.
In other cases Origen interpreted a passage on one allegori-
cal level only. Thus 1:17, "the beams of our houses are cedars, our
rafters of cypresses," refers to the good order of the church. Pres-
byters are the beams and bishops are the rafters. The rafters are
cypress because it is strong and aromatic, symbolizing the need for
bishops to be sound in good works and fragrant with the grace of
teaching.
2. Origen also interpreted the Song of Songs in such a way
as to discuss the Gentile origin of the church and its relation to Is-
rael as well as its cleansing from sin and error
131
.

130 See De Principiis 1:1:7,9; Contra Cels. 1:48; 7:34; In Lev. Hom. 31:7; In Ez. hom. 11:1;
Comm. Cant. 2 (Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 308).
131 Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM Press, 1985, p.204-5.
His Writings
97
3. Origen goes on to say that the Church, as the body and
the bride of Christ, has existed as righteous from the beginning of
time, and that in fact Christ became a man in order that he might
minister to it
132
. The idea of the Church's pre-existence is appar-
ently not one that was used to defend it against pagan accusations
of being an upstart or untraditional
133
.
With the body of Christ, probably the richest and favorite
image of the Fathers for the Church is that of the virgin-bride; it is,
after all, an image that had been sanctioned by Paul in Ephesians
5:32. It expresses the intimate union that exists between Christ and
his Church, which was nowhere more splendidly expounded than
in Origen's almost ecstatic commentary on the Song of Songs, the
first great work of Christian mysticism. The image of the virgin-
bride also provides the opportunity for the development of the vo-
cation of virginity, which seeks to live out the mystical possibili-
ties inherent in the image
134
.
Origen says,
You must not think that it is called the bride or the
Church only from the time of the coming of the Savior in
the flesh, but from the beginning of the human race and
from the very foundation of the world. Indeed, if I may seek
the origin of this deep mystery with Paul as my guide, even
before the foundation of the world. For this is what he him-
self says: ...As he chose us in Christ before the foundation
of the world.
4. Origen states the love spoken in the Song of Songs
alone posses immortality, and therefore it alone could make be-
lievers immortal
135
.

132 Comm. in Cant. Cant 2:8.
133 Boniface Ramsey: Beginning to Read the Fathers, Paulist Press, 1985, p. 98.
134 Boniface Ramsey: Beginning to Read the Fathers, p. 107.
135 Jaroslav Pelikan: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600),p. 154.
Origen
98
COMMENTARY ON LAMENTATIONS
His Commentary on Lamentations with its poignant la-
ments over the plight of J erusalem during the Babylonian exile, a
city humiliated and subjected to its enemies, struck Origen as an
allegory for the soul's plight in this world. When the biblical author
lamented that J erusalem was no longer full of people, he spoke
symbolically of the soul's loss of the fullness of theoretical wis-
dom. When he lamented that J erusalem was no longer great among
the nations, he spoke of the soul's loss of pre-eminence in good
works. When he cried, "The ways of Zion mourn," he referred to
the conventional divisions of philosophy: the sciences of contem-
plation, physics, ethics, and logic. They mourn because they can-
not conduct the soul to truth since the passions, inimical to phi-
losophy, dominate it. Origen painted a bleak picture of the soul's
situation, but he held out the hope that her sufferings are a purga-
tive interlude in God's overarching drama of redemption. Although
Lamentations has only five chapters, Origen completed his com-
mentary on only four of them
136
.

COMMENTARY ON ST. MATTHEW
Of the Commentary on St. Matthew, which he composed
in twenty-five books at Caesarea after the year 244 A.D, there are
only eight preserved in Greek, namely, I0-I7, which deal with Mat-
thew I3:36 to 22:33.
Of the Commentary on Matthew we have eight books in
Greek, from X to XVII, which cover from Matt. 13:36 to 22:33.
But a Latin translation, the work of an unknown translator, has
come down to us, divided in the manuscripts and the I6th-century
editions into 35 or 36 so-called homilies. It begins at volume XII
chapter 9 of the Greek, at Matthew I6:I3, and continues almost to

136 Trigg: Origen, SCM Press Ltd, 1983, p. 89.
His Writings
99
the end of the gospel, Matt. 27:66. Only Matthew 28 remains
without exposition
137
.

COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
The Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans translated
by Rufinus comprises ten books, while the original Greek showed
fifteen, both versions, however, extending to the whole of the let-
ter: Rufinus, as he says in his preface, apologizes for the difficulty
of many passages and for the defective state of his manuscript: ac-
cordingly he shortened it by a third. We know the subject-matter of
some of the passages that he omitted: for example the historian
Socrates
138
notes a passage on Mary Theotokos (Mother of God)
which was in Origen's volume I. The discovery at Toura of frag-
ments of Books V and VI in the Greek, interpreting Rom. 3:5 to
5:7, makes possible, when to it are added other fragments previ-
ously published, a fairly positive judgment of the work of
Rufinus
139
.
The Commentary on Romans contains a lot of expositions
of the functions and the Holy Spirit and his gifts.

COMMENTARY ON EPHESIANS
Origens one explicit discussion of the Pauline concept of
charisma is his commentary on Ephesians 4:11-12, where he cau-
tiously criticizes the official ecclesiastical leadership:
Christ is above all and through all and in all, but
grace is given to each of the saints according to the meas-
ure of the gift of Christ, so that some are apostles but some
are prophets, and others evangelists, and after them pas-
tors and, above all, teachers. If a gift of grace [charisma]
is given to a teacher according to the measure of the gift of

138 HE 7:32
Origen
100
Christ, it is clear that the pastor, exercising his duties with
skill, must have the gift of grace to be a pastor. And how,
indeed, could anyone be an evangelist, unless the feet-so to
speak-of his soul are beautiful? For them to become so,
God must supply them with beauty. The prophet as well,
testing unbelievers and judging them (for such is the
prophet of the new covenant), must be considered as one
appointed in the church by God. It is possible for these to
exist continually in the church; perhaps apostles also, to
whom it is given to work the signs of an apostle, may be
found even now
140
.
Notice the insistence that charismata must be empirically
verified. The charisma, thus verified, makes someone a teacher, a
pastor, an evangelist and so on; ordination alone cannot supply the
needed qualifications. Notice also that Origen treats the teacher as
the culmination of the list. This illustrates that charisma is, for
Origen, predominantly intellectual
141
.

V V V

Leadership, p. 110-111; In J.A.F. Gregg: Origens Commentary on Ephessians, Journal of
Theological Studies 3 (1902),p. 413-4.
Leadership, p. 111.
His Writings
101
3 - APOLOGETICAL WORKS

CONTRA CELSUM (Against Celsus)
The most important apologetical work is his "Contra Cel-
sum" (Against Celsus), a treatise composed of eight books written
in answer to a detailed and far reaching attack by Celsus (180
A.D), called the "True Discourse (Alethes Logos)."
It is worthy to note that Origen frequently employed tech-
nical terms from Greek philosophy, but in all but one of his works,
cited almost no book but the Bible. The exception is the Contra
Celsum, where he displayed his formidable literary and philoso-
phical erudition in order to establish his credentials for defending
Christianity against a pagan opponent.

Celsus
Celsus, was a highly cultivated man, possessing in particu-
lar an excellent knowledge of Plato. He was regarded by Origen as
an Epicurean. Some critics think he was rather a Platonist; it would
seem to be more correct to regard him as an eclectic with an acute
mind, well acquainted with the literature and philosophy of his
time, but not adhering to any particular school. In addition, he was
a statesman, a zealous official of the Roman Empire and jealous of
the observance of traditions and laws. If we compare him with his
predecessors, he is greatly superior to them. The opponents whom
Minucius Felix and Tertullian had to face still believed that Chris-
tians practiced infanticide and incest. Celsus is not so credulous:
when attacking his adversaries he despises these vague rumors,
and seeks for more precise accusations with greater support.
He was familiar not only with Greek thought and literature
of the period but also has some acquaintance with the Old Testa-
ment, knew the four Gospels and had an idea of the main thread of
the Pauline theology. He claims to have read also the writings of
Christians; he has even studied the Gnostic sects, and very unfairly
Origen
102
makes use of the information thus received to impute to the Church
as a whole the follies and vices of these sectaries. He makes a great
parade of his information, and he affirms in a boastful manner that
he knows all about Christianity
142
. Origen rightly rebukes his
bragging:
If he had read the prophets, whose books are admit-
ted to be enigmatical and obscure; if he had gone through
the evangelical parables, the law, the history of the Jews
and the writings of the Apostles and, having read them
without prejudice, had tried to penetrate their meaning, he
would not say with such assurance: "I know all." We our-
selves, who have studied all these things closely, would not
dare to say "I know all," for we love the truth
143
.
Needless to say that Origen's apology against Celsus is of
great value. It is marked by keen spiritual insight, vast erudition,
masterly ability and mature thought
144
.

The "True Discourse (Alethes Logos)"
Celsus' work has been lost but it could be almost entirely
rewritten from the quotations of Origen, which amount to three
quarters of its text. The aim of Celsus was to convert the Christians
by shaming them out of their religion
145
.
This work is a violent attack on Christianity and a defense
of the state religion, depending on the faults J udaism and Platonic
philosophy had to find with Christian teaching. It had been written
seventy years previously. Origen had not read it, and it had made
little impression on the Christians of Egypt and Palestine. It would
probably have remained in oblivion if Ambrose had not read it by
chance, and realized that it was a dangerous work which might dis-

142 Contra Celsum 1:12; Lebreton, p. 973.
143 Ibid.
144 Fairweather, p110, 111.
145 Quasten, vol .3, p. 52.
His Writings
103
turb many souls by its attacks. He sent the work to Origen, asking
his friend earnestly to refute it. At first he states that the life and
authority of Christ are well known, and Celsus' work cannot shake
the faith of any Christian
146
. But on the demand of Ambrose he
wrote this reply, using many quotations from philosophical writers,
showing that he was more educated than Celsus. He wrote it to
those who are weak in faith (Rom 14:1).
When false witnesses testified against our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, He remained silent; and when un-
founded charges were brought against Him, he returned no
answer, believing that His whole life and conduct among
the Jews were a better refutation than any answer to the
false testimony, or than any formal defense against the ac-
cusations. And I know not, my pious Ambrose, why you
wished me to write a reply to the false charges brought by
Celsus against the Christians and to his accusations di-
rected against the faith of the Churches in his treatise; as if
the facts themselves did not furnish a manifest refutation
and the doctrine a better answer than any writing, seeing it
both disposes of false statements and does not leave to the
accusations any credibility or validity
147
.
For I do not know in what rank to place him who
has need of arguments written in books in answer to
charges of Celsus against the Christians, in order to pre-
vent him from being shaken in his faith and to confirm him
in it. But nevertheless, since in the multitude of those who
are considered believers some such persons might be found
as would have their faith shaken and overthrown by the
writings of Celsus, but who might be preserved by a reply
to them of such nature as to refute his statements and to
exhibit the truth, we have deemed it right to yield to your
injunction and to furnish an answer to the treatise which

146 Pref. 3
147 Preface 1 ANF.
Origen
104
you sent us, but which I do not think that any one, although
only a short way advanced in philosophy, will allow to be a
"True Discourse," as Celsus has entitled it
148
.
Celsus' argument falls into three categories
149
.
First, there are the old pagan arguments against the J ews,
later to be revived by a triumphant Church, for the moment
adapted by Celsus for ammunition against the Christians.
Second, J ewish arguments against Christianity, for the most
part genuine J ewish arguments found also in the J ewish writings
and reflected in Christian apologetic writings, but including some
elements not found anywhere else.
Lastly, pagan charges leveled at the Church but inapplica-
ble to J udaism.

Origens Response
Origen explains the following points:
1. The J ews, according to Celsus, were originally a band of
rebel Egyptian slaves, who revolted against the Egyptian commu-
nity and the religious customs of the Egyptians
150
. Celsus opens
his attack by saying that whereas many of the older non-Greek na-
tions have had some insight to the truth
151
, the J ews have no origi-
nal or true ideas
152
.
The taunts that the J ews were a useless and uncultured
people Origen likewise refutes. Indeed, he says, the ancient Israel-
ites manifested a shadow of the heavenly life upon earth
153
.

148 ANF.
149 N.R.M. De Lange: Origen and the Jews, p. 64f.
150 N.R.M. De Lange: Origen and the Jews, p. 64 f.
152 Contra Celsus 1:4; 5:41.
His Writings
105
Moses' philosophy was derivative (and, Celsus seems to
imply, false), and his followers were misled into believing it
154
.
Origen replies, with J osephus, that, on the contrary, the
Jews are among the most ancient and most cultivated of peoples.
That this is not a new topic Origen is aware. He refers to 'numer-
ous treatises in circulation among the Egyptians, the Phoenicians
and the Greeks which testify to the antiquity of the J ews', and in
particular the contra Aponiem of J osephus and the pros Hellenas
of Tatian
155
.
Origen repeatedly returns to the question of Moses' early
date, and he rebukes Celsus for not knowing Moses antedates
Homer and Hesiod
156
. Origen several times supports the view that
Greek philosophy was, partly if not wholly, derived from Hebraic
sources
157
.
By using stock J ewish answers to the pagan charges he
manages to endow the Church with antiquity and respectability.
But he must go still further, and show precisely how the Church is
the heir to promises made to Abraham and his descendants, and
how the New Israel superseded the Old
158
.
Christians and J ews alike, he says, in obedience to God's
commandments avoid pagan temples, altars and images.
Both J ews and Christians also avoid referring to pagan
gods by name, being aware of the power (which to Origen seems
almost too real) inherent in names
159
.
2. Origen explains that the J ews were considered to have
lost the favor of God when they crucified Christ
160
.

154 Ibid. 1:21, 23, 26 etc.
155 1:16.
156 4:11f.,21,36; 4:43, 47; 7:30f.
157 N.R.M. De Lange: Origen and the Jews, p. 67.
158 N.R.M. De Lange, p. 67-8.
159 1:25; 4:48.
Origen
106
3. As a Platonic philosopher he asserts the striking superi-
ority of the worship and philosophy of the Greeks. The proofs
which Origen adduces in favor of Christianity are threefold. They
are, in ascending order of validity: miracles, the Old Testament
prophecies and the history of the Church. The appeal of miracles is
naturally very strong to the primitive mind
161
.
Origen, while insisting that miracles are possible, and
that the biblical miracles (or most of them) really happened, and
that the power to perform miracles still survives in the Church,
refuses to make them the cornerstones of his defense of the
faith
162
.
If a J ew doubted the authenticity of the New Testament
miracles, how can he explain the fact that the prophecies contained
in the Old Testament not only foretold that there will be signs and
wonders when the Messiah comes, but describes in details the im-
portant events in J esus' life and in the early history of the
Church
163
?
The miracles of the New Testament were superior to those
of Moses in that the appeal of their purpose was more universal.
Moses welded the Israelites into one people, but J esus' people is
the whole of mankind; Moses gave the Israelites the literal Torah,
while J esus' message is the spiritual Gospel; finally, that J esus is
superior to Moses is recognized by the prophets, who call Him the
Messiah and the Savior of mankind
164
.
4. Celsus refuses to allow an allegorical interpretation of
the Bible, although he approves of the allegorisation of the Greek
myths, and although other Greek thinkers, notably Numenius of
Apamea, have interpreted the Bible allegorically
165
.

161 N.R.M. De Lange, p. 70.
163 N.R.M. De Lange, p. 71-2.
165 Contra Celsum 1:15; 4:51; N.R.M. De Lange, p. 67.
His Writings
107
5. Celsus as a true Greek was proud of the Hellenic phi-
losophy and with an appearance of fairness, does not reproach
Christianity because of its origin among barbarians, but gives the
latter credit for their ability in discovering such doctrines. To this,
however, he adds the statement that the Greeks are more skillful
than any others in judging, establishing and reducing to practice
the discoveries of barbarous nations
166
. Origen declares the supe-
riority of the Gospel over the Hellenic philosophy:
The Gospel has a demonstration of its own, more
divine than any established by Grecian dialectics. And this
diviner method is called by the apostle the "manifestation
of the Spirit and of power": of "the Spirit," on account of
the prophecies which are sufficient to produce faith in any
one who reads them, especially in those things which relate
to Christ; and of "power," because of the signs and won-
ders which have been performed as can be proved both on
many other grounds and on this, that traces of them are
still preserved among those who regulate their lives by the
precepts of the Gospel
167
.
6. Christians are simple people, but it does not mean that
they are ignorant. Simplicity has its knowledge and living fruits.
Christianity presents milk to the children and food for the mature.
Lebreton states that of all the objections by Celsus, none
affected Origen more than the criticism of the faith of the simple.
Origen answered by asserting firmly that this simple faith consti-
tutes a kind of knowledge assured by the word of God and shown
to be fruitful by the Christian life.
Let the question be put to the multitude of believers
purified by the faith from the mire of the vices in which they
were previously floundering, which of the two systems is to
be preferred: the correction of morals by believing without

166 Contra Celsus 1:2 ANF.
167 1, 2 ANF.
Origen
108
question in the reward which awaits virtue and the punish-
ment which threatens the guilty, or else the rejection of
simple faith, and the postponement of the reform of morals
until the conclusion of the rational discussion. It is obvious
that with very few exceptions, these people would all fail to
reach even that degree of rectitude of conduct assured by
simple faith, but would persevere instead in a very evil life.
This is by no means to be despised as a proof of the divine
origin of our doctrine concerning the Savior, seeing that it
is really indispensable to the well-being of mankind
168
.
But Origen does not confine himself to this first reply: he
goes on to show that Christianity itself offers to the select few a
special knowledge, more elevated and rarer than the faith of the
simple: ''Even according to our own doctrine, it is much better to
adhere to doctrines with reason and wisdom than by simple faith;
if the Word wished in certain cases for simple faith, it was in order
not to leave mankind wholly without assistance
169
." The faith of
the simple is indeed excellent knowledge in its own way, but it is
elementary. It is the milk for babes; God in his mercy gives it to
those who are too weak to ascend higher to "know God in the wis-
dom of God."
In these answers we recognize Origen's own intellectual
needs: the faith of the simple is not enough for him. What the mass
of people believe in this way "seems clear, but it is not clear to
those few chosen souls who endeavor to philosophize on our doc-
trine.' Even so, though, Origen does not wish to stop at this ele-
mentary knowledge, he recognizes not only its utility, but also its
truth, and that is the essential point
170
.
7. Celsus mocks at the idea of a Messiah and sees in J esus
an impostor and magician. He represents J esus as being born of an

168 Contra Celsum 1:9.
169 Contra Celsum 1:13
His Writings
109
adulterous union between Mary and a soldier named Panther
171
.
Expelled with his mother, J esus had to go to Egypt to gain a liveli-
hood; there he learnt the magical arts which he later on utilized in
order to deceive people. His aspect was common, his wisdom
wholly borrowed from Plato, and his courage greatly inferior to
that of Heracles or Epictetus
172
. Celsus ignores the prophecies con-
cerning Christ
173
.
8. It is significant that he introduces into his argument in
the contra Celsum the miracle of the virgin birth, which Celsus had
ignored, and that he dwells at length on the miracle of the resurrec-
tion
174
.
Celsus applies severe criticism to the Gospel, especially to
all that concerns the resurrection of Christ. He says that the Resur-
rection of Christ was a fable, originating in the imagination of a
woman and a few fanatics. The apostles and their successors in-
vented this superstition. Origen replied that
175
J esus was publicly
crucified, and died in the sight of all; hence if he afterwards reap-
peared alive, His resurrection is undeniable. Now this real life of
the risen Savior is attested by the apostles who witnessed it, and
they maintained their testimony until death. "If they invented this
story of the resurrection, how comes it that they preached it after-
wards with such force that not only did they lead others to despise
death, but first despised it themselves?
176
" Celsus would reduce the
appearances of the risen J esus to mere hallucinations or to dreams.
How can one explain in this way the appearance to St. Thomas, or
the one to the disciples on the road to Emmaus? It is objected: why
did not the risen Christ manifest Himself to everybody? The an-

173 1:50 ANF.
175 Lebreton, p. 979 ff.
176 Contra Celsum 2:61; 1:31.
Origen
110
swer is that all were not worthy to see him, nor able to bear the
sight of Him
177
.
Moreover, the resurrection is proved also by prophecies
and
miracles, and above all by the fruits of salvation it has brought to
mankind. For Celsus, the risen Christ is only a phantom.
"But how can a phantom which is a transient decep-
tion afterwards have such results, convert so many souls,
and persuade them to do all in order to please the God who
will judge them? How can a phantom expel demons, and
work great miracles, not fixing itself in one particular
place, like the gods in human form, but operating in the
whole world, gathering together and drawing to himself by
his divinity all those who are disposed to lead an upright
life?
178
"
We recognize here one of the characteristic features in Ori-
gen's apologetics: in order to make men understand divine things,
he does not isolate them, but presents them in the concrete whole
which supports them and clarifies them. He does not separate
Christ's resurrection either from his life which preceded it, or from
the transformation of the apostles which followed it, or from the
conversion of the pagans which is its fruit
179
.
9. Celsus criticizes the way in which J esus chose his disci-
ples. But has he not really thus proved J esus power, which trans-
formed them from sinners into saints? Among the Greeks, at most
one can mention Phaedo and Polemon as having been rescued by
philosophy from disorder. But the action of J esus on the other hand
was not confined to his twelve apostles; it has reached innumerable
disciples, who are all able to repeat: We ourselves were sometime
unwise, incredulous, erring, slaves to diverse desires and pleasures,

177 Contra Celsum 2:61, 62, 67.
His Writings
111
living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But
when the goodness and kindness of God our Savior appeared, he
made us what we are by the laver of regeneration, and renovation
of the Holy Spirit whom he has poured forth upon us abun-
dantly
180
." Mentioning the weakness of the disciples and apostles
assures the genuinity of the gospels. The promise of Christ that his
gospel would spread all over the world had been fulfilled. It is the
work of the divine grace which attracts souls to follow our Lord
J esus Christ with them.
The word of God (1 Cor. 2:4) declares that the
preaching, although in itself true and most worthy of belief,
is not sufficient to reach the human heart, unless a certain
power be imparted to the speaker from God and a grace
appear upon his words; and it is only by the divine agency
that this takes place in those who speak effectually. The
prophet says in the sixty-seventh Psalm that "the Lord will
give word with great power to them who preach." If then it
should be granted that the same doctrines are found among
the Greeks as in our own Scriptures, yet they do not pos-
sess the same power of attracting and disposing the souls
of men to follow them
181
.
10. Celsus attacked the Old Testament and at the same time
used the J ewish arguments against Christianity. He criticizes the
Old Testament, complaining that it often declares God subject to
change and to be angry
182
. Origen replies that "when we speak of
God's wrath, we do not hold that it is an emotional reaction on his
part, but something which he uses in order to correct by stern
methods those who have committed many terrible sins
183
." He even
believes that God created some physical and external evils to purify
and educate those who are unwilling to be educated by sound

180 Contra Celsum 1:64; 3:75; 4:2; 2:79.
181 6:2 ANF.
182 Contra Celsum 4:13:71.
Origen
112
teaching. Origen uses the analogy of the doctor inflicting pain in
order to heal and the schoolmaster chastising in order to improve
184
.
Origen is in the same philosophical tradition as Philo, St. Clement
and the Neoplatonists, and therefore, it is not surprising that he
accepts the view that the Supreme Being is not subject to passion,
and cannot change
185
.
11. Celsus attacks the J ews who believe that they were the
chosen people of God and that the rest of mankind will be burnt
up:
It is foolish also of them to suppose that, when God
applies the fire (like a cook!), all the rest of mankind will
be thoroughly burnt up, and that they alone will survive,
not merely those who are alive at the time, but also those
long dead who will rise up from the earth possessing the
same bodies as before. This is simply the hope of worms.
For what sort of human soul would have any further desire
for a body that has rotted? The fact that this doctrine is not
shared by some of you (Jews) and by some Christians
shows its utter repulsiveness, and that it is both revolting
and impossible. For what sort of body, after being entirely
corrupted, could return to its original nature and that same
first condition which it had before that was dissolved?
186

The justification of belief in the resurrection of the body on
grounds of divine omnipotence is denied by Origen when he
comes to deal with this particular point (5.23)... It is precisely the
appeal to divine omnipotence which is made in defense of the res-
urrection of the body by St. Clement of Rome
187
, St. J ustin Mar-

185 Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas In Greek Christian Writers From The New
Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia, 1979, p. 167.
187 27.2
His Writings
113
tyr
188
, Athenagoras
189
, St. Irenaeus
190
, Tertullian
191
, and by the
Apocalypse of Peter (Ethiopic text)
192
.
It is evident that Celsus and Origen start from the same pre-
suppositions in their approach to the problem; they are agreed that
it is quite mistaken to appeal to divine omnipotence in order to jus-
tify belief in what seems fantastic
193
.
Origen begins from the basic fact that the nature of (soma)
is impermanent; it is in a continual state of change and transforma-
tion, caused by the food which is eaten, absorbed by the body, and
turned into tissue. This is the point developed by Aglaophon,
whom Methodius makes the mouthpiece of Origens opinions in
his dialogue... When we say the body will rise again, what body do
we mean? That of a youth, or of an old man, or of a child? The
body is always being changed by the food eaten. And the flesh of a
newborn child, or a youth, and of an old man, are different; we
change from the flesh we have at first to another flesh, that of a
child or a youth, and from this into that of an old man, changing
our clothes, as it were, when they are worn out. For though hard
and indigestible food is passed out of the stomach, the easily di-
gestible food is formed into flesh, because it is absorbed by the
contiguous veins which carry the blood. (Methodius I.9). Paul re-
fers to this continual transformation of the body when he says in II
Cor. 4.I6: Though our outward man perish, our inward man is re-
newed day by day
194
.
The apostles' despise of death and their success assures the
resurrection of Christ.

188 Apol. 1:I9.
189 de Resurr. Mort. 9.
190 Adv. Haer. 5:3:2-3.
191 De Carnis Resurr. 57.
192 Harvard Theological Review 41 (1948): Henry Chadwick: Origen, Celsus, and The Resurrec-
tion of the Body, p. 84.
193 Harvard Theological Review 41, p. 85.
194 Methodius I.I2; Harvard Theological Review 41, p. 86-7.
Origen
114
12. While the study of philosophy is confined to an edu-
cated lite, the Christians have brought an acceptance of moral
truth to classes of society where philosophy has never pene-
trated
195
. Christianity has the power to renew human nature. Sin-
ners are changed to saints. They have the power of the Holy Spirit
operating in them:
And there are still preserved among Christians
traces of that Holy Spirit which appeared in the form of a
dove. They expel evil spirits and perform many cures and
foresee certain events, according to the will of the Logos.
And although Celsus or the Jew whom he has introduced
may treat with mockery what I am going to say, I shall say
it nevertheless-that many have been converted to Christian-
ity as if against their will, some sort of spirit having sud-
denly transformed their minds from a hatred of the doctrine
to a readiness to die in its defense
196
.
13. Celsus does not reject everything Christianity teaches.
He approves, for instance, of its ethics and the doctrine of the Lo-
gos. He is willing to let Christianity live on condition that the
Christians abandon their political and religious isolation and sub-
ordinate themselves to the common religion of Rome. His chief
anxiety springs from the fact that they create a schism in the State
weakening the Empire by division
197
. Thus he closes with an ex-
hortation to the Christians to help the king and to labor with him
in the maintenance of justice, to fight for him, and if he requires it,
to fight under him or lead any army along with him, to take office
in the government of the country, if that is required for the mainte-
nance of the laws and the support of religion
198
.

195 Contra Celsum 1:9f; 3:44ff.; 6:1ff.; Henry Chadwick: History and Thought of the Early
Church, London, 1982, p. 184.
1961:46 ANF.
197 Quasten, vol. 3, p. 52.
198 8:73-75 ANF.
His Writings
115
The opposition of Christians towards the State can be justi-
fied without difficulty. We are urged to remain faithful to the tradi-
tional and national cults. But are the philosophers forbidden to free
themselves from the superstitions in which they were brought up?
Why then try to prevent us condemning the gods of paganism, in
order to turn all our homage towards the Creator of the universe?
For the rest, is it not recognized that human laws deserve less re-
spect than the natural law, which is the very law of God? And is it
not above all in religion that the law of God should be respected by
us?
199

Christians are criticized for not serving the State. But they
pray for it, as the apostle told them they ought to do. If military
service is not required from the priests of idols, why require it of
Christians? They keep away from magistracies, but even within the
Church they decline as far as possible the charges which it seeks to
place upon them
200
.
Let the Empire be converted to Christianity, and God will
watch over it. Meanwhile, Christians devote themselves to doing
good to all, to those who are within by making them better, and to
those who are without by drawing them to doctrine and to works of
piety. In other words they do their best to penetrate as many men
as possible with the Word of God, the divine law, in order to unite
them to the supreme God through his Son and his Word
201
.
Origen refuses to seek the favor of civil rulers. Christians
obey the rulers, but in the Lord. They never accept heathen wor-
ship.
Celsus remarks: "What harm is there in gaining the
favor of the rulers of the earth, whether of a nature differ-

199 Contra Celsum 5:35-37; Lebreton, p. 983.
201 Contra Celsum 8:79 ff.
Origen
116
ent from ours, or human princes and kings? For these have
gained their dignity through the instrumentality of gods
202
.
There is One whose favor we should seek and to
whom we ought to pray that He would be gracious to us-the
Most High God, whose favor is gained by piety and the
practice of every virtue. And if he would have us to seek the
favor of others after the Most High God, let him consider
that, as the motion of the shadow follows that of the body
which casts it, so in like manner it follows, that when we
have the favor of God, we have also the good will of all an-
gels and spirits who are friends of God
203
.
Moreover, we are to despise ingratiating ourselves
with kings or any other men, not only if their favor is to be
won by murders, licentiousness or deeds of cruelty, but
even if it involves impiety toward God or any servile ex-
pressions of flattery and obsequiousness, which things are
unworthy of brave and high-principled men who aim at
joining with their other virtues that highest of virtues, pa-
tience and fortitude. But whilst we do nothing which is con-
trary to the law and word of God, we are not so mad as to
stir up against us the wrath of kings and princes, which will
bring upon us sufferings and tortures or even death. For we
read: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.
For there is no power but of God: the powers that be, are
ordained of God, Whosoever therefore resists the power,
resists the ordinance of God" (Rom. 13:1,2)
204
.
Origen's other apologetic or polemic works are no more
than the taking-down of the disputations with various persons:
Bassus, Beryllus of Bastra, a Valentinian named Candidus, and
some J ews. These are mentioned by Africanius, Eusebius, J erome,

202 8:63 ANF.
203 8:64 ANF.
204 8:65 ANF.
His Writings
117
or Rufinus but are no longer extant except for the "Dialogue with
Heraclides."
14. According to Celsus and others assailants, in the first
two centuries, Christians were considered as atheists. For the
new religion had no cult; it had broken from its J ewish origins and
refused to compromise with the syncretistic religious culture of the
Roman Empire. Christians alone faced the practical consequences
of the monotheistic ideas of both Greek philosophy and J udaism,
and asserted that the Supreme God could only be worshipped by
spiritual sacrifices
205
. Origen states that God should be wor-
shipped not with blood and carnal sacrifices but in spirit
206
; and
ridicules the idea that a God who is known spiritually should be
worshipped in a material way
207
. The spiritual cult is the offering
of prayers
208
; the spiritual altar is the mind of faithful Christians;
spiritual images of God are the virtues implanted in men by the
Logos
209
. The Body of Christ is a spiritual temple
210
, and the
Christian people continually celebrate spiritual feasts and fasts by
constant prayer and abstention from wickedness
211
. Above all
Christ himself is the perfect sacrifice, and he is the High-Priest
through whom Christian prayers are offered
212
. The Christians did
have a cult, but it is entirely immaterial. It is along these lines that
Origen tries to justify the Christian position in the Contra Celsum,
and the central importance of the sacrifice of Christ is apparent.

205 See Contra Celsus, 6:35. Reason should have persuaded the philosophers to stop busying them-
selves with created things and images, and to ascend above them and present the soul to the Crea-
tor. Cf. 6;4; 7:44, 46; and 6:70: God should not be worshipped with flesh and carnal sacrifices
but in spirit.
206 Contra Celsus 6:70; Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writ-
ers from the New Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia, 1979, p. 115.
207 Ibid., 7:44.
208 Contra Celsus 3:81; 7:44, 46.
209 Ibid., 8:17.
210 Ibid., 8;l9.
211 Ibid., 8:22ff.
212 Ibid., 1:69; 3:34; 5:4; 8:13, 26.
Origen
118
His is the perfect sacrifice and the example of which Christian
spiritual sacrifices are modeled, He is the High-Priest through
whom they are offered
213
.
15. Origen and Celsus differ fundamentally in their view of
history. For Celsus the destruction of J erusalem was an event
wholly explicable in human terms
214
; God does not enter into the
matter. For Origen, history is the setting for the drama of God's
relationship with men, and any historical event maybe interpreted
as evidence of God's love or displeasure. On this principle J ews
and Christians agreed. For J ews and Christians alike, the destruc-
tion of J erusalem and of the Temple, the dissolution of the J ewish
state and the Roman occupation of Palestine signified the passing
of an era. True, there were few voices raised in protest at this in-
terpretation of history
215
, but for the most part the J ews, as well as
Christians, came to accept that J erusalem had been destroyed be-
cause of the sins of the J ews
216
.
16. The belief in Christ and the Christian doctrine presup-
poses grace:
The word of God ( I Cor. 2~4) declares that the
preaching, although in itself true and most worthy of belief,
is not sufficient to reach the human heart, unless a certain
power be imparted to the speaker from God and a grace
appears upon his words; and it is only by the divine agency
that this takes place in those who speak effectually. The
prophet says in the sixty-seventh Psalm that 'the Lord will
give word with great power to them who preach.' If then it
should be granted that the same doctrines are found among
the Greeks as in our own Scriptures, yet they do not pos-

213 Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers frim the New Tes-
tament to John Chrysostom, p. 97-8.
215 De Principiis 4:1,3
His Writings
119
sess the same power of attracting and disposing the souls
of men to follow them
217
.

V V V

Origen
120
4 - DOGMATIC WRITINGS

Origen believes that "the one who carefully looks at the
heresies of Judaism and Christianity becomes a very wise man
218
."

DE PRINCIPIIS, Peri Archon, or On First Principles:
A dogmatic treatise in four books. He called it "the elemen-
tary and foundation principles of things
219
." This work is a mark of
Origen's systematic mind
220
. It is the first attempt ever made to-
wards the formation of Christian Theology
221
. J . Quasten says,
Origen's most important production is his First Principles, the
first Christian system of theology and the first manual of dogma.
As such it stands in majestic isolation in the history of the early
Church. He wrote it in Alexandria between the years 220 and 230
A.D
222
.
G.W. Butterworth says, De Fay, in his recent work on
Origen, has suggested that the First Principles was designed to
take the place of the Didaskalos, or Teacher, which Clement had
planned to follow on his Protreptikos and Paidagogos, but which
he was never able to write
223
.
From his initial assertion that he did not intend to deviate
from the teaching of the Church, Origen was at pains to show that
the Gnostic doctrine of God and Gnostic dualism were inadequate
as a view of the world and guide to conduct
224
.

218 Against Celsus 3:13.
219 De Principiis, Praef. 9.
220 C. Kannengiesser: Origen, Systemacation in De Principiis , p.1, COQ.
221 Drewery, p.6.
222 J. Quasten, vol. 3,p. 57.
223 Henri De Lubac: Origen, On First Principles, NY., 1966 (Koetschau text together with an in-
troduction and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. XXX.
224 W.H.C. Frend: The Early Church, 1981, p. 87.
His Writings
121
In this work Origen tried to help believers to fulfill his
commandment, "Enlighten yourselves with the light of knowl-
edge
225
." Later, Eusebius, Epiphanius, Pamphilius, Rufinus,
J erome, and J ustinian are suitably present and ready to elicit their
judgments on whether or not Origen gave the correct answer con-
cerning "De Principiis.
226
"
In this work, Origen defended the Orthodox dogma against
the Gnostics and the Marcionte. Even the general title of the work
"Peri Archon," is then explained as referring primarily to the anti-
Marcionite principals. Origen would have borrowed for that pur-
pose the title of philosophical tractates named in the same way
227
.
What Origen tried to find out was the common faith of the Church.
Kattenbusch
228
say, "It is difficult to avoid the impression that Ori-
gen was seeking to establish, by means of an independent and free
study, what was regarded as certain by Christians subject to the
Church. As a starting point he had before his eyes the two Testa-
ments, and he asked only what was to be found therein according
to the immediate judgment of all Christians in the Church. In this
study he naturally directed his attention to the results of the doc-
trinal controversies, and in particular the refutation of Marcion and
of Gnosticism."
This work was written for the well-educated people and not
for the common public. It is the first philosophical attempt to ex-
plain salvation. It is worthy to note that unlike the Gnostic Hera-
cleon, Origen did not view the wisdom of the Greeks as contradic-
tion and demoniac possession
229
. Lebreton says that Origen's pres-
entation of the matter is of great interest, both because of the prin-
ciples which guide him and the conclusions which he reaches. If

226 Robert M. Berchman: Origen on the Categories. A study in Later Platonic First Principles, p.
1. (COQ)
227 C. Kannengiesser: Origen, Systemacation in De Principiis , p.3, COQ.
228 Das Apostolische Symbol, Vol. II, p. 137.
229 Berchman, p. 4.
Origen
122
we compare this catalogue with the Placita of the contemporary
philosophers, we are able to appreciate the value of the religious
certitudes which the Christian Faith has brought into the world
230
.
The aim of this work is the discovery of the truth about
elementary and foundation principles concerning the Father,
Christ, and the Holy Spirit; intelligible, sensible creatures, and
concerning the nature of beings.
Everyone therefore who is desirous of constructing
out of the foregoing a connected body of doctrine must
study points like these as elementary and foundation prin-
ciples... Thus by clear and cogent arguments he discovers
the truth about each particular point and produce, as we
have said, a single body of doctrine with the aid of such
illustrations and declarations as he shall find in the holy
scriptures and of such conclusions as he shall ascertain to
follow logically from them when rightly understood
231
.
Thus the preface and the whole work begins:
All who believe and are assured that grace and
truth were obtained through Jesus Christ, and who know
Christ to be the truth, agreeable to his own declaration, 'I
am the truth' (John 14:6), derive the knowledge (gnosis)
which incites men to a good and happy life from no other
source than from the very words and teachings of Christ.
And by words of Christ we do not mean those only which
he spoke when he became man and tabernacled in the flesh,
for before that time, Christ, the Word of God, was in Moses
and the prophets. For without the Word of God, how could
they have been able to prophesy of Christ? And were it not
our purpose to confine the present treatise within the limits
of all attainable brevity, it would not be difficult to show, in
proof of this statement, out of the Holy Scriptures, how
Moses or the prophets both spoke and performed all they

230 Lebreton, p. 933-4.
His Writings
123
did through being filled with the Spirit of Christ. . . More-
over, after his ascension into heaven he spoke in His apos-
tles, as is shown by Paul in these words: 'Or do you seek a
proof of Christ who speaks in me' (2 Cor. I3,3).
Since many, however, of those who profess to be-
lieve in Christ differ from each other, not only in small and
trifling matters, but also on subjects of the highest impor-
tance,. . . it seems on that account necessary first of all to
fix a definite limit and to lay down an unmistakable rule
regarding each one of these, and then to pass to the inves-
tigation of other points... as the teaching of the Church,
transmitted in orderly succession from the apostles, and
remaining in the Churches to the present day, is still pre-
served, that alone is to be accepted as truth which differs in
no respect from ecclesiastical and apostolic tradition
232
.
J . Quasten says, Here Origen clearly indicates that Scrip-
ture and tradition are the sources of Christian doctrine and he
points to the rule of faith which contains the basic teaching of the
apostles. However, they did not give any reasons for these truths
nor did they present any account of their interrelations.
Though subject to every limitation of his age, he yet had
the scientific spirit and used a scientific method. He follows where
reason leads him
233
.

The Latin Translation
The Greek original has perished, as has also the literal
Latin translation made by St. J erome. The surviving version is a
free Latin translation published in Rome in 398-99 A.D by
Rufinus. He had a certain friend, named Macarius, who had heard
of the De Principiis and was anxious to read it, hoping to find in it

232 De Principiis: Pref. 1-2. ANF.
troduction and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. LIV.
Origen
124
some arguments to help him in a controversy in which he was
then engaged with the mathematicians, or pagan astrologers. At
first, Rufinus hesitated, knowing well the odium which would
gather round any man who seemed to be friendly towards Origen.
Finally, however, he consented, and produced the version which
is now before us.
Unfortunately, however, we must use Rufinus' text with
caution. In addition to the loss of subtlety inevitable in a transla-
tion, we know, because Rufinus said so, that he altered passages
which he considered of doubtful orthodoxy in order to make the
work accessible to Christians in the West.
Rufinus did not believe that the Greek text which had
come down to him was in every detail authentic. He could not
imagine a time when Christian thought had been more fluid as it
was in his own day. He maintained, without any doubt in all hon-
esty, that the text had been tampered with by heretics. To prove
this he translated and published with his version of De Principiis,
the first book of the Defense of Origen, a work composed by
Pamphilus the martyr in collaboration with Eusebius of Caesarea,
the Church historian. The object of this work was to refute the
attacks made on Origen by Methodius and others
234
.
Rufinus witnesses that he made many changes in the text to
purify it from obscure statements.. The principal fragments that
survive in Greek are the discussion of free will in the third book of
Origen's treatise and the discussion of biblical interpretation that
takes up all of Origen's fourth and last book
235
.
To justify himself, Rufinus wrote a small pamphlet on The
Corruption of the Words of Origen and attached it to the transla-

troduction and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. XXXIV, XXXV.
His Writings
125
tion of De Principiis. Here he gives more fully his reasons for al-
tering the text. They are as follows
236
:
a. It was impossible to suppose that so intelligent and
learned a man as Origen should have contradicted himself. A dif-
ference between works written in youth and old age might be natu-
ral, due either to forgetfulness or to change of opinion in the inter-
val. But Origen exhibits contradictions in the same passage, almost
in successive sentences.
b. Other writers of unquestioned orthodoxy had had their
words corrupted by heretics; as for instance Clement of Rome,
Clement of Alexandria and Dionysius of Alexandria.
c. Origen himself had complained, in a letter still extant,
that his works had been corrupted by heretics.
The letter of Origen, which Rufinus here professes to trans-
late, is of great interest. It deals only with one specific point, the
possibility of the devils salvation. Origen denies that he ever as-
serted this; only a madman could have done so. A discussion had
taken place between himself and a heretic, of which notes had been
made and afterwards published. Origen declares that he had never
given the matter a second thought until it was brought to his notice
that an incorrect version was being circulated.
The translation of De Principiis soon came into the hands
of J eromes friends in Italy, of whom Pammachius, Oceanus and
Marcella were the chief. They were horrified by some of the doc-
trines still remaining in it and by the implied suggestion that
J erome would raise no objection to them. They sent him, therefore,
a copy of the work with a request for information. J erome replied
by making a faithful Latin translation of the whole of the First
Principles and sending it to Pammachius with a covering letter. He
admits that he had once praised Origin for his good word; he

troduction and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. XXXVIII ff.
Origen
126
would still do so if others would not praise his errors. Origens
doctrines on the nature of the Son and the Holy Spirit, on the pre-
existence of souls, on the resurrection, and on the ultimate restitu-
tion of all things, when it will be the same for Gabriel as for the
devil, for Paul as for Caiaphas, for virgins as for prostitutes, were
poisonous heresies. No Latin writer had ever yet ventured to trans-
late his works on the Resurrection and on First Principles, or the
Stromata and the Commentaries, but only the Homilies, or popular
addresses, which were harmless. The assertion that Origens works
had been corrupted by heretics J erome denies; both Eusebius and
Didymus had taken for granted that Origen held the incriminated
views. Moreover, J erome cannot believe that Pamphilus wrote the
first book of the Defense; it must be by Eusebius. If, however,
Pamphilus did write it, his martyrdom would wash away the
fault
237
.

Its contents
G.W. Butterworth says,
Origen was dealing with questions which had been
raised and discussed in the School before his time, and
which were then admitted to be legitimate subjects for in-
quiry...
All he tried to do was to work out its implications
for the educated world of his time. Problems which do not
arise in simple minds were continually being raised by his
pupils and by the heretics in their rival theological schools.
What is the explanation of apparently undeserved
suffering?
Has man free will, or is this an illusion?
What happened before this world was created, and
what will happen after it has come to an end?
What is the origin and nature of the human soul?
Are the stars alive?

237 Henri De Lubac: Origen, p. XLIII-XLIII.
His Writings
127
Are there worlds in the sky where spirits live?
Origen believed that it was right to investigate such
problems. Not all of them could be solved. But some might
be, and the Christian thinker must do his best
238
.
C. Bigg states that Origen explains here a Regula Fidei
more than a creed, saying,
Here then we have the pith and substance of that
doctrine which, in Alexandria at any rate, was taught to all
Christians in the time of Origen. It differs from the Nicene
creed in that it does not use the terms Very God or Ho-
moousion of the Son, in that it asserts the moral attributes
of God, the creation of the world out of nothing, the spiri-
tual nature of the Resurrection Body, the connection of
punishments and rewards with conduct, the eternity of pun-
ishment, the existence of Angels, the freedom of the Will,
the double sense of Scripture. It is rather a Regula Fidei
than a Creed in the strict sense of the word. But the lan-
guage is already so framed as definitely to exclude the
Gnostics, the Noetians, possibly the Chiliasts, and cer-
tainly all those who doubted the Personality of the Holy
Spirit.
Within these limits all is open ground. Even the
definition of the terms, especially of the word eternal, is
subject to reverent but free discussion. And Origen has
availed himself of this liberty to the fullest extent. One of
his earliest works is the De Principiis, On First Principles,
that is to say on the data of the Creed, in which he maps out
the field of investigation, and expresses with fearless can-
dor all his doubts, beliefs, suggestions, divinations about
each article in turn. He was already of mature age when he
composed this treatise, and his voluminous later writings

238 Henri De Lubac: Origen, p. XXXI, LIII.
Origen
128
are little more that an expansion of the ideas there set
down
239
.

This work treats the following topics:
1. God and the world of spirits.
The first book deals with the supernatural world, with the
oneness and spirituality of God, with the hierarchy of the three di-
vine persons and their characteristic relations towards created life,
the Father acting upon all beings, the Word upon reasonable beings
or souls, the Holy Spirit upon beings who are both reasonable and
sanctified. There follow discussions of the origin, essence and fall
of all angels
240
.
Against Marcion and the Gnostics, the identity of the God
of the two Testaments has been finally established. The Son (J esus
Christ) was born before all creatures; He is eternal. He was the
Minister of the Father in the creation; he became truly man. The
Holy Spirit inspired all the sacred writers.
The human soul: what is beyond doubt are its personal re-
sponsibility and its liberty, and the rewards or punishments which
await it. Astrology is condemned. The metaphysical question of
the origin of the soul is not dealt with.
There are angels and good powers, which serve God for the
salvation of mankind; but no one has defined clearly when they
were created, or what is their condition. As to the devil and his an-
gels, and enemy powers, the teaching of the Church tells us of their
existence, but does not explain clearly their nature and their man-
ner of being. Most people, however, are of the opinion that the
devil was once an angel, and that he involved in his defection a
great number of angels, now called his own angels.

239 Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford 1913, p. 192.
240 Quasten, vol. 3,p. 60.
His Writings
129

2. The world and man
The world was created, had a beginning, and will come to
an end. What existed before, and what will there be afterwards?
The ecclesiastical preaching does not answer these questions
clearly.
The fall of man; redemption of man through J esus Christ;
and his end. Origen emphasizes freedom and responsibility carried
with it. He attacked the determinists whether they were philoso-
phers or Christian Gnostics. And his message of freedom was de-
signed to proclaim hope in a world where hope was almost buried
beneath chaos. In this way his theology represents one of the foun-
dations of the traditional Christian doctrine
241
.

3. Human freedom and final triumph of the good.
The union of body and soul gives the latter the opportunity
for struggle and victory. In this contest men are helped by angels
and hindered by demons, but they retain their free will. Thus the
third book, examining the extension of free will and responsibility,
gives an outline of moral theology
242
.
The second book treats the material world, the creation of
man as a result of the defection of the angels, man as a fallen spirit
enclosed in a material body, the transgression of Adam and re-
demption by the incarnate Logos, the doctrine of the resurrection,
the last judgment and after life
243
.
Apart from all these doubtful points, what we find underly-
ing the book throughout is the great problem which worried the
Gnostics, and which Origen tried with all his might to solve: that
of the origin of evil. The Gnostics all tended towards a dualistic

241 See Rowan A. Greer: Origen, Introduction.
Origen
130
solution: Basilides and Valentine had already allowed themselves
to be led in its direction; Marcion opened the way to it by his dis-
tinction between the two deities; Mani 24 will definitely accept it.
Origen fully realizes this danger, and the whole aim of his thought
is to dispel it. Already in the Preface, the freedom of every rational
soul is presented as one of the fundamental theses, certified by the
teaching of the Church; he returns to it on several occasions in the
course of the work, and devotes to it a good part of Books II (9:2)
and III (1). This emphasis was justified, and on more than one
point Origen gave a useful corrective to the Gnostic and the astro-
logical theses
244
.

4. The Scripture as the source of faith and the three modes of
Scriptural interpretation.
The whole Church agrees in saying that the Law is spiri-
tual, but the spiritual sense of the Law is known only by those to
whom the Holy Spirit has deigned to grant wisdom and knowl-
edge.
The way, then, as it appears to us, in which we
ought to deal with the Scriptures and extract from them
their meaning is the following, which has been ascertained
from the Scriptures themselves. By Solomon in the Prov-
erbs we find some such rule as this repeating the divine
doctrines of Scripture; "And do you portray them in a
threefold manner, in counsel and knowledge, to answer
words of the truth to them who propose them to you" (Prov.
22,20,21). The individual ought then to portray the ideas of
Holy Scripture in a threefold manner upon his own soul in
order that the simple man may be edified by the flesh as it
were of the Scripture, for so we name the obvious sense,
while he who has ascended a certain way (may be edified)
by the souls as it were. The perfect man again (may receive
edification) from the spiritual law, which has a shadow of

His Writings
131
good things to come. For as a man consists of body, soul
and spirit, so in the same way does Scripture, which has
been arranged to be given by God for the salvation of
men
245
.
In the introduction, Origin shows that the source of all re-
ligious truth is our Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself is the Truth
246
.
The enemies of Origen used it as material to accuse him of
heresy, in his own days and after his death. St. J erome states that
Origen wrote to Fabianus, bishop of Rome assuring that some arti-
cles mentioned in his work are against his own view, and that his
friend Ambrose published it in a hurry
247
. It is said that many tears
were shed by Origen's friends and enemies alike over his De Prin-
cipiis
248
.
On First Principles proceeds in the first chapter of the
first book to discuss the doctrine of God, a discussion in which
Origen quickly began to interpret the Christian faith in Platonic
categories. Like the Platonists, Origen was concerned to defend the
incorporeal nature of God against the Stoic doctrine that God is a
particularly rarefied body called ''spirit.'' In the process, he strove
to demonstrate that biblical language calling God "spirit'' or ''a
consuming fire" was not intended in the Stoic, materialistic sense.
Sharing in the Holy Spirit of God, he argued, is not like sharing in
a material substance that can be divided up into parts; it is like
sharing, as physicians do in a science like medicine, by participat-
ing in the whole. Drawing on traditional Platonic vocabulary to
describe God's transcendence, Origen described God as incompre-
hensible, immeasurable, and incomposite as well as incorporeal.
He also employed the Neo-pythagorean term henad, which ex-

245 4,1,11 ANF.
246 Preface 1-2 ANF.
247 Jerome, Ep. 41.
248 Berchman, p. 2.
Origen
132
presses the utter unity and simplicity of God in contrast to the mul-
tiplicity of the world.
In the section of the second book that dealt with the iden-
tity of the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Tes-
tament, Origen stressed, in equally Platonic fashion, the benefi-
cence of God. This meant that he could not allow any suggestion
that God actually experienced wrath. He therefore interpreted alle-
gorically passages in the Bible that taken literally, presented an
unworthy or incoherent image of God, providing fuel for Gnostic
criticism. He argued against Marcion that it is quite consistent for
God to be both just and good
249
.
The final chapter of On First Principles recapitulates Ori-
gen's conclusions and ties up a few loose ends. The treatise pro-
vides the best defense proving that Origen knew how to write of
the church's tradition. Against the Gnostics, it demonstrates that
the church's doctrine has an inner coherence fully as strong as that
of their own systems and that it does not promote the worship of a
God who is a petty tyrant. Against pagan despisers, it demonstrates
the depth and profundity of Christian doctrine and its harmony
with their own highest ideals. But Origen does more than that. On
First Principles is a spiritual vision as well as a theological trea-
tise. In the process of explaining the origin and destiny of rational
creatures, Origen establishes how and why we can expect to have
communion with God. How? By separating ourselves intellectually
and morally from purely sensual concerns and attachments. Why?
Because, as rational creatures, we share something of God's nature
and are the objects of God's concern. As Origen put it
250
:
We see, therefore, that men have a kind of blood-
relationship with God; and since God knows all things and
not a single intellectual truth can escape his notice - for
God the Father, with his only-begotten Son and the Holy
Spirit, stands alone in his knowledge not only of the things

249 Trigg: Origen, SCM Press Ltd, 1983, p. 95.
250 Trigg: Origen, SCM Press, 1985, p. 128-9.
His Writings
133
he has created but also of himself--it is possible that a ra-
tional mind also, by advancing from a knowledge of small
to a knowledge of greater things and from things visible to
things invisible, may attain to an increasingly perfect un-
derstanding. For it (a rational mind) has been placed in a
body and of necessity advances from things of sense, which
are bodily, to things beyond sense perception, which are
incorporeal and intellectual
251
.
Finally, I mention here that it is too hard to give an accu-
rate account of the theological system of Origen based on "De
Principiis," for the following reasons:
I. As we have mentioned, the surviving version is the Latin
translation Of Rufinus, who made many changes in the text.
II. Some scholars state that Origen was not a systematic
thinker. It is impossible to link his treatises together so that they
yield a systemic whole
252
.
III. Concerning a definition of key terms employed by Ori-
gen, it is difficult to isolate specific passages in his works and to
interpret them separately, for any given term used in a particular
context presupposes a similar meaning of the term when employed
in another.

ON NATURES
This work combated the Valentinian doctrine that the sort
of nature a person has determines whether or not that person is
saved
253
.

252 Bercman, p. 10; C. Kannengiesser: From Philo to Origen: Middle Platonism in Transition,
Chico, 1984, Resch. Sci. Re 1, 5.1 (1987), 605-7.
253 Trigg: Origen, SCM Press Ltd, 1983, p. 88-9.
Origen
134
DISCUSSION WITH HERACLIDES
254

Among a number of papyri found at Toura near Cairo in
1941 is a codex of about the end of the sixth century containing the
text of a discussion between Origen and Bishop Heraclides. Robert
J . Daly says, How the codices found their way into the cave can
only be conjectured. However, both Origen and Didymus were
among those condemned as heretical at the Council of Constantin-
ople in 553 A.D, and the condition in which the codices were found
(the covers had been removed as if for use elsewhere) suggests that
it was not for the purpose of safekeeping and preservation that they
were put or thrown into the cave. It is, thus, a logical conjecture that
the monks themselves had thrown them there as a way of purging
their library of works that had come to be considered heretical or
dangerous. The age of the codices, written in a seventh-century Cop-
tic unical script, is consistent with this conjecture
255
.
1. This codex represents a complete record of an actual dis-
cussion, which had taken place in a church in Arabia in the pres-
ence of the bishops and the people about the year 245 A.D. Origen
seems to be in full possession of his authority as a teacher.
This is the only surviving dialogue of Origen. There are
indications that suggest that it may have been copied from a
collection of Origen's dialogues in the library at Caesarea
256
.
2. Origen takes up an anticipated objection: the relation of
the divinity of Christ to the resurrection (5.10 to 6.7).
3. In a fine example of his method of sewing together
various biblical texts to make his point, he emphatically affirms the

254 Robert J. Daly: Origen, Treatises on the Passover and Dialogue with Heraclides and his fellow
bishops on the Father, the Son, and the Soul, (ACW), 1992.; Quasten, vol. 2, p. 62-4.
255 Cf. Origen: Treatise on the Passover and Dialogue of Origen with Heraclides and His Fellow
Bishops on the Father, the Son, and the Soul (Translated by Robert J. Daly - ACW),p. 1.
256 Origen: Treatise on the Passover and Dialogue of Origen with Heraclides and His Fellow
Bishops on the Father, the Son, and the Soul, p. 21 (ACW)
His Writings
135
physical reality of Christ's body (i.e., it is not just a spiritual body),
and hence the bodily reality of Christ's resurrection and ours
257
.
Origen emphasizes that Jesus has the same composite
elements - body, soul, spirit - as we do; otherwise we should not be
wholly saved.
For the whole human being would not have been
saved if he had not assumed the whole human being. They
eliminate the salvation of the human body by saying that the
body of the Savior is spiritual; they eliminate the salvation of
the human spirit, of which the Apostle says: No one knows
the thoughts of a human being except the spirit of the human
being which is in him (cf. 1 Cor. 2.11). Desiring to save the
spirit of the human being, about which the Apostle spoke, the
Savior assumed also the human spirit. These three elements
were separated at the time of the passion; they were reunited
at the time of the resurrection. How? The body in the tomb,
the soul in Hades, the spirit committed to the Father. The
soul in Hades: You do not give up my soul to Hades (cf. Ps.
16[15].10; Acts 2.27)
258
.

Its Division
1. Part One: The Dialogue with Heraclides and Maximus 1:5 -
10:17.
The first part of it has a discussion about the Father and the
Son. Origen refers to Scripture in order to show in what sense two
can be one:
I. Adam and Eve were two but one flesh (Gen. 2:24).
II. He (the just man) who is joined to the Lord is one spirit
with Him (Cor. 6:17).

258 Dial. with Heraclides 7 (ACW).
Origen
136
III. Finally he introduces Christ himself as a witness be-
cause He said: I and My Father are one. In the first example, the
unity consisted of flesh; in the second of Spirit; but in the third
of God. Thus Origen states: Our Lord and Savior is in His rela-
tion to the Father and God of the universe not one flesh, nor one
spirit, but what is much higher than flesh and spirit, one God.
Origen declares that such an interpretation of Christ's
words enables the theologian to defend the duality of God against
monarchism and the unity against the impious doctrine of the J ews,
who deny the divinity of Christ.
And while being distinct from the Father, the Son is
Himself also God
259
."
We must treat this matter carefully, and point out in
what respect they are two, and in what respect these two are
one God
260
.
Adam and his wife are distinct beings; Adam is
distinct from his wife, and his wife is distinct from her
husband. But it is said right in the creation account that the
two are one: For the two shall become one flesh (Gen. 2.24;
Matt. 19.5). It is thus possible at times for two to be one
flesh. But note well that in the case of Adam and Eve it is not
said that they will be two in one spirit, nor that they will be
two in one soul, but that they will be two in one flesh. In
addition, the just person, while distinct from Christ, is said
by the Apostle to be one in relation to Christ: For whoever is
united to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Cor. 6.17). But is
not one of these of a lower or diminished and inferior nature,
while Christ is of a more divine and glorious and blessed
nature? Are they therefore no longer two?
261

259 Dial. with Heraclides 2:20 (ACW).
260 Dial. with Heraclides 2:30 (ACW).
His Writings
137
In some of our prayers we maintain the duality and
in others we introduce the unity, and thus we do not fall into
the opinion of those who, cut off from the Church, have
fallen prey to the illusory notion of unity, abrogating the Son
as distinct from the Father and also, in effect, abrogating the
Father; nor do we fall into the other impious doctrine which
denies the divinity of Christ
262
.
2. Part Two: The Question of Danis: Is the Soul Blood? 10:20 -
24:24.
Among the questions raised by others in the second part of
the discussion is that of Dionysius (Danis), whether the soul and
the blood of man are identical.
The problem at hand arises from the literal meaning of the
Septuagint of Lev. 17.11, supported by Deut. 12.33: the soul of all
flesh is its blood. This apparently suggested to some that the soul
was material and thus subject to corruption with the body in the
grave. Origen points out that the Scripture often uses bodily things to
describe spiritual realities
263
.
The original question about soul/blood is thus subleted in the
overall synthesis in which each part of the exterior human being has
its corresponding part, and homonym, in the interior human being.
Origen distinguishes in his answer between the physical blood and
the blood of the interior man. The latter is identical with the soul.
In the death of the just, this blood-soul separates from the body and
enters the company of Christ even before the resurrection.
"There are, therefore, two human beings in each of
us. What is the meaning of the saying that the soul of all
flesh is its blood (cf. Lev. 17.11)? This is a great problem.
For just as the outer human being has the same name as the

Origen
138
inner, so too with its members; thus one can say that every
member of the external human being is also called the same
thing in the inner human being.
"The outer human being has eyes, and the inner
human being is said to have eyes: Lighten my eyes lest I
sleep the sleep of death (Ps. 13[12].3). This is not talking
about these bodily eyes, nor about bodily sleep, nor about
ordinary death. The ordinance of the Lord is far-seeing,
enlightening the eyes (cf. Ps. 19[18]8-9). It is not just in
observing the commandments of the Lord that we become
clear-sighted in bodily things, but in observing the divine
commandments according to the mind that we become more
clear-sighted. The eyes of the inner human being see more
perceptively than we do. Open my eyes and I will understand
the wondrous things of your law (Ps. 119[118].18). Is this to
say that his eyes are veiled? No, but our eyes are our mind.
It was for Jesus to pull back the veil that we might be able to
contemplate what has been written and understand what has
been spoken in secret. The external human being has ears,
and the internal human being is also said to have ears. He
who has ears to hear, let him hear (Matt. 11.15 and passim)
All had the ears of the external senses, but not all have been
successful in having internal ears which are purified. Having
ears of the senses does not depend on us, but having internal
ears does
264
.
"The exterior human being smells with his nostrils,
perceiving good odor and bad odor, while the inner human
being has other nostrils with which to perceive the good
odor of righteousness and the bad odor of sins. The Apostle
teaches about the good odor when he says: For we are the
good odor of Christ to God among those who are being
saved and among those who are perishing, to some a
fragrance from death to death, to others a fragrance from

264 Dial. with Heraclides 16-17 (ACW).
His Writings
139
life to life (cf. 2 Cor. 2.15-16). And Solomon in the Canticle
of Canticles also says, through the mouth of the young
maidens of the daughters of Jerusalem: We run after you to
the fragrance of your perfumes (Cant. 1.4
265
).
"The outer human being has the faculty of taste, and
the inner human being has the spiritual faculty of which it is
said: Taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34[33].8; cf. 1
Peter 2.3). The outer human being has the sensible faculty of
touch, and the inner human being also has touch, that touch
with which the woman with a hemorrhage touched the hem
of Jesus' garment (cf. Mark 5.25-34 parr). She touched it, as
He testified who said: Who touched me? (Mark 5.30). Yet
just before, Peter said to Him: The multitudes are pressing
upon you and you ask, 'Who touched me?' (Luke 9.45 par).
Peter thinks that those touching are touching in a bodily, not
spiritual manner. Thus, those pressing in on Jesus were not
touching Him, for they were not touching Him in faith
266
.
"We thus have other hands, about which is said: May
the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice (Ps
141[140].2). For if I lift up these (bodily) hands, but leave
the hands of my soul idle and do not lift them up with the
holy and good deeds, the lifting up of my hands does not
become an evening sacrifice. I also have different feet about
which Solomon is speaking when he commands me: Let not
your foot stumble (Prov. 3.23)
267
.
"In Ecclesiastes there is an unusual text. It will seem
meaningless to those who do not understand it; but it is of
the wise that Ecclesiastes says: The wise man has his eyes in
his head (Eccl. 2.14). In what head? For all human beings,
even the senseless and the foolish, have bodily eyes in their
head. But the wise have the eyes we have been speaking of,

Origen
140
eyes which are illuminated by the ordinance of the Lord (cf.
Ps 19[18].9), and they have them in their head, i.e., in
Christ, because the head of man is Christ, the Apostle says
(cf. 1 Cor. 11.3). The thinking faculty is in Christ
268
.
"Even the hairs of Your head are all numbered (Matt.
10.30). What hairs: Those by which they were spiritually
Nazirites.
"Since you have all these elements of the physical
body in the inner human being, you should no longer have
problems about the blood, which, with the same name as
physical blood, exists, just like the other members of the
body, in the inner human being. That is the blood which is
poured forth from a soul; for He will require a reckoning for
the blood of your souls (Gen. 9.5). He does not say, "your
blood" but, the blood of your souls. And, His blood I will
require at the watchman's hands (Ezek. 33.6). What blood
does God require at the watchman's hands if not that which
is poured forth from the sinner? Just as, when the heart of
the foolish man is lost, and it is said: Hearken to me, you
who have lost your heart (Isa. 46.12 LXX), so too does the
blood and the vital power flow away from his soul
269
.
The soul is both immortal and not immortal. First, let
us carefully define the word 'death' and all the meanings that
come from the term 'death'
270
.
What are these three deaths? Someone may live to
God and have died to sin, according to the Apostle (cf. Rom.
6.10). This death is a blessed one: one dies to sin. This is the
death which my Lord died: For the death He died He died to
sin (Rom. 6.10). I also know another death by which one dies
to God. About this death it is said: The soul that sins shall

His Writings
141
die (Ezek. 18.4). And I know a third death according to
which we ordinarily consider that those who have left their
body are dead. For Adam lived nine hundred and thirty
years, and he died (cf. Gen. 5.5).
"Since, therefore, there are three deaths, let us see
whether the human soul is immortal with regard to these
three deaths, or, if not with regard to all three deaths,
whether it might still be immortal with regard to some of
them. All of us human beings die with ordinary death which
we think of as a dissolution. No human soul ever dies this
death; for if it did die, it would not be punished after death.
Men will seek death, it is written, and will not find it (cf. Rev.
9.6). For the souls being punished will seek death. They will
desire not to exist rather than exist to be punished. This is
why men will seek death and will not find it. Taken in this
sense, every human soul is immortal. Now for the other
meanings: according to one, the soul is mortal and blessed if
it dies to sin. This is the death that Balaam was talking about
in his prophesy, praying in the divine spirit: Let my soul die
among the souls of the just! (Num. 23.10). It was about this
death that Balaam made his astonishing prophecy and, in the
word of God, prayed the most beautiful of prayers for
himself; for he prayed to die to sin in order to live to God.
This is why he said: Let my soul die among the souls of the
just, and let my seed be like their seed! (Num. 23.10). There
is another death, in regard to which we are not immortal;
but it is possible for us, through vigilance, not to die this
death. And perhaps what is mortal in the soul is not mortal
forever. For to the extent that it allows itself to commit such
a sin that it becomes a soul that sins which itself will die (cf.
Ezek. 18.4), the soul is mortal for a real death. But if it
becomes confirmed in blessedness so that it is inaccessible to
death, in possessing eternal life it is no longer mortal but has
become, according to this meaning too, immortal. How is it
that the Apostle says of God: Who alone has immortality (1
Origen
142
Tim. 6.16)? I investigate and find that Jesus Christ died for
all except God (cf. 2 Cor. 5.15 and Heb. 2.9). There you have
the sense in which God alone has immortality
271
.
3. Part Three: The Problem of the Immortality of the Soul, Pro-
voked by a Remark from Demetrius 24:24 - 28:23.
At the end of the discussion he deals with the immortality
of the soul. As Bishop Philip arrives, Bishop Demetrius tells
him that Origen has been teaching that the soul is immortal. Origen
does not want to let this go without comment, so we have another
few pages which comprise Part Three (24.24 to 28.23)
a. Death to sin, when we live to God (Rom. 6:2).
b. Death to God, when a soul sins (Ezech 18:4).
c. The ordinary death when we leave our bodies, or are dis-
solved.
To the third one, the soul is not subject, though those in sin desire
it, they cannot find it (Rev. 9:6). The soul may be subject to the
first or the second kind of death, and may thus be called mortal. In
other words, Origen replies that the soul is on the one hand immor-
tal, on the other mortal, depending entirely on the three different
kinds of death:
All human beings die, but no human soul ever dies this third
death. The Dialogue ends with another impassioned prayer
expressing Origen's yearning to be away from the body and at home
with the Lord (cf. 2 Cor. 5.8).

THE DIALOGUE WITH CANDIDUS
The Dialogue with Candidus, like the Dialogue with the
Valentinan Heraclides which Origen published much later, was
apparently the actual transcript of a debate in which Origen par-
ticipated, in this case with a Gnostic teacher. Candidus, the Gnos-
tic, cited Satan as a case of a rational being who had no free choice

His Writings
143
since Satan was everlastingly condemned to be God's enemy. Ori-
gen responded that not even Satan lacked free choice- of the will,
and that even Satan could, by choosing to do good, return to God's
favor. Orthodox critics of Origen took this statement that Satan
could be saved as an indication that Origen was heretical since the
Bible consigned Satan eternally to the "Lake of Fire" at the end of
time.

ON THE RESURRECTION (Peri Anastasius - De resurrec-
tione)
As a prelude to his work, "On First Principiis." J erome's
list of Origen's works mentions also the dialogues, "On the Resur-
rection," which are now lost.
In his work De Principiis Origen remarks: We ought first
to consider the nature of the resurrection, that we may know what
that body is which shall come either to punishment or to rest or to
happiness; which question in other treatises which we have com-
posed regarding the resurrection we have discussed at greater
length, and have shown what our opinions are regarding it
272
.
Eusebius mentions two volumes On the Resurrection
273
. The es-
say of which Origen speaks in De Principiis must have been writ-
ten in Alexandria before 230 A.D, if not earlier.
Only fragments of all these works survive in Pamphilus
274
,
Methodius of Philippi
275
and J erome
276
. From Methodius we learn
that Origen rejected the idea of a material identity of the risen hu-

273 Eusebius: H.E. 6:24:2.
274 Apol. pro Orig. 7
275 De resurrectione.
276 Contra Joh. Hier. 25-26.
Origen
144
man, body and its parts. On the Resurrection combated what Ori-
gen considered a crude understanding of the resurrection of the
dead as the reconstitution of the fleshly body
277
.

MISCELLANIES or Stromata (Carpets)
Like his teacher St. Clement, Origen left behind him his
"Stromata," in ten books, which have been lost, except for a few
small fragments. He composed it in the same city (of Alexandria)
before his removal, as is shown by the annotations in his own hand
in front of the tomes
278
.
The title indicates a variety of subjects discussed not in any
particular order. In this study Origen compares Christian doctrine
with the teaching of ancient philosophers like Plato, Aristotle,
Numenius and Cornutus
279
.
V V V

278 Eusebius: H.E. 6:24:3.
279 St. Jerome: Epistle 70:4.
His Writings
145
5 - PRACTICAL WRITINGS

ON PRAYER (De Ortione)
We will speak of this work in chapter 14. The text is extant
in a codex of the fourteenth century at Cambridge
280
, while a fif-
teenth century manuscript at Paris contains a fragment.

EXHORTATION TO MARTYRDOM (Exhortatio ad Mar-
tyrium)
See chapter 15.
In the Exhortation to Martyrdom Origen stresses the libera-
tion of the human spirit and the degrees of glory which correspond
to the intensity of suffering and love
281
.

ON THE PASCH
282
(Peri Pascha)
The same codex, found at Toura in 1941, that contains the
"Discussion with Heraclides," also preserve fragments of a long-
lost treatise of Origen "On the Pascha" of which very little was
hitherto known. The codex consists of fifty pages arranged in three
quires of eight sheets (16 pages) each and a final quire of two
sheets with writing only on the first two of these pages.
It is not a homily but a treatise. It is similar in structure and
content to other treatises or homilies written by Milato of Sardis,
Apollinaris of Hierapolis, Clement of Alexandria, Hippolytus, and
numerous others
283
. It was probably written about 245 A. D.

280 Codex Cantabrig. Colleg. S. Trinitatis B.8. 10 saec. XIV.
281 See chaps, 15,42,47; Theological Studies 37 (1976): J. Patout Burns, S.J.: The Economy Of
Salvation: Two Patristic Traditions, P. 599.
bishops on the Father, the Son, and the Soul, (ACW), 1992.
bishops on the Father, the Son, and the Soul, (ACW), 1992, p. 5.
Origen
146
In this treatise Origin wishes to correct a certain Hippoly-
tus, whose treatise "On the Holy Pascha" had recently revived the
Asiatic tradition of Melito and Apollinarius which connected Pas-
cha with paschein and pathos (the passion). Origen knew this tra-
dition; in Homilies on Leviticus 10:1 he cites Melito On the Pas-
cha 37
284
.
Most, if not all, of the brethren think that the Pas-
cha is named Pascha from the passion of the Savior. How-
ever, the feast in question is not called precisely Pascha by
the Hebrews, but phas[h]. The name of the feast is consti-
tuted by the three letters phi, alpha, and sigma, plus the
rougher Hebrew aspirate. Translated, it means "passage."
Since it is on this feast that the people went forth from
Egypt, it is logical to call it phas[h], that is "passage
285
."
In p 12.25 to 16.4, Origen offers three arguments to support
his affirmation that the Passover is not a type of the passion
286
.
1. The Passover lamb is sacrificed by holy people, but Christ
by criminals and sinners (12.25 to 13.3), as he had already pointed
out in his Commentary on John. He says, The lamb is sacrificed by
the saints or Nazirites, while the Savior is sacrificed by criminals
and sinners
287
.
2. The scriptural directives about roasting and eating the
flesh of the Passover lamb are not fulfilled in the passion, but they
are fulfilled in the life of the Christian (13.3 to 14.13).
3.) The Savior Himself (in John 3.14, alluding to Num. 21.8-
9) sees not the Passover but the lifting up of the serpent in the
wilderness by Moses as the prefiguring of His passion (14.25 to

284 See Raniero Cantalamessa: Easter in the Early Church, The Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 1993,
p.150.
285 On the Pascha, 1.
286 Cf. Origen: Treatise on the Passover and Dialogue of Origen with Heraclides and His Fellow
Bishops on the Father, the Son, and the Soul (Translated by Robert J. Daly - ACW), p.. 94.
287 Peri Pascha 12 (Translated by Robert J. Daly - ACW).
His Writings
147
15.11). He Says, The Passover is not a type of the passion but a
type of Christ Himself
288
. It is obviously in accord with the type of
the serpent and not in accord with the type of the Passover that one
will understand the passion
289
.
Origen also says, To show that the Passover is something
spiritual and not this sensible Passover, He Himself says: Unless
you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you (cf.
John 6.53). Are we then to eat His flesh and drink His blood in a
physical manner? But if this is said spiritually, then the Passover is
spiritual, not physical
290
.

Its Division
1. Part one (Exegesis of Exodus 12:1 - 11).
Introduction: The Name of the Passover 1:1 - 2:18.
The Passover of the Departure from Egypt 2:19 - 39:6.
2. Part Two
Introduction:
The Spiritual meaning of the Pasch 39:9 - 41:2.
The Passover Lamb, Figure of Christ 41:13 - 43:6.
The Conduct of those in Passage 43:6 - 47:27.
Eat in hate... 47:27 - 49:34.
Conclusion 49:34 - 50:8.

LETTERS
St. J erome cites four different collections of Origen's corre-
spondence. One of them counted nine volumes. These letters per-
haps are the same that Eusebius gathered into a collection, perhaps
in the days when he catalogued the Origen library of Caesarea for

289 Peri Pascha 14-15 (Translated by Robert J. Daly - ACW).
Origen
148
his teacher and patron Pamphilus
291
, and which contained more
than one hundred epistles. Only two letters have survived com-
plete:
I. The Philokalia contains in chapter 13 a communication
from Origen addressed to his former pupil, St. Gregory the Wonder
- Maker. In it Origen urges his pupils to make full use, in advanc-
ing the Christian cause, of all that Greek thought had achieved.
Christianity can use the Greek philosophy as the J ews used the
gold and silver they took from the Egyptians. He also asks him to
persist in studying the Bible, and in prayers to understand the di-
vine mysteries.
II. A letter addressed to J ulius Africanus, in defense of
Susanna as a part of the Book of Daniel, written in 240 A.D. from
the house of his friend Ambrose in Nicomedea.

THE PHILOCALIA
The Philocalia, a word which etymologically means the
love of beautiful things, is a collection of texts by Origen collected
by two of the Cappadocian Fathers, St. Basil and St. Gregory of
Nazianzen: it has come down to us in Greek, the authority of its
editors having saved it in the days when the author's ill-repute
might have caused its destruction. The first 15 chapters are about
Holy Scripture, chapters 16 to 20, taken from the Contra Celsum,
are on the controversy with the philosophers about Scripture, chap-
ters 2I to 27 deal with free will. Among these last is a passage
from the Clementine Recognitions and another from the Treatise
of Methodius about free will: the reasons for the inclusion of these
among texts otherwise exclusively by Origen are a matter of de-
bate. A discreet apologetic motive on behalf of the Alexandrian is
not absent from the minds of the two Cappadocians. These are re-

His Writings
149
liable texts from the critical point of view, although some cuts may
sometimes have been made in them
292
.

THE EXEGETICAL CATENAE
A great many fragments come from the exegetical Catenae,
works in which the scriptural exegeses of various early Fathers are
collected as a book of the Bible is commented on verse by verse.
The first such 'catenist' seems to have been Procopius of Gaza in
the 6th century. On the whole Origen is well represented in these.
But the fragments of Catenae are subject to two main difficulties
from the critical point of view. First the attribution to a particular
author given in the Catenea is not always safe, for some fragments
are attributed to different authors in different Catenae. Next it
seems in many cases that the fragments are summaries made by
the catenist of longer passages: this becomes evident when they
can be compared with the passage from which they are drawn, ex-
isting in Greek or in Latin translations; the ideas are authentic but
not always their expression.

QUOTATIONS IN LATER WRITINGS
Finally, fairly numerous passages are preserved as quota-
tions in later works, whether supportive or hostile. But it is not al-
ways certain that they are giving us the authentic and complete
text of what they are quoting. Thus on his writing entitled Aglao-
phon or On the Resurrection Methodius of Olympus quoted a long
passage from Origen's Commentary on Psalm 1. Methodius's book
is only preserved in its entirety in an Old Slavonic version, but
Epiphanius reproduces about half of it in Greek in his Panarion
64. Before copying Origen's text as Methodius gives it (10:2-7),
Epiphanius reproduces the first paragraph directly from Origen.
When the two texts are compared, it will be seen that Methodius
has suppressed all the expressions that he thought superfluous, so

Origen
150
as to abridge the passage, but without changing its sense; and it is
probable that he did the same with everything that he reproduced.
Some quotations may well be centos of a kind, taking from a text
phrases here and there and making of them a consecutive passage;
or perhaps a summary giving the idea such as it was or such as the
compiler took it to be
293
.

V V V

151
3

ORIGEN
AND
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
Origen lived in the Bible
1
. He states that the whole Scrip-
tures breathe the Spirit of fullness, and there is nothing, whether in
the Law or in the Prophets, in the Evangelists or in the Apostles,
which does not descend from the fullness of the Divine Majesty.
Even at the present time the words of fullness speak in the Holy
Scriptures to those who have eyes to see the mysteries of heaven,
and ears to hear the voice of God
2
.
Learning is useful, Origen tells his pupil Gregory, but the
holy Scriptures are their own best key.
Be diligent in reading the divine Scriptures, yes, be
diligent...
Knock, and the doorkeeper will open unto you...
And be not content to knock and to inquire, for the
most necessary aid to spiritual truth is prayer.
Hence our Savior said not only "Knock, and it shall
be opened," and "Seek, and you shall find," but "Ask, and it
shall be given you
3
.
Each of us who serves the word of God digs wells
and seeks living waters, from which he may renew his
hearers
4
.

1 Dr. Lietzmann: The Founding of the Church Universal, p. 417.
2 In Jer. hom. 21:2.
3 From the Epistola ad Gregorium; Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford
1913, p. 172.
4 In Gen. hom. 13:3.
Origen
152
According to Origen, knowledge of the holy Scriptures is
the royal road to the knowledge of God
5
. Although he sometimes
speaks as a philosopher to philosophers, using their own language,
especially in his work "De Principiis," he asserts the importance of
the holy Scriptures.
Now in our investigation of these important matters
we do not rest satisfied with common opinions and the evi-
dence of things seen, but we use in addition, for the mani-
fest proof of our statements, testimonies drawn from the
Scriptures, which we believe to be divine, both from what is
called the Old Testament and also from the New, endeavor-
ing to confirm our faith by reason
6
.
We can say, that he believes that through the divine Scrip-
tures our human knowledge is sanctified and becomes true wis-
dom. Therefore, he states that knowledge must become wisdom
7
,
and human knowledge grasps the principles only because divine
perception has conjoined it
8
. It is therefore divine perception as
articulated through Scriptures that determines the character of phi-
losophical thinking
9
.

THE BOOK OF THE CHURCH
The Holy Scripture is the book of the Church which we
receive through the Church tradition. He says, "By tradition, I
knew the four gospels, and that they are the true ones
10
."
He believes that the true understanding of the Scripture is
only found in the Church. The Church draws her catechetical mate-
rial from the prophets, the gospels and the apostles writings. Her
faith was buttressed by holy Scripture supported by common

7 Contra Celsus 7:33:183:24; cf. 3:33:229:30f.
8 Comm. on John 1:26:39:29ff; 20:43:386; De Principiis 1:1:7:24:1ff; 1:1:8:26:2ff; 4:4:7:357:29f.
9 De Principiis , Praef 1; 9; 4:1:1:292:9ff; Contra Celsus 1:9-17:297.
10 Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty: Tradition and Orthodoxy, Alexandria 1979, p. 17.
Allegorism
153
sense
11
. He appeals
12
again and again to the Scripture as the deci-
sive criterion of dogma.
The true disciple of Jesus is he who enters the
house, that is to say, the Church.
He enters it by thinking as the Church does, and liv-
ing as she does; this is how he understands the Word.
The key of the Scriptures must be received from the
tradition of the Church, as from the Lord Himself
13
.
Origen in his exegesis of the holy Scripture refers to the
tradition and to the writings of the Fathers (presbyters) of the
Church. For example, concerning the parable of the good Samari-
tan, he writes: "One of the presbyters said that the man who was
going down to Jericho is Adam, Jerusalem is the Paradise, Jericho
the world, the thieves the evil powers, the Samaritan is Christ." J .
Danilou says that Origen means here with the one of the presby-
ters St. Irenaeus
14
.
Henri De Lubac explains Origens view on the spiritual
meaning of the Scriptures, saying,
It (the spiritual meaning) is to receive the Word
from J esus hands and to have Him read it to you. It is to
act as a son of the Church. If there is one fundamental
obligation for the Christian, it is that of keeping to the rule
of the heavenly church of Jesus Christ, through the succes-
sion from the apostles. In concrete terms then, what is this
rule? Saint Irenaeus had already given the answer: it is the
interpretation of Scripture by the Spirit
15
.

11 De Principiis 3:6:6; Kelly p. 42.
12 De Principiis 1:Praef.:10; 1:5:4; 2:5:3.
13 Yves Conger: Tradition and the life of the Church, London 1964, p.83.
14 Origen: Lucas Hom. 34; J. Danilou: The Theology of Jewish Christianity, p. 49.
15 Henri De Lubac: Origen, On First Principles, NY., 1966 (Koetschau text together with an intro-
duction and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. XV.
Origen
154
ORIGEN AS AN INTERPRETER OF THE SCRIPTURE
St. Gregory the Wonder-Maker praises Origen as an inter-
preter of the Scripture by saying
16
:
"The Spirit who inspires the prophets... honored
him as a friend, and had appointed him His interpreter..."
"He had the power to listen to God and understand
what He said and then to explain it to men that they too
might understand."
Eusebius tells us that Origen spent the greater part of his
nights in studying the Holy Scriptures
17
. It was the center of his
life
18
, the well-spring of his personal religious life and the instru-
ment for striving after perfection.
He made a close study of the text, and in order to fit him-
self for this task he learnt Hebrew
19
, and made a collection of cur-
rent versions of the Old Testament and composed his Hexapla.
Origen's consistent principle of interpretation was: explain-
ing the Bible by the Bible, that is obscure or difficult passages
should be explained by other passages, from anywhere else in the
Bible
20
. The whole Bible must be allowed to speak for itself, what
ever a single text may seem to say; and it must be permitted to
speak not merely in its own behalf, but in the name of God. Alle-
gorical interpretation is based on the Holy Scripture. In his
"Homilies on Jeremiah," he states that his interpretation is invalid
unless it depends on two or three witnesses (Deut. 19:15). The wit-
nesses in his interpretation of the Book of J eremiah are three: the
New Testament, the Old Testament, and J eremiah the Prophet him-
self
21
.

16 St. Gregory Thaum. PG 10: 1093c, 1096a
17 Eusebius: H.E. 6:39.
18 Danilou: Origen, p. 131.
19 Jerome: De Vir. Illustr. 54.
20 David G. Hunter: Preaching in the Patristic Age, Paulist Press, 1989, p. 47.
21 In Jerm. hom 1:7.
Allegorism
155
INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURE AS A DIVINE
GIFT
According to St. Clement of Alexandria the spiritual under-
standing of the Scripture is a grace given to the perfect believers
by Christ, through the continual advances of living faith, depend-
ing on the living Church tradition. He states that the unwritten
tradition of the written Word, given by the Savior Himself to the
apostles, is handed down even to us, being inscribed on new hearts
according to the renewing of the Book by the power of God
22
.
Origen believes that for only those who have the Spirit of Jesus
can understand their spiritual meaning
23
, i.e., to enter this cham-
ber of eternal marriage between Christ and the soul. It is a divine
gift.
Although all true believers accept the spiritual level of
meaning, yet not everyone is able to understand it, but those who
have this gift
24
.
That there are certain mystical revelations made
known through the divine Scripture is believed by all, even
by the simplest of those adherents of the word; but what
these revelations are, fair-minded and humble men confess
that they do not know
25
.
Origen makes man totally dependent on God for a proper
understanding of the holy Scriptures in their deepest meaning, for
it is a divine grace. Without divine revelation and aid, no one
would be able to comprehend the mysteries of the Scriptures. We
obtain this grace through praying, as we must weep and beg the
Lord to open our inner eyes like the blind man sitting by the road
side at J ericho (Matt. 20:30). Origen says that we must pray for we

22 Stromata 6:15; B.F. Westcott: An Introduction to the Study of the Gospel, NY, 1896, p.428.
23 In Ezk. Hom 11:2.
25 De Principiis 4:2:2; Gary Wayne Barkley: Origen; Homilies on Leviticus, Washington, 1990, p.
18.
Origen
156
are often beside the wells of running water - God's Scripture - and
we yet fail to recognize them by ourselves.
Nothing good can come apart from God, and this is
above all; true understanding of the inspired Scriptures
26
.
The Scriptures were written by the Spirit of God,
and have meanings, not as they appear at the first sight,
but also others, which escape the notice of most. For those
(words) which are written are the forms of certain myster-
ies, and the images of divine matters. Accordingly, there is
one opinion throughout the whole Church, that the whole
case is indeed spiritual; however the spiritual meaning
which the law conveys is not known to all, but to those only
on whom the grace of the Holy spirit is bestowed in the
word of wisdom and knowledge
27
.
Let us exhort God to grant that, as the word grows
in us, we may receive a rich broad-mindedness in Christ
Jesus and so be able to hear the sacred and holy words
28
.
And so, if at times we do not understand what is
said, we shall not lessen our obedience or subside to easier
material explanation, but wait for the grace of God to sug-
gest to us an answer to our question, whether by direct en-
lightenment or through the agency of another
29
.
Many have sought to interpret the divine Scrip-
tures... but not all with success. For rare is he who has the
grace for this from God
30
.
Origen sees that, in the miracle of the Feeding of the Five
Thousand, the fire that bakes the bread of exegesis is the love of
God, the inspiration that comes from the Spirit and acts both on the

26 Sel. Ps. 1:2.
27 De Principiis, Pref. 8.
29 In Isa. hom. 2:2.
30 Sel. Ps. 119:85..
Allegorism
157
inspired writer and on his interpreter. The bread which the preach-
ers cut into pieces and distribute to the crowd is the spiritual mean-
ing. The oven is not only the reasoning ability of the intellectual
but the higher part of the soul, the intellect, the heart or the ruling
faculty, which is the seat of man's participation in the image of
God, since only like can know like. The proper setting for this
exegesis is contemplation and prayer: thence it comes down like
Moses from his mountain, now that J esus has done away with the
veil, to reappear in the synthesis of the theologian, in the teaching
of the preacher and the professor, in the struggles of the apologist,
and above all in the Christian life of all who live by it
31
.
The Holy Scripture is like a house in which all the rooms
are locked, and the keys are not in the keyholes but scattered over
the corridors and stairs; and none of the keys lying near the doors
open those doors. The only way to interpret the Scriptures is there-
fore a close, methodical study of every text, every key. Such was
the story a J ewish rabbi told him, and Origen answered: "The key
of David is in the hands of the Divine Word, which became flesh,
and now the Scriptures which had been closed until His Coming
are opened by that key." But though Origen said this, his practice
was the continual study of texts until the day he died...
32

ALLEGORISM
I have already mentioned him as the founder of the mode of
the allegorical interpretation of the Holy Scripture as a system
33
.
According to Origen the understanding of Scripture is "the
art of arts," and "the science
34
. The words of the Scripture are its
body, or the visible element, that hides its spirit, or its invisible
element. The spirit is the treasure hidden in a field: hidden behind

33 School of Alexandria, Book 1, N.J 1994, p. 28ff.
34 Comm. John 23:46.
Origen
158
every word
35
, every letter and even behind every iota used in the
written word of God
36
. Thus 'every thing in the Scripture is mys-
tery
37
."
Origen differs from St. Clement in regarding allegorism
rather as a personal gift than as an inherited tradition. St. Clem-
ents few allegorisms are almost without exception borrowed. We
may say that he regarded not only the sanction but the substance of
this mode of interpretation as given by tradition. Origen feels that
he has a personal illumination
38
.
J .N.D. Kelly clarifies allegorism according to Origen, say-
ing,
An admirer of Philo, he regards Scripture as a vast
ocean, or (using a different image) a forest of mysteries; it
was impossible to fathom, or even perceive them all, but
one could be sure that every line, even every word the sa-
cred authors wrote, was replete with meaning. In practice
Origen seems to have employed a slightly different triple
classification, comprising
a) the plain historical sense,
b) the typological sense, and
c) the spiritual sense, in which the text may be ap-
plied to the devout soul.
Thus when the Psalmist cries (3:4), You, O Lord,
art my support, my glory, and the lifter up of my head, he
explains that it is in the first place David who speaks; but,
secondly, it is Christ, Who knows, in His passion, that God
will vindicate Him; and, thirdly, it is every just soul who,
by union with Christ, finds His glory in God. Indeed, he
makes the point that, thanks to the allegorical method, it is
possible to interpret it (the Scripture) in a manner worthy of
the Holy Spirit, since it would not be proper to take literally

35 Hom. Levit. 4:8.
36 Hom. Jerm. 39.
37 Hom. Gen. 10:1.
38 In Lev. Hom. 8; Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, p. 184.
Allegorism
159
a narrative or a command (and understand it in a manner)
unworthy of God
39
.
The room that Origen finds in his homilies for the literal
sense varies considerably. Some homilies are almost entirely built
around it, in others it occupies a minimal space. Origen believes
that many texts have no literal sense at all. Some, like the Deca-
logue, have a moral signification, of such a kind that it is needless
to seek farther. The distinction between the two higher senses is
not always very clearly drawn, as there are regions where the one
shades off into the other by very fine gradations
40
. He held that in-
numerable passages in both Testaments have no sense at all except
as allegories
41
.
Origen discovers in the three books attributed to Solomon:
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs, the three branches
of Greek learning: moral, natural, and inspective, which in any
event the Greeks had borrowed from Solomon
42
.
Origen adopted allegorism not only in interpreting the Old
Testament to explain the first advent of the Messiah for our salva-
tion, but also in the New Testament to clarify the second or last
advent of the Glorified Christ in His eternal kingdom for our glori-
fication.
J ean Danilou says, Up to the present we have studied his
figurative exegesis of the Old Testament only. But a new idea
comes out here: the New Testament in turn is seen as a figure of
the Kingdom that is to come. It is an idea that we have already met
with in Origens theology of Baptism. We have seen that he re-
garded Baptism as being at once the fulfillment of Old Testament
figures and a figure both of the Baptism that will take place at the
end of the world and also of the Resurrection. Now we have the

39 J.N.D. Kelly: Early Christian Doctrines, 1978, p. 73:
40 Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, p. 174.
42 Cf. Comm. in Cant. Cant., prol. 3;Boniface Ramsey: Beginning to Read the Fathers, Paulist
Press, 1985, p. 24.
Origen
160
same outlook again but with reference to the New Testament as a
whole. Another dimension must thus be added to Origens view of
history. History is not just the relationship of the Old Testament to
the New; it is also the relationship of the New Testament to the
eternal Gospel, to use the words of the Apocalypse (14:6), as Ori-
gen does in a famous passage in the De Principiis
43
.

THE THEOLOGICAL JUSTIFICATION OF SPIRITUAL
EXEGESIS
Origen comments on J oshua's promise to his soldiers
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that I have
given to you, as I said unto Moses (J os. 1:3), saying:
These places are the low lands of the literal mean-
ing of the Scriptures. We must pass over this meaning to
inherit the spiritual meaning, thus we ask for the things
which are above where Christ is sitting on the right hand of
the Father (2 Cor. 3:1)
44
.
Origen comments on the words Your eyes are doves
(Song 1:15), saying,
Her eyes are compared to doves, surely because she
understands the divine Scriptures now, not after the letter,
but after the spirit, and perceives in them spiritual myster-
ies; for the dove is the emblem of the Holy Spirit (Matt.
3:16). To understand the Law and the Prophets in a spiri-
tual sense is, therefore, to have the eyes of a dove... In the
Psalms a soul of this sort longs to be given the wings of a
dove (Ps. 67:14), that she may be able to fly in the under-
standing of spiritual mysteries, and to rest in the courts of
wisdom
45
.

43 Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 170-1
44 In Jos. 2:3.
45 Comm. on Cant. 3:1.
Allegorism
161
In the Contra Celsum, Origen writes that "the Word so de-
sires that there be wise persons among believers that, for the sake
of exercising the hearers' intelligence, he hides certain things un-
der enigmas and wraps others up in obscure sayings; some things
are in parables and others in problems
46
."
He also says, You see how it is: mystery on mystery eve-
rywhere. You see what a weight of mystery presses on us. There
are so many mysteries that we cannot hope to explain them
47
.
Origen gives the following justification of spiritual exege-
sis:
1. I have already mentioned that Origen discussed two
problems which the early Church faced, concerning the Old Tes-
tament
48
:
a - The Scriptures contain much that is obscure. Jews reject
the argument from prophecy because Christ did not fulfill strictly
and literally every expectation attached to the Messiah. For Ori-
gen, if two-and-a-half tribes remained in Transjordania when the
holy Land was shared out, that means that the Old Testament, of
which the land beyond the J ordan is the symbol, has arrived at a
certain but incomplete knowledge of the Trinity
49
. The Word
speaks in the Old Testament and that is revelation only because it
speaks of Him, prophesies about Him, in its entirety and not sim-
ply in the few passages considered to be direct prophecies. It is a
kind of indirect prophecy, in which the exegete, following in the
footsteps of the New Testament itself, will find types of the Christ,
the Church, the sacraments, etc. The principal types of Christ are
Isaac, son of Abraham, who symbolizes the old covenant; J oshua,
whose name in Greek is J esus, the successor of Moses who repre-
sents the Law; and several others like Solomon, who receives the

46 Contra Celsum 3:45; Boniface Ramsey: Beginning to Read the Fathers, Paulist Press, 1985, p.
29.
47 In Gen. hom. 10:5, Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 173.
48 School of Alexandria, Book 1, p. 33.
Origen
162
queen of Sheba, the Church gathered from the Gentiles; or again
the High Priest, J oshua or J esus, son of J osedec
50
. In other words,
Origen finds the New Testament in the Old.
b - The heretics disown the Old Testament because they
find in it evidence which, taken literally again, detracts from the
moral perfection of God. And simple-minded Christians, through
the same habit of literality, are induced to attribute to the true God
such characteristics as they would not credit to the most savage
and unrighteous of mortal men
51
. What is impossible is that the
text should only have a literal meaning. Much in the Old Testa-
ment when interpreted literally and not spiritually is unworthy of
God, and this is in itself a sufficient refutation of J udaism. It is
blasphemy to ascribe to God human weaknesses like wrath or
changes of mind
52
.The Gnostics rejected the Old Testament, for
they were scandalized by some passages which refer to God as
being angry, or that He regretted or changed His mind... They were
scandalized because they interpreted them literally and not spiritu-
ally...
53

St. Clement and Origen were later to interpret the divine
anthropomorphisms as symbols of the deeds and powers of God
54
.
Henri Crouzel says,
Mention must also be made of a problem which was
important for the early Church, that of the anthropomor-
phic treatment of God in the Bible. Whatever we do we
cannot speak of God without representing Him as a man,
even when we use the most discarnate concepts of meta-
physics and theodicy. The Bible often represents God with
human parts, hands, feet, eyes, ears, mouth, etc. and it also
tells of Him having human feelings, anger or repentance.

50 Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 71.
52 Henry Chadwick: History and Thought of the Early Church, London, 1982, p. 183
53 Ibid.
Allegorism
163
Among the early Christians were some, the anthropomor-
phites, who took the anthropomorphisms literally, while
others, millenarians or chiliasts, conceived the promised
beatitude in carnal terms
55
.
B.F. Westcott says,
The anthropomorphic language of Scripture he
compares with our own mode of addressing children, suita-
bly to their understanding, to secure their benefit, and not
to exhibit our own capacity (Deut. 1:31); though still for
the spiritual it has also a spiritual meaning contained in the
simple words, if we know how to hearken to them
56
.
Origen sees that these two sets of people misinterpreted the
Scripture as they held the literal sense exclusively. For this reason
he set his theory that there are three various meanings in Scrip-
tures: the literal, the moral and spiritual meanings.
2. Origen states that the holy Scripture has its body, soul
and spirit, the literal or historical meaning is its body, the moral is
its soul, and the allegorical or spiritual meaning is its spirit.
At the same time the church has three groups: the simple,
the more educated and the perfect ones. Every group finds what is
suitable for it in the holy Scripture. The simple may be edified by
the body, the more advanced by the soul, and the perfect by the
spirit. Corresponding to these three parts are three methods of in-
terpretation - the historical, the moral, and the spiritual.
Properly the body was for those who were before us, the
soul for us, and the spirit for those who shall receive the in-
heritance of eternal life, by which indeed they may reach the heav-
enly kingdom.

56 Contra Celsus 4:71, Studies in Early Christians, vol. III, B.F. Westcott: On the Primitive Doc-
trine of Inspiration, p. 33.
Origen
164
a- The simple people or the uneducated should be edified
by the letter itself, which we call the obvious meaning, the
straightforward historical sense, or the corporeal.
For Origen the rule is, simply put, that a passage may be
understood literally when it is reasonable and not unworthy of
God
57
. Any passage may be understood spiritually
58
.
b- People at the higher level should find edification for
their souls by the moral meaning.
c- The perfect should be edified by the mystical or spiritual
sense with relation to Christ, or the spiritual Law, as it contains the
shadow of the blessings to come. Origen's real interest is the spiri-
tual interpretation of the Scripture.
Many scholars clarify that Origens theory does not mean
that he believes in three classes in the Church, but three stages; and
every member is called to ascend from the first stage to the higher
one.
Karen J o Torjesen says,
This three-fold distinction in the doctrines of Scrip-
ture corresponds to three different groups or classes with
whom the exegete or teacher is dealing: the beginners, the
intermediate, and the advanced.
I am using the language of three classes of people
somewhat inappropriately, for Origen is not thinking in
terms of fixed classes. He is thinking rather of a contin-
uum, an upward trajectory along which he can identify
three stages of development. This is clear from the lan-
guage he uses to describe these groups or stages. The hap-
lousteros, the simple, identifies the beginning stage. Ho epi
poson anabebekos denotes progress from the starting point.
Teleios designates those in whom the process of develop-
ment has reached its highest stage
59
.

57 Cf. De Principiis 4:2-3.
58 Boniface Ramsey: Beginning to Read the Fathers, Paulist Press, 1985, p.38.
Allegorism
165
What distinguishes these three stages of develop-
ment is the spiritual ability to understand and receive the
teachings. The simple are souls who are edified, built up,
formed, by simple teachings drawn from the literal and
sensible parts of Scripture. The intermediate stage is vari-
ously described as either those who have advanced beyond
this point
60
or those who are not ready for the more exalted
teachings (tous hypseloteron akouein me dynamenous
61
).
The last stage represents those who are able to receive and
be formed by the secret wisdom of God
62
. (V.2.4). The
three-foldness, then, represents stages in the progression of
the soul. And the three-foldness of the teachings in Scrip-
ture likewise refers to an ordering of doctrines that corre-
sponds to the progressive steps of the souls movement to-
ward perfection
63
.
3. The revelation is in the first place a Christ. He is, the
Logos, the Word of God. He is God Himself speaking to men, God
revealing Himself
64
.
So also when the Word of God was brought to hu-
mans through the Prophets and the Lawgiver, it was
brought without proper clothing. For just as there it was
covered with the veil of flesh, so here with the veil of the
letter, so that indeed the letter is seen as flesh but the spiri-
tual sense hiding within is perceived as divinity
65
.
Thus, the Lord Himself, the Holy Spirit Himself
must be entreated by us to remove every cloud and all
darkness which obscures the vision of our hearts hardened
with the stains of sins in order that we may be able to be-
hold the spiritual and wonderful knowledge of his Law, ac-

63 Studies in Early Christians, vol. III, p. 290-291.
64 Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p. 69
65 In Lev. hom. 1:1 (G.W. Barkley - Frs. of the Church).
Origen
166
cording to him who said, "Take the veil from my eyes and I
shall observe the wonders of your Law
66
."
Who could open the seals of the Book which was seen by
J ohn [of Patmos], the sealed Book which was written within and
without, a Book which no one could read, and only the Lion of the
tribe of J udah, who sprang from David? For J esus opens the Book
and no one can close it; He closes it, and no one can open it. And
all of the Scriptures are indicated by this Book, which is "written
without," because of its obvious meaning, and "written within,"
because of its concealed spiritual meaning
67
.
4. The Scriptures must be interpreted spiritually because
they are the work of the Spirit, who unites them in one book
68
, and
inspires both writer and reader
69
. The Holy Spirit is the author of
the holy Scripture, the human author is of little account. Now it
would be unbecoming for the Spirit to dictate a useless word:
every detail must have meaning and meaning worthy of the Holy
Spirit, making known an infinite number of mysteries. Every term
in a pleonasm must make its own point. The holy Scripture is not
to be treated as one would a human book, but as the work of the
Spirit. To find the meaning of the word or the symbolism of an ob-
ject Origen searches the whole Scripture for the other cases in
which the word is used or the object mentioned
70
.
5. All language that we use, that even Christ could use,
would be behind the veils, is necessarily mythical, figurative
71
.

THE GOSPEL
We may call the Gospel the first-fruits of the Scrip-
tures, or the elements of the Faith of the Church
72
.

66 In Lev. hom. 1:4 (cf. G.W. Barkley - Frs. of the Church).
67 Comm. in Ioann. 5:5-6; Robert Payne: Fathers Of The Eastern Church, Dorset Press, New York,
1985, P. 45.
68 Lubac, p. 297-302; In Num. hom. 16:9; De Principiis 1:3.
69 Lubac, p. 315; Comm. John 32:18.
71 Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford 1913, p. 189.
Allegorism
167

THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
B.F. Westcott says,
There are many sacred writings, yet there is but
one Book; there are four Evangelists, yet their histories
form but one Gospel
73
they all conspire to one end, and
move by one way
74
.

THE HARMONY OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
Origen believes that the dogmas are common to the Old
and New Testaments; forming a kind of symphony
75
, and that
there is no iota of difference between them
76
. Thus he paved the
way for the classic doctrine which St. Augustine was to formulate
in the epigram: In the Old Testament the New is concealed, in the
New the Old is revealed
77.
Balthasar says that Origen frequently
emphasizes that he who arbitrarily singles out words of Scripture
or dissects them (like Marcion) does violence to the body of Christ
and prolongs his passion
78
.
St. Clement, the teacher of Origen, states that the prophets
were perfect in prophecy...but the apostles were fulfilled in all
things
79
. There is no discord between the Law and the Gospel,
but harmony, for they both proceed from the same Author
80
. Ori-
gen states that the Scripture cannot be broken, for it points to the
same Christ. He says, The beginning of the Gospel is nothing but
the whole Old Testament
81
. Christ, the Word of God, was in

72 Comm. on John, t. 1:6, Studies in Early Christians, vol. III, B.F. Westcott: On the Primitive Doc-
trine of Inspiration, p. 32.
73 Comm. on John 2.
74 Studies in Early Christians, vol. III, B.F. Westcott: On the Primitive Doctrine of Inspiration, p.
31.
75 In Joh. 5:8.
76 In Matt. Commm 14:4.
77 Quaest. in hept. 2. q. 73.; Kelly, p. 69.
78 Rowan A. Greer: Origen, Paulist Press, 1979, page XIII.
79 Stromata 4:21.
80 Stromata 2:23.
81 Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, Michigan 1991, p. 80.
Origen
168
Moses and the Prophets, and by His Spirit they spoke and did all
things
82
. The Law is a shadow of the Gospel, and the latter in turn
is a shadow of the kingdom to come.
Both Origen and Augustine, the two most influential inter-
preters of the Scriptures in the early Church, agree on a still more
fundamental exegetical principle - namely that Christ is the deep-
est meaning of the Old and New Testaments. "Among the texts of
the Law," Origen writes, "one can find a great number that are
related to Christ in typological or enigmatic fashion
83
."
In one of his Commentaries on the Canticle of Canticles,
Origen explains this relation between the Law and the Gospel by
saying:
When Christ came, He first stayed a while on the
other side of the wall. The wall was the Old Testament, and
He stayed behind it until He revealed Himself to the peo-
ple. But the time came at last and He began to show Him-
self at the windows. The windows were the Law and Proph-
ets, the predictions that had been made about Him, and He
began to be visible through them. He began to show Him-
self to the Church, who was sitting indoors, i.e., she was
engrossed in the letter of the Law. He asked Her to come
out and join Him. For unless she went out, unless she left
the letter to the Spirit, she would never be able to join
Christ, would never become one with her Bridegroom. That
was why He had called to her and asked her to leave the
things she could see for the things she could not see. That
was why He wanted her to leave the Law for the Gospel
84.
J ust as the Law was but a preparation for the Gospel, so
also the latter is itself the symbol of the eternal Gospel. The Old

82 De Principiis 1:1; 4:15.
83 In Ioann. 13:26; Boniface Ramsey: Beginning to Read the Fathers, Paulist Press, 1985, p.38.
84 Comm. Cant. 3.
Allegorism
169
Testament is a figure of the New and through it and like it a figure
of the eternal Gospel of the beatitude
85
..
Just as the Law contained the shadow of the good
things to come, which were to be manifested by the Law
preached in truth, so the Gospel, which the common people
think they understand, teaches the shadow of the mysteries
of Christ. But the eternal Gospel, of which John speaks,
and which may properly be called the Spiritual Gospel,
presents clearly to those who understand, all that concerns
the Son of God, and the mysteries revealed in his dis-
courses, and the realities of which his actions were the
symbols.... Peter and Paul, who at first were manifestly
Jews and circumcised, subsequently received from Jesus
the grace to be such in secret; they were Jews ostensibly
for the salvation of the majority, and they confessed this
not only by their words but also they manifested it by their
actions. The same must be said of their Christianity. And
just as Paul could not succor the Jews according to the
flesh without circumcising Timothy when reason required
this, and also shaved his head and made offerings when
there was good reason for doing so, thus becoming a Jew
in order to save the Jews, so also he who devotes himself to
the salvation of the many cannot hope to give efficacious
succor by the hidden or secret Christianity to those who
are still bound up with the elements of obvious or ordinary
Christianity, or make them better, or enable them to reach
that which is more perfect and higher. Hence Christianity
must be both spiritual and corporeal; and when we should
set forth the corporeal Gospel and say that we know noth-
ing amongst the carnal save Jesus Christ and him cruci-
fied, we must do so. But when we find people perfected by
the Spirit and bearing the fruits thereof, and in love with
heavenly wisdom, we ought to communicate to them the

Origen
170
discourse which rises from the Incarnation to that which is
with God
86
.
That which has been written concerning the events
in the history of Jesus must not be thought to have no other
truth than that of the letter and the historic fact, for those
who study the Scriptures with more understanding show
that each of these facts is itself a symbol
87
.
The example which Origen gives of St. Paul's assertion that
the Law is not about muzzling the oxen as they thresh corn applies
equally to the right of Christian ministers to receive support from
those to whom they preach-it would appear that the moral" inter-
pretation means the extraction from some particular instance of
moral principle. The simple are quite capable of understanding
such meanings when they have them pointed out. Accordingly,
"most of the interpretations in circulations, which are adapted to
the multitude and edify those who cannot understand the higher
meanings, possess something of this character". In practice little is
heard of this "moral" sense of Scripture in Origen's works for the
obvious answer that he is usually engaged in the attempt to lead his
hearers into deeper levels of thought
88
.
The house where the Church lived was the part of
Scripture comprised in the Law and the Prophets. The
Kings chamber was there, a room filled with the riches of
wisdom and knowledge. There was a cellar, too, where the
wine was stored that rejoices mens hearts, the wine, that
is, of mystical and moral instruction
89
.
We who belong to the Church accept Moses, and
with good reason. We read his works because we think that
he was a prophet and that God revealed himself to him. We
believe that he described the mysteries to come, but with

86 In Joann 13:18:109-11.
89 Comm. on Song. 3.
Allegorism
171
symbols and in figures and allegories, whereas before we
ourselves began to teach men about the mysteries, they had
already taken place, at the time appointed for them . It does
not matter whether you are a Jew or one of us; you cannot
maintain that Moses was a prophet at all unless you take
him in this sense. How can you prove that he was a prophet
if you say that his works are quite ordinary, that they imply
no knowledge of the future and have no mystery hidden in
them? The Law, then, and everything in the Law, being in-
spired, as the Apostle says, until the time of amendment, is
like those people whose job it is to make statues and cast
them in metal. Before they tackle the statue itself, the one
they are going to cast in bronze, silver or gold, they first
make a clay model to show what they are aiming at. The
model is a necessity, but only until the real statue appears,
and when the statue is ready the sculptor has no further use
for the model. Well, it is rather like that with the Law and
the Prophets. The things written in the Law and the Proph-
ets were meant as types or figures of things to come. But
now the Artist himself has come, the Author of it all, and he
has cast the Law aside, because it contained only the
shadow of the good things to come (Hebr. x. I ), whereas he
brought the things themselves
90
.
Lamps are useful as long as people are in the dark;
they cease to be a help when the sun rises. The glory on the
face of Moses is of use to us, and so it seems to me, and
helps us to see how glorious Christ is. We needed to see
their glory before we could see His. But their glory paled
before the greater glory of Christ. In the same way, there
has to be partial knowledge first, and later, when perfect
knowledge is acquired, it will be discarded. In spiritual af-
fairs, everyone who has reached the age of childhood and
set out on the road to perfection needs a tutor and guardi-

90 In Lev. 10:1
Origen
172
ans and trustees until the appointed time comes (cf. Gal.
4.). Although at this stage he has no more liberty than one
of his servants, he will eventually obtain possession of the
whole estate. He will cease to be under the care of the tu-
tor, the guardians and the trustees and will be able to enjoy
his fathers property that is like the pearl of great price
(Matt. 13:, 46), like the perfection of knowledge. When a
man obtains perfect knowledge - knowledge of Christ - he
sweeps away his partial knowledge, because by frequenting
these lesser forms of gnosis, which are, so to say, sur-
passed by the gnosis of Christ, he has become capable of
receiving Christs teaching, a thing so much more excellent
than his former knowledge. But the majority of people do
not see the beauty of the many pearls in the Law and the
gnosis (partial though it is ) of the prophetical books. They
imagine that although they have not thoroughly plumbed
and fathomed the depths of these works, they will yet be
able to find the one pearl of great cost and contemplate the
supremely excellent gnosis, which is the knowledge of
Christ. Yet this form of gnosis is so superior to the others
that in comparison with it they seem like stercora, though
they are not stercora by nature. .... Thus all things have
their appointed time. There is a time for gathering fine
pearls and, when those pearls are gathered, a time for
seeking the one pearl of great cost, a time when it will be
wise to sally forth and sell everything to buy that pearl.
And anyone who wants to become learned in the
words of truth must first be taught the rudiments and
gradually master them; he must hold them, too, in high es-
teem. He will not, of course, remain all the time at this
elementary level; he will be like a man who thought highly
of the rudiments at first and , now that he has advanced be-
yond them to perfection, is still grateful to them for their in-
troductory work and their former services. In the same
way, when the things that are written in the Law and the
Allegorism
173
prophets are fully understood, they become the rudiments
on which perfect understanding of the Gospels and all
spiritual knowledge of Christs words and deeds are
based
91
.
Those who observed the Law which foreshadowed
the true Law possessed a shadow of divine things, a like-
ness of the things of God. In the same way, those who
shared out the land that Judah inherited were imitating and
foreshadowing the distribution that will ultimately be made
in heaven. Thus the reality was in heaven, the shadow and
image of the reality on earth. As long as the shadow was on
earth, there was an earthly Jerusalem, a temple, an altar, a
visible liturgy, priests and high priests, towns and villages
too in Judah, and everything else that you find described in
the book. But at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, when
truth descended from heaven and was born on earth, and
justice looked down from heaven (Ps. 84:12), shadows and
images saw their last. Jerusalem was destroyed and so was
the temple; the altar disappeared . Henceforth neither
Mount Garizim nor Jerusalem was the place where God
was to be worshipped : his true worshippers were to wor-
ship him in spirit and in truth (John IV. 23). Thus, in the
presence of the truth, the type and the shadow came to an
end, and when a temple was built in the Virgins womb by
the Holy Ghost and the power of the Most High (Luke I.
35), the stone- built temple was destroyed. If, then, Jews go
to Jerusalem and find the earthly city in ruins, they ought
not to weep as they do because they are mere children
where understanding is concerned. They ought not to la-
ment. Instead of the earthly city, they should seek the heav-
enly one. They have only to look up and they will find the
Heavenly Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all (Gal.
4:26) . Thus by Gods goodness their earthly inheritance

91 Comm. on Matth. 10:9,10.
Origen
174
has been taken from them to make them seek their inheri-
tance in heaven
92
.
You see that everywhere the mysteries are in
agreement. You see the patterns of the New and Old Testa-
ment to be harmonious. There one comes to the wells and
the waters where brides may be found; and the Church is
united to Christ in the bath of water
93
.
Robert Payne says,
He (Origen) regarded the whole of the Old Testa-
ment as a continual prophecy of Christ, a foreshadowing of
the New Testament. It was as though the Old Testament
was a strangely fashioned glass, and by peering through it
the New Testament acquired increased depth and meaning.
All history vanishes; time stands still; there is only Christ,
that short space of thirty years which seems to leap out of
history altogether. Adam is Christ prefigured; the words of
the Psalms are spoken by Christ through the mouth of
David; and Solomon utters prophecies. Moses and the
Prophets become aspects of Christ, for did not Christ say
that Moses spoke of Him, and did not the Prophets proph-
ecy His coming and His going? The Cross of Christ is
dipped in the waters of Marah; the long journey from Egypt
of the tribes of the Israelites prefigures the long journeys of
Christ, or of the human soul in its search for Christ. Alle-
gory, hypothesis, prophecy, symbolism - all have their
place in Origen's interpretation. He sees the relationship be-
tween the Old and the New Testaments in so many dimen-
sions that the mind is bewildered; and always high above
the complex and strenuous drama which Origen unfolds,
there is the higher drama: for all the events of earth are mir-
rored in Heaven, and Origen strains to interpret heavenly
events in human words. So he says that Christ's blood was

92 In Josh. hom. 17:1.
93 In Gen. hom. 10:5 (Cf. Heine).
Allegorism
175
not only shed on earth at J erusalem "for sin" (pro peccato),
but also for a gift on the high altar which is in Heaven (pro
munere in superno altari quod est in coelis)
94
. His vision of
the heavenly economy is breath-taking. And then the Word
touched them, and as they lifted their eyes they saw J esus
standing alone, and there was no one else. And Moses (the
Law) and Elijah (Prophecy) were become one with J esus
(Gospel). And everything had changed: they were not
three, but one single Being standing alone
95
.
Henri Crouzel says,
The Gospel itself expresses mysteries under its lit-
eral meaning. The temporal Gospel is still a shadow, but
this shadow is that of Christ, his humanity, 'under which we
live among the nations (Lam. 4:20), guided and protected
by his human soul, image and shadow of the Word. The
virtues, titles (epinoiai) of the Son we receive through this
shadow which is his soul. The temporal Gospel brings us a
personal knowledge of Christ, but it remains indirect: his
divinity is perceived so far that we can see it through the
humanity that holds it but also hides it from those who are
incapable of seeing it
96
..
Adoration is either in the figures (Old Testament) or
in spirit and in truth, but the latter is also in two ways:
'through a glass, darkly', relying on the earnest of the Spirit,
at the present time (Temporal Gospel) or 'face to face', ac-
cording to the Spirit at a future time (eternal Gospel).42 In
the Old Testament the friends of the Bridegroom only bring
to the Bride imitations of gold: it is only those who have
been conformed to the Resurrection of Christ who will re-
ceive pure gold (Comm. on Cant. 2.); but this 'being con-
formed' can take place in two ways, 'through a glass,

94 Comm. in Philip II, I0.).
95 Comm. in Matt. 12:43; Robert Payne: Fathers Of The Eastern Church, Dorset Press, New York,
1985, P. 53-5.
Origen
176
darkly' by the first 'resurrection' obtained by baptism and a
life in conformity with it, 'face to face' by the second and
final resurrection
97
. Unlike the 'shadow of the law', the
'shadow of Christ', his humanity, brings Life, puts us on the
Way, guides us to the Truth, already confers the realities
which are Christ and protects from the evil sun, the devil
(Comm. on Cant. 3).: so we have a possession of the mys-
teries, here below, where we are still exposed to the attacks
of the Evil one. At the Passion of Christ the first curtain of
the Temple, that of the Holy Place, was torn down, and the
mysteries were revealed, but not perfectly: for the second
curtain, that of the Holy of Holies, will only be taken away
at the end of the world
98
..
Why is it that Isaac sowed barley (Gen. 26:21-
22) and not wheat, and is blessed because he sows bar-
ley, and is magnified until he becomes great? It ap-
pears, therefore, that he was not yet great, but after he
sowed barley and gathered a hundredfold, then he
became very great.
Barley is the food especially of beasts or of peas-
ants. For it is a harsher species and would seem to prick
one who touches it as if with some kind of points. Isaac is
the word of God. This word sows barley in the Law, but
wheat in the Gospels. He provides the one food for the per-
fect and spiritual, the other for the inexperienced and natu-
ral, because it is written: Men and beasts you will pre-
serve, O Lord (Ps. 35:7)
99
.
This Isaac, therefore, our Savior, when he has come
into that valley of Gerara (Gen. 26), first of all wishes to
dig those wells which the servants of his father had dug; he

97 Fragm. Rom. 24.
Allegorism
177
wishes to renew the wells of the Law, of course, and the
prophets, which Philistines had filled with earth.
Who are those who fill the wells with earth? Those,
doubtless, who put an earthly and fleshly interpretation of
the Law and close up the spiritual and mystical interpreta-
tion on the Law... so that neither do they themselves drink
nor do they permit others to drink
100
.
So, therefore, the wells which Abraham dug, that is
the Scriptures of the Old Testament, have been filled with
earth by the Philistines, or evil teachers, Scribes and
Pharisees, or even hostile powers; and their veins have
been stopped up lest they provide a drink for those who are
of Abraham. For that people cannot drink from the Scrip-
tures, but suffer a thirst for the word of God, (Cf. Amos
8:11) until Isaac should come and open them that his ser-
vants may drink. Thanks, therefore, to Christ, the son of
Abraham-of whom it is written: The book of the genera-
tion of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham
(Matt. 1:1) -who has come and opened the wells for us. For
he opened them for those men who said: Was not our
heart burning in us when he opened to us the Scriptures?
(Luke 24.32) He opened, therefore, these wells and called
them, the text says, as his father Abraham had called
them. (Gen. 26.18) For he did not change the names of the
wells
101
.

JESUS CHRIST AND THE SCRIPTURES
We may believe that the divinity of the prophetic revela-
tions, and the spiritual meaning of the law, shone forth by the
dwelling of Jesus on earth, and that there were no clear proofs of
the inspiration of the writings of the old Covenant before that time;
yet the Christian - who has recognized in his own Faith the fulfill-

101 In Gen. hom. (Cf. Heine).
Origen
178
ment of Prophecy, and received the substance which the Law shad-
owed - will prize equally all the words of God
102
.
The teachings of J esus, his religion, and the divine writings
of the Old and New Testaments have had such widespread effect,
in comparison with the teachings of the philosophers, because they
are teachings of God himself who has come in the flesh to bring
the saving doctrines to men
103
.
Origen shows that this wonderful effectiveness of the
teachings of Christ was prophesied in both the Old and New Tes-
tament Scriptures. This conversion of great numbers of people to
Christianity is prophetically described in Scripture through its ref-
erences to the election of the heathen
104
.

SWEETNESS OF THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THE
LAW
I think that the Law, if it be undertaken according
to the letter, is sufficiently bitter and is itself Mara. For
what is so bitter as for a child to receive the wound of
circumcision on the eighth day and tender infancy suffer
the hardiness of the iron? A cup of this kind of Law is
extremely bitter, so bitter in fact that the people of God-not
that people who were baptized "in Moses in the sea and in
the cloud,"(1 Cor 10.2.) but that people who were baptized
"in spirit" and "in water"(Cf. Matt. 3.11; John 3.5.)-cannot
drink from that water. But indeed they cannot taste the
bitterness of circumcision nor are they able to endure the
bitterness of victims or the observance of the Sabbath. But
if "God shows a tree" which is thrown into this bitterness
so that the "water" of the Law becomes "sweet," they can

102 De Principiis 4:6; In Number. hom. 27:1; Studies in Early Christians, vol. III, B.F. Westcott: On
the Primitive Doctrine of Inspiration, p. 32.
103 De Principiis 4:1:2, Studies in Early Christians, vol. III, Karen Jo Torjesen: Body, Soul,
and Spirit in Origens Theory of Exegesis, p. 287-288.
104 Studies in Early Christians, vol. III, Karen Jo Torjesen: Body, Soul, and Spirit in Ori-
gens Theory of Exegesis, p. 288.
Allegorism
179
drink from it. Solomon teaches us what that "tree" is which
"the Lord showed," when he says that wisdom "is a tree of
life for all who embrace it."(Prov. 3.18.) If, therefore, the
tree of the wisdom of Christ has been thrown into the Law
and has shown us how circumcision ought to be
understood, how the Sabbath and the law of leprosy are to
be observed, what sort of distinction should be held
between clean and unclean, then the water of Mara is made
sweet and the bitterness of the letter of the Law is changed
into the sweetness of spiritual understanding and then the
people of God can drink
105
.

PREPARATION FOR HEARING THE WORD OF GOD
One needed infinite patience, infinite agility, in order to
understand the book clearly; and having completely understood it,
a man would be like God, for all the secrets would be unfolded to
him
106
.
Origen assures that the word of God appears to different
people in different ways determined by their spiritual capacity and
preparation to receive it.
Do not marvel that the word of God is said to be
flesh and bread and milk and vegetable, and is
named in different ways for the capacity of those believing
or the ability of those appropriating it
107
.
Origen warns us from the speedy readings of the Scrip-
tures, which prevents us from the provisions that we must prepare
for ourselves so that we may follow the true J oshua (J os. 1:10-
11)
108
. He asks us to do our best so that God may grant us the
grace of the understanding of the Scriptures.

105 In Exodus hom . 7:1 ( Cf. Ronad E Heine- Frs. of the Church, vol. 71.)
107 In Exod. 7:8 (Cf. Heine)
108 In Jos. 1:4.
Origen
180
Many asked to interpret the divine Scriptures but
not all succeeded in this. For it is rare to find the person
who has this grace given to him from God
109
.
We ask God to grant us, that as the word increases
in us, so we may receive the abundance of the broadmind-
edness in Jesus Christ. Thus we become able to hear the
sacred words
110
.
If you devote your life to study and contemplation of
the law of God, by the spirit of wisdom, you will receive a
heart (Caleb = heart) who meditates in the law of God, has
the power to destroy the great and fortified cities, i.e., de-
stroy the words of the inventors of lies, and thus you be-
come worthy of the blessing of Joshua and receive Habron
(Jos. 14:6-15)
111
.
"Descend, testify to the people and purify them
today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and
let them be prepared for the third day (Exod. 19:10-11).
If there is anyone who has assembled to hear the
word of God, let him hear what God has ordered. After he
has been sanctified he ought to come to hear the word; he
ought to wash his garments. For if you bring dirty
garments to this place you too will hear: "Friend, how did
you enter here, not having wedding garments?" (Matt.
22:12)
No one, therefore, can hear the word of God unless
he has first been sanctified, that is, unless he is "holy in
body and spirit," (Cf. 1 Cor 7:34), unless he has washed his
garments. For a little later he shall go in to the wedding
dinner, he shall eat from the flesh of the lamb, he shall
drink the cup of salvation. Let no one go in to this dinner
with dirty garments.

109 Sel. Ps. 119:85.
110 In Jer. hom. 6:3.
111 In Jos. hom. 18:3.
Allegorism
181
Wisdom also has commanded this elsewhere
saying: "Let your garments be clean at all times (Eccl.
9:8). For your garments were washed once when you came
to the grace of baptism; you were purified in body; you
were cleansed from all filth of flesh and spirit. "What,"
then, "God has cleansed, you shall not make unclean
(Acts 10:15, 11:9)
112
.
If, therefore, we also pray to the Lord that he see fit
to remove the veil from our heart, we can receive spiritual
understanding if only we turn to the Lord and seek after
freedom of knowledge. But how can we attain freedom, we
who serve the world, who serve money, who serve the
desires of the flesh? I correct myself; I judge myself; I
make known my faults
113
.
According to Origen, we are in need of Rebecca, whose
name means patience, for she grants us to drink from the well of
the holy Scriptures.
Rebecca, which means patience, when she saw
the servant and contemplated the prophetic word puts the
pitcher down from her shoulder (Gen. 24:18). For she
puts down the exalted arrogance of Greek eloquence and,
stooping down to the lowly and simple prophetic word,
says, Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink
(Gen. 24:14)...
A soul who does all things patiently, who is eager
and is undergirded with so much learning, who has been
accustomed to draw streams of knowledge from the depth,
can herself be united in marriage with Christ.
Unless, therefore, you come daily to the wells, un-
less you daily draw water, not only you will not be able to

112 In Exodus hom. 11:7 ( Cf. Ronad E Heine- Frs. of the Church, vol. 71.)
Origen
182
to give a drink to others, but you yourself also will suffer a
thirst for the word of God (Amos 8:11)
114
.
But let us also beware, for frequently we also lie
around the well of living water, that is around the divine
Scriptures and err in them. We hold the books and we read
them, but we do not touch upon the spiritual sense. And,
therefore, there is need for tears and incessant prayer that
the Lord may open our eyes, because even the eyes of those
blind men who were sitting in Jericho would not have been
opened unless they had cried out to the lord. (Cf. Matt.
20:30) And what am I saying? That our eyes, which are al-
ready opened, might be opened? For Jesus came to open
the eyes of the blind (Cf. Isa. 42:7) Our eyes, therefore are
opened and the veil of the letter of the Law is removed. But
I fear that we ourselves may close them again in a deeper
sleep while we are not watchful in the spiritual meaning
nor are we disturbed so that we dispel sleep from our eyes
and contemplate things which are spiritual, that we might
not err with the carnal people set around the water itself
115
.
Karen J o Torjesen says
116
,
We must read them, he tells us, with attention, yea,
with great attention, for it is needed in reading the divine
writings, that we may not speak or form notions about them
rashly
117
.
We must read them with reverence: for if we use
great care in handling the Sacred Elements, and rightly so,
is it a lesser offense (piaculum) to disregard the Word of
God than His Body?
118

114 In Gen. hom. 10:2.
116 Studies in Early Christians, vol. III, Body, Soul, and Spirit in Origens Theory of Exege-
sis.
117 Ep. ad Greg. 3.
118 In Ezek. hom 13:3
Allegorism
183
We must read them with pure hearts: for no one
can listen to the Word of God.... unless he be holy in body
and spirit;..... no one can enter into this feast with soiled
garments
119
. Yet the language of the Bible is not enough
to reach the soul of man, unless power be given from God
to the reader, and shed its influence over the lesson; for, if
there are oracles of God in the Law and the Prophets, in
the Gospels and Apostles, he who is a student of Gods
oracles must place himself under the teaching of God
120
;
such a one must seek their meaning by inquiry, discussion,
examination, and, which is greatest, by prayer; he must
not be content to knock and to seek, for prayer is the
most necessary qualification for the understanding of di-
vine things, ... and the Savior urged us to this when he said,
not only knock. and it shall be opened, seek, and you
shall find, but also, ask, and it shall be given you.; If,
then, we read the bible with patience, prayer, and faith; if
we ever strive after a more perfect knowledge, and yet re-
main content in some things to know only in part, even as
Prophets and Apostles, Saints and Angels, attaining not to
an understanding of all things,-our patience will be re-
warded, our prayer answered, and our faith increased. So
let us not weary in reading the Scriptures which we do not
understand, but let it be unto us according to our faith, by
which believe that Scripture, being inspired by God, is
profitable
121
.

119 Ibid. 11:7.
120 Cf. Contra Celsus 6:2; In Jer. hom. 10:1.
121 Cf. In Gen. 11:3.; De Principiis 4:26; In Jos hom. 20.
Origen
184
THE WORD OF GOD AND UNFAITHFULNESS
Origen believes that as those who ate the heavenly manna
in faith attained its sweetness, while those who did not eat it but
hid it worm comes from it in abundance (Cf. Exod. 16:20), so
those who receive the word of God unfaithfully and do not eat it,
its sweetness will be changed into worm for them. Christ, the
Word of God, came for the fall of some and the rise of others
(Luke 2:34)
122
.

THE WORD OF GOD IS WITHIN US
For the Scripture says, "The word is near you, in
your mouth and in your heart; for if you confess the Lord
Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him
from the dead, you shall be saved (Rom 10:8-9.) If,
therefore, "you believe in your heart," your heart and your
understanding is gold, therefore, you have offered the faith
of your heart as gold for the tabernacle. But if you also
"confess" in word, you have offered the word of confession
as silver. For that reason Moses, who is the spiritual Law,
says, "Take from yourselves. You take these things from
yourself. They are within you. Even if you should be
destitute you can have these things. But what he adds also
bears on this point: "Each one as he has understood in his
heart," For you cannot offer God anything from your
understanding or from your word unless first you have
understood in your heart what has been written. Unless you
have been attentive and have listened diligently your gold
or silver cannot be excellent, for it is demanded that it be
"purged." Hear the Scripture saying, "The words of the
Lord are pure words, as silver purged by the fire, refined
seven times (Ps. 11:7). If, therefore, you have understood
in your heart what has been written, your gold, that is your

122 In Exod. hom 7:8.
Allegorism
185
understanding, will be excellent, and your silver, which is
your word, will be excellent
123
.

HEARING AND FULFILLING THE WORD OF GOD
Because the text spoke of "first-fruits" (Exod. 35:5),
I ask, "What are the first-fruits of gold or silver?
And now do first-fruits appear to be gathered from
scarlet and purple and linen?
Or how does anyone offer às he has understood in
his heart'"?
This now strikes each of us.
Let us see at the same time both how we who are
now present here have understood in heart and how the
word of God is handled. There are some who understand in
heart what is read; there are others who do not at all
understand what is said, but their mind and heart are on
business dealings or on acts of the world or on counting
their profit. And especially, how do you think women
understand in heart, who chatter so much, who disturb with
their stories so much that they do not allow any silence?
Now what shall I say about their mind, what shall I say
about their heart, if they are thinking about their infants or
wool or the needs of their household? I truly fear that they
follow those women of whom the Apostle says, "Who learn
to go about from house to house not only tattlers but also
busybodies, saying things which they ought not (1 Tim.
5:13). How, then do such women understand in heart? No
one understands in heart unless his heart is untrammeled,
unless he be open-minded and totally intent. Unless one be
watchful in heart he cannot understand in heart and offer
gifts to God. But even if we have been neglectful thus far let
us immediately, starting now, be more attentive and give
attention carefully, that we can understand in mind
124
.

124 In Exodus hom. 13:3 ( Cf. Ronad E Heine)
Origen
186
Next the text says, "And all the men to whom it
seemed good in their understanding received from their
wives and brought jewels and earrings and rings and
hairpins and bracelets (Exod. 35:22). You see here also
how those offer gifts to God who see in their heart, who
conceive understanding in their heart, who have their mind
intent and given to the word of God.
Those, therefore, bring gifts and they bring them
also from their wives, the text says, "earrings and jewels
and bracelets." We have already often said that woman,
according to the allegorical sense is interpreted as flesh
and man as the rational understanding. Those, therefore,
are good wives who obey their husbands; the flesh is good
which no longer resists the spirit, but submits and agrees.
Therefore, "if two or three of you agree, whatever
you shall ask shall be done to you" the Lord said. (Cf. Matt.
18:19). They offer, therefore, "earrings from their wives."
You see how the hearing is offered to the Lord.
But bracelets also are offered to the Lord which
refer to skillful and good works which are performed
through the flesh. The rational understanding offers these
things to the Lord.
But hairpins are also offered. He offers hairpins
who knows well how to discern what is to be done, what to
be avoided, what is pleasing to God or what displeasing,
what is just, what is unjust. Those are the hairpins which
are offered to the Lord. Here, therefore, the women offer
earrings to the Lord because they are wise women. For the
text says wise women came and made whatever things were
necessary for the garments of the high priest. But those
women who offered their earrings to make a calf were
foolish, who "turned away their hearing from the truth and
turned to fables and impiety" (2 Tim. 4:4), and, therefore,
offered their earrings to make the head of a calf.
But also in the book of Judges we find another idol
no less made from the earrings of women. Those women,
Allegorism
187
therefore, are blessed, that flesh is blessed, which offers to
the Lord its earrings and its hairpins and its rings and all
the works of its hands which it performs in the keeping with
commandments of the Lord
125
.
But the text also says, "the princes offered" (Cf.
Exod. 35:27) their gifts. What are those gifts which the
princes offer?
"They offered jewels," it says, "emeralds, stones of
fulfillment, and stones for the cape (Cf. Exod. 35:27).
They are called stones of fulfillment which are placed on
the logion, that is, which are arranged on the breast of the
high-priest, inscribed with the names of the tribes of Israel.
This which is said to be the logion, that is, the oracular
breastplate, (rationale) which is arranged on the breast of
the high-priest represents the rational understanding which
is in us. The "stones of fulfillment" are said to be placed
on this, which nevertheless cohere and are joined together
with the stones of the cape and, bound together, are
supported from these. The adorned cape is an indication
of good deeds. Action, therefore, is associated with reason
and reason with actions, that there might be harmony in
both, "for he who shall do and teach, he shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:19). Let our
speech, therefore, rest upon actions and let actions adorn
our speech, for this is related as the adornment of the high
priest. But the princes are required to execute these things;
that is the adornment of those who have advanced so far
that they deserve to preside over the people.
The princes also offer oil which will be beneficial
for twofold uses: for lamps and for anointing. For the lamp
of those who preside over the people ought not to be hidden

125 In Exodus hom. 13:5 ( Cf. Ronad E Hein.)
Origen
188
or "placed under a bushel, but on a candlestick that it may
shine to all who are in the house (Cf. Matt. 5:15).
But the princes also offer "a mixture of incense"
which is mixed by Moses "for a savor of sweetness to the
Lord," (Exod. 35:28, 29:41) that they themselves also
might say, "We are the good odor of Christ (2 Cor.
2:15).
And after the people made their offering the text
says, "Moses called every wise man" (Exod. 36:2) in
construction and building that they might put together and
construct the individual things which were described.
"But," the text says, "he also called the wise women," (Cf.
Exod. 35:25) that they might make the things which were
proper in the tabernacle of the Lord
126
.
Rebeccas ears, therefore, could not receive their
beauty, unless Abrahams servant come and himself adorn
them; nor could her hands receive jewelry except that
which Isaac sent. For she wishes to receive golden words
in her ears and to have golden deeds in her hands. But she
had come to the wells to draw water. How will you receive,
who do not wish to come to the waters, who do not wish to
receive the golden words in your ears and to have golden
deeds in your hands. But she could not previously receive
or deserve these things unless she had come to the wells to
draw water. How will you, who do not wish to come to the
waters, who do not wish to receive the golden words of the
prophets in your ears, be able to be adorned with instruc-
tion, adorned with deeds, adorned with character?
127

126 In Exodus hom. 13:7 ( Cf. Ronad E Heine.)
Allegorism
189
THE FIRE OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURE
Origen states that the fire of the holy Scripture has a
twofold effect, as it burns and enlightens. When our Lord J esus
Christ spoke to His disciples from the Scriptures their hearts were
burned and their minds were enlightened (Luke 24:32).
If you are a teacher you are erecting a tabernacle
when you edify the Church of God. God, therefore, says to
you also what he said to Jeremiah: "Behold I have made
my words in your mouth as fire (Jer. 5:14). If, therefore,
when you teach and edify the Church of God, you rebuke
only and reprove and censure and upbraid the sins of the
people, but you offer no consolation from the divine
Scriptures, you explain nothing obscure, you teach nothing
of more profound knowledge, you do not open any more
sacred understanding, you have offered scarlet, indeed, but
not twofold. For your fire burns only and does not
enlighten. And again, if, when you teach, you open the
mysteries of the Law, you discuss hidden secrets, but you
do not reprove the sinner nor correct the negligent nor
hold severity of discipline, you have offered scarlet, to be
sure, but not twofold. For your fire enlightens only; it does
not burn. He, therefore, who "offers rightly" and "divides
rightly" (Cf. Gen. 4:7 LXX), offers scarlet doubled, so that
he mixes the small flame of severity with the light of
knowledge
128
.

THE WORD OF GOD AND UNION WITH GOD
But it is certain that this union of the soul with the
Word cannot come about otherwise than through instruc-
tion in the divine books, which are figuratively called wells.

128 In Exodus hom. 13:4 ( Cf. Ronad E Heine)
Origen
190
If anyone should come to these and draw from these wa-
ters, that is by meditating on these words should perceive
the deeper sense and meaning, he will find a marriage wor-
thy of God; for his soul is united with God
129
.

THE WORD OF GOD AND JOYFUL LIFE
Let us also pray, therefore, to undertake to hear the
word of God with such a mind, with such a faith that he
may see fit to make us a great feast. For Wisdom has
slain her victims, mixed her wine in the mixing bowl, and
sent her servants (Prov. 9:1-3) who all bring as many as
they find to her feast.
It is so great a feast, that having entered wisdoms
feast let us not again bring with us garments of foolishness,
neither wrapped with the clothing of infidelity nor dark-
ened with the stains of sin, but in simplicity and purity of
heart let us embrace the word and serve the divine Wisdom
which is Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and
sovereignty forever and ever. Amen. (Cf. 1 Peter 4:11;
Rev. 1:6.)
130

ALLEGORISM AFTER ORIGEN
J .N.D. Kelly says that the Alexandrian theologians who
followed Origen, from Dionysius to Cyril, were all to a greater or
lesser extent affected with their predilection for allegory; and the
same can be said of the Palestinian (Epiphanius was a notable ex-
ception) and Cappadocian fathers. Through their influence the tra-
dition of allegory passed to the West, and is visible in the exposi-
tory writings, for example, of Hilary and Ambrose. The greatest of
Latin exegetes is J erome, though in his later days he became suspi-
cious of allegorism
131
.

131 Ep. 120:12; cf. in Am. 4:4; in Ezech. 16:31.
Allegorism
191
Indeed, Origen stressed the three senses of Scripture, deem-
ing
132
that recourse to the spiritual meaning was made necessary
by the anthropomorphisms, inconsistencies and incongruities
which abound in the Bible. St. Augustine too employed allegory
with the greatest freedom, delighting particularly in the mystical
significance of names and numbers
133
.

132 In Matt. 21:5; in Gal. 5:13.
133 Kelly, p. 74-5.
192
Origenism
193

4

ORIGEN AND ORIGENISM

Origens influence on other Christian writers and theologi-
ans is profound and far reaching. In the third and fourth centuries
he had disciples everywhere; only the greatest are mentioned by
the scholars
1
.
1. Theognostus (d. c. 282 A.D) and Pierius (d. c. 309 A.D)
the heads of the School of Alexandria, self-consciously continued
Origens theological and exegetical tradition. Pierius, whose con-
temporaries knew him as Origen Junior, educated Pamphilius (c.
2 40-309 A.D) who re-established the Origenist school in
Caesarea
2
.
2. Origens work in the fields of exegesis and mystical the-
ology was continued by St. Didymus the Blind. According to Soc-
rates
3
, St. Didymus wrote a defense and exposition of Origens De
Principiis, of which nothing is extant. He dared to defend Origen
and his work as entirely orthodox. He endeavored to show that
Origen had been misunderstood by simple people who could not
grasp his ideas. St. J erome
4
reports that Didymus gave an orthodox
interpretation of Origens Trinitarian doctrine but accepted without
hesitation his other errors regarding the sin of the angels, the pre-
existence of souls, the apokatastasis
5
. No wonder then that in the
sixth and following centuries he was condemned as a believer in
the pre-existence of the soul and in the apokatastasis. In 553 A.D
the Chalcedonians anathematized him together with Origen and

1
Jean Danilou: Origen, p. VII.
2
Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM 1971, p. 247.
3
Socrates: His. Eccl. 4:25.
4
Adv. Rufin. 1:6; 2:116.
5
Quasten: Patrology, vol.3, p. 89.
Origen
194
Evagrius Ponticus for these doctrines in the Council of Constan-
tinople.
St. Didymus taught St. Gregory of Nazianzen (329-389
A.D), Rufinus of Aquileia (c. 345-410 A.D), and St. J erome (c.
342-420 A.D), three figures who spread Origens influence and
preserved his works
6
.
3. Pamphilus of Caesarea
7
: Of a noble family of Berytus
(Beirut). He is one of Origens most enthusiastic followers who
received his early training in his native town. He held a public of-
fice, and then studied theology in the School of Alexandria
8
under
the direction of Pierius, the successor of Origen. He admired Ori-
gen exceedingly.
He returned to Beirut; then later in Caesarea where Origen
had taught in his later years. He desired to re-animate the school
founded by Origen, and was there ordained priest by bishop
Agapius. His teaching like Origens, involved a spiritual and scrip-
tural approach. He restored and developed the library attached to
the school and organized a workshop of copyists. Arrested in No-
vember 307 A.D, he spent two years in prison and was beheaded in
February 310 A.D, under Maximinus Daia.
He was the teacher of the first great Church historian, Eu-
sebius of Caesarea, who used to call himself the son of Pamphi-
lus. While imprisoned in Caesarea, Pamphilus wrote with the col-
laboration of his pupil Eusebius, an Apology for Origen in six
books, as a response to charges raised by St. Peter of Alexandria
and St. Methodus. Book six was written after his death by Euse-
bius alone. The first book survived, it was translated into Latin by
Rufinus. It defended Origen as orthodox and presented Origen as a
model Christian.

6
Cf. Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM 1983, p. 248.
7
J. Quasten: Patrology, vol. 2,p. 144ff; Encyclopedia of the Early Church: Oxford University
Press,1992, p. 638.
8
Photius: Bibl. code 118-9.
Origenism
195

Pamphilus refutes accusations concerning Origens thought
on the Trinity, the incarnation, the historicity of Scripture, the res-
urrection, punishment, the soul and metempsychosis. In the proc-
ess of defending Origen, Pamphilus affirmed his denial of eternal
punishment, therefore the Apology itself was controversial
9
. Pam-
philus and Eusebius refuted the accusations made against their
hero and defended his views with many passages quoted from his
own works.
4. Eusebius of Caesarea in Palestine: Born in Palestine,
perhaps at Caesarea, in c. 265 A.D. He was educated in that city.
During Diocletians persecution, he escaped death by fleeing to
Tyre and thence to the Egyptian desert of Thebaid. He was arrested
and imprisoned, and by the edict of tolerance of 311 A.D he was
able to return to Palestine. Raised to the see of Caesarea in c. 313
A.D, he was involved from the start in the Arian controversy. He
sided with Arius, but did not share the more extreme ideas of his
doctrine.
He is the Father of Ecclesiastical History, succeeded Pam-
philus in the school of Caesarea, inherited his ideas and defended
him. It was out of veneration and gratitude to his teacher and friend
that he called himself Eusebius Pamphili.
5. The Great Cappadocians inherited his teachings. Rowan
A. Greer writes, His influence upon the Cappadocian Fathers of
the fourth century means that he is an important source for the the-
ology that had become the classical articulation of Christian spiri-
tuality. Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of
Nyssa preserved Origen's thought for the Church and adapted it to
a theological explanation of monasticism understood as the perfect
life meant to be lived by all
10
.

9
Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM 1971, p. 247.
10
Rowan A. Greer: Origen, Paulist Press, 1979, page xvi.
Origen
196
The mystical exegesis of Origen has beyond any doubt had
a powerful influence on Gregory of Nyssa, especially in his Fifteen
Homilies on the Canticle of Canticles.
6. Through the Cappadocians, Origen's influence extends to
Evagrius Ponticus, one of the greatest of writers on spiritual life.
He is responsible for the spread of his teaching among the monks
of Egypt. Evagrius took a great interest in the speculative and con-
templative aspects of Origens thought and adapted them to the
needs of the monastic movement which had emerged strongly in
the course of the fourth century. Through him Origens thoughts
were handed on to St. J ohn Cassian, and so to all Western Chris-
tian monasticism. Indirectly as well as directly he had remained an
important influence upon Western spirituality. Evagrius, who be-
gan his ecclesiastical career as a protg of Gregory of Nazianzus,
eventually settled in Nitria, an important monastic colony in the
Libyan desert south of Alexandria. From there Evagrius Origenis-
tic ascetic theology spread rapidly throughout the Christian world.
His works were rapidly translated into Syrian, the language of
Christians in what is now Syria and Iraq, and spread from there to
Armenia. Evagrius influenced Western monasticism through his
disciple, J ohn Cassian (c. 360-435 A.D), one of the founders of
Latin monasticism. Cassians writings profoundly influenced
Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-c. 550 A.D), whose rule ordered the
regular reading of Cassians works
11
.
St. Gregory of Nazianzus, who referred to Origen as the
whetstone of us all, was more interested in Origens contributions
to theology and was careful to avoid the more controversial aspects
of his thoughts.
St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nazianzus collaborated in 358-
59 A.D on the Philocalia, and anthology of Origens work that
preserve fragments of a number of works, including On First
Principles, now lost in Greek.

11
Origenism
197

7. Fr. Maximus the Confessor
12
: He was born in c. 579-80
A.D in Palestine of a Samaritan father and a Persian slave-girl, and
baptized by a priest of Hesfin on Golan. Originally named Mo-
schion, at ten years he was entrusted to Abbot Pantaleon of the
monastery of St. Charito, who named him Maximus and led him to
study Origen. During the Arab invasion (614 A.D), he escaped
from J erusalem and took refuge in Cyzicus near Constantinople,
subsequently forming close connections with the imperial court,
especially through his disciple Anastasius. In 626 A.D following
the invasion of the Persians and Avars he took refuge in Africa.
J ust before 647 A.D he went to Rome, where he took an active part
in the Lateran council (649 A.D). Returning to Constantinople in
653 A.D he was arrested, tried in 654 A.D and was condemned to
temporary exile in Bizya in Thrace. In 662 A.D he underwent a
second long trial: he was condemned first according to the Iranian
punishment by mutilation of the tongue and right hand, then by his
final exile at Lazika, in distant Colchis on the Black Sea, where he
died, worn out by his sufferings on August 13th of that year.
Maximus is a great doctor of mystical life, he was com-
pletely under Origens influence for a time.
8. In the West, Origens work was made known by Rufinus
of Aquila, the friend of St. J erome. The two formed part of an as-
cetic group who in the year 370 A.D sought to recreate in Rufinus
home town of Concordia the monastic and intellectual life of the
East. After a long stay in Egypt (373 A.D-380 A.D), where
Rufinus frequented St. Didymus, he went and lived with Melania
in the monastery on the Mount of Olives in J erusalem.
After unhappy disputes with St. J erome over the translation
of Origens works, Rufinus returned to the West in 397 A.D, pur-
sued at Rome and then at Aquileia by the animosity of his old
friend. Fleeing the Goths, he went to Sicily where he died.

12
Encyclopedia of the Early Church: Oxford University Press, 1992, p. 547.
Origen
198
He translated many homilies along with Origens Commen-
tary on the Romans, a part of his Commentary on the Song of
Songs.
In chapter two, I have already mentioned the circumstances
of his translation of Origens treatise On First Principles.
9. St. Jerome, who was at first a great admirer of Origen,
later attacked him, though in matters related to his exegesis, re-
mained his disciple to the end.
J . Gribomont
13
says that the first characteristic of St. J erome
(c. 347-419 A.D) is his having transmitted to the west, as the
prince of translators, the riches of the Greek and Hebrew libraries.
The second is his having possessed and communicated a literary
culture very different from that of the other Latin Fathers. The
third is a spiritual, exegetical and monastic sensibility, a splendid
Origenian inheritance. Finally note the human qualities of a pas-
sionate soul, excessive in his passions and hatreds, but certainly
out of the ordinary.
His name at birth was Eusebius Hieronymus. He was born
before 331 A.D in Strido, at the frontiers of the Latin world. After
brilliant literary studies in Rome, where he was baptized, J erome
sought his fortune at Trir, at the imperial court. There he was
conquered by the eastern ideal of monasticism, whose echo had
been brought there by St. Athanasius during his exile in Gaul.
About 370 A.D he joined a group at Aquleiea who shared his
ideal, but who were dispersed. St. J erome accompanied St. Eva-
grius of Antioch to Syria. He made himself familiar with Greek,
studied Hebrew and made the acquaintance of skilled exegetes.
He went with Paulinus and St. Epiphanius of Salamis to Constan-
tinople where he made friends with St. Gregory of Nazianzen. He
went to Rome, where he gained the favor of Damasus, by his agile
pen, his knowledge of the East, his biblical knowledge and his

13
Encyclopedia of the Early Church, 1992.
Origenism
199

readiness to support the policies of the Holy See. Damasus made
him his secretary. Meanwhile his monastic and Origenian spiritu-
ality gave him access to the pious meetings of a group of aristo-
cratic ladies, whose generosity permitted him to work without ma-
terial worries. He found himself obliged to deepen his familiarity
with the Latin, Greek and Hebrew Bible, and to make it his spe-
cialty.
After Damasus departure (384 A. D), St. J erome made a
long journey in company with Paula to Cyprus, Antioch, the Holy
land, then to Alexandria where he met St. Didymus the Blind and
visited monasteries in Egypt, then finally went to Bethlehem. He
benefited immensely from Origens and Eusebius library, acces-
sible at Caesarea, and embraced an Origenist theology. This
bound him to Melenia and Rufinus, established on the Mount of
Olives, but opposed him to St. Epiphanius.
Towards 395 A.D St. J erome found himself in a difficult
situation: practically excommunicated by the bishop of J erusalem,
threatened with expulsion by the paetorian prefect and without
many powerful friends. He succeeded in reversing the situation,
when he attacked Origenism. He gained Theophilus of Alexandria
as his friend, and became involved in the problem of the Three
Brothers, taking the side of St. Theophilus against St. J ohn Chry-
sostom.
St. J erome sent a letter to the most blessed Theophilus,
Pope of Alexandria, in which he congratulates the Pope on the suc-
cess of his crusade against Origenism. He writes,
J erome to the most blessed Pope Theophilus...
I write a few lines to congratulate you on your suc-
cess. The whole world glories in your victories. An exul-
tant crowd of all nations gazes on the standard of the cross
raised by you in Alexandria and upon the shinning trophies
which mark your triumph over heresy. Blessings on your
Origen
200
courage! Blessings on your zeal! You have shown that your
long silence has been due to policy and not to inclination...
14

It is worthy to note that Origens concentration on free will
as opposed to the Gnostics allowed St. J erome to describe Origen
as the ancestor of Pelagius.
St. J erome had begun translating Origens Homilies even
before he left Rome. He used Origens Commentary on Ephesians
freely in writing his own Commentary on that epistle, borrowing
them without questioning much of Origens speculation on the an-
gelic beings which he afterwards repudiated. His prefaces too
speak of Origen in the highest possible terms
15
.
St. J erome translated almost eighty of Origens homilies.
Ultimately, however, Rufinus and St. J erome, who had been
friends since their youth, became enemies when they took different
sides in what historians refer to, somewhat misleadingly, as the
First Origenist controversy.
Vigilantius, on his return to the West after his visit to J eru-
salem, had openly accused St. J erome of a leaning to the heresy of
Origin. St. J erome wrote to him in the most severe tone repudiating
the charge of Origenism and fastening upon his opponent those of
ignorance and blasphemy
16
. He justified his use of the writings of
Origen, as he writes,
But, since Christ has shown us in Himself a pat-
tern of perfect humility, bestowing a kiss upon His be-
trayer and receiving the robbers repentance upon the
cross, I tell you now when absent as I have told you already
when present, that I read and have read Origen only as I
read Apollinaris, or other writers whose books in some
things the Church does not receive. I by no means say that

14
St. Jerome: Epistle 92 to Theophilus.
15
Henri De Lubac: Origen, On First Principles, NY., 1966 (Koetschau text together with an intro-
duction and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. XXXIII..
16
Letter 61 (N& PN Frs.).
Origenism
201

everything contained in such books is to be condemned, but
I admit that there are things in them deserving censure.
Still, as it is my task to study by reading many authors to
cull different flowers from as large a number as possible,
not so much making it an object to prove all things as to
choose what is good, I take up many writers that from the
many I may learn many things; according to that which is
written reading all things, holding fast those that are
good 1 Thess. 5:21.
St. J erome adds,
Origen is a heretic, true; but what does that take
from me who do not deny that on very many points he is
heretical? He has erred concerning the resurrection of the
body, he has erred concerning the condition of souls, he has
erred by supposing it possible that the devil may repent,
and- an error more important then these- he has declared in
his commentary upon Isaiah that the Seraphim mentioned
by the prophet are the divine Son and the Holy Ghost. If I
did not allow that he has erred or if I did not daily anathe-
matize his errors, I should be partaker of his fault.
For while we receive what is good in his writings
we must on no account bind ourselves to accept also what
is evil. Still in many passages he has interpreted the Scrip-
tures well, has explained obscure places in the prophets,
and has brought to light very great mysteries, both in the
Old and in the New testament.
St. J erome sent a calm letter to Pammachius and Oceanus,
in which he defines and justifies his own attitude towards Origen,
but unduly minimizes his early enthusiasm for him. He admires
him in the same way that Cyprian admired Tertullian but does not
in any way adopt his errors. He writes
17
,

17
Letter 34 (N&PN Frs.).
Origen
202
It is charged against me that I have sometimes
praised Origen. If I am not mistaken I have only done so in
two places, in the short preface (addressed to Damasus) to
his homilies on the Song of Songs and in the prologue to
my book of Hebrew Names. In these passages do the dog-
mas of the church come into question? Is anything said of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost? Or of the resurrec-
tion of the flesh? Or of the condition and material of the
soul? I have merely praised the simplicity of his rendering
and commentary and neither the faith nor the dogmas of the
Church come in at all. Ethics only are dealt with and the
mist of allegory is dispelled by a clear explanation. I have
praised the commentator but not the theologian, the man of
intellect but not the believer, the philosopher but not the
apostle. But if men wish to know my real judgment upon
Origen; let them read my commentaries upon Ecclesiastics,
let them go through my three books upon the epistle to the
Ephesians: they will then see that I have always opposed
his doctrines. How foolish it would be to eulogize a system
so far as to endorse its blasphemy! The blessed Cyprian
takes Tertullian for his master, as his writings prove; yet,
delighted as he is with the ability of this learned and zeal-
ous writer, he does not join him in following Montanus and
Maximilia...
The bishops at the council proclaimed their adher-
ence to a dogma which was at the time denied; they said
nothing about a difficulty which no one had raised. And yet
they covertly struck at Origen as the source of the Arian
heresy: for , in condemning those who deny the Son to be
of the substance of the Father, they have condemned Ori-
gen as much as Arius.
Origenism
203

10. Although St. Augustines theological perspective dif-
fered in significant ways from Origens, his immensely influential
handling of biblical symbolism was in the Origenist tradition
18
.
11. St. Hilary of Poitirs: He was born at the start of the
fourth century, and he was elected as bishop of Poitirs around 350
A.D. At Bezirs in 356 A.D, he tried to oppose the activities of the
pro-Arians in Gaul; he was deposed and exiled to Phrygia, where
he knew the works of Origen which deeply influenced his spiritu-
ality and his exegesis.
12. Bishop Damasus of Rome: Rufinus, in the preface of
his translation of De Principiis writes, Bishop Damasus trans-
lated two of the Homilies on the Song of Songs from Greek into
Latin, he composed so fine and noble a preface to that work, as to
inspire everyone with a deep longing to read Origen and study him
seriously. For he said that the text, The King has brought me into
His chamber, might well be applied to the soul of Origen; and
added that while in the rest of his works Origen had surpassed all
other writers, in the Song of Songs he had even surpassed him-
self
19
.
13. Origens method of biblical interpretation spread to the
Latin-speaking West. A vital figure in this process was St.
Ambrose (c. 339-97 A.D), Bishop of Milan. St. Ambrose, a bril-
liant orator of noble birth, dominated the western church during
the later part of the fourth century and even forced emperors to
yield to the power of his personality. Ambrose admired the Cappa-
docians and gained from them an appreciation of Origens alle-
gorical interpretation of the Bible, which he practiced extensively
in his preaching at Milan. Ambrose, in turn, introduced the alle-
gorical interpretation of the Bible to Augustine of Hippo (354-430
A.D), the theologian from North Africa who was to influence
western theology profoundly for more than a thousand years.

18
19
Henri De Lubac: Origen, On First Principles, NY., 1966, p. LXII
Origen
204
Augustine was an ambitious young rhetorician of Christian origins
who had subsequently embraced and become disillusioned with the
Gnostic theology of the Manicheans when he heard Ambrose
preaching at Milan
20
.
If Origenism remained a powerful current of thought in the
Church, opposition to Origenism also continued. About 375 A.D
St. Epiphanius of Salamis, the heresiologist, attacked Origenism as
heretic. He succeeded in persuading St. J erome, who had been an
admirer of Origen, to join him in the attack.
Even in his days many churchmen attacked Origen's writ-
ings as heretical. They explained the mixture of orthodoxy and her-
esy in his writings by the hypothesis that his real intentions were
heretical, but that he had introduced orthodox ideas to confuse the
simple believers. At the same time many churchmen also insisted
on declaring that he desired nothing more than to be a loyal mem-
ber of the church
21
.
His supporters made a huge split among the Egyptian
monks, and pushed Pope Theophilus of Alexandria to commit his
serious fault: the condemnation of St. J ohn Chrysostom, the Patri-
arch of Constantinople.
Finally, the Coptic Church excommunicated Origen during
his life to prevent her members from accepting his errors, while the
Chalcedonian Churches took this decision after his death, in the
Second Council of Constantinople in 553 A.D.

THE ANTI-ORIGENISTS
The true controversy began in 398 A.D when Rufinus, who
had returned to his native country Italy, published a translation of
the first two books On First Principles. This translation, which
Rufinus soon completed was venturesome in itself since Latin-

20
Cf. Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM 1983, p. 250-251.
21
H. Chadwick: The Early Church, Peginm books, 1974, p. 112, 113.
Origenism
205

speaking readers had not been exposed to the more speculative as-
pects of Origens thoughts. What ignited the controversy, was
Rufinus indiscreet preface in which he claimed to be following
J eromes example in translating Origen and in amending theologi-
cally offensive passages in the process. J erome bitterly resented
the suggestion that he was still an admirer of Origen and that his
translations were less than accurate. He responded with an attack
on Rufinus in a letter to his friends in Rome. With his own pur-
portedly due to his literal translation of On First Principles, which
we can tell is biased by comparing both versions with existing
Greek fragments, we can see it is as biased in its accentuation of
Origens alleged deviations from orthodoxy as Rufinus was in its
concealment of them. Unfortunately, only fragments of the work
remain. A literary controversy over Origen continued in the West
for many years. Though it left Origen somewhat a suspect, it did
very little damage to the reputation in the West. The translations of
his works continued to be read, and his indirect influence contin-
ued to be felt on J erome, whose great Vulgate translation of the
Bible depended much on Origens inspiration
22
.
1. St. Peter of Alexandria: His criticism of Origen seems
very mild as we will see later on.

2. St. Methodius of Olympus (in Lycia): He was martyred
in 311 A.D under Maximinus Daza. He conducted a determined
and successful fight against Origenism
23
. In his chief work "On the
Resurrection," he constructs models of Origenist arguments that he
proceeds to demolish. This work could not eclipse Origen's reputa-
tion, yet it damages his theological stature enough to be at least a
partial reason for the lengthy Defense of Origen
24
, written about
307-310 A.D in five books by the martyr Pamphilus (assisted by
Eusebius of Caesarea) and supplemented shortly thereafter with a

22
23
Patrick J. Hamell: Handbook of Patrology, 1968, p. 69.
24
Apologia pro Origne.
Origen
206
sixth book by Eusebius alone
25
. Methodius became the leader of
opponents to Origenism. His central issue was Origen's peculiar
view of the resurrection and his denial that the body will be raised.
G.W. Butterworth says that the first serious attack was
made by Methodius, bishop of Patara in Lycia, in the early years of
the fourth century. He wrote vigorously against Origen and his fol-
lowers in regard to doctrines characteristic of the First Principles,
viz. the eternity of creation, the pre-existence of souls and the
spiritual nature of the resurrection of the body... Others, however,
including such great names as Athanasius and the Cappadocian
fathers, Basil and the two Gregories, while admitting that his
works were not wholly free from error, yet regarded him an ortho-
dox in the main and defended him
26
.

3. St. Eustathius of Antioch: A leader of the victorious
conservative group at the Council of Nicea in 325 and head of the
strict Nicene party of Antioch. According to Theodoret
27
, he was
the first to speak at the Council and had the honor to salute the
Emperor Conostantine with an address of welcome when he en-
tered the assembly of the bishops. It was the same emperor who in
330 A.D drove him into exile in Trajanopolis in Thrace after an
Arian synod at Antioch had deposed him in 326 A.D. St. Athana-
sius praises him as a "confessor," "sound in the faith," and "zealous
for the truth," who "hated the Arian heresy
28
."
In his work "De engastrimytho contra Origenem" (On the
Ventriloquist against Origen
29
) written in opposition to Origen's
interpretation of Samuel's nature as conjured up for Saul by the
witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28), St. Eustathius refers to St. Methodius

25
Phot. Cod. 118; Jon F. Dechow: Dogma and Mysticism in Early Christianity, Mercer University
Press, 1988, p. 112-113.
26
Henri De Lubac: Origen, On First Principles, NY., p. XXXII..
27
His. Eccl 1:7.
28
Hist. Arian. 4:1.
29
PG 18:613-673.
Origenism
207

On the Resurrection as a further resource on the soul-body prob-
lem underlying the interpretation of Samuel's nature. Sneeringly he
called Origen "the clever Origen
30
," "the dogmatizer Origen
31
," "
the big-talking Origen
32
," "the very learned Origen
33
," "the wordy
Origen
34
," and "O most mindless of men
35
." He wrote,
As much as (Origen) proposed in an unorthodox manner
(Kakadoxos) about the resurrection, it is impossible to elaborate
now. For the worthy Methodius of blessed memory wrote enough
on this subject, and he really showed quite clearly that (Origen)
inconsiderately gave the heretics an opening by defining the resur-
rection in reference to form (eidous), but not in reference to body.
Even that he upset everything with allegorical interpretation and
sowed the seeds of heresy (kakodoxis) everywhere, it is easy to see
that he filled the world with incalculable nonsense by endlessly
repeating himself. So then by customarily allegorizing all things
together in such a way, he was able not only to interpret the words
of the ventriloquist (eggasstrimythou [the witch]) allegorically, but
also to avoid explaining the clear [meaning] from the [natural ver-
bal] sequence itself
36
.
According to Dechow, in this passage, are the characteristics
which are mentioned in Epiphanius polemic against Origen
37
:
I. The focus on the resurrection.
II. The reliance on Methodius by conservative Nicene loy-
alists for the definitive statement of the case against Origen.
III. The acceptance of the charge made by Methodius that
Origen actually denies bodily resurrection.

30
Engastr. contra Origenem 3.
31
Ibid., 4, 9.
32
Ibid., 20.
33
Ibid., 23.
34
Ibid., 24.
35
Ibid., 24.
36
De Engastrimytho contra Origenem, 22.
37
Dogma and Mysticism in Early Christianity, Mercer University Press, 1988, p. 117.
Origen
208
IV. Origen's responsibility for the heresy of teaching about
the resurrection of the corporeal form (eidos).
V. Origen's responsibility for all heresies, which would ap-
pear as a result of allegorical exegesis.
St. Eustathius' opposition to Origenist and Arian views runs
like a double thread through his writings. His interpretation of the
soul-body problem in Origenist anthropology seems directly re-
lated to his anti-Arian understanding of the relation between soul
and body in Christ. He was the first who noticed that the character
of the Arian Christology
38
, with its denial of a human soul in the
incarnate Christ, appears linked to his uneasiness over the dimin-
ished reality that he perceived in Origenist conceptions of corpore-
ality
39
.

4. St. Epiphanius of Salamis
St. Epiphanius (c. 315-403), bishop of Salamis (now Fama-
gusta), the chief city of Cyprus, published a scathing denunciation
of Origen in his Panarion or Medicine-Chest for All Heresies. He
depicted Origen as the main source of the recently defeated Arian
heresy and spread slanders about Origens character, including a
story that he had sacrificed to Sarapis in Alexandria after being
threatened with rape by an Ethiopian and another story that he took
a memory drug
40
.
Towards the end of the fourth century Epiphanius,
bishop of Salamis in Cyprus, renewed the attack. In two
works, the Anchoratus (The Firmly-Anchored Man) and
the Adv. Haereses, he includes Origen among the heretics,
on the grounds previously set forth by Methodius and on
others dealing with the nature of the Son and his relation to

38
Griillmeier: Christ in Christian Tradition, New York, 1965, p.246.
39
Dogma and Mysticism in Early Christianity, p. 119-120.
40
Origenism
209

the Father. Origen was charged with teaching that the Son,
though generated from the essence of the Father, was nev-
ertheless a creature, bearing the title Son by courtesy and
not by right; that the Holy Spirit was also a creature; and
that one day the Kingdom of Christ would come to an end
and all beings, including the devil himself, would be recon-
ciled and restored to God
41
.
St. Epiphanius, in his work Adv. Haereses, "Panarion"
(The Medicine-chest), refuted 80 heresies, considering Origen as
their epitome. J on F. Dechow says,
When Epiphanius considers Origen, he is unable to
see him in any (light) other than as the epitome of heresy -
the culmination of heretics before him and the inspiration
and predecessor of those who follow. Origen's alleged her-
esy, to Epiphanius, is "dangerous and more wicked than all
ancient ones, ... expresses a mentality like him," and pro-
vides the basic pattern for the subsequent aberrations of
"Arius, the Amonians..., and others
42
."
A coolness had arisen between St. Epiphanius, Bishop of
Salamis and St. John, Bishop of Jerusalem in connection with the
Origenistic controversy. In 395 A.D St. Epiphanius visited St.
J ohn, and in vain attempted to obtain a condemnation of Origen
from him. In St. J ohns parish, in the church of the holy tomb, St.
Epiphanius attacked St. J ohn, as a follower of Origen. St. J erome
followed Epiphanius and worked together against J ohn. St.
Epiphanius had also uncanonically conferred priests orders on
J eromes brother Paulinan, in order that the monastery at Bethle-
hem might henceforth be entirely independent of J ohn. Naturally,
J ohn resented this conduct and showed his resentment.

41
Henri De Lubac: Origen, On First Principles, NY., p. XXXII..
42
Adv. Haer. 64:4:1-2; Jon F. Dechow: Dogma and Mysticism in Early Christianity, Mercer
University Press, 1988, p. 95.
Origen
210
St. J ohn obtained a sentence of exile against St. J erome
from the secular authorities, which, however, was not carried out.
For a time J ohn and J erome were reconciled through the good of-
fices of Pope Theophilus of Alexandria, at that time an adherent of
Origen
43
.
The present letter is a half-apology made by St. Epiphanius
for what he had done, and like all such, it only seems to have made
matters worse.
For I see that all your indignation has been roused
against me simply because I have told you that you ought
not to eulogize one who is the spiritual father of Arius,
and the root and parent of all heresies. And when I ap-
pealed to you not to go astray, and warned you of the con-
sequences, you traversed my words, and reduced me to
tears and sadness; and not me only, but many other Catho-
lics who were present.
Can any one, moreover, brook Origens assertion
that mens souls were once angels in heaven, and that hav-
ing sinned in the upper world, they have been cast down
into this, and have been confined in bodies as in barrows or
tombs, to pay the penalty for their former sins; and that the
bodies of believers are not temples of Christ, but prisons of
the condemned?
Again, he tampers with the true meaning of the nar-
rative by a false use of allegory, multiplying words without
limit; and undermines the faith of the simple by the most
varied arguments.
Now he maintains that souls, in Greek the cool
things... are so called because in coming down from the
heavenly places to the lower world they have lost their for-
mer heat; and now, that our bodies are called by the Greeks
chains... or else (on the analogy of our own Latin word)

43
F.L. Cross: The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Oxford 1990, p. 1010.
Origenism
211

word) things fallen, because our souls have fallen from
heaven; and that the other word for body which the abun-
dance of the Greek idiom supplies is by many taken to
mean a funeral monument, because the soul is shut up
within it in the same way as the corpses of the dead are shut
up in tombs and barrows.
If this doctrine is true what becomes of our faith?
Where is the preaching of the resurrection?
Where is the teaching of the apostles, which lasts on
to this day in the churches of Christ?
Where is the blessing to Adam, and to his seed, and
to Noah and his sons? Be fruitful, and multiply, and re-
plenish the earth. According to Origen, these words must
be a curse and not a blessing; for he turns angels into hu-
man souls, compelling them to leave the place of highest
rank and to come down lower, as though God were unable
through the action of His blessing to grant souls to the hu-
man race, had the angels not sinned, and as though for
every birth on earth there must be a fall in heaven.
We are to give up, then, the teaching of the apostles
and prophets, of the law, and of our Lord and Savior Him-
self, in spite of His language which is loud as thunder in the
gospel.
Origen, on the other hand, commands and urges-not
to say binds-his disciples not to pray to ascend into heaven,
lest sinning once more worse than they had sinned on earth
they should be hurled down into the world again. Such
foolish and insane notions he generally confirms by distort-
ing the sense of the Scriptures and making them mean what
they do not mean at all. He quotes this passage from the
Psalms: Before you did humble me by reason of my wick-
edness, I went wrong; and this, Return unto your rest, O
my soul; this also, Bring my soul out of prison; and this,
I will make confession unto the Lord in the land of the
living, although there can be no doubt that the meaning of
Origen
212
the divine Scripture is different from the interpretation by
which he unfairly wrests it to the support of his own her-
esy.
This way of acting is common to the Manichaens,
the Gnostics, the Ebionites, the Marcionites, and the vota-
ries of the other eighty heretics, all of whom draw their
proofs from the pure well of the Scriptures, not, however,
interpreting it in the sense in which it is written, but trying
to make the simple language of the Churchs writers accord
with their own wishes
44
.
5. St. Jerome
I have already mentioned St. J erome as the admirer of Ori-
gen, and how he changed his mind and became an enemy of Ori-
gen and Origenism.
6. Theophilus of Alexandria.
At first Theophilus, Pope of Alexandria was considered on
the side of the Origenist monks and against the simple and unedu-
cated one, who believes in anthropomorphism, which attributes
carnal members to God. But he became a severe enemy against the
Origenists, when the problem of Isidore and the Tall Brethren ap-
pears as we will see afterwards.
Pope Theophilus sent to the bishops of Palestine and of
Cyprus the synodical letter of a council held in Alexandria in 400
A.D to condemn Origenism. Written originally in Greek it was
translated into Latin by St. J erome. This letter had been sent in
identical terms to the Bishops of Palestine and to those of Cyprus.
We (W.H. Fremantle, G. Lewis and W.G. Martley)
45
reproduce the
headings of both copies. That to the Bishops of Palestine com-
mences thus:

44
N& PN Frs, Series 2, vol. 6, p. 83-86.
45
N& PN Frs, Series 2, vol. 6, p. 185-186.
Origenism
213

To the well-beloved lords, brothers, and fellow-
bishops, Eulogius, J ohn, Zebianus, Auxentius, Dionysius,
Gennadius, Zeno, Theodosius, Dicterius, Porphyry, Saturn-
inus, Alan, Paul, Ammonius, Helianus, Eusebius, the other
Paul, and to all the Catholic bishops gathered together at
the dedication festival of Aelid,
Theophilus (sends) greeting in the Lord.
The Cyprians were addresses thus:
To the well-beloved lords, brothers, and fellow-
bishops, Epiphanies, Marcianus, Agapetus, Boethius,
Helpidius, Entasius, Norbanus, Macedonius, Aristo, Zeno,
Asiaticus, Heraclides, the other Zeno, Cyriacus, and Aph-
roditus,
Theophilus (sends) greeting in the Lord.
The scope of the letter is as follows:
We have personally visited the monasteries of Ni-
tria and find that the Origenistic heresy has made great rav-
ages among them.
It is accompanied by a strange fanaticism: men even
maim themselves or cut out their tongues to show how they
despise the body.
I find that some men of this kind have gone from
Egypt into Syria and other countries where they speak
against us and the truth.
The books of Origen have been read before a coun-
cil of bishops and unanimously condemned.
The following are his chief errors, mainly found in
the Peri Archon (De Principiis):
1. The Son compared with us is truth, but compared
with the Father he is falsehood.
2. Christs kingdom will one day come to an end.
3. We ought to pray to the Father alone, not to the
Son.
Origen
214
4. Our bodies after the resurrection will be corrupti-
ble and mortal.
5. There is nothing perfect even in heaven; the an-
gels themselves are faulty, and some of them feed on the
J ewish sacrifices.
6. The stars are conscious of their own movements,
and the demons know the future by their courses.
7. Magic, if real, is not evil.
8. Christ suffered once for men; he will suffer again
for the demons.
The Origenists have tried to coerce me; they have
even stirred up the heathen by denouncing the destruction
of the Serapeum; and have sought to withdraw from the
ecclesiastical jurisdiction two persons accused of grave
crimes. One of these is the woman who was wrongly
placed on the list of widows by Isidore, the other Isidore
himself. He is the standard-bearer of the heretical faction,
and his wealth supplies them with unbounded resources for
their violent enterprises. They have tried to murder me;
they seized the monastery church at Nitria, and for a time
prevented the bishops from entering and the offices from
being performed. Now, like Zebul (Beelzebub) they go to
and fro on the earth. I have done them no harm; I have even
protected them. But I would not let an old friendship (with
Isidore) impair our faith and discipline. I implore you to
oppose them whenever they come, and to prevent them
from unsettling the brethren committed to you.
The synodical letter of the council of J erusalem was sent to
Pope Theophilus in reply to the preceding. The translation as be-
fore is by St. J erome.
The following is an epitome: We have done all that
you wished, and Palestine is almost wholly free from the
taint of heresy. We wish that not only the Origenists, but
J ews, Samaritans and heathen also, could be put down.
Origenism
215

Origenism does not exist among us. The doctrines you de-
scribe are never heard here. We anathematize those who
hold such doctrines, and also those of Apollinaris, and shall
not receive anyone whom you excommunicate .

7. Emperor Justinian
J ustinian (527 A.D-14 November 565 A.D) in his letter to
Mannas charged Origen with affirming that in the resurrection the
bodies of men will rise spiritually. J ustinian also saw Nestorianism
in Origens doctrine of the soul of Christ when he wrote the fol-
lowing introduction to one of Origen's fragments: He says that the
Lord is a mere man
46
. This judgment takes no account of the fact
that the chapter of the Treatise On First Principles in question is
developing a doctrine of the communicatio idiomatum, that is of
the communication to J esus the Son of Man of the qualities of the
Logos and to the Logos of the qualities of J esus, a doctrine incom-
patible with Nestorianism
47
.

V V V

46
Fragment corresponding to Peri Arch. 2:6:4.
47
Cf. Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 172.
Origen
216
THE ORIGENISTS
AND THE
TRAGEDY OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM
48

THE ORIGENISTS AND MONASTICISM
After Origens death his writings attracted those who
would admire them, especially in Nitria among the Egyptian
monks, where Fr. Ammonius and his three brothers Dioscorus, Eu-
sebius, and Euthymius, who were called the Tall Monks, or the
Tall Brothers on account of their stature
49
lived. In about 370
A.D, they established an Origenist group and were occupied in
studying the Holy Scripture. They were distinguished both for the
sanctity of their lives, and the extent of their erudition, and for
these reasons their reputation was known in Alexandria. On the
contrary the monks of Scetis who were very simple, were involved
in practical worship, and looked to the Origenists as enemies of the
true monastic life in the desert, because they changed it from its
simplicity in practicing virtues, asceticism and continuous prayers,
and in struggling against the devil, sin and the love of the world
into an intellectual and contemplative life.
In other words, as Hausherr says, the Origenist quarrel was
not only the source of two theologies, but also of "two spirituali-
ties." The first type of spirituality is the intellectual mysticism of
such Egyptian monks as SS. Didymus, Isidore, Ammonius the
Tall, and Evagrius. The second is that of the simple monks
50
.

48
H. Chadwick: The Early Church, ch. 13; Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty: St. John Chrysostom, Alexandria
1980, p. 67-84.
49
Socrates: H.E. 6:7.
50
Dogma and Mysticism in Early Christianity, Mercer University Press, 1988, p. 105.
Origenism
217

POPE THEOPHILUS AND THE ORIGENISTS
Sadly almost all the scholars depended on the writings of
the enemies of St. Theophilus Pope of Alexandria, who hated him
because of his serious fault, i.e., his role in the exile of St. J ohn
Chrysostom.
Pope Theophilus loved the desert, and used to be in contact
with the Desert Fathers, visiting them and asking them for spiritual
advice. Until 400 A.D, the Origenist monks, Fr. Ammonius and his
three brothers were in close contact with the Pope who loved them
and honored them exceedingly because of their piety, asceticism
and zeal in struggling against Arianism. He ordained Dioscours
bishop of Hermopolis against his will, having forcibly drawn him
from his retreat, while another successfully turned down the bish-
opric. Two of the brothers were ordained priests to assist him, and
though they performed their duties successfully, nevertheless they
were dissatisfied because they were unable to follow philosophical
pursuits and ascetic exercises. The Pope asked them to settle in
Alexandria, but they greatly preferred returning to the desert to
practice monastic life to living in the city. Sozomen says, They
were at one period beloved by Theophilus above all the other
monks of Egypt; he sought their society, and frequently dwelt with
them
51
.
They loved the Pope as he denied anthropomorphism,
which believes that God is a corporeal existence, and has the form
of man
52
. The Anthropomorphites, or Anthropomorphists who
were more simple and uneducated refused Origens allegory in in-
terpreting the holy Scriptures, specially the Old Testament. They
held fast to the literal interpretation and believed that God has car-
nal members as it is mentioned in the Bible (Ps. 99:5; 101:6,7;
119:73). Sozomen, the historian says, A question was raised at
this period which agitated Egypt and which had been propounded a

51
Sozomen: H.E. 8:11(N& PN Frs).
52
Socrates 6:7.
Origen
218
short time previously, namely, whether it is right to believe that
God is anthropomorphic. Because they laid hold on the sacred
words with simplicity and without any questioning, most of the
monks of that part of the world were of this opinion; and supposed
that God possessed eyes, a face, and hands, and other members of
the body. But those who searched into the hidden meaning of the
terms of Scripture held the opposite; and they maintained that
those who denied the incorporeality of God were guilty of blas-
phemy. This latter opinion was espoused by Theophilus, and
preached by him in the church; and in the epistle which, according
to custom, he wrote respecting the celebration of the Passover
when he took occasion to state that God ought to be regarded as
incorporeal, and as alien to a human form
53
. In the Paschal encyc-
lical of 399 A.D, Pope Theophilus mentioned that the Divine Be-
ing is wholly incorporeal, and it is unworthy to think of Godhead
with bodily aspects.
St. J ohn Cassian speaks of the bad effect this letter had on
the simple monks, who refused reading it in their meetings
54
. A
very simple ascetic monk called Serapion incited the monks who
joined him in struggling against the Pope. I dont want to discuss
the details of the events concerning the struggle between the Ori-
genists and the anti-Origenists among the monks, but what I want
to clarify is that the monastic movement and almost all churchmen
were involved in this problem, instead of being occupied with the
edification of the church and the evangelizing of the world.
Those anti-Origenists answered the Paschal letter of the
Pope by descending in force from Scetis to Alexandria. Thousands
of monks surrounded the Pope's residence in anger, excited a tu-
mult against him, accusing him of impiety, and threatening to put
him to death. Theophilus, however, becoming aware of this dan-
ger, presented himself to the insurgents forthwith, and said to them

53
Ibid.
54
St. John Cassian: Coference 10:1-6.
Origenism
219

in a conciliatory tone, When I look upon you, it is as if I behold
the face of God. This wise reply sufficiently mollified the men,
moderating their fury. They believed that he accepted their belief
in "anthropomorphism" for he uttered "God's face. They replied,
Wherefore, then if you really hold orthodox doctrines, do you not
anathematize the books of Origen; since those who read them are
led into such opinions? If you will not do this, expect to be treated
by us as an impious person, and the enemy of God. Such has
long been my intention, he replied, and I shall do as you advise;
for I blame not less than you do, all those who follow the doctrines
of Origen. By these means he deluded the brethren, and broke up
the sedition, and the monks returned to Scetis.
The Tall Brothers blamed St. Theophilus and described
him as a cowardly and faint hearted man. They began to attack him
openly, especially when he refused their demand to receive St. Isi-
dore in communion.

POPE THEOPHILUS AND ISIDORE
St. Isidore was a rich man who had distributed all his
wealth among the poor and needy, and was admitted to Nitria as an
ascetic. He was gifted with a joyful face and sweet tongue, all who
met him loved him. St. Athanasuis ordained him a priest, was very
close to him, and accompanied him in his trip to Rome. He was
interested in the ministry of the poor, sick and foreigners, and he
was in charge of the hospital in Alexandria. He was the first as-
cetic St. Palladius met, who exceedingly loved him and praised
him much in his writings.
Pope Theophilus also loved him and he had endeavored to
ordain him in Constantinople after Nectarius instead of St. J ohn
Chrysostom. But this friendship had changed into a kind of enmity,
because of his submission to the Tall Brothers and the Origenists.
Origen
220
There are many stories concerning his coming to the desert.
According to Sozomen
55
, it is said that a rich woman gave him
money to spend on the needy and not to tell the Pope so that he
would not use it in building the churches. The Pope took knowl-
edge of this matter and entered into a dispute with St. Isidore, who
escaped to Nitria, where the Origenists received him in reverence.
Fr. Ammonius and some monks went to Theophilus and in vain
they interceded for Isidore. Again some of the Origenists discussed
the matter with the Pope, but the discussion ended by the impris-
onment of one of them. Ammonius and all the monks with him
then went to the prison, into which they were readily admitted by
the jailer, who imagined that they had come to bring provisions to
the prisoner; but having once obtained admission, they refused to
leave the prison. When Theophilus heard of their voluntary con-
finement, he sent to desire them to come to him. They replied, that
he ought first to take them out of prison himself, for it was not just,
after having been subjected to public indignity, that they should be
privately released from confinement. At length, however, they
yielded and went to him. Theophilus apologized for what had oc-
curred, and dismissed them as if he had no further intention of mo-
lesting them; but within himself, he raged and was vexed, and de-
termined to do them ill. He was in doubt, however, as to how he
could ill-treat them, as they had no possessions, and despised eve-
rything but philosophy, until it occurred to him, to disturb the
peace of their retirement. From his former intercourse with them
he had gathered that they condemned those who believe that God
has a human form, and that they adhered to the opinions of Origen
so he brought them into collision with the multitude of monks who
maintained the other view.
This event caused a kind of enmity between the Pope and
the Origenists, and in the second paschal letter (400 A.D) the Pope
attacked Origenism as a heresy. The Origenists created many trou-
bles in Nitria against the Pope, and when he sent some bishops to

55
Sozomen H. E. 8:12.
Origenism
221

discuss the matter they withdrew into the Church and refused to
meet them. The Pope excommunicated Amoun and his brothers in
a local council, and when he visited the desert some monks wanted
to kill the Tall Brothers, but they escaped into a tomb while their
cells were burnt. At last they left Egypt together with St. J ohn Cas-
sian, St. Isidore and about eighty monks
56
(Evagrius had died in
J anuary 399 A.D. just before the storm broke).

THE TALL BROTHERS IN PALESTINE
They went to Palestine on their way to Constantinople to
complain at court and to put their case to the Patriarch J ohn Chry-
sostom.
Pope Theophilus sent a synodical letter to 17 bishops in
Palestine and 15 in Cyprus, to explain the Origenist doctrines
57
. St.
J erome who had once translated some of Origen's works and
praised him as the greatest teacher of the church since the apos-
tles now became violently anti-Origenist. He encountered the Pal-
estinian bishop to help Pope Theophilus in his struggle against the
Origenists. St. Epiphanius of Salamis played the same role in Cy-
prus
58
.
Sozomen writes
59
,
Dioscorus and Ammonius were accompanied
hither by about eighty other monks. In the meantime,
Theophilus sent messengers to Constantinople, to bring
complaints against them and to oppose any petitions that
they might lay before the emperor. On being informed of
this fact, Ammonius and the monks embarked for Con-
stantinople, and took Isidore with them; and they re-
quested that their case might be tried in the presence of the

56
Soz.: H.E. 8:13.
57
Jerome: Ep 92.
58
Jerome: Ep 90, 92.
59
Sozomen: H. E. 8:13.
Origen
222
emperor and of the bishop; for they thought that, by reason
of his boldness, J ohn, who was careful to do right, would
be able to help them in their rights. J ohn, although he re-
ceived them with kindness, and treated them with honor,
and did not forbid them to pray in the church, refused to
admit them to participation in the mysteries, for it was not
lawful to do this before the investigation. He wrote to
Theophilus, desiring him to receive them back into com-
munion, as their sentiments concerning the Divine nature
were orthodox; requesting him, if he regarded their ortho-
doxy as doubtful, to send some one to act as their accuser.
Theophilus returned no reply to this epistle.

A COUNCIL IN CYPRUS
It occurred to Pope Theophilus that it would be advanta-
geous to enlist St. Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, in Cyprus, on his
side. In 400 A.D, Pope Theophilus writes to St. Epiphanius to ac-
quaint him that he now held the same opinions as himself, and to
move attacks against the books of Origen, as the source of such
nefarious dogmas, and to invoke a council in Cyprus for the con-
demnation of Origenism and asks him to transmit to Constantin-
ople by a trustworthy messenger a copy of its decrees together with
the synodical letter of Theophilus himself.
Theophilus to his well-beloved lord, brother, and
fellow-bishop Epiphanius.
The Lord has said to his prophet, See, I have this
day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms to root
out and to pull down and to destroy and... to build and to
plant (J er. 1:10). In every age he bestows the same grace
upon his church, that His body (Eph. 1:23) may be pre-
served intact and that the poison of heretical opinions may
nowhere prevail over it. And now also do we see the words
fulfilled. For the church of Christ not having spot or wrin-
kle or any such thing (Eph. 5:27) has with the sword of the
Origenism
223

gospel cut down the Origenist serpents crawling out of
their caves, and has delivered from their deadly contagion
the fruitful host of the monks of Nitria.
I have compressed a short account of my proceed-
ings (it was all that time would allow) into the general let-
ter which I have addressed indiscriminately to all. As your
excellency has often fought in contests of the kind before
me, it is your present duty to strengthen the hands of those
who are in the field and to gather together to this end the
bishops of your entire island.
A synodical letter should be sent to myself and the
bishop of Constantinople and to any others whom you think
fit; that by universal consent Origen himself may be ex-
pressly condemned and also the infamous heresy of which
he was the author.
I have learned that certain calumniators of the true
faith, named Ammonius, Eusebius, and Euthymius, filled
with a fresh access of enthusiasm in behalf of the heresy,
have taken ship for Constantinople, to ensnare with their
deceits as many new converts as they can and to confer
anew with the old companions of their impiety. Let it be
your care, therefore, to set forth the course for handling the
matter to all the bishops throughout Isauria and Pamphylia
and the rest of the neighboring provinces: moreover, if you
think fit, you can add my letter, so that all of us gathered
together in one spirit with the power of our Lord J esus
Christ may deliver these men unto Satan for the destruction
of the impiety which possesses them (1 Cor. 5:4,5). And to
ensure the speedy arrival of my dispatches at Constantin-
ople, send a diligent messenger, one of the clergy (as I send
fathers from the monasteries of Nitria with others also of
the monks, learned men and continent) that when they ar-
rive they may be able themselves to relate what has been
done.
Origen
224
Above all I beg of you to offer up earnest prayers to
the Lord that we may be able in this contest also to gain the
victory; for no small joy has filled the hearts of the people
both in Alexandria and throughout all Egypt, because a few
men have been expelled from the Church that the body of it
might be kept pure. Salute the brothers who are with you.
The people with us salute you in the Lord
60
.
Sozomen writes
61
,
Theophilus wrote to the bishops of every city, con-
demning the books of Origen. It also occurred to him that it
would be advantageous to enlist Epiphanius, Bishop of Sa-
lamis, in Cyprus, on his side, a man who was revered for
his life, and was the most distinguished of his contemporar-
ies; and he therefore formed a friendship with him, al-
though he had formerly blamed him for asserting that God
possessed a human form. As if repentant of having ever
entertained any other sentiment, Theophilus wrote to
Epiphanius to acquaint him that he now held the same
opinions as himself, and to move attacks against the books
of Origen, as the source of such nefarious dogmas.
Epiphanius had long regarded the writings of Origen with
peculiar aversion, and was therefore easily led to attach
credit to the epistle of Theophilus. He soon after assembled
the bishops of Cyprus together, and prohibited the exami-
nation of the books of Origen.
St. Epiphanius wrote a letter to St. J erome, in which he de-
scribes the success of his council, covered at the suggestion of
Pope Theophilus, with a copy of its synodical letter, and urges him
to go on with his work of translating into Latin documents bearing
on the Origenistic controversy:

60
See N& PN Frs, series 2, vol. 6, p. 184.
61
Sozomen H.E.8:14.
Origenism
225

The presbyter J erome, Epiphanius sends a
greeting, in the Lord.
The general epistle written to all Catholics
belongs particularly to you; for you, having a zeal for the
faith against all heresies, particularly oppose the disciples
of Origen and of Apollinaris; whose poisoned roots and
deeply planted impiety almighty God has dragged forth
into our midst, that having been unearthed at Alexandria
they might wither throughout the world.
For know, my beloved son, that Amalak has
been destroyed root and branch and that the trophy of the
cross has been set up on the hill of Rephidim
62
. For as when
the hands of Moses were held up on high Israel prevailed,
so the Lord has strengthened His servant Theophilus to
plant His standard against Origen on the altar of the church
of Alexandria; that in him might be fulfilled the words :
Write this for a memorial, for I will utterly put out Ori-
gens heresy from under heaven together with that of Ame-
lek himself.
And that I may not appear to be repeating
the same things over and over and thus to be making the
same my letter tedious, I send you the actual missive writ-
ten to me that you may know what Theophilus has said to
me, and what a great blessing the Lord has granted to my
last days in approving the principles which I have always
proclaimed by the testimony of so great a prelate.
I fancy that by this time you also have pub-
lished something and that, as I suggested in my former let-
ter to you on this subject, you have elaborated a treatise for
readers of your own language. For I hear that certain of
those who have been shipwrecked have come also to the
West, and that, not content with their own destruction, they
desire to involve others in death with them; as if they

62
The monk Ammonius is said to have done this and similar things. (N&PN Frs).
Origen
226
thought that the multitude of sinners lessens the guilt of sin
and the flames of Gehenna do not grow in size in propor-
tion as more logs are heaped upon them.
With you and by you we send our best greet-
ings to the reverend brothers who are with you in the mon-
astery serving God.

THE TALL BROTHERS IN CONSTANTINOPLE
The Origenists went to Constantinople where St. J ohn
Chrysostom received them joyfully, perhaps for his love of the
Egyptian monks or to reconcile them with their Pope. In his Homi-
lies on Matthew, Chrysostom says that the sky with its stars is not
in the brightness of the desert of Egypt with its monks; and else-
where he says that the Egyptians feed the bodies of the Conston-
tinoplians with their wheat, and their hearts with their faith.
St. Chrysostom opened his heart and his residency to them;
and the deaconess, widows and virgins served them, the matter on
which Pope Theophilus blamed them
63
. The Origenists asked St.
Chrysostom to reconcile them with their Pope, so that they might
return to Egypt
64
.
Palladius who hated Pope Theophilus describes those
monks approach of St. J ohn Chrysostom, saying,
The monks then were forced by necessity to move
about from place to place, and they finally reached the
capital, where Bishop J ohn had been installed by Gods
hand for the spiritual guidance of our rulers.
They fell down at his knees, imploring him to help
souls plundered and abandoned by those more accustomed
to this action than to doing good. J ohn arose and beheld
fifty sincere men with habits worn gray with their holy la-
bors. Stung to the quick by his feelings of brotherly love as

63
Ibid. 25, 26.
64
Palladius. PG 47:24, 25.
Origenism
227

was J oseph, he burst into tears and asked them: What sort
of boar of the wood... or singular wild beast has been doing
mischief to this fruitful vine?
Then they said: Please be seated, father, and bind
up the horrible wounds we have suffered because of Pope
Theophilus madness, if indeed you can heal our swollen
wounds. For if you cannot speak up for us either out of re-
spect or fear of Theophilus, so is the case with other bish-
ops. Then the only thing left for us to do is to approach the
emperor and acquaint him with the mans evil actions,
thereby bringing ill fame to the Church. If you have any
interest in the well-being of the Church, then, consider our
petition and please persuade Theophilus to allow us to go
to our home in Egypt. We have done no wrong against the
law of the Savior or against him
65
.

CHRYSOSTOM INTERCEDES FOR THE MONKS
Palladius says,
J ohn thought he could easily change Theophilus
bad feeling towards the monk and willingly took up the
matter. He called them together and instructed them for the
love of God they should not reveal the reason for their pres-
ence until I send word to my brother Theophilus. He
gave them quarters in the Church of the Resurrection for
sleeping, but did not provide for other necessities of life.
Some pious women brought their daily sustenance, and
they themselves helped to some extent by the labor of their
own hands.
There happened at that time to be some of Theophi-
lus clergy in Constantinople, who had come to buy offices
from newly appointed officials in the Egyptian province.
Some of them were courting favor with him by helping to

65
Palladius: On St. John Chrysostom (ACW), p. 46-47.
Origen
228
destroy those who were harassing him. So J ohn called them
in to ask if they knew the ascetics who were present. They
willingly gave a good report of them, saying: We know
them and they have suffered great violence. But if it please
you, master, do not allow them communion in the spiritual
feast as it will annoy the Pope (Theophilus), but be consid-
erate of them in every other respect. That would be more
fitting for you as bishop.
St. Chrysostom sent to Pope Theophilus, interceding for the
monks, telling him their complaint and defending them and Ori-
gen, and asking forgiveness for the monks. He writes that he is in a
critical position and does not know what he could do.
Palladius also writes,
So J ohn did not receive them into communion, but
did write a letter to Theophilus beseeching him: Please do
me the favor as your son and your brother and take these
men in your arms.
Theophilus did not grant them that favor, but he did
send along certain men well practiced in verbal disputation-
we spoke about them above-and he had prepared them to
present requirements which he had laid down as was his
custom. These contained false statements including every
sort of accusation regarding their spiritual life, since he
found nothing wrong in their lives outwardly. Thus he pre-
pared the way for them to be pointed out at the palace as
frauds.
Pope Theophilus was very angry, specially when he knew
that they participated in the public worship, although St. Chry-
sostom asked them not to receive the holy communion till he
would receive an answer from the Pope.

Origenism
229

CHRYSOSTOM FINDS THEOPHILUS IMPLACABLE
Palladius says,
The ascetics then saw they not only could not cor-
rect his view but acutely incited him to greater anger, and
they sent him a delegation of worthy men declaring that
they had anathematized all false doctrine. Then they gave a
petition to J ohn which explained the various forms of tyr-
anny from which they suffered along with certain subjects I
should be ashamed to speak of before young people. I fear
that in doing so I should shake their faith in the veracity of
my statements. I am sure that even more advanced souls
might not even believe me.
Then J ohn himself and through other bishops called
on them to drop their accusations against Theophilus be-
cause of the mortification of such a trial. He wrote to
Theophilus: The men are driven to such a degree of dis-
tress that they are filing a formal indictment against you.
Answer them as seems best to you, for they refuse to leave
the capital for me.
Theophilus was greatly incensed at this. He sus-
pended the brother of the monks from his own church,
namely Bishop Dioscorus, who had grown old in the ser-
vice. Then he wrote to Bishop Dioscorus, who had grown
old in the service :I believe that you are not aware of the
order of the Canons of Nicea where they declare: A
bishop may not judge a case beyond his boundaries; if so
(and you know it full well), drop these charges against me.
For if it were necessary for me to be judged, it should be by
Egyptian judges, and not here with you at the distance of a
seventy-five days journey.

Origen
230
THE MONKS APPEAL TO EMPRESS EUDOXIA
Sozomen writes
66
,
Some time subsequently, Ammonius and his com-
panions presented themselves before the wife of the em-
peror, as she was riding out, and complained of the machi-
nations of Theophilus against them. She knew what had
been plotted against them; and she stood up in honor of
them; and, leaning forward from her royal chariot, she nod-
ded, and said to them, Pray for the emperor, for me, for
our children, and for the empire. For my part, I shall shortly
cause a council to be convened, to which Theophilus shall
be summoned. Due to a false report that prevailed in Al-
exandria, that J ohn had received Dioscorus and his com-
panions into communion, and had afforded them every aid
and encouragement in his power, Theophilus began to
adopt a strategy in order to eject J ohn from his episcopate.
Palladius writes,
J ohn received the letter and read it, but kept it to
himself, and the matter of peace was discussed with the as-
cetics of both parties. Both sides were exasperated at hear-
ing him, the one because they had been subjected to tyr-
anny, the other because they could have no power to en-
force peace without Theophilus. It had been at his orders
that they brought forth the petitions of false accusation.
J ohn had given his answer and had then put the whole mat-
ter out of his mind.
Then the monks of the aggrieved party withdrew
and brought up a long petition charging the other party of
monks as being guilty of libel-and all the rest about Theo-
philus-lest I say any more of what everyone knows full
well already. They came and made an appeal to their maj-
esties in the Shrine of Saint J ohn. They approached the

66
Sozomen: H. E. 8:13.
Origenism
231

Empress and begged that the case of the defendant monks
be thoroughly investigated by the prefects. They begged
that Theophilus be judged before J ohn, whether he was
willing or not. The petition was made and this was the de-
cree: Theophilus is to be summoned by the magistrate and
must appear, willing or unwilling, to stand trial before
J ohn; furthermore, Theophilus monks should prove the
charges made against the holy men or pay the penalty for
falsely accusing them.

THEOPHILUS SUMMONED TO CONSTANTINOPLE
So it was that Elaphius, one of the captains, was
sent to Alexandria to bring Theophilus. The prefects were
carrying out the rest of the empress reply. The preliminary
trial was held and resulted in a doubtful decision... The
wretched monks, fearful of the decision, awaited the arrival
of Theophilus who had suggested the petitions and actually
dictated them. The military put them into prison as Theo-
philus was long delayed in coming. He eased the matter
along by bribes, and some of the monks were sentenced to
be transported to Proconnesus for malicious accusation at
the final inquiry.

THE SON OF THE EMPRESS AND ST. EPIPHANIUS.
About this time, the son of the empress was attacked by a
dangerous illness, and the mother, apprehensive of consequences,
sent to implore St. Epiphanius to pray for him. St. Epiphanius re-
turned the answer, that the sick one would live, provided that she
would avoid all intercourse with the heretic Dioscorus and his
companions the Origenists.
To this message the empress replied as follows:
If it be the will of God to take my son, His will be done.
The Lord who gave me my child, can take him back again.
Origen
232
You have not power to raise the dead, otherwise your arch-
deacon would not have died.
She alluded to Chrispion, the archdeacon, who had died a
short time previously. He was the brother of two monks called
Fuscon and Salamanus, and who had been companions of St.
Epiphanius, and had been appointed his archdeacons.

CONFERENCE BETWEEN THE TALL BROTHERS AND
EPIPHANIUS
Ammonius and his companions went to St. Epiphanius, at
the permission of the empress. Epiphanius inquired who they were,
and Ammonius replied, We are, O father, the Tall Brothers; we
come respectfully to know whether you have read any of our
works or those of our disciples? On St. Epiphanius replying that
he had not seen them, he continued, How is it, then, that you con-
sider us to be heretics, when you have no proof as to what senti-
ments we may hold? St. Epiphanius said that he had formed his
judgment by the reports he had heard on the subject; and Ammo-
nius replied, We have pursued a very different line of conduct
from yours. We have conversed with your disciples, and read your
works frequently, and among others, that entitled The Anchored.
When we have met with persons who have ridiculed your opinions,
and asserted that your writings are replete with heresy, we have
contended for you, and defended you as our father. Ought you then
to condemn the absent upon mere report, and of whom you know
nothing with assured certitude, or return such an exchange to those
who have spoken well of you? St. Epiphanius was measurably
convinced, and dismissed them. Soon after he embarked for Cy-
prus, either because he recognized the futility of his journey to
Constantinople, or because, as there is reason to believe, God had
revealed to him his approaching death; for he died while on his
voyage back to Cyprus. It is reported that he said to the bishops
who had accompanied him to the place of embarkation, I leave
you the city, the palace, and the stage, for I shall shortly depart.
Origenism
233

ST. EPIPHANIUS IN CONSTANTINOPLE
At the beginning of 403 A.D St. Epiphanius who was about
eighty-five years old went to Constantinople, considering this trip
an honor to him, for struggling against the most serious heresy,
i.e., Origenism.
On his arrival he found things in Constantinople had
changed, for the empress hated extremely St. Chrysostom, and de-
sired to get rid of him. St. Epiphanius attacked St. J ohn Chry-
sostom for receiving those heretics. The Empress Eudoxia who
hated St. Chrysostom used Pope Theophilus as a tool for revenge.
The council of Oak was held in 403 A.D, under the presidency of
Theophilus to condemn St. Chrysostom, who was exiled to Co-
mana (Tokat) where he died on 14 September 407 A.D.
On the demand of the empress, the council was held under
the presidency of Theophilus. The problem of the Tall Brothers
was not mentioned, and St. Chrysostom was not accused of Ori-
genism, for there was no doubt about his orthodoxy. Besides, the
Origenists became almost without leader, for Bishop Dioscorus
died shortly before the council was held, and Ammonius who ac-
companied the Origenist monks died on his arrival at the Oak.
Pope Theophilus mourned exceedingly and praised him, saying
that he knows no other monk like him. Herax felt that this problem
spoiled his purity and monastic life, therefore he entered the inner
desert, devoting his life to worship. In the same year (403 A.D)
Isidore also departed from this world. St. J ohn Chrysostom was
unable to defend or even to intercede for them, as he was absorbed
in his problem with the empress.
It is worthy to mention that on the arrival of the Origenists
to the desert, Pope Theophilus sent to them and stretched his arms
to them. They apologized to him under the pressure of certain
bishops, and the Pope received them without asking them to de-
clare their faith, which meant that the problem in its essence was
not doctrinal.
Origen
234
THE ORIGENIST CRISES
OF THE SIXTH CENTURY

ORIGEN AND ORIGENISM
J ohn Meyendorff says,
The question has long been asked whether the Origenism of
the sixth century was really the doctrine of the great Alex-
andrian doctor.
Most historians who devote themselves to the study
of Origen adopt a sympathetic and often admiring attitude
toward him. Consciously or unconsciously preoccupied by
the problem of a Christian witness in a non-Christian
world, they are led to admire Origen as a Christian thinker
who managed to make himself understood by the pagan
Greeks and who created a Christian theology that studi-
ously expressed itself in philosophical categories accept-
able to non-Christians. Origens merits in this respect are
undeniable and most genuine. On the historical level, this
personal rehabilitation of Origen has raised the problem of
distinguishing between his own ideas and those of his dis-
ciples. Was Origen himself, or only a few Origenists, the
cause of the troubles of the fourth and the sixth centuries?
The problem consists of knowing whether these Origenists
were faithful to their master or had, in fact, corrupted his
teaching.
Some historians tend to present the disputed ques-
tions of the fourth century, which were finally condemned
in the sixth, as having nothing to do with Origen himself
67
.

67
John Meyendorff: Christ in Eastern Christian Thought, St. Vladimir Seminary 1975, p. 48.
Origenism
235

Henri Crouzel
68
gives a brief account of the history of Ori-
genism. He states that we can distinguish in Origenism six succes-
sive moments:
1. The whole of the speculations which, through the in-
comprehension of his successors, constituted the basis of later Ori-
genism.
2. Origenism as understood by his third and fourth centu-
ries detractors: Methodius, Peter of Alexandria, and Eustathius of
Antioch. These were answered by Pamphiluss Apology of Origen.
Besides the pre-existence of the soul and apocatastasis, they con-
tested, through a series of misunderstandings, the doctrine of the
resurrected body and of eternal creation.
3. Origenism of the Egyptian and Palestinian monks (in the
second half of the fourth century): it was expounded mainly by
Evagrus of Pontus in the Kephalaia Gnostica.
Evagrius scholasticized Origens thought, suppressing its
internal tensions and leaving out a great part of his doctrine so as
to construct a system with what remained; this was the surest way
to make it heretical, since heresy is the suppression and fragmenta-
tion of the antitheses that characterize Christian doctrine.
4. The most important moment was Origen as the fourth
and fifth centuries anti-Origenists: Epiphanius, J erome and Theo-
philus of Alexandria, opposed him, while Origen was defended by
J ohn of J erusalem and Rufinus of Aquileia.
They accused Origen in view of the heresies of their own
time, especially Arianism, without asking what were those that he
had to face and which determined his particular problems... They
never made systematic studies of Origens work and they based
their accusations on isolated texts, taking no account of the expla-

68
Cf. Encyclopedia of the Early Church, Oxford 1992, vol. 2, p. 623.
Origen
236
nations often found in other passages in the same book, sometimes
only a few lines away.
The battle began with Epiphanius, metropolitan of Salamis
or Constantia in Cyprus: he classified Origens heresy together
with those that filled his Ancoratus and his Panarion, and insisted
on obtaining a condemnation of Origen from bishop J ohn of J eru-
salem. In 393 A.D a certain Atarbius, by what right we do not
know, made a round of the convents of Palestine gathering signa-
tures for Origens condemnation. He was received by Rufinus in
his convent on the Mount of Olives, against all expectation he was
welcomed by J erome, until then an ardent defender of Origen, in
his monastery at Bethlehem. The battle grew more bitter, with
Rufinus and J ohn against J erome and Epiphanius. A reconciliation
was reached between Rufinus and J erome, but the dispute was re-
vived when Rufinus, back in Rome, translated book I of Pamphi-
luss Apologia, followed by the Peri Archon (De Principiis), a
manuscript which, purloined by Eusebius of Cremona, a monk and
friend of J erome, scandalized J eromes Roman friends. They
obliged J erome to make a new translation of the Peri Archon
which, with the intention of being literal, highlighted Origens
heresies and Rufinuss inexactitudes, and did everything to embit-
ter thoughts. Meanwhile the patriarch of Alexandria, Theophilus,
was chosen to arbitrate between the two contending parties. At
first favorable to Origen, in the interests of the Politics of the Pa-
triarchate, he changed sides, expelled the auxiliary bishop Isidore
and the Tall Brothers, and obtained the deposition of J ohn Chry-
sostom who had given them asylum in Constantinople. He con-
demned Origen at a regional synod in 400 A.D: these events had
immediate repercussions in the West, thanks to J erome, and are
echoed in two letters of Anastasius of Rome. This first dispute
terminated in 402 A.D with Rufinuss silence.
5. The Origenistic controversy flared up in the first half of
the sixth century, being described in detail in the Life of St. Saba
by Cyril of Scythopolis. Origenism had been propagated especially
Origenism
237

in the New Laura, near J erusalem. Origenism or rather the Evagri-
anism was also propagated among the Palestinian monks who lived
in monasteries under the obedience of St. Sabas. The main expres-
sion of their doctrine is the Book of St. Hierotheus, the work of the
Syrian monk Stephen bar Sudayle, who aggravated Evagriuss
Origenist scholasticism into a radical pantheism. Between
J ustinians first and second interventions, these Origenists were
divided into two groups.
J . Meyendorff states that recent studies have shed new light
on Evagrius Ponticus, who was the great interpreter in the fourth
century of Origenist ideas to Egyptian and Palestinian monks. He
and not Origen is the one responsible of the Origen system. He
says,
The recent publication of Evagrius Ponticus Gnos-
tic Chapters, in which the doctrine condemned in 553
(A.D) is found, makes it possible to measure all the signifi-
cance of the decisions of the fifth council. The assemblys
target was not a phantom Origenism but the genuine doc-
trines of one of the spiritual masters of Eastern monasti-
cism, Evagrius
69
.
The Origenist monks at J erusalem split into two parties:
a. The extremists were called Isochristi, since they held
that both at the beginning and at the end all the minds are equal
to Christ: his superiority over them is only provisional; he had no
part in the original sin.
b. The moderates, whose tardy alliance with the anti-
Origenists led to the condemnation of the Isochristi, were called
Protoctists, since they attributed to Christ a superiority over the
other minds. They seem to have regarded the soul of Christ not as
equal to the other souls but as the most excellent of creatures.
They, after renouncing the doctrine of the pre-existence of souls,
made common cause with the orthodox against the Isochrists.

69
Origen
238
Their opponents inflicted the surname tetraditi on them, accusing
them of transforming the Trinity into a tetrad by introducing
Christs humanity into it.
6. They presumed Origenism against which the emperor
J ustinians condemnatory documents were directed.

ORIGENISM AND EMPEROR JUSTINIAN
70

Two important letters of Emperor J ustinian describe the
doctrinal problem posed by Origenism in the sixth century. The
first is one addressed in 543 A.D to the five patriarchs, but better
known as the Letter to Menas, Patriarch of Constantinople, in
which Origen is numbered among the most pernicious heretics.
Upon the Emperors command a Council was convoked at
Constantinople in 543 A.D, and an edict drawn up in accordance
with J ustinians views giving a long list of Origenistic errors and
their refutation.
The second imperial letter was addressed to the council of
553 A.D.
The Origenisic controversy was ended by the (Second)
Council of Constantinople in 553 A.D, which approved fifteen
anathematizes. Anathematizes 2, 3, 4, and 5, condemn very pre-
cisely these Origenist ideas on the Origens of the world and on the
nature of the hierarchy that diversifies beings (Anathemas 2 and
4).
The first anathema of the fifth council is devoted to the
doctrine of the pre-existence of souls.
The doctrine of apocatastasis is again condemned in the
terms that Origen liked to use in the De Principiis (Anathema 15).
According to Origen, Satan himself would have his place
as a spiritual creature of God in the restored intellectual universe,

70
John Meyendorff: Christ in Eastern Christian Thought, p. 52ff.
Origenism
239

evidently after ceasing to be Gods enemy. This point is con-
demned by name in the twelfth anathematism. Only the material
bodies are fated to disappear, according to Origen. Hence the elev-
enth anathema.
Undoubtedly, the Letter to Menas of the Emperor J ustinian
and the anathematisms of the fifth council do not always present a
faithful picture of Origen. Their criticisms are based always and
solely on the De Principiis. As is well-known, Origen was gener-
ally far more reticent in his other works, especially his commentar-
ies, about the more dubious points of his doctrine, for example, the
problem of the resurrection of the body. Some of the condemned
doctrines, especially relating to the spherical form of the risen
body of Christ (Anathema 10), have no parallel in the known texts
of Origen. It must, however, be pointed out that the name of Di-
dymus is attached to those of Origen and Evagrius in the contem-
porary sources that speak of the condemnations of 553 A.D. It is
therefore a priority possible that the tenth anathematism is con-
cerned with one of his lost writings.

THE ANATHEMAS AGAINST ORIGEN
71

1. If anyone asserts the fabulous pre-existence of souls, and
shall assert the monstrous restoration which follows from it: let
him be anathema.
2. If anyone shall say that the creation of all reasonable
things includes only intelligences without bodies and altogether
immaterial, having neither number nor name, so that there is unity
between them all by identity of substance, force and energy, and
by their union with and knowledge of God the Word; but that no
longer desiring the sight of God, they gave themselves over to
worse things, each one following his own inclinations, and that
they have taken bodies more or less subtle, and have received
names, for among the heavenly Powers there is a difference of

71
N& PN Frs., series 2,vol. 14,p. 318-319.
Origen
240
names as there is also difference of bodies; and thence some be-
came and are called Cherubim, others Seraphim, and Principalities,
and Powers, and Dominations, and Thrones, and Angels, and as
many other heavenly orders as there may be: let him be anathema.
3. If anyone shall say that the sun, the moon and the stars
are also reasonable beings, and that they have only become what
they are because they turned towards evil: let him be anathema.
4. If anyone shall say that the reasonable creatures in whom
the divine love had grown cold have been hidden in gross bodies
such as ours, and have been called men, while those who have at-
tained the lowest degree of wickedness have shared cold and ob-
scure bodies and are become and called demons and evil spirits: let
him be anathema.
5. If anyone shall say that a psychic condition has come
from an angelic or archangelic state, and moreover that a demoniac
and a human condition has come from a psychic condition, and
that from a human state they may become again angels and de-
mons, and that each order of heavenly virtues is either all from
those below or from those above, or from those above and below:
let him be anathema.
6. If anyone shall say that there is a twofold race of de-
mons, of which the one includes the souls of men and the other the
superior spirits who fell to this, and that of all the number of rea-
sonable beings there is but one which has remained unshaken in
the love and contemplation of God, and that that spirit has become
Christ and the king of all reasonable beings, and that he has cre-
ated all the bodies which exist in heaven, on earth, and between
heaven and earth; and that the world which has in itself elements
more ancient than itself, and which exists by themselves, viz.: dry-
ness, damp, heat and cold, and the image (icon) to which it was
formed, was so formed, and that the most holy and consubstantial
Trinity did not create the world, but that it was created by the
Origenism
241

working intelligence which is more ancient than the world, and
which communicates to it its being: let him be anathema.
7. If anyone shall say that Christ, of whom it is said that he
appeared in the form of God, and that he was united before all time
with God, the Word, and humbled Himself in these last days even
to humanity, had (according to their expression) pity upon the di-
vers falls which had appeared in the spirits united in the same unity
(of which he himself is part), and that to restore them he passed
through divers classes, had different bodies and different names,
became all to all, an Angel among Angels, a Power among Powers,
has clothed Himself in the different classes of reasonable beings
with a form corresponding to that class, and finally has taken flesh
and blood like ours and has become man for men; [if anyone says
all this] and does not profess that God the Word humbled himself
and became man: let him be anathema.
8. If anyone shall not acknowledge that God the Word, of
the same substance with the Father and the Holy Ghost, and who
was made flesh and became man, one of the Trinity, is Christ in
every sense of the word, but [shall affirm] that he is so only in an
inaccurate manner, and because of the abasement , as they call it,
of the intelligence ; if anyone shall affirm that this intelligence
united to God the Word, is the Christ in the true sense of the word,
while the Logos is only called Christ because of this union with the
intelligence, and e converso that the intelligence is only called God
because of the Logos: let him be anathema.
9. If anyone shall say that it was not the Divine Logos
made man by taking an animated body with a (psychi logicy) and
(noera), that he descended into hell and ascended into heaven, but
shall pretend that it is the (Nous) which has done this, that (Nous)
of which they say (in an impious fashion) he is Christ properly so
called, and that he has become so by the knowledge of the Monad:
Origen
242
10. If anyone shall say that after the resurrection the body
of the Lord was ethereal, having the form of a sphere, and that
such shall be the bodies of all after the resurrection; and that after
the Lord himself shall have rejected his true body and after the
others who rise shall have rejected theirs, the nature of their bodies
shall be annihilated: let him be anathema.
11. If anyone shall say that the future judgment signifies
the destruction of the body and that the end of the story will be an
immaterial , and that thereafter there will no longer be any matter,
but only spirit (nous): let him be anathema.
12. If anyone shall say that the heavenly Powers and all
men and the Devil and evil spirits are united with the Word of God
in all respects, as the (Nous) which is by them called Christ and
which is in the form of God, and which humbled itself as they say;
and [if anyone shall say] that the Kingdom of Christ shall have an
end: let him be anathema.
13. If anyone shall say that Christ is in no wise different
from other reasonable beings, neither substantially nor by wisdom
nor by his power and might over all things but that all will be
placed at the right hand of God, as well as he that is called by them
Christ, as also they were in the feigned pre-existence of all things:
14. If anyone shall say that all reasonable beings will one
day be united in one, when the hypostases as well as the numbers
and the bodies shall have disappeared, and that the knowledge of
the world to come will carry with it the ruin of the worlds, and the
rejection of bodies as also the abolition of [all] names, and that
there shall be finally an identity of the (gnosis) and of the hyposta-
sis; moreover, that in this pretended apocatastasis, spirits only will
continue to exist, as it was in the feigned pre-existence: let him be
anathema.
15. If anyone shall say that the life of the spirits (noon)
shall be like to the life which was in the beginning while as yet the
Origenism
243

spirits had not come down or fallen, so that the end and the begin-
ning shall be alike, and that the end shall be the true measure of the
beginning: let him be anathema.
Origen
244
FALSE DOCTRINES
ATTRIBUTED TO ORIGEN

Now, I give a brief account of Origens doctrinal faults; he
himself declared that some of them were introduced into his writ-
ings to disfigure his personality.
Henri Crouzel says that Origen was read in the 4th and 5th
centuries by theologians preoccupied with heresies
72
. They chal-
lenged the Origenism of their time rather than Origen himself,
dead for a century and a half.
I have already mentioned the accusations of Origens doc-
trinal faults. The main faults are:
1. The pre-existence of souls.
2. The apokatastasis.
3. The mode of the resurrection.
4. Subordination.
Tixeront states that these Origenist doctrines had not much
importance especially in the East, but their effects were felt in the
Latin Church
73
.
In the East, St. Demitrius, Pope of Alexandria, condemned
Origen and his teachings in a local council. St. Theophilus, Pope of
Alexandria, who, after favoring Origen's disciples, became their
opponent, succeeded in having his doctrines condemned in a coun-
cil of Alexandria in the year 399/400 A.D. St. Epiphanius of Se-
lamis also held a council of Cyprus, in the year 399 A.D or 401
A.D, and entered into correspondence with St. J erome for the pur-
pose of persuading him to translate into Latin his own paschal and
synodal letters on the subject.

72
Cf. Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 175.
73
Tixorent: History of Dogmas, 1914, vol. 2, p. 333.
Origenism
245

In the West, St. J erome at first intensely admired Origen.
and St. Ambrose had largely drawn from Origen's writings. It was
chiefly Rufinus, however, who by his translation of the "De Prin-
cipiis (Pari-Arkhon)" in the year 397 A.D, contributed to spread
abroad in the West the Origenist doctrines
74
. These doctrines soon
found many supporters among priests, monks, and especially
among the laity
75
; and - in one way or another - they had their ef-
fects on St. Augustine
76
and on Orosius
77
which were held in the
name of God's mercy and of the redeeming efficacy of the true
faith in J esus Christ
78
. In the year 400 A.D, Anastasius of Rome
condemned Origen's teaching while the Emperor forbade the read-
ing of his books
79
. In 542/3 A.D Emperor J ustinian published a
long refutation of Origenism as a serious heresy.

V V V

74
Ibid, p. 331.
75
Jerome: Ep. 62:2; 85:3; 127:9; Anastasius: Ep. 1:3 (PL 80:16).
76
Augustine: De Civ. Dei 21:17-22; De fide et operibus 1:21; Enchiridion 67,112, In Psalm 80:20
etc...
77
De aebitrii libertate (PL 31:1185).
78
Enchir. 112; De Civit Dei 21:26:1; 24:3.
79
Anast: Ep 1,2.
Origen
246
1. THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF SOULS
80

I. ITS SOURCE
From the time of Plato, this idea Pre-existence of the soul
of men had led many thinkers astray. It seemed to them to provide
the solution of this difficult problem: How can the original ine-
quality of souls be explained without calling in question the equi-
table Providence of God? Plato had already answered the difficulty
by
81
the myth of Er the Armenian, and drew this conclusion: God is
not responsible; the soul chose her lot before her birth.
St. Clement had rightly set this solution aside. He says,
We did not exist before God made us. For if one were to accept
our pre-existence, we should have to know where we were and
how and why we have come into this world
82
.
Origen returned to it.

II. THE MAIN BASICS OF THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF
SOULS
Origen set aside Plato's idea of a transference of souls from
one human body to another
83
, and rejected the Pythagorean metem-
psychosis, which teaches that human souls pass into the bodies of
animals
84
.
Origens theory is based on the following principals:
1. In his defense
85
of man's freedom and Gods justice
against the Gnostics he adopted the theory of the pre-existence of

80
Cf. Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty:Man And Redemption, 1991, p. 8; Lebreton, 1947, p. 938-9.
81
Fragment of a letter to his friends, quoted by Rufinus, De adulteratione liborum Origenis.
82
Eclogae propheticae 17:1.
83
Contra Celsum 4:17.
84
Ibid 5:49; 8:30.
85
De Principiis 2:9:2-6.
Origenism
247

human souls. He states that God - out of His goodness - created
rational essences, all of them were equal and alike, and they were
granted free will. They had to be advanced by imitating God or to
fall away by neglecting Him, to depart from good being tanta-
mount to settling down to evil. He states that all souls are eternal,
created by God, and equal to one another
86
.
2. Souls pre-existed, when they fell in sin they were clothed
with material bodies and came to the world of sense for purifica-
tion by imposing punishment upon them. The sins committed by
the souls in the preceding world explains the different measure of
graces which God bestows on every one and the diversity of men
here on earth.
3. When contemplating Gods supreme view of His be-
loved creature, i.e., man, and Gods close and deep relationship
with him, has incited Origen to believe that mans soul is much
greater than to be attributed to this visible world. Erroneously, he
believed that the soul existed before the body to which it was as-
signed as a penalty for its sin. The Alexandrians rejected this Ori-
genist theory, for it deforms the believers view of the body and
also of the world. In fact this body is not a jail where the soul is
imprisoned but is a good divine gift, that helps the soul and par-
takes with it in all human needs, and will partake with it in the
heavenly glory
87
.
Before the ages, they were all pure intelligences, whether
demons or souls or angels. One of them, the Devil, since he pos-
sessed free will, chose to resist God and God rejected him. Other
powers fell away with him becoming demons. Other souls that had
not sinned so grievously as to become demons, therefore God
made the present world, binding the souls to the bodies as a pun-
ishment
88
.

86
De Principiis 2.96.
87
Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty: Man and Redemption, Alexandria 1991, p. 4.
88
Ibid 2:6:3 (See St. Jerome: Ep. ad Avitum 124:6).
Origen
248
4. Fall is due to the free will which is one of the essential
characteristics of rational creatures. Origen emphasizes the per-
sonal sins of individuals who have followed Adam's example
rather than their solidarity with his guilt. He believes that each one
of us was banished from Paradise for his personal transgression
89
.
5. According to Origen, men are pure intelligences fallen
from their former splendor and united with bodies which are not
evil. He opposed
90
those who condemn the body as the principal of
evil, and teaches that evil resides in the will alone
91
.
6. Origen thinks that the sensible world, created by God for
the purification of fallen souls, will come to an end when all will
have been restored to their original purity.
Under the influence of divine Providence, the world will
end in the triumph of the Good. The end will consist in the submis-
sion of all to God, as St. Paul says: God will be all in all (Cf. 1
Cor. 15:23-28). I will return to this point in my speech on the apo-
katastasis.
Origens system which shaped his cosmology has two main
axes: Providence and liberty. It was the will of Providence that all
(rational creatures) should possess the good to the same degree,
any difference of status among them would have to be accounted
for by the use they had made of their freedom. A similar principle
governs his eschatology. Sin is the withdrawal of the will from the
good. Therefore the only question is to know how free creatures
are to return to the good
92
. Origens doctrine of the pre-existence of
souls is connected with his idea of a universal restoration. At the
end death will be conquered and all souls, even demons, will be
saved. All rational creatures will be equal at the end
93
.

89
Kelly: Early Christian Doctrines, 1978, p. 180f.
90
Contra Celsus 5:21.
91
Kelly, p. 180f.
92
Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 276.
93
De Principiis 1:6.
Origenism
249

This similarity between end and beginning must not be
taken too strictly to mean a perfect identity and equality: beginning
and end are similar because of the submission of all to God, but
that does not exclude the possibility of progress between the be-
ginning and the end
94
.
Origen raises several times the question of successive
worlds. After this present world others will follow, the results of
new failures, due like the first to the weakness of free creatures.
Following out the logic of the system, some even came to allow
the salvation of the devil: Origen was blamed for this, but he pro-
tested that "even an idiot could not hold such a thesis."

II. THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF SOULS AND THE
HEAVENLY CHURCH
As he believed in the pre-existence of souls, he regards the
heavenly Church as the assembly of all the saints, having existed
since before creation
95
.

III. THE CONTINUOS PROGRESS IN EVIL OR
GOODNESS
Origen believes that through freedom which is granted to
the rational creatures, souls of men are continuously risen up or
fallen down, or in unceasing progress in evil or goodness.
These are the souls of men, some of whom, in con-
sequence of their progress, we see taken up into the order
of angels, those, namely, who have been made sons of
God or sons of the resurrection or those who forsaking
the darkness have loved the light and have been made sons
of the light; or those who, after winning every fight and
being changed into men of peace, become sons of peace
and sons of God; or those who, by mortifying their mem-

94
Henri Crouzel: Origen, p. 205.
95
Song of Songs 2.
Origen
250
bers which are upon the earth and rising superior not only
to their bodily nature but even to the wavering and fragile
movements of the soul itself, have joined themselves to the
Lord, being made wholly spiritual, so as to be always one
spirit, with him, judging each individual thing in company
with him, until they reach the point when they become per-
fect spiritual men and judge all things, because their
mind is illuminated in all holiness through the word and
wisdom of God, while they themselves are utterly incapable
of being judged by any man
96
.
When the soul moves away from the good and in-
clines towards evil it becomes more and more involved in
this. Then, unless it turns back, it is rendered brutish by its
folly and bestial by its wickedness. And it is carried to-
wards the conditions of unreason and, so to speak, of the
watery life. Then, as befits the degree of its fall into evil, it
is clothed with the body of this or that irrational animal
97
.

IV. THE SOUL OF CHRIST
It is noted that Origen (and Evagrius his disciple) who be-
lieved in the pre-existence of the soul of man declared that in
Christ the Logos dwelt in the soul that pre-exists the body
98
. But
the Alexandrians elsewhere outlined the features of the "Incarnate
Logos" so powerfully that an idea of the "incarnation of souls" was
excluded
99
.
The pre-existence and the future re-incarnation of
the human soul was a doctrine that met with much opposi-

96
De Principiis 1:8 (Henri De Lubac).
97
De Principiis 1:8:4 (Cf. Butterworth).
98
Comm. in Joan 20:19.
99
Aloys Grillmeier: Christ in Christian Tradition, vol. 1, London 1975, p. 381; Fr, T.Y. Malaty: The
Terms Physis & Hypostasis in the Early Church, Alexandria 1987, p. 7.
Origenism
251

tion in the Church on account of its obvious connection
with Greek and oriental speculation. But it led even Origen
himself into a difficulty when he came to discuss the Incar-
nation. J esus, as man, possessed a soul. Had this soul a pre-
existence, like all others? Origen answered that it had. In
the beginning, when other souls were declining from God,
the soul of J esus retained its innocence and continued by its
own free choice in such close association with the Word of
God that finally habit became changed into nature and an
indissoluble union was created. It was this soul, already
united with the Word of God, which took flesh of the Vir-
gin Mary and appeared among men. And since there were
multitudes of spiritual beings who had never come to earth,
Origen supposed that Christ would visit them, too, in their
celestial abodes, would assume their nature and would even
suffer for them
100
.
Before the ages minds were all pure, both demons
and souls and angels, offering service to God and keeping
his commandments. But the devil, who was one of them,
since he possessed free will, desired to resist God, and God
drove him away. With him revolted all the other powers.
Some sinned deeply and became demons, others less and
became angels; others still less and became archangels;
and thus each in turn received the reward for his individual
sin. But there remained some souls who had not sinned so
greatly as to become demons, nor on the other hand so very
lightly as to become angels. God therefore made the pre-
sent world and bound the soul to the body as a punishment.
For God is no respecter of persons, that among all these
beings who are one nature (for all the immortal beings are
rational) he should make some demons, some souls and
some angels; rather is it clear that God made one a demon,
one a soul and one an angel as a means of punishing each

100
Henri De Lubac: Origen, On First Principles, NY., p. LVI, LVII.
Origen
252
in proportion to its sin. For if this were not so, and souls
had no pre-existence, why do we find some new-born babes
to be blind, when they have committed no sin, while others
are born with no defect at all? But it is clear that certain
sins existed before the souls, and as a result of these sins
each soul receives a recompense in proportion to its de-
serts. They are sent forth from God as a punishment, that
they must undergo on earth a first judgment. That is why
the body is called a frame, because the soul is enclosed
within it
101
.

V V V

101
Origenism
253

2. APOKATASTISIS
102

I. THE WORD APOKATASTISIS
The word Apokatastisis, which means restoration, re-
establishment, with the Latin equivalent restitutio, usually denotes
the doctrine of the restoration of all things at the end of time, a
doctrine attributed to Origen and to St. Gregory of Nyssa. It means
the final restoration of the devil and all rational beings to God's
happiness and friendship. The noun apokatastasis and the verb
apokathistemi are used by Origen, not very often and in various
senses, some of which can be taken to symbolize the final apo-
katastasis, others the return of the Israelites to their own country
from exile.
Origen was the first Christian Universalist
103
. In his youth-
ful work "De Principiis
104
" he taught a final restoration. In com-
menting on the Pauline phrase "body of Christ," Origen says that
this body "is all mankind - rather perhaps the totality of every cre-
ated thing
105
." But he seems at least to have modified it, and ex-
empted Satan from final repentance and salvation.
The principle that everything which had a beginning must
also have an end is one of those referred to by Origen in the Com-
mentary on St. John
106
. But sin is the aversion of the will from God.
It would seem, therefore, that in the end Gods patient love will
succeed in making all his creatures weary of their unfaithfulness.
The most stubborn will eventually give in and consent to love him,
and at last even his enemy death will be overcome. But in Origens
opinion there will be no victory unless there is free submission.

102
Cf. Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 258 ff.
103
Schaff :Hist. of the Church vol. 2, p. 611.
104
De Principiis 1:6:1,2.
105
Eric G. Joy: the Church, S.P.C.K, 1977, p. 64.
106
Comm. on John 1:16.
Origen
254
The only thing that can give God glory is that all created spirits
should freely acknowledge His excellence and love Him for it
107
.
The end of the creature is the glory of God and his own perfection;
and as God has the whole of time at His disposal, He pursues that
end throughout all the aeons in the Pentecost of years. The time
will come when God is all in all (1 Cor. 15:. 28); all creatures with
free will have returned to Him and his rule will be universal. The
whole creation will be restored to its original integrity
108
.
This point in particular was condemned by the Fifth Ecu-
menical Council (of the Chalcedonians) in its first canon under the
name of apokatastasis. If anyone teaches the mythical doctrine of
the pre-existence of the soul and the apocatastasis that follows
from it, let him be anathema
109
.
J ean Danilou states that St. Gregory of Nyssa did in fact
formally condemn the idea of the apokatastasis as it was distorted
by Origen. He defines it with great precision. I have heard people
maintain that the life of the soul did not begin when the soul was
joined to the body; there were souls alive, they say, and grouped in
nations in a world of their own before that... Yielding to a sort of
inclination towards evil, they lose their wings and come to have
bodies. They afterwards return by the same stages and are restored
to the heavenly regions... There is thus a kind of cycle, perpetually
passing through the same stages; the soul never settles in any one
state for ever. People who teach that are simply jumbling things up
together and producing a mixture of the tenable and the unten-
able. That shows what it was that Gregory rejected - the return of
the soul to the purely spiritual state it was in originally, the idea of
successive lives and the theory of permanent instability. He did not
in any way reject the doctrine of the re-establishment to be recon-
ciled with freedom. That is precisely the mystery which mans

107
De Principiis 1:2:11.
108
De Principiis 3:6:3; Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 287.
109
Origenism
255

gaze cannot fathom. Origen saw clearly enough, then, that there
were two things involved: Gods love and mans freedom. But his
attempts to reconcile them led him to put forward two theses, one
of which - the metaphysical necessity of the ultimate elimination
of evil-safeguards Gods love but destroys mans freedom, while
the other - the perpetual instability of the free-safeguards mans
freedom but destroys Gods love. Gregory of Nyssa was humbler
in the face of the mystery of the apocatastasis; he was content with
admiring it as the supreme work of a love that would do no vio-
lence to free will. To him it stood for the certitude that in Christ
salvation had been acquired for mans nature without any possi-
bility of loss, but that the individual still had the power of dissoci-
ating himself from it by his own free choice
110
.

II. ORIGENS DENIAL OF THIS DOCTRINE
Origen - in his letter from Athens to his friends at Alexan-
dria - is protesting against those who attribute to him something he
never said, that the devil, the father of malice and perdition, and of
those who are excluded from the kingdom of God would be saved.
Not even a madman could say that. Origen complains that his
teaching is distorted by his enemies like that of St. Paul in 2 Thess.
2:1-3.
I see that similar things are happening to us. For a
certain heresiarch with whom I disputed in the presence of
many people, in a debate that was written down, took the
manuscript from the secretaries, added what he wished to
add, took out what he wished to take out, and altered it as
seemed to him good: now he is passing it round under our
name, insulting us for what he had himself written. Indig-
nant about that, the brethren in Palestine sent a man to me
in Athens to get authentic copies from me. But at that time I
had neither re-read nor corrected that text, but had lost
sight of it, so that it was difficult for me to find it. However,

110
Origen
256
I sent it them and, God is my witness, when I met the man
who had distorted my book, I asked him why he had done it
and, as if to satisfy me, he said: 'Because I wanted to im-
prove the discussion and to correct it. He corrected it as
Marcion and his successor Apelles corrected the Gospel
and the Apostle. For, just as these people upset the truth of
the Scriptures, so that man, taking away what had really
been said, inserted false affirmations to get us accused.
But, although they are heretical and impious men who have
dared to act in this way, they will nevertheless have God as
their judge, those who lend credence to these accusations
against us
111
.
J .N.D. Kelly says,
Even the devil, it appears, will participate in the fi-
nal restoration. When Origen was taken to task on this
point, he indignantly protested, according to his later cham-
pion Rufinus
112
, that he had held no such theory. But the
logic of his system required it, since otherwise Gods do-
minion would fall short of being absolute and His love
would fail of its object; and the doctrine is insinuated, if not
explicitly taught, in his writings
113
as well as taken for
granted by his adversaries
114
.
115
.
H. Crouzel states that in the second chapter of the Apology
against Rufinus J erome says he read a dialogue between Origen
and a disciple of Valentinus called Candidus. The first point of the
discussion concerned the unity of nature between the Father and
the Son and the second was the salvation of the devil. J erome
summarizes it as follows: Candidus asserts that the devil has a
very evil nature which can never be saved. To that Origen rightly

111
Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p. 20.
112
De adult. lib. Orig. PG 17:624 f.
113
E.g. De Princ. 1:6:3.
114
E.g. Jerome, c. Joh. Hieros.16.
115
Kelly, p. 474.
Origenism
257

replies that it is not because of his substance that the devil is des-
tined to perish, but that he has fallen because of his own will and
that he could be saved. Because of that Candidus slanders Origen
by representing him as saying that the devil has a nature that must
be saved, when in fact Origen refutes Candidus's false objection.
Origen, the supreme theologian of free will, and the constant op-
ponent of the Valentinian determinism, replies that it is not one's
nature that decides ones salvation or damnation, but the free
choice of the will in accepting or refusing grace. The devil could
have been saved if he had not been obstinate in his opposition to
God. But Candidus, understanding Origen in terms of his own
frame of reference, concludes from this that, for his opponent, the
devil is saved by his nature.
116
.

III. BIBLICAL BASIS
J aroslav Pelikan says
117
,
Certainly the boldest version of the idea that salva-
tion was a triumph over the devil was Origen's speculation
about "the restoration of all things." From his theory of the
pre-existence and the pre-historical fall of the soul he drew
a corollary about its ultimate destiny; for "the end is always
like the beginning
118
." The decisive text for his picture of
this "end" was 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, which prophesied
the eventual subjection of all enemies, including death, to
Christ, and the delivery of the kingdom by Christ to the Fa-
ther. Then God would be "all in all
119
." The pedagogical
process by which this subjection was to be carried out
would achieve "salvation," and Origen was prepared to be-
lieve "that the goodness of God, through his Christ, may
recall all his creatures to one end, even his enemies being

116
Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p.21.
117
Jaroslav Pelikan : The Christian Tradition, Chicago, 1971, p. 151.
118
119
On Prayer 25:2.
Origen
258
conquered and subdued
120
" - not only "the last enemy,"
death but also the devil, who held the world in his domin-
ion
121
. God would not truly be "all in all" until "the end has
been restored to the beginning, and the termination of
things compared with their commencement. And when
death shall no longer exist anywhere, nor the sting of
death, nor any evil at all, then truly God will be all in
all
122
."

IV. SCHOLARS DEFENSE
H. Crouzel says that as for the apocatastasis, scholars have
stuck to certain statements in the Treatise On First Principles, in-
terpreted rigidly, without taking account of other declarations in
the same book and in other works; instead of explaining the Trea-
tise On First Principles by reference to his work as a whole, they
have interpreted the work as a whole according to the system
they have drawn from the Treatise; and they have defined that
system by leaving aside all the nuances and refusing to take seri-
ously the numerous discussions between alternatives thus assum-
ing arbitrarily that Origen was committed to one of them
123
.
H. Crouzel states that the main passage on which Origens
apocatastasis is based is 1 Cor. I5, 23-28, which is about the resur-
rection of the dead: But each (will be raised) in his own order:
Christ the first-fruits, then at His coming those who belong to
Christ. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God
the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and
power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under
His feet (Ps. 109 [110]:1). The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
For God has put all things in subjection under his feet (Ps. 8:7).
But when it says all things are put in subjection under Him, it is

120
121
Against Celsus 7:17.
122
123
Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francicsco 1989, p. 235.
Origenism
259

plain that He is excepted to put all things under Him. When all
things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be sub-
jected to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be eve-
rything to everyone
124
.
Crouzel says that several questions arise about the use Ori-
gen made of these Pauline verses, questions which must be an-
swered, not from isolated texts but from his work as a whole.
1. Does Origen represent this restoration as incorporeal?
2. As pantheistic?
3. Is it for him absolutely universal, implying the return to
grace of the demons and the damned, and does he attach to this
universality, if there is universality, the status of dogmatic affirma-
tion, or is it simply a great hope?
4. Whence comes Origens insistence on this Pauline text
and on the restoration of all things?
125

1. As for an incorporeal apocatastasis, we would explain
that Origen declares that the risen body will be spiritual, and it will
be sheltered from death
126
. At the end of this chapter we will men-
tion the destiny of the body, if it will be changed or totally disso-
luted. The question would seem superfluous after all we have said
about the resurrection of the body
127
.
In the Dialogue with Heraclides
128
, Origen says,
It is absolutely impossible that the spiritual should
become a corpse or that the spiritual should become un-
conscious: if in fact it is possible for the spiritual to be-
come a corpse, it is to be feared that after the resurrection,
when our body will be raised according to the word of the
Apostle: it is sown a physical body and raised a spiritual

124
Henri Crouzel: Origen, p. 258
125
126
127
128
Dialogue with Heraclides 5-6.
Origen
260
body, we should all die. In fact Christ raised from the dead
dies no more, but those who are in Christ raised from the
dead will die no more.
2. Is Origens apocatastasis pantheistic? Does it imply that
the final union of the spiritual creatures with God and with each
other will be effected by the dissolution of their hypostaseis, that
is of their substances and personalities?
129

Origen often expresses the unity of the believer with God
by I Cor. 6:I7 But he who is united with the Lord becomes one
spirit with Him, a replica of Gen. 2:24, quoted in the same verse:
The two shall become one flesh. Between the believer and the
Lord, as between the husband and the wife, there is both union and
duality. There is no trace of pantheism there
130
.
On the subject of the union with God the Father and with
Christ which will characterize the life of the blessed, let us quote
among others two texts. The first is from the Commentary on
John
131
:
Then all those who have come to God by the Word
who is near Him will have a unique activity, to comprehend
God, so as to become formed in the knowledge of the Fa-
ther, all being together exactly a son, as now the Son alone
knows the Father.
The second phase is in Contra Celsus 6:17
132
:
The Stoics may destroy everything in a conflagra-
tion if they wish. But we do not recognize that an incorpo-
real being is subject to a conflagration, or that the soul of
man is dissolved into fire, or that this happens to the being
of angels, or thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
power.

129
Henri Crouzel, p. 260.
130
131
132
Contra Celsus 6:71; Henri Crouzel, p. 261.
Origenism
261

In the first, the diakosmesis, that is the organization of the
world, the latter emerges gradually from the divine fire, a God rep-
resented as material; in the second the ekpyrosis, the conflagration,
the world is again absorbed little by little in the divine fire.
3. Did Origen profess a universal apocatastasis, including
the return to grace of the demons and the damned? Origen com-
plains that he is said to hold the opinion that the devil will be
saved.
The study of certain passages about 'eternal fire' would
show Origen more inclined to accept eternal punishment for the
demons than for men
133
.
If the free will of man, accepting or refusing God's ad-
vances, plays such a role in Origen's thought, how could he be-
come certain that all human and demonic beings, in their freedom
would allow themselves to be touched and would adhere to God in
the apocatastasis?
134

He seems to preserve the hope that the Word of God will
attain such force of persuasion that without violation of free will, it
will in the end overcome all resistance
135
.
V V V

133
134
Henri Crouzel, p. 264-265.
135
Origen
262
3 - THE MODE OF
THE RESURRECTION

Perhaps no doctrine was so peculiarly nauseating to Origen
as the J ewish-Christian doctrine of the resurrection of the body
136
.
J ustinian charged Origen with the denial that the bodies
will be raised. According to the letter of J ustinian to the patriarch
Menas, Origen affirmed that in the resurrection the bodies of men
rise spherical. This heresy was condemned in the Second Council
of Constantinople. Henry Chadwick explains Origens doctrine
according to the Emperor J ustinian and the Council of Constantin-
ople in the following points:
I. Origens first attack against the risen bodies is the nature
of the body (soma).
II. Origens second line of attack is the contention that at
death the body returns into its constituent elements, and although
the composing elements do not in any sense cease to exist, yet they
cannot be put together again in their original form
137
.
III. Origen scores a palpable hit when he asks what will
happen to the bodies of people eaten by wild beasts, since, just as
the food we eat is absorbed by the veins and becomes part of the
constitution of our body, so also mens bodies devoured by ani-
mals become part of them
138
.
Just as the food which we eat is assimilated into our
body and changes its characteristics, so also our bodies
are transformed in carnivorous birds and beasts and be-
come parts of their bodies; and again, when their bodies

136
Harvard Theological Review 41 (1948): Henry Chadwick: Origen, Celsus, and The Resurrection
of the Body, p.88..
137
Ibid, p. 88.
138
Ibid, p.89.
Origenism
263

are eaten by men or by other animals, they are changed
back again and become the bodies of men or of other ani-
mals
139
.
IV. Origens fourth objection is that if the flesh is to rise
again in the same form, then what use is going to be found for its
organs? Are we serious to suppose; he asks, that the wicked are
going to be provided with teeth to gnash with?
140
If the simple view
of the resurrection is accepted, then risen bodies will have the
same needs as earthly bodies; we shall need to eat and drink in the
heavenly places
141
; some use will have to be found for our hands
and feet
142
.

SCHOLARS DEFENSE
I. Some scholars see that this charge is not yet confirmed,
for Origen in his writings concerning the spiritual body which will
be risen was defending the Church doctrine in the resurrection of
the body against two different ideas:
a. The crude literalism which pictured the body as being
reconstituted, with all its physical functions on the last day.
b. The perverse spiritualism of the Gnostics and Mani-
cheans, who proposed to exclude the body from salvation.
The explanation he advanced
143
started with the premises
that "the material substream" of all bodies, including men, is in a
state of constant flux, its qualities changing from day to day,
whereas they all possess a "distinctive form" which remains un-
changed. The development of a man from childhood to age is an
illustration, for his body is identically the same throughout despite

139
Origen ap. Methodius 1:20:4.
;
Harvard Theological Review 41 (1948): Henry Chadwick: Origen,
Celsus, and The Resurrection of the Body, p. 89.
140
ap. Method. I.24.
141
Ibid. I.7
142
3.7.6-7

; Harvard Theological Review 41 (1948): Henry Chadwick: Origen, Celsus, and The
Resurrection of the Body.
143
Sel. in Ps. 1:5.
Origen
264
its complete physical transformation; and the historical J esus pro-
vides another, since His body could at one time be described as
without form or comeliness (Is 53:2), while at another it was
clothed with the splendor of the Transfiguration
144
.
II. It is difficult to know how far the opinions attributed to
Origen by J ustinian really go back to Origen himself rather than
merely to the monks of the New Laura in the sixth century. The
monks were the immediate cause of J ustinians action and no
doubt the Origenists held views which were a definite advance on
the modest speculations of their master. At least, one of the anath-
emas of the council at Constantinople is now known to be a quota-
tion from Evagrius Ponticus and not from Origen at all, so that it is
clear that J ustinian was not too careful to verify his references
145
. It
is therefore vital to distinguish between Origen and those who
claimed to be his followers
146
.
III. The nearest approach that Origen makes to this doctrine
is in the well-known passage, De Oratione 3I:3, and it has been
thought that it was the superficial reading of this passage which led
to this doctrine being attributed to Origen
147
.
IV. There is an even greater difficulty than in De Principiis
in which Origen had committed himself. It becomes very difficult
to see why this was not mentioned in the Origenistic controversy at
the end of the fourth century. In fact, the greatest difficulty in the
way of supposing Origen to have asserted the sphericity of the res-
urrection body is that neither J erome nor Methodius say so. Both
would have had every reason to mention this point, since it was

144
Kelly, p. 471.
145
of the Body.
146
of the Body.
147
of the Body.
Origenism
265

their immediate object to draw attention to the offensive aspects of
his doctrine.
In his letter to Eustochium consoling her upon the death of
her mother, Paula
148
, J erome relates how Paula once met with a fol-
lower of Origen who raised doubts in her mind about the resurrec-
tion of the flesh, asking whether there would be sexual differentia-
tion in the next world, and maintaining that risen bodies would be
tenuia et spiritualia. J erome says that he went to the man and
cross-questioned him; finding his answers unsatisfactory, he re-
plied for him and drew his inferences from the others premises;
the risen Christ had shown his hands and feet- ossa audis et
carnem, pedes et manus; et globos mihi Stoicorum atque aeria
quaedam deliramenta confingis
149
, Again, it is difficult to know
how far this is to be taken seriously; it reads as if J erome is assum-
ing that because the Origenists deny physical resurrection they
must therefore follow the Stoics in supposing that disembodied
souls are spherical. What Origen really did say is preserved by
Methodius and J erome
150
.
So the body has well been called a river, since
strictly speaking its primary substance does not perhaps
remain the same even for two days; yet Paul or Peter are
always the same, not merely with respect to the soul..., be-
cause the form which characterizes the body remains the
same, so that the marks which are characteristic of the
physical quality of Peter and Paul remain constant; it is
because of the preserving of this quality that scars caused
in our youth persist in our bodies, and so with certain other
peculiarities, moles and similar marks
151
.

148
Ep. I08.
149
Ep. I08:24, p. 343, ed. Hilberg.
150
of the Body.
151
of the Body.
Origen
266
It is this same physical form (that which characterizes Peter
and Paul) which the soul will again possess in the resurrection,
though the form will then be much improved; but it will not be ex-
actly as it was on earth. For just as a man has roughly the same ap-
pearance from infancy to old age, even if his features seem to un-
dergo much change, so also there will be the same sort of relation
between the earthly form and that to come. It will be the same al-
though it will also be vastly improved. The reason for this is that
wherever the soul is it has to have a body suitable for the place
where it finds itself; if we were going to live in the sea we should
need fins and scales like fish; if we are to live in heaven, then we
shall need spiritual bodies. The earthly form is not lost, just as the
form of J esus did not become quite different on the mount of the
Transfiguration
152153
.
R. Cadiou states,
Origen held that this dogma is to be interpreted in
the light of the knowledge we have, aided by the word of
God... We know that our bodies are not substantially the
same from one day to another. A continual process of re-
newal is ever at work in the flesh and the tissues. But over
against this, there is, even in physical life, a principle of
continuity or an individuality. That continuity or that indi-
viduality is made evident to us by a totality of external
characteristics, by one form proper to Peter and by another
form proper to Paul. Despite the ceaseless process of re-
newal, there is a definite persistence; particularities, per-
sonal marks, even scars are involved in that persistence...
The spiritual world is a new environment. The
body becomes refined there, being made spiritual and be-
ing rendered capable of understanding things which it has
hither to been unable to grasp. Origen did not consider it

152
Origen ap. Method. I.22.3-5.
153
of the Body.
Origenism
267

necessary to accept literally the Scriptural metaphors, such
as the parable of Lazarus or the story of the just man. He
held that the materia prima of the body does not rise from
the dead, at least not in its entirety
154
. In spite of that fact,
however, the risen individual is recognizable, just as J esus,
Moses, and Elias were recognizable after death
155
.
Origens use of those three great names as part of
his argument was quite enough to startle his public, and he
found it expedient to give a further explanation of his the-
ory. This explanation appeared in one of his subsequent
commentaries. I affirm, with an absolute faith, that Christ
was the first to ascend into heaven in His flesh. He further
stated that, in the ascension, the body of Christ was already
purged of all human weaknesses at the heavenly altar. It is
to be noted that he made no such assumptions in regard to
Enoch or Elias
156
.
As against his opponents Origen also denied that any ar-
gument for the physical resurrection of the flesh could be based on
the narratives in the Gospels about the resurrection of J esus. For
the body of J esus was sui generis, as is immediately apparent from
consideration of his virgin birth. Admittedly he ate and drank after
the resurrection and showed the disciples his hands, his feet, and
his side; yet he can pass through locked doors, and while breaking
bread can vanish out of their sight. And even before the resurrec-
tion certain things said about J esus in the Gospels do not in any
way correspond with our normal physical experience, as for exam-
ple in the Transfiguration. It is clear to any careful reader of the
Gospels that J esus appeared differently to different people, and had

154
In Psalm., 1:5 PG 12:1092.
155
R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 93-4.
156
In Psalm.,15:9 PG 12:1215; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 94.
Origen
268
many aspects, so that his appearance varied according to the spiri-
tual capacity of the beholder
157
.

TREATISE ON THE RESURRECTION
R. Cadiou says,
From the first moment of its appearance this
new theory of the resurrection of the body evoked such a
storm of criticism that Origen saw the need for a careful
and scientific exposition of his views. He was further led
to this decision by the fact that Christian beliefs about the
life after death were beginning to seize the attention of
thinkers outside the church. Possible explanations of this
change in the non-Christian philosophical world are to be
found in the growth of Aristotelianism, the emergence of a
philosophical outlook that was not wholly Greek, and the
reverence that Christians were beginning to pay, openly
and without any effort at concealment, to the relics of the
holy martyrs. Besides, Tertullian had already written on
this subject of the resurrection after death. Hippolytus
would soon do the same, at the request of Empress Mam-
maea, who was not a Christian. In view of all these con-
siderations, Origen determined to write a theological trea-
tise on the problem. Known to literary history as the Trea-
tise on the Resurrection, it consisted of two parts
158
.
In the first part (of the Treatise on the Res-
urrection) Origen made his confession of faith: we shall
rise from the dead with our own bodies. In the case of a
holy martyr who suffers the torments of prison life, of the
scourgings, of the conflicts in the arena, or of a death on
the cross, will such a witness for the faith be recompensed

157
of the Body.
158
R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 94.
Origenism
269

in his soul only? Consider also the martyrdoms borne by
the Christian soul in a life of daily mortification. All such
sufferings concern the body more than they do the soul,
because it is by the passions of the body that we are sub-
jected to temptation. In the body, then, merit is acquired.
In this first part of his work Origen did not hesitate to em-
ploy several of the traditional arguments which had al-
ready been used by Tertullian and by the majority of the
Christian apologists.
After making his profession of faith in the
Christian tradition of the resurrection of the body, he pro-
ceeded, in the second part, to his justification of it. He
knew that his task was to expound a Christen belief to men
who were not Christians
159
.

Criticism Of The Treatise
160

The Treatise on the Resurrection taught that, with the
unique exception of God, no spirit is utterly incorporeal. The soul
always possesses the virtualities of a physical life proportioned to
its needs. Besides, the physical organism always tends to adapt it-
self to the function or set of functions which it has cultivated. The
gross and earthly condition of the soul, as we know it here below,
is the result of a diminution of spiritual activity. If the primary un-
ion between God and the individual intelligence is re-established,
the entire body sees God, understands Him, and knows Him.
Every step taken by the soul in the direction of such a re-
establishment makes it more capable of contemplating the good-
ness of God.

159
160
Origen
270
THE DESTINY OF THE BODY
Kelly says,
His task was the twofold one of expounding the truth
against
(a) the crude literalism which pictured the body as
being reconstituted, with all its physical functions, at the
last day, and
(b) the perverse spiritualism of the Gnostics and
Manicheans, who proposed to exclude the body from sal-
vation.
The explanation he advanced
161
started with the
premises that the material substratum of all bodies, in-
cluding men, is in a state of constant flux, its qualities
changing from day to day, whereas they all possess a dis-
tinctive form which remains unchanging. The develop-
ment of a man from childhood to age is an illustration, for
his body is identically the same throughout despite its
complete physical transformation; and the historical J esus
provides another, since His body could at one time be de-
scribed as without form or comeliness (Isa. 53,2), while at
another it was clothed with the splendor of the Transfigu-
ration.
From this point of view the resurrection becomes
comprehensible. The bodies with which the saints will rise
will be strictly identical with the bodies they bore on earth,
since they will have the same form, or eidos. On the
other hand, the qualities of their material substrata will be
different, for instead of being fleshy qualities appropriate
to terrestrial existence, they will be spiritual ones suitable
for the kingdom of heaven. The soul needs a better gar-
ment for the purer, ethereal and celestial regions
162
; and
the famous Pauline text, 1 Cor. 14,42-4, shows that this

161
Sel. in ps. 1:5.
162
Contra Celsus 7:32.
Origenism
271

transformation is possible without the identity being im-
paired. As he explains the matter
163
, when the body was at
the service of the soul, it was psychic; but when the soul
is united with God and becomes one spirit with Him, the
selfsame body becomes spiritual, bodily nature being ca-
pable of donning the qualities appropriate to its condi-
tion
164
.

FINAL DISSOLUTION OR CHANGE OF BODIES
His endeavor to uphold a spiritual doctrine of the resurrec-
tion of the body was misinterpreted by Methodius, St. J erome and
others as an attack upon the Churchs faith. According to St.
J erome Origen believes that the bodies will be resolved into the
divine nature. St. J erome writes, And after a very long discussion,
in which he asserts that all bodily nature must be changed into
spiritual bodies of extreme fineness and that the whole of matter
must be transformed into a single body of the utmost purity,
clearer than all brightness and of such a quality as the human mind
cannot conceive. At the close he states: And God shall be all in all,
so that the whole of bodily nature may be resolved into that sub-
stance which is superior to all others, namely, into the divine na-
ture, than which nothing can be better
165
.
In his De Principiis Origen write,
It must needs be that the nature of bodies is not
primary, but that it was created at intervals on account of
certain falls that happened to rational beings, who came to
need bodies; and again, that when their restoration is per-
fectly accomplished these bodies are dissolved into noth-
ing, so that this is forever happening...

163
De Principiis 3:6:6; Contra Celsus 3:41f.
164
Kelly, p. 471.
165
Ep. ad Avitum, 10.
Origen
272
Everyone who shares in anything is undoubtedly of
one substance and one nature with him who shares in the
same thing. For example, all eyes share in the light, and
therefore all eyes, which share in the light, are of one na-
ture. But though every eye shares in the light, yet since one
eye sees clearly and another dimly, every eye does not
share equally in the light. Again; all hearing receives the
voice and sound, and therefore all hearing is of one nature;
but each person is quick or slow to hear in proportion to
the pure and healthy condition of his hearing faculty. Now
let us pass from these examples drawn from the senses to
the consideration of intellectual things.
Every mind which shares in intellectual light must
undoubtedly be of one nature with every other mind which
shares similarly in this light. If then the heavenly powers
receive a share of intellectual light, that is, of the divine
nature, in virtue of the fact that they share in wisdom and
sanctification, and if the soul of man receives a share of the
same light and wisdom, then these beings will be of one
nature and one substance with each other. But the heavenly
powers are incorruptible and immortal; undoubtedly there-
fore the substance of the soul of man will also be incor-
ruptible and immortal. And not only so, but since the na-
ture of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to whom alone belongs
the intellectual light in which the universal creation has a
share, is incorruptible and eternal, it follows logically and
of necessity that every existence which has a share in that
eternal nature must itself also remain forever incorruptible
and eternal, in order that the eternity of the divine good-
ness may be revealed in this additional fact, that they who
obtain its blessings are eternal too. Nevertheless, just as in
our illustrations we acknowledged some diversity in the
reception of the light, when we described the individual
power of sight as being either dim or keen, so also we must
acknowledge a diversity of participation in the Father, Son
Origenism
273

and Holy Spirit, varying in proportion to the earnestness of
the soul and the capacity of the mind
166
.
Origen confirms the change of the body and not its dissolu-
tion, saying,
Our flesh indeed is considered by the uneducated
and by unbelievers to perish so completely after death that
nothing whatever of its substance is left. We, however, who
believe in its resurrection, know that death only causes a
change in it and that its substance certainly persists and is
restored to life again at a definite time by the will of its
Creator and once more undergoes a transformation; so
that what was at first flesh, of the earth earthy, and was
then dissolved through death and again made dust and
ashes,-for dust you are, it is written, and unto dust shall
you return-is raised again from the earth and afterwards,
as the merits of the indwelling soul shall demand, ad-
vances to the glory of a spiritual body (1 Cor. 15:44)
167
.
In his speech of death, Origen says,
It is on this account, moreover, that the last enemy,
who is called death, is said to be destroyed; in order,
namely, that there may be no longer any sadness when
there is no death nor diversity when there is no enemy. For
the destruction of the last enemy must be understood in this
way, not that its substance which was made by God shall
perish, but that the hostile purpose and will which pro-
ceeded not from God but from itself will come to an end. It
will be destroyed, therefore, not in the sense of ceasing to
exist, but of being no longer an enemy and no longer
death
168
.

166
De Principiis4:4:8,9 (Cf. Butterworth).
167
168
Origen
274
Cadiou states, At this point Origen warned his readers of
the prevailing habit of using the word flesh in discussions on
the resurrection of the body. He held that in such discussions the
word should be understood in a broader sense. It must not be for-
gotten that the state of glory is like that of the angels. In that
higher life the body does not sin, for it is no longer subject to the
infirmities or the corruption that mark our life on earth. It be-
comes, in the resurrection, a flesh with which we can please God.
The Apostle, desiring to tell us that after our departure from this
life of misery we shall be called to glory, says that all flesh shall
see the salvation of God. Pursuing this line of thought, Origen
remarked that we speak of the flesh as dust because of the lowly
element from which the flesh comes
169
.

THE RISEN AND GLORIOUS BODY
From this comparison we may gain an idea how
great is the beauty, how great the splendor and how great
the brightness of a spiritual body, and how true is the say-
ing that eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered
into the heart of man to conceive what things God has pre-
pared for them that love Him (1 Cor. 2:9). But we must not
doubt that the nature of this present body of ours may,
through the will of God who made it what it is, be devel-
oped by its creator into the quality of that exceedingly re-
fined and pure and splendid body, according as the condi-
tion of things shall require and the merits of the rational
being shall demand
170
.
Of this body the same apostle has also said that we
have a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens
(Rom. 8:21), that is, in the dwelling-places of the blest.
From this statement we may then form a conjecture of what

169
170
Origenism
275

great purity, what extreme fineness, what great glory is the
quality of that body, by comparing it with those bodies
which, although heavenly and most splendid, are yet made
with hands and visible. For of that body it is said that it is a
house not made with hands but eternal in the heavens (2
Cor. 5:1)
171
.
The whole argument, then, comes to this, that God
has created two universal natures, a visible, that is, a bod-
ily one, and an invisible one, which is incorporeal. These
two natures each undergo their own different changes. The
invisible, which is also the rational nature, is changed
through the action of the mind and will by reason of the
fact that it has been endowed with freedom of choice; and
as a result of this it is found existing sometimes in the good
and sometimes in its opposite. The bodily nature, however,
admits of a change in substance, so that God the Artificer
of all things, in whatever work of design or construction or
restoration he may wish to engage, has at hand the service
of this material for all purposes, and can transform and
transfer it into whatever forms and species he desires, as
the merits of things demand. It is to this, clearly, that the
prophet points when he says, God who makes and trans-
forms all things(Amos 5:8 LXX)
172
.

THE RISEN BODY AND THE WOUNDS OF CHRIST
R. Cadiou states that according to Origen in heaven our
Lord no longer bears the wounds of His passion, but He wished to
leave to His followers the memory of His bruised and humiliated
flesh. At that time their souls were not advanced enough in the
path of His love to see Him as He really was in the splendor of
His glory
173
.

171
172
173
Origen
276

4. SUBORDINATIONISM

He is accused of teaching subordinationism, i.e., the Son is
subordinate to the Father and is inferior to Him, and the Holy
Spirit is subordinate to the Son. J . Quasten says, "That he teaches
subordinationism has been affirmed and denied. St. J erome does
not hesitate to accuse him of doing so, while Gregory Thaumatur-
gos and St. Athanasius clear him of all suspicion. Modern authors
like Regnon and Prat also acquit him
174
." Charles Bigg states that
the objections raised in ancient times against Origens Subordina-
tionism rest in many cases on the most serious misapprehension,
may for the present be dismissed
175
. The Son, as we have seen, pos-
sesses all the attributes of God, His Goodness, His Wisdom, His
power. He possesses them in full and perfect measure, not acciden-
tally but substantially and unchangeably, not precariously but by
virtue, if we may so speak, of a law of the Divine Nature. He is
begotten, not created. The Son is in the Father, the Father in the
Son, and no schism is conceivable between them. Yet the Word is
the Splendor of the Divine Glory, the Image of the Fathers Per-
son; in a word, He is the Son. The Father is the Fountain from
whom His Divinity is drawn
176
.
J ohn Meyendorff states that it was precisely Origens cos-
mology and anthropology, that were the targets of Origenism and
not his theology. Foremost were his cosmological, anthropological,
and eschatological ideas, which constituted precisely the corner-
stone of Origenism as a system
177
.

174
J. Quasten: Patrology, Vol 2, P '7.
175
Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford 1913, p. 226.
176
Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, p. 223.
177
Origenism
277

In 543 A.D, Emperor J ustinian began his indictment by at-
tacking the Trinitarian subordinationism of Origen. It is interesting
to note that the Emperor was not followed on this point by the
council of Constantinople, which did not pronounce any anathema
against Origens Trinitarian doctrine. This doctrine, in fact, does
not seem to have interested the Palestinian Origenist monads, who
had provided the motive for conciliar action.

OBJECTIONS
1. The Son Cannot See The Father
In the accusation put forward by St. Epiphanius and St.
J erome they blame Origen for saying that the Son cannot see the
Father; and the passage in Treatise On First Principles on which
they rely is in fact directed against the Anthropomorphites who
attribute both to the Father and to the Son in His divinity bodies
and corporeal senses. St. Epiphanius and St. J erome understand it
as if Origen meant that the Son does not know the Father and see
in it a proof of the inferiority of the Son to the Father
178
... Origen
states that the Father and the Son know each other by the very act,
both eternal and continual, by which the Father begets the Son
179
..
2. Prayers Are Offered To The Father Alone
Charles Bigg says, But there is one true consequence of
his view so momentous that it must not be passed over. I refer to
his teaching on the subject of prayer offered to the Son . He has
declared himself upon this point many times, especially in the Cel-
sus. Away with the advice of Celsus that we should pray to de-
mons. For we must pray only to the Supreme God; yes, and we
must pray to the only Begotten and First born of every creature,
and beseech Him as our High Priest to offer to His God and our
God, to His Father and the Father of all that live , our prayers as

178
179
Origen
278
they come first to Him. The meaning of these words is explained
at large in the Treatise upon prayer
180
.
Origen refers to the words of St. Paul, I exhort therefore
that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of
thanks be made for all men (1 Tim. 2:1), drawing a distinction
between these four forms
181
.
He concludes that the three lower forms of petition may be
addressed to men for help or pardon, or to saints or angels, or to
the Holy Spirit or Christ, the last and highest only to the Father in
the Sons name.
He does not, it will be observed, forbid the Christian to
pray to Christ as God
182
. He refers to the prayers of the Penitent
Thief, of Stephen, of the father of the lunatic child, all addressed to
the Son and the Son alone, and he himself prays to the Son in the
same way
183
.
We may address the Savior, in immediate supplication, for
those boons which it is His special province to bestow. But in the
supreme moment of adoration, when the soul strains upwards to
lay itself as a sacrifice before the highest object of thought, we
must not stop short of Him who is above all. Such prayer is neces-
sarily attended by a doxology, a clear recognition of the Nature
of Him before whom we stand, and in the doxology the Fathers
Name is first. Origen appeals to the express command of J esus,
Whatsoever you shall ask the Father He will give it in My name,
to the usage of Scripture, and lastly to the usage of the Church. It is
probable that at this very time a change was creeping into the lan-
guage of worship. Are we not divided, he asks, if we pray some
to the Father, some to the Son, falling into the error of ignorant

180 Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandri, p. 226.
181
On Prayer 14:2 ff.
182
183
Origenism
279

men because we have never inquired into the real nature of what
we are doing?
184

It has been thought that his protest refers specially to the
Eucharist, the Anaphora of Missa Fidelium, in which for long after
this time there was no direct address to the Son. But in truth it has
a wider scope. He is warning his readers, not against excessive de-
votion to the Lord and Savior J esus, for in this Origen himself
yields to none nor against the fullest belief in Christs Divinity, for
here also Origens doctrine, in the judgment of those most worthy
of our deference, stands above suspicion; but against the language,
if I may risk the phrase, of partial adoration, which verges on the
one hand towards Noetianism, on the other towards some form of
Gnosticism, on the other towards some form of Gnosticism, that is
of moral opposition
185
.
J ohn J . OMeara
186
states that there is one section in this
treatise On Prayer, which demands special attention. Throughout
the entire tract Origen stresses the position of Christ as our High-
priest and Intercessor to such a degree that several passages may
be quite readily understood in a subordinationist sense
187
. Particu-
larly striking are chapters 14-16. Origen says that we should pray
in the name of J esus, but we should adore the Father through the
Son in the Holy Spirit. God the Father alone is entitled to accept
adoration. If Christ terms Christians His brothers, He makes it
clear that He wishes them to adore the Father, not Him, the
Brother: Let us pray therefore to God through Him and let us
speak all in the same way without any division in the form of
prayer.

184
185
186
Origen: Prayer, Exhortation to Martyrdom, Translated by John J. OMeara (ACW), p. 9-10.
187
Subordinationism means a tendency to consider Christ inferior to the Father and the Holy Spirit
inferior to the Father and the Son.
Origen
280
This theory did not find adoption by any of the Fathers, and
Origen remained the only one applying it. Even Origen contradicts
himself, for he inserts in his homilies praises and prayers to Christ,
and elsewhere in his works, he defends the adoration of Christ
against the objection of polytheism. There is the possibility, how-
ever, that Origen thinks of solemn or liturgical prayer only, espe-
cially since the treatise is addressed to a deacon. Perhaps Origen
wishes to justify the liturgical custom of praying through Christ to
the Father.
3. According to Origen, the Father is The God, the only true
God: the Son is God without addition, because His Deity is
derived
188
.
4. Origen And Arianism
Origen is accused of believing in subordination, i.e. that
the Son is inferior to the Father, and the Holy Spirit is inferior to
the Son and the Father. And thus he prepared the way to the Arians
who tried to defend their heresy through his works.
J . Lebreton says
189
, The vital truth that the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit transcend all other beings was always affirmed
by Origen, and we find it already in the treatise De Principiis
2:2:2. But we must also allow that there is in this treatise a hierar-
chical conception of the divine Persons which endangers their
equality and their consubstantiality
190
.

188
Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford 1913, p. 222-223.
189
The History of the Primitive Church, p940-1.
190
In the treatise De principiis, this hierarchy is manifested especially in the actions of the divine
Persons, which are of unequal extent: "God the Father, containing all things, attains to all beings,
communicating to each one the being it possesses as its own. By an action inferior to that of the
Father, the Son attains only to rational beings, for he is the second after the Father. By still lesser
action, the Holy Spirit acts only on the saints. From this it follows that the power of the Father is
greater than that of the Son and the Holy Spirit and that of the Son is superior to that of the Holy
Spirit; and that of the Holy Spirit is greater than that of all other holy beings" (1:3:3).
Origenism
281

J .W. Trigg says, Arius (c. 250 - c. 336), relaying among
other things, on the subordinationist strain in Origens Christology,
denied that Christ was God in the same sense that God the Father
was. Arius preferred to view Christ as the first born of all crea-
tion, a created divine being who, unlike God the Father, had a be-
ginning in time
191
.
Against Arius, who appealed to Origens subordinationism,
his affirmation, that is, of Christ the Sons inferiority to God the
Father, Athanasius appealed to Origens doctrine of eternal genera-
tion and to his understanding of redemption. If, as Origen taught,
Christ was born from God the Father rather than created by God,
then Christ would have the same substance as God the Father, es-
pecially since Christ shared with God the Father the property of
not being subject to the category of time. Moreover, Athanasius
argued, a created being like the Christ of Arius, not being divine
himself, could not assist us to the ultimate goal of redemption in
Origens theology, the attainment of likeness to God. Although
Origen was not directly responsible for the doctrine of the Trinity
eventually reaffirmed in the of one substance formula of Nicea
at Constantinople in 381 A.D, his theology established the ques-
tions at issue and suggested the general framework of the eventual
solution
192
.
With the breakdown of Roman imperial power in the West
over the course of the fifth century, Latin - and Greek - speaking
Christianity drifted increasingly apart, and Origens reputation
fared differently in the two areas. In the West he was read and re-
spected but was somewhat suspect. His reputation was not helped
by the regard in which his Commentary on Romans was held by
Pelagius, the British theologian who had the poor judgment to at-

191
192
Origen
282
tack Augustines understanding of divine grace. Nevertheless, Ori-
gen remained influential in the monastic tradition
193
.
In the East, Origenism remained popular, and controversial,
among monks in Palestine and Syria. Eventually controversy
among monks over Origen brought him to the attention of the Em-
peror J ustinian 1 (483-565 A.D), who was, among other things, an
amateur theologian. J ustinian secured the condemnation of Origen
, along with his disciples. Didymus and Evagrius, at the Second
Council of Constantinople in 553 A.D, three hundred years after
Origens death. In the Byzantine world Origen remained under a
cloud until the fourteenth century, and this resulted in the disap-
pearance of most of his works that were not translated from Greek.
The steady encroachment of the Turks, however, led to a renewed
interest in Origens Contra Celsum as the principal defense of
Christianity written in Greek
194
.

Origen and Nestorism
Some Fathers and scholars believe that Origen is responsi-
ble of Nestorism. J ohn Meyendorff says
195
,
In his synodal letter of 400 A.D, Theophilus of Al-
exandria had already pointed out that for the Origenists,
the Word of the living God has not assumed the human
body, and that Christ, who was in the form of God, equal
to God, was not the Word of God, but the soul which, com-
ing down from the celestial region and divesting itself of
the form of eternal majesty, assumed the human body. The
distinction between Christ and the Word presupposed by
this curious Christology of the Origenists could not fail to
recall, for sixth-century minds, the Nestorian distinction
between the Word and the assumed man.

193
194
195
283
5

HIS THEOLOGY

J . Lebreton says, In the whole of Christian Antiquity, at
least in the Eastern Church, there is no writer who is so attractive,
whose glory is so disputed, or whose study is so difficult, as Ori-
gen... To-day we possess only some portions of his immense work,
and the greater part of it has come down to us only by means of
translations, the accuracy of which is by no means certain. In spite
of all these difficulties, however, it is not impossible to determine
in outline the life, character and thought of this famous doctor
1
.
The theology of Origen, his cosmology, anthropology, ec-
clesiology, eschatology etc. have been affected by the following
factors:
1. The heresies of his time: Origens main aim almost in all
his writings and homilies is to refute, directly or indirectly, the ma-
jor heresies of his time. In his youth, Origen complied De Prin-
cipiis for those who, sharing our faith, are accustomed to look for
reasons for their belief and for those who stir up conflicts against
us in the name of the heresies
2
.
2. Origen had to deal with heretics as well as with the sim-
ple believers who were averse to any kind of speculation. His en-
counter was with these two theological movements.
3. His view on knowledge and philosophy: As we have
seen the Alexandrians were concerned with philosophy for many
reasons. To answer the burning philosophical questions of their
time, to correct the philosophical views which were opposed to the
Christian faith, to attract well-educated persons to Christianity and
to defend Christianity from the accusation of ignorance and fool-

Origen
284
ishness brought by some philosophers. Many scholars believe that
Origen founded Christian theology.
4. As a man of the Bible, Origens theological system is
affected by it. He based his entire doctrine on his commentaries on
the Sacred Scriptures. His theology was, above everything else, a
system of exegesis. By his technique of spiritual interpretation, he
succeeded in making the Bible accessible to every Christian who
had any feeling for holy things
3
.
5. His heart was inflamed for the conversion of the whole
world, the edification of the true spiritual Church and the progress
of every soul in divine and practical knowledge of the Holy Trin-
ity, unity with her Heavenly Groom, and continuos glorification.
Therefore we cannot depend on his work De Principiis alone,
which he had written while he was young, as if it contains his theo-
logical system. Undoubtedly his preaching and dialogues with sim-
ple people, bishops, philosophers and queens had their effect on
his theological system. One of these affects his soteriological
attitude almost in all his writings and homilies.
Under the title Origens Christian Gnosis Basil Studer
says
4
,
This new, inquiring and systematic theology is
rightly called Christian gnosis. It is gnosis not only because
it follows up the problems of the Gnostics of the second
century but also and primarily because it takes up again the
true concerns of those first Christian theologians: above all
the search for the knowledge that would provide a founda-
tion for the salvation of mankind and the world
5
.
To understand Origens thoughts it is necessary to know
what these heresies were, the simple people who were disinclined
to hold onto the true faith, and his view on philosophy.

3 R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 30.
4 Basil Studer: Trinity and Incarnation, Minnesota 1993, p. 79.
5 Cf. J. Danilou: Gospel message, p. 445-500, with Clement of Alexandria: Stromata 6 and 7, and
Origen: Per. Arch. 2:11:6; In Num. hom 17:4.
His Theology
285
THE HERESIES AND HERETICS

Origen had Christianity in his very blood and never sub-
scribed to any tolerance of heresy. Even as an orphan seventeen
years old, when he was enjoying the financial help of a great lady
of wealth and distinction who treated him as an adopted son, he
refused to compromise in any degree, according to Eusebius: She
was treating with great honor a famous heretic then in Alexandria,
a certain Paul of Antioch. Origen could never be induced to join
with him in prayer... and, as he somewhere expresses it, he abomi-
nated heretical teachings
6
.
1. The main heresies which Origen faced was Gnosti-
cism, which I have discussed in Book 1, Chapter 4: The School
Of Alexandria And The Gnostics. Like St. Irenaeus and Tertul-
lian, and also St. Clement of Alexandria, Origen was opposed to
the Gnostic movement
7
.
Origen faced the Gnostic sects, especially the trio:
Basilides, Valentinus, Marcion, in the following points:
I. Their systems were based on the inseparable division and
antagonism between the Demiurge or "Creator God" and the su-
preme unknowable Divine Being. Origen insists on the identity of
the Creator God and the Father of J esus Christ.
The Gnostics contrast the two Testaments and the allegori-
cal exegesis which Origen uses. Origen, as other Alexandrian Fa-
thers emphatically stressed the fundamental unity of both phases
of revelation (Old and New Testament). He inculcates the unity of
authorship of both revelations
8
.
According to Origen, there were some who taught that Paul
was seated at the right hand of Christ in heaven, and Marcion at

7 Cf. Basil Studer: Trinity and Incarnation, Minnesota 1993, p. 77-78.
8 De Principiis praef. :4.
Origen
286
the left
9
. Marcion makes of the Creator God of the Old Testament
a just but not a good God and even one positively cruel and mali-
cious
10
. The essential concern of Origens statement which opens
the list of propositions of the rule of faith in the preface of the
Treatise on First Principles is to oppose the Marcionite and Gnos-
tic doctrines which separated the Creator God of the Old Testa-
ment from the Father of J esus Christ, making the former a just
God, the latter a good God. There is only one God, who created
everything out of nothing, who was the God of all the holy men of
the old covenant, who promised by his prophets the coming of his
Son and subsequently sent Him. There is only one God for the law,
the prophets and the apostles, for the Old Testament and the
New
11
.
Origen states that God is one; He is God both of the Old
and New Testament.
The kind of doctrines which are believed in plain
terms through the apostolic teaching are the following:-
First, that God is one, who created and set in order
all things, and who, when nothing existed, caused the uni-
verse to be. He is God from the first creation and founda-
tion of the world, the God of all righteous men, of Adam,
Abel, Seth, Enos, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Ja-
cob, of the twelve patriarchs, of Moses and the prophets.
This God, in these last days, according to the previous an-
nouncements made through his prophets, sent the Lord Je-
sus Christ, first for the purpose of calling Israel, and sec-
ondly, after the unbelief of the people of Israel, of calling
the Gentiles also. This just and good God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, himself gave the law, the prophets and
the gospels, and he is God both of the apostles and also of
the Old and New Testaments
12
.

9 Jaroslav Pelikan: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600), p. 80.
11 Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 182
12 De Principiis 1:1:4 (G.W. Butterworth).
His Theology
287
II. He particularly objects to Valentinus doctrine of the
three natures of souls and to the predestinarianism which underlies
it
13
. It was by reason of this doctrine that Origen drew up his chap-
ter on free will in equality of rational beings, an equality only to be
broken by the free choice of their will: the cosmology described in
that book is explained by the dialectic between divine action and
human freedom which can accept or reject the divine
14
.
I will speak of Origens Philosophy of Creation and Free-
dom in two separate chapters.
2. Origen faces two opposite tendencies in the Trinitarian
theology:
I. The Modalists, or the Monarchians, who tried to safe-
guard the divine monarchy, the unity of the Deity monotheism).
They considered the Son a mere name and mode of manifestation
of the Father. For them the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are
three modes of being a single divine Person.
They are called Noetians and later Sabellians, as they were
attributed to Noetus of Smyrna
15
and the Libyan Sabellius
16
.
In the West they were called Patripassians, because it fol-
lowed from their doctrine that the Father suffered the Passion.

13 Henri Crouzel: Origen, p. 154.
15 The first to spread the Patripassian doctrine, at the end of the second century, for which he was
condemned by the presbyters of Samyrna. Hippolytus (Noet. 1) attests that Noetus claimed that he
was Moses and his brother was Aaron (Cf. Encyclopedia of the Early Church, Oxford 1992, vol. 2,
p. 599.).
16 His Libyan origin is uncertain. In about 220 A.D he was condemned in Rome by Callistus, as an
exponent of Patripassian monarchianism. After the condemnation, either he or his disciples tried
to spread monarchian doctrine in Libya and Egypt, and developed it in opposition to the Logos-
theology of Origen and his school. They extended the original Patripassian doctrine to take in the
Holy Spirit: one sole God is manifested as Father in the Old Testament, Son in the incarnation,
Holy Spirit poured upon the apostles at Pentecost. In this way they avoided, at least formally,
Noetuss statement, which had met such opposition, that the Father himself had been incarnate
and had suffered. They also maintained against Origens doctrine of three distinct hypostaseis in
the Trinity, that Father, Son and Holy Spirit constitute a single prosopon and a single hypostases.
(Cf. Encyclopedia of the Early Church, Oxford 1992, vol. 2, p. 748-749.)
Origen
288
II. The Adoptianists also wanted to safeguard the monar-
chy by seeing in Christ just a man whom God adopted as a Son of
God for his merits.
In fact it could happen that Modalism and Adoptianism
were mixed up.
In chapter seven I will show how Origen is quite familiar
with the terms triad
17
(Trias) and Hypostaseis
18
. J .N.D. Kelly
says,
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are, Origen
states, three Persons (Hypostaseis)
19.
This affirmation
that each of the Three is a distinct hypostaseis from all
eternity, not just as manifested in the economy, is one of
the chief characteristics of his doctrine, and stems directly
from the idea of eternal generation
20
.

THE HERETICS AND THE ROAD OF FAITH
Origen believes that heretics receive the deposit of faith at
first, then they depart from it. He says, "Heretics, all begin by be-
lieving, and afterwards depart from the road of faith and the truth
of the church's teaching
21
."
In their pride, the heretics search the holy Scriptures, not to
discover the truth, but to confirm their own doctrines. Henri de
Lubac says,
One must receive the faith of God in the spirit
which the church teaches us, and must not do like the here-
tics who search the Scriptures only in order to find some
confirmation of their own doctrines.

17 In John 10:39:270; 6:33:166; In Jes. hom. 1:4:1.
18 In John 2:10:75; Contra Celsus 8:12.
19 In John. 20:22:182 f.; 32:16:192 f.
20 J.N.D. Kelly: p. 129.
21 Comm on the Song of the Songs, 3:4. PG 33:179.
His Theology
289
Their pride raises them higher than the cedars of
Lebanon and their sophistries are full of deceit. But it is
no use for them to pretend that they have a tradition which
comes down from the apostles; they are professors of error.
While the faithful Christian in no way strays from
the great tradition, they appeal to secret Scriptures or to se-
cret traditions in order to confirm their lies. Thus they want
to make us worship a Christ whom they have invented in
solitude, while the only authentic Christ reveals Himself
within the house.
They disfigure those vessels of gold and silver
which are the sacred texts, in order to fashion them into ob-
jects according to their own fancy.
They are thieves and adulterers who seize the divine
words only to deform them by their perverse interpreta-
tions.
They are counterfeiters for they have coined their
doctrine outside the Church. False teachers, false prophets,
spinning out of their own minds what they propound, they
are the liars of whom Ezekiel speaks. By a perverse trick-
ery they often cover their idols, that is, their empty dogmas,
with sweetness and chastity so that their propositions may
be smuggled more easily into the ears of their listeners and
lead them astray more surely.
They all call J esus their master and embrace him;
but their kiss is the kiss of J udas
22
.
And this also we must know that as the gates of cit-
ies have each their own names, in the same way the gates
of Hades might be named after the species of sins; so that
one gate of Hades is called "fornication," through which
fornicators go, and another "denial," through which the
deniers of God go down into Hades. And likewise already
each of the heterodox and of those who have begotten any

duction and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. XIV.
Origen
290
"knowledge which is falsely so called (I Tim. 6:20)," has
built a gate of Hades - Marcion one gate, and Basilides
another, and Valentinus another
23
.
The deceiver enemy, the devil, presents stone in-
stead of bread (Luke 11:11). This is what the devil wants,
that the stone may be changed into bread, so that men may
be fed not by bread but by stone which has the shape of the
bread.
If you see the heretics eat their false teachings as
bread know that their discussions, and teaching are a stone
which the devil presents to us to eat as if it is bread. . .
May we be watchful and so not eat the stone of the
devil believing that we are growing up by the Lords
bread
24
.
The devil speaks and depends upon the Scripture...
May he not deceive me even if he uses the Scripture
25
.

23 Commentary on Matthew, Book 12:12 (Cf. ANF).
24 In Luc. hom. 29:3,4
25 In Luc. hom. 31:1-7.
His Theology
291
THE ANTHROPOMORPHITES,
MILLENARIANS, AND LITERALISTS

Origen opposes those whom he calls the simpler and
whom we might call by three names
26
:
I. Anthropomorphites: They take literally the anthropo-
morphism that the Bible attributes to God and to the soul and con-
sequently picture God as corporeal: against these Origen clearly
affirms the absolute incorporeality of the three Persons and of the
soul.
Against the Anthropomorphites Origen explains that God
is Spirit, and He alone is without body.
But the substance of the Trinity, which is the begin-
ning and cause of all things, of which are all things and
through which are all things and in which are all things,
must not be believed either to be a body or to exist in a
body, but to be wholly incorporeal
27
.
But if it is impossible by any means to maintain this
proposition, namely, that any being, with the exception of
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, can live apart from a
body, then logical reasoning compels us to believe that,
while the original creation was of rational beings, it is only
in idea and thought that a material substance is separable
from them, and that though this substance seems to have
been produced for them or after them, yet never have they
lived or do they live without it; for we shall be right in be-
lieving that life without a body is found in the Trinity alone.
Now as we have said above, material substance possesses

26 Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 155-156.
27 De Principiis 4:4 (Henri De Lubac).
Origen
292
such a nature that it can undergo every kind of transforma-
tion
28
.
II. Millenarians or Chiliasts, because they take literally the
thousand years of Apocalypse 20:1-10. They believe that there will
be a first resurrection of the just, who will reign for that time in the
heavenly J erusalem which will come down to earth. They will en-
joy with Christ happiness before the final resurrection.
M. Simonetti
29
says, The decisive reaction against mille-
narism came from the Alexandrians, who propound a much more
spiritual conception of Christian eschatology. Origen rejected the
literal interpretation of Rev. 20-21, gives an allegorical interpreta-
tion of it and so takes away the Scriptural foundation of millenar-
ism.
Origen denied the millenarism
30
, considering the exegesis
of the literalists on some promises concerning the kingdom of
Christ was "unworthy of the divine promises." He castigates
31
the
follies of literalist believers who read the Scriptures like the J ews
whose belief in the future Messianic kingdom is understood as po-
litical and material rule. They cherish dreams of dwelling in an
earthly J erusalem after the resurrection, where they will eat, drink
and enjoy sexual intercourse to their hearts content
32
.
Origen opposes the doctrine of the resurrection current
among the millenarians or Chilliest. As regards to the state of the
body after this resurrection, they imagine that it will be identical
with the earthly body so that people will eat and drink, marry and
procreate, and that the heavenly J erusalem will be like a city here
below. The spiritual body will differ in nothing from the psychic
body and everything in the Beyond will be like life in this lower
world. For, being anthropomorphisms, the millenarians take liter-

28 De Principiis 2:2 (Cf. Butterworth).
29 Cf. Encyclopedia of the Early Church, Oxford 1992, vol. 1, p. 560.
30 De Principiis 2:11:2-3.
32 105. Kelly, p. 473.
His Theology
293
ally the biblical anthropomorphisms. They suppress all difference
between the terrestrial body and the glorious body, keeping only
the identity
33
.
III. The Literalists, because they preserve the literal mean-
ing of the Scriptures, even to the absurd lengths of which anthro-
pomorphism and millenarianism are examples: Origen's doctrine of
Scriptural allegory is also directed against these.

Origen
294
ORIGENS SOTERIOLOGY
34

Origen, as a spiritual leader, concentrates on the salvation
of his own soul and others souls almost in all his writings. His
heart was inflamed with the desire of the restoration of the souls,
and their glorification through the redeeming work of the Savior of
the whole world.
1. Origen systems of theology, spirituality, cosmology,
ecclesiology, angelogy, demonolgy, eschatology etc. are aimed at
the return of rational creatures to their eternal rest, as we will see
afterwards in the following chapters. This cannot be realized by
their own efforts, especially men who are in need of the divine
grace to enjoy the redeeming work of the Savior.
2. Origen as a disciple of St. Clement of Alexandria faced
the Hellenic culture not by attacking philosophy and knowledge,
but by assuring that salvation in its reality is the true gnosis and
practical philosophy. J esus Christ, the Savior of the world de-
scended to us as the Illuminator and Educator. He is the Light of
the world who redeems us from the darkness of ignorance and
grants us victory on the demons who prevent us from the light of
truth. Christ is the Heavenly Teacher who renews our nature by
His Holy Spirit and raises us with Him to His heaven, as His Bri-
dal chamber, where the Groom reveals His divine mysteries to His
bride.
3. Origen collects together in one place
35
all the titles he
can find in scripture which express the nature and work of Christ,
the Savior of the world. He explains that these titles are mentioned
in the Holy Scriptures as promises to us, so that we may find our
satisfaction, life, righteousness, salvation and glorification:

34 Cf. Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers from the New
Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 173 ff
35 Comm. on John 1:22 ff.
His Theology
295
the Light of the World (John 8:12),
the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6),
the Resurrection (John 11:25),
the Door (John 10:9),
the Good Shepherd (John 10:11),
the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,
the First and the Last (Rev. 22:13),
the Messiah who is called Christ (Luke 24:14),
the Logos who is God (John 1:1),
the Son of God,
the Savior,
the Power of God (Rom. 1:16),
the Righteousness , the Holiness, and Redemption (1 Cor.
1:30),
the King, Teacher and Master,
the True Vine and Bread,
Living and Dead,
Sword, Servant, Lamb of God, Paraclete, Propitiation,
Wisdom, Sanctification, Demiurge, Agent of the good God, High-
Priest, Rod, Flower, and Stone.
These ideas Origen draws on at random as he discusses
Christs saving work, in Homilies and Commentaries which wan-
der unsystematically from point to point.
2. Frances M. Young says that the only work which is at all
systematic is the De Principiis; even the Contra Celsum takes the
form of a commentary on Celsus anti-Christian arguments, and
shows little logical sequence of thought. Yet it seems to the present
writer that under this confusing array of ideas, there is a basic pat-
tern to Origens soteriology, a pattern of conflict between good
and evil in which Christ achieves the victory.
3. Young also says that most expositors of Origens
thought have regarded his idea of Christ as Revealer, Educator and
Enlightenment, that is, as the Logos of God, as his characteristic
view of Christs saving function. That this should be Origens
Origen
296
main account of Christs work in the De Principiis is not surpris-
ing
36
, since this was a work dominated by philosophical issues and
ideas. It is also prominent in the Commentary on John
37
. As the
brightness of Gods glory, Christ enlightens the whole creation,
and, as the Word, he interprets and presents to the rational creation
the secrets of wisdom and the mysteries of knowledge. The Only-
Begotten is the Truth, because he embraces in himself, according
to the Fathers will, the whole reason of all things, which he com-
municates to each creature in proportion to its worthiness
38
.
I will speak of the redeeming work of Christ and the mean-
ing of salvation in chapter nine.

36 De Principiis 1:2:6-8; 3:5:8.
37 Comm. on John 1:23-24, 27, 42.
38 Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers from the New Testa-
ment to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 173-174.
297
6

THE GREEK PHILOSOPHY,
KNOWLEDGE,
AND
FAITH

1. KNOWLEDGE

I have already spoken of The School of Alexandria and the
Gnostics
1
.

KNOWLEDGE (GNOSIS)
St. Clement attempting to create a true, and authentic and
practical Christian "gnosis," constantly uses the word Gnostic to
mean spiritual believer. He does not separate knowledge (gno-
sis) from spirituality, while Origen never denotes by this term the
Christian spirituality, but he uses the Pauline terms teleios, per-
fect, or pneumatikos, spiritual
2
. The word gnostikos is very rare
and is only found once applied to the spiritual, in a fragmented
document, with a clearly ironical intention directed at those who
hold to the supposed gnosis
3
.

THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE
In the School of Alexandria, Origen had learned how to
thirst after wisdom till he rested in God Himself. The desire for
wisdom, as St. Clement says, grows when it is inspired and fed
by habits of study, and it grows in proportion to the growth of the
students faith
4
. He who, therefore, has God resting in him will
not desire to seek elsewhere. At once leaving all hindrances, and

1 School Of Alexandria, N.J. 1994, p. 76 ff.
3 Cf. Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p. 116.
4 Cf. R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 11.
Origen

298
despising all matter which distracts him, he cleaves to heaven by
knowledge, and passing through the spiritual essences, and all rule
and authority, he touches the highest thrones, hasting to that alone
for the sake of which he alone knows... For works follow knowl-
edge, as the shadow follows the body
5
.

KNOWLEDGE AND CHURCH LIFE
The deans and students of the School of Alexandria looked
to the Christian life or to Church life as a source of unceasing
learning of the divine knowledge. The true members of the Church
are the friends of wisdom, and the students of faith are students of
true knowledge. R. Cadiou says,
Thus it happened that, from the day a student en-
rolled at the Academy, he was taught to regard the life of a
Christian as a progressive introduction to knowledge of the
divine. He learned to see the Church as a long course in
the study of religion, a course which admitted of several
degrees. And he absorbed the general principle of the
Academy, which made a distinction between the two kinds
of Christian, the simple and the perfect.
In the eyes of Origen, as in those of Clement, the
Church has its privileged souls; they are the friends of wis-
dom, and they either cultivate the spirit in lives of personal
holiness or dedicate themselves to philosophical research.
Beyond this group is the main body of the faithful, content
to eat humbler fare
6
.

KNOWLEDGE AS THE ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
As I said before, the Alexandrians were interested in the
"gnosis," not merely for the delight of their minds, but rather for
the satisfaction of the soul. The "knowledge" for them is an experi-

5 Stromata 7:13.
Philosophy, Knowledge, and Faith
299
ence of the unity with the Father in the Only-begotten Son by the
Holy Spirit. Through the true knowledge of the Holy Trinity we
attain the new risen life in Christ, by the work of the Holy Spirit,
instead of spiritual death which we had suffered
7
.
St. Clement insists that the goal of Christian education is
"practical, not theoretical. Its aim is to improve the soul, not to
teach, and to train it up to a virtuous, not an intellectual life
8
."
R. Cadiou in his book, Origen says,
Not without reason did the students who followed
the elementary classes at Alexandria long for the special
knowledge of God which Clement had promised them. In
the common conviction among all the various sects of the
day, this special knowledge of God was an assurance of
salvation; it was supposed to be mysteriously imparted to
special individuals who were born with the gift of unlock-
ing the secrets of the divine. Such special individuals were
considered to differ essentially from the common run of
men
9
.
For Origen, knowledge is not just an intellectual meditation
on God and His glory, but it is a daily experience in our worship
and life. Therefore it is the same thing as union with God and love.
To ask him the question whether blessedness is knowledge or love
would be for him nonsense, for knowledge is love. For him there is
no distinction between intellectual and spiritual knowledge
10
.
Origen relies on the Hebrew meaning of the verb to know,
used to express the human act of love: Adam knew his wife
Eve. Such is the ultimate definition of knowing compounded with
love in union. This last quotation excludes all pantheism: just as

7 School of Alexandria, N.J. 1994, Book 1, p. 194.
8 See Carl A. Volz: Life and Practice in the Early Church, Minneapolis, 1990, p. 103, 222;
Paidagogos, 1:1..
10 Cf. Henri Crouzel: Origen, p. 99.
Origen

300
the man and the woman are two in one flesh so God and the be-
liever become two in one and the same spirit
11
.
According to Origen, knowledge inflames our love, grants
us perfection of the soul, its purification, and thus it attains like-
ness to the Son of God. The goal of our spiritual life is to attain
knowledge, through which we share fellowship with Christ, meet
Him as if face to face and to be in His likeness. Knowledge devel-
ops both the filiation and the glorification
12
.
H. Crouzel says that knowledge is a vision or a direct con-
tact, dispensing with the mediation of the sign, the image, the
word, which are rendered necessary here below by our corporeal
condition
13
. It is participation in its object, better still it is union,
mingling with its object, and love. In the state of blessedness, we
repeat, the saved will have been taken, as it were, into the Son, yet
without pantheism, for they will see God with the very eyes of the
Son
14
...
The apostolic life of the preacher and teacher only has
value if its aim is contemplation; and contemplation blossoms into
apostolic action. To see J esus transfigured on the mountain, and
thus to contemplate the divinity of the Word seen through his hu-
manity - the Transfiguration is the symbol of the highest knowl-
edge of God in his Son which is possible here below - one must,
with the three apostles, make the ascent of the mountain, symboliz-
ing the spiritual ascent. Those who remain in the plain see J esus
with no form nor comeliness (Isa. 53:2), even if they believe in
his divinity: for these spiritual invalids He is simply the Doctor
who cares for them. Or to use another image from the Gospels J e-
sus speaks to the people in parables out of doors; He explains them

301
to the disciples indoors: so one must go into the house in order to
begin to understand
15
..
We conclude from these words (Luke 1:2) that
knowledge sometimes is an aim in itself, but deeds crown
it... To be satisfied with knowledge without applying it, it
becomes a useful science. As science is correlated to the
practical deeds so knowledge to the ministry of the Word
16
.

KNOWLEDGE AND FREEDOM
17

Origen considers the grace of knowledge a free gift of the
divine love. It must be received freely by man and ascesis is the
witness to this will on man's part. Origen criticized the conception
held by the Montanists of trance as unconsciousness and that
shows that God does not take possession of a soul without its con-
sent.
Knowledge is the meeting of two freedoms, that of God
and that of man. That of God on the one hand, for a divine Being
is only seen if He is willing to make Himself visible
18
. The Contra
Celsus
19
clearly asserts, dealing with passages from Plato that Cel-
sus brings up, the whole distance that separates Christian grace
from the approximations known to Plato and the Platonists. Of
course, for the latter, the divine realities can only be seen in the
light of God
20
, but this light will necessarily come to anyone who
places himself in certain conditions of ascesis. Now, Origen re-
calls, the grace of knowledge is a free gift of the divine love. It
must be received freely by man and ascesis is the witness to this
will on man's part. Origen criticized the conception held by the
Montanists of trance as unconsciousness and that shows that God
does not take possession of a soul without its consent.

16 In Luke. hom 1:5.
17 Cf. Henri Crouzel, p.100.
18 In Luke. hom. 3:1.
Origen

302

HUMAN KNOWLEDGE AND DIVINE PROVIDENCE
There is strength to the summary of Hal Koch, that Ori-
gens theology involves a meeting of divine providence and human
learning: pronoia and paideusis. The education of humanity takes
place through the providential teaching of the Incarnate Word; Lo-
gos is Paidagogos
21
. Origen at the end has to grapple with the
logic of this dynamic role for Logos: how can such lively paideia
spring from the changeless One?
22

HUMAN KNOWLEDGE AND CHURCH TRADITION
Origen as a churchman trusts in the Church Tradition as a
source of the Christian dogmas
and doctrines, but in broadmindedness and openness of heart, for
he believes that the human mind is a divine gift, and in itself is an
image of deity. Like knows like; mind comprehends Mind. J oseph
C. McLelland says,
He is careful to distinguish between two areas of
thought. The first is that in which he is reasoning within the
common confession of faith, where that alone is to be ac-
cepted as truth which differs in no respect from ecclesiasti-
cal and apostolic tradition
23
The second is that in which
doctrine is still open, where he is relatively free to specu-
late, to suggest gymnastikos theories about the origin of the
soul, angelogy, and especially cosmogony and eschatology.
These latter two doctrines become at Origens hands an
eternal creation and the famous apokatastasis or restora-
tionism which has characterized his name in popular opin-
ion ever since
24
...

21 H. Koch: Pronoia und Paideusis: studien Uber Orignes und sein Verhdltnis zum Platonismus,
Leipzig 1932,3, p. 62ff.
22 Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, Massachusetts, 1976, p. 105.
23 Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, p. 94.
24 De Principiis 2.
303
Origen, of course, has only begun; he proceeds to
expound the way in which there is positive human knowl-
edge of God. He shows that although God is incomprehen-
sible there is no absolute darkness but a veritable esoter-
isme of Light
25
.
The argument of Celsus which Origen seeks
to refute in 7:32f turns on whether the Christian doctrine of
the resurrection is worthy of the invisible God or not. Ori-
gen agrees with Celsus idealist presupposition, and states:
The knowledge of God is not derived from the eye of the
body, but from the mind which sees that which is in the im-
age of the Creator and by divine providence has received
the power to know God
26
.
There is an intellectual sight which is different in
kind from sensible sight: in proportion to the degree in
which the superior eye is awake and the sight of the senses
is closed, the supreme God and His Son, who is the Logos
and Wisdom and the other titles, are comprehended and
seen by each man
27
.

THE WISDOM OF GOD AND THE WISDOM OF THE
WORLD
Henri De Lubac says,
Nor does Origen confuse wisdom with wisdom. We
cite once again his clear declaration against Celsus
haughty reflections: Human wisdom is what we call the
wisdom of the world, which is foolishness with God. But
the divine wisdom, which is different from the human if it
really is divine, comes by the grace of God who gives it to

25 Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, p. 100; H. Urs Von Balthasar: Parole et Mystere
chez Origne, Paris 1957, p. 33; M. Harl: Origne et la Fonction Revelatrice du Verbe Incarne,
Paris 1958,p. 86ff.; R.P. Festugiere: La Revelation dHermes Trismegiste, Paris, vol. 4,p. 92ff.
27 Contra Celsus 7:39; Joseph McLelland: God The Anonymous, p. 100; Harl, p. 188f.
Origen

304
those who prove themselves to be suitable persons to re-
ceive it... Celsus describes as very uneducated and as slaves
and as quite ignorant those who... Have not been educated
in the learning of the Greeks. But the people whom we call
very uneducated are those who are not ashamed to address
lifeless objects... However, there is some excuse here for
the error.
28

It is not astonishing that certain writers, who have
clear ideas on the arts and sciences and who sometimes
display an ability to discuss questions of morals or to solve
problems in literature, should remain in ignorance of God.
Their intellect is like the vision of a man who can see every
object except the sun and who never lifts his eyes toward
the suns rays
29
.

OUR CONTINUOS PROGRESS IN KNOWLEDGE
Although Origen sees God more as Light than as Darkness,
he sometimes alludes to the Darkness in which God hides Himself.
But this relates to our ignorance which belongs to our carnal con-
dition. The goal is knowledge face to face, coinciding with the
perfect likeness
30
. In the resurrection we shall have a knowledge
like that of the angels, though Origen does not say clearly how per-
fect that knowledge is
31
.

V V V

28 Henri De Lubac: Origen, On First Principles, NY., 1966 (Koetschau text together with an
introduction and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. XVIII.
29 In Ps., 4:7 PG 12:1164; Cf. In Gen. hom. 3 PG 12:89; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 56.
30 Henri Crouze, p. 100.
305
2. KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

HUMAN LANGUAGE
According to St. Clement, God of the universe who is
above all speech, all conception, all thought, can never be
committed to writing, being inexpressible even by His own
power
32
. God is invisible and beyond expression by words...,
what is divine is unutterable by human power (2 Cor. 12:4; Rom.
11:33)... The discourse concerning God is most difficult to deal
with
33
.
J oseph C. McLelland writes,
If God is unknowable He cannot be spoken of, and
therefore man cannot give him a name. Such was the theol-
ogy of the Platonists: for Albinus, God is transcendent so
decisively that he is unspeakable and therefore unnamable
(arretos, akatonomastos). Celsus had also stated that he
cannot be named and Origen takes this up as worthy of a
detailed reply. Celsus is right, Origen states, if he means
that our descriptions by word or expression cannot show
the divine attributes. But this applies to attribution on any
level - who can express in words the sweetness of a date
and that of a dried fig? There is difficulty in finding
names to distinguish between qualities even in this re-
gard
34
. But if by name one means that he can show
something about His attributes in order to guide the hearer
and to make him understand Gods character insofar as
some of His attributes are attainable by human nature,
then this is a valid mode of speaking
35
.

32 Stromata 5:10:65.
33 Ibid. 5: 12.
34 Contra Celsus 6:65; cf. 7:43. we affirm that it is not only God who is nameless, but that there
are also others among the beings inferior to him.
35 Cf. Joseph McLelland: God The Anonymous, p. 102-103.
Origen

306
Origen states that through His infinite love God uses even
our human language and expressions to make a communication
with us.
For I am the Lord your God, a jealous
God(Exod. 20:5). Behold the kindness of God! He
Himself assumes the weakness of human dispositions that
He might teach us and make us perfect. For who, when he
hears the phrase, a jealous God, is not immediately
astonished and thinks of the defect of human weakness?!
But God does and suffers all things for our sake. It
is so we can be taught that He speaks with dispositions
which are known and customary to us. Let us see,
therefore, what this statement means: "I am a jealous
God
36
."
Furthermore, Origen's doctrine of God unreservedly ac-
cepts the traditional Platonic definitions that God is immutable,
impassible, beyond time and space, without shape or color, not
needing the world, though creating it by His goodness
37
. Although
he speaks of God's divine impassability and that He has no human
emotion
38
, he insists upon declaring Gods true Fatherhood
through love, expressed to us through human language as if He has
every feeling and emotion.
Moreover, does not the Father and God of the Uni-
verse somehow experience emotion, since He is long-
suffering and of great mercy?!
Or do you know that when He distributes human
gifts He experiences human emotion?!
For 'the Lord your God endured your ways, as
when man endures his son' (Deut. 1:31)
39
.

36 In Exodus hom 8:5 ( Cf. Ronad E Heine- Frs. of the Church, vol. 71.)
38 Origen: De Principiis 2:4:4, In Num, hom 16:3.
39 In Ezech. hom. 6:6.
307
GOD IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE
40

1. For Origen, God who is incomprehensible, reveals Him-
self, His nature, and His characteristics to man, not as an object of
showing or curiosity, but for mans advantage. God wants His
closest and dearest creature to know Him so that he may imitate
Him and share with Him His life. In other words, establishing the
Spiritual Church as the Bride of Christ is the true aim of theol-
ogy or of our faith and knowledge of God.
God is not an object of curiosity, but a free and
sovereign Being who gives Himself to be known by a cre-
ated being, who is equally respected for its own subjective
integrity and expected to be willingly and freely related to
God. This faith has gathered together men from east, west,
north, and the south into the knowledge of God
41
.
2. God is immaterial, transcendent, and incomprehensible,
but He reveals Himself to men especially when they have pure
minds.
There is a kinship between the human mind and
God; for the mind is itself an image of God, and therefore
can have some conception of the divine nature, especially
the more it is purified and removed from matter
42
.
3. Through Gods help and grace man can acknowledge
Him. J oseph C. McLelland writes,
Man knows God, Origen answers Celsus, by look-
ing at the image of the invisible God, that is by a certain
divine grace, which does not come about in the soul with-
out Gods action, but with a sort of inspiration. Plato had
thought God difficult to know, but not impossible, whereas
it is probable that the knowledge of God is beyond the ca-
pacity of human nature (that is why there are such great

40 Cf. Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty: God, N.J. 1994; William G. Rusch: The Trinitarian Controversy,
Fortress Press, Philadelphia, 1980, p. 13ff.
41 Comm. on the Proverbs PG 17:229. (See Emilianos Timiadis: The Nicene Creed, 1983, P.22.)
42 De Principiis 1:1:5 - 7.
Origen

308
errors about God among men), but that by Gods kindness
and love to man and by a miraculous divine grace the
knowledge of God extends to those who by Gods fore-
knowledge have been previously determined, because they
would live lives worthy of Him after He was made known to
them
43
.
4. God who is absolutely impassible has no human mo-
tions, at the same time He is not a solid Being, for He is "Love,"
unique Love. Love is expressed by our human nature that we
might acknowledge it and accept it, therefore we read in the Holy
Scriptures that God grieves at our falling into sin; He hates sin and
rejoices in our repentance. Origen gives many examples from the
Scriptures, then concludes,
Now all these passages where God is said to la-
ment, or rejoice, or hate, or be glad, are to be understood
as spoken by Scripture in metaphorical and human fashion.
For the divine nature is remote from all affection of pas-
sion and change, remaining ever unmoved and untroubled
in its own summit of bliss
44
.
Rowan A. Greer says:
Origen means to be insisting upon the Biblical wit-
ness that God is the Creator and Sovereign Lord of the cre-
ated order. And he is able to expound the idea not only by
using Scripture, but also by employing philosophical ideas.
One line of argumentation lies behind the discussion in De
Principiis 4:1-2. God is not contained by the created order,
but He informs it with His own presence and power. The
theme is originally J ewish and may be found both in Philo
and in the rabbinical writings...
Origen's argument is that to regard God as the first
principle of the universe requires that He be defined as a
unity and incorporeal. As he points out, the very notion of

43 Contra Celsus 7:43, 44; Joseph McLelland: God The Anonymous, Massachusetts, 1976, p. 104.
44 In Numb. hom. 33:2.
309
matter or corporeality carries with it the implication of di-
versity ... Thus, if God is to be transcendent and the first
principle of the universe, He must be one. And if He is one,
then He is beyond the diversity characteristic of corporeal-
ity... the Biblical and philosophical themes are united in a
vision of God who is not limited by space or time and so is
the Lord of creation...
In His relation to God, the Word is God in precisely
the same way that no real difference can be made between
a thought and its thinker
45
.
5. Origen began by acknowledging that God is incompre-
hensible. God is known only indirectly at best, by inference from
the universe and the created order. God being perfect brought into
existence a world of spiritual beings, souls, co-eternal with him-
self. Origen believes that God must always have a universe related
to him, but the universe is not regarded as a second uncreated prin-
ciple alongside God
46
.

KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND GRACE
No man has known the Father save the Son, and
he to whom the Son may reveal Him (Matt. 11:27; Luke
10:22). He shows that God is known by a certain divine
grace which does not come into the soul without Gods
working but with a sort of inspiration [or God-
possession]. Indeed it is likely that the knowledge of God
is beyond the reach of human nature - hence the great
blunders men make about God - but that by Gods kindness
and love toward man and by a miraculous and divine grace
the knowledge of God reaches those who have been deter-
mined in advance by Gods foreknowledge, because they

45 Cf. Comm. in John. I.32, 42; II.2,5; Rowan A. Greer: Origen, Paulist Press, 1979, page 7, 8.
46 De Principiis 1:2:10; 2:9:1.
Origen

310
would live worthily of Him when He was made known to
them
47
.
Out of love to man God manifested the truth and
that which may be known of Himself (Rom. 1:18) not only
to those who are devoted to Him but also to some who
know nothing of pure worship and piety toward Him
48
.

REVELATION OF GOD
Our Savior, therefore, is the image of the invisible
God, in as much as compared with the Father Himself He
is the truth; and as compared with us, to whom He reveals
the Father, He is the image by which we come to the knowl-
edge of the Father, whom no one knows save the Son, and
He to whom the Son is pleased to reveal Him
49
.
All who believe and are assured that 'grace and
truth came through Jesus Christ' (John 1:17), and who
know Christ to be the truth, agreeably to His own declara-
tion, 'I am the truth' (John 14:6), derive the knowledge
source than from the very words and teaching of Christ.
And by the words of Christ we do not mean those only
which He spoke when He became man and tabernacled in
the flesh; for before that time, Christ, the Word of God was
in Moses and the prophets
50
.

VISION OF GOD AND HIS ANGELS
J ean Danilou writes, Celsus had agreed with Plato that
the vision of God is within mans reach but at the price of great

49 Origin: De Principiis, Book 1, Ch. 2, Section 6.
50 Origen: De Principiis, Preface l; The Ante-Nicene Fathers", Vol. 4, 1979, by Roberts and
Donaldson. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan. USA.
311
effort, and that it is the privilege of the few. Origen rejects both
propositions
51
.
We shall see the Father face to face, but only because we
shall be One spirit with the Lord. In this sense only Origen be-
lieved that the work of Redemption and Mediation will have an
end. We shall see the Father no longer in the Son, but as the Son
sees Him, in the day when God shall be all in all
52
.
Origen asserts the following realties:
1. None can see God or His angels except through pure
heart.
2. This vision as a divine gift, is offered to us according to
His will and desire. For God and His angels are present with us,
but we dont see them. The Divine grace grants the just to see God
by their inner sight.
3. Even when man sees God, he cannot see Him as He is.
God was seen by Abraham or by other holy ones
through divine grace. The eye of the soul of Abraham was
not the only cause, but God offered Himself to be seen by
the righteous man, who was worthy of seeing Him.
Probably there is an angel near us now while we
are speaking, but cannot see him because of our unworthi-
ness.
The (bodily) eye or the inner one may endeavor to
attain this vision, but unless the angel himself reveals him-
self to us those who have the desire cannot see him.
This reality does not concern the vision of God only
in this present age but also when we shall leave this world.
For God and His angels do not appear to all men after
their departure immediately... but this vision is granted to
the pure heart which is prepared to see God.

51 Jean Danilou: Origen, NY 1955,p. 107.
Origen

312
A man whose heart is burdened with sin is not in the
same place with he whose heart is pure, the latter sees
God, while the other does not see Him.
I think this happened when Christ was here in the
flesh on earth. For not all who beheld Him saw God. Pilate
and Herod the ruler beheld Him and at the same time did
not see Him ( as God).
Three men, therefore, came to Abraham at midday;
two come to Lot and in the evening (Gen. 19:1
53
). For Lot
could not receive the magnitude of midday light, but Abra-
ham was capable of receiving the full brightness of the
light
54
.
First, however, observe that the Lord also was pre-
sent with Abraham with two angels, but two angels alone
proceeded to Lot. And what do they say? The Lord has
sent us to consume the city and destroy it (Gen 19.13.)
He, therefore, received those who would give destruction.
He did not receive Him who would save. But Abraham re-
ceived both Him who saves and those who destroy
55
.
The Lord blessed Isaac, the text says, and he
dwelt at the well of vision. (Gen. 25:11) This is the whole
blessing with which the Lord blessed Isaac: that he might
dwell at the well of vision. That is a great blessing for
those who understand it. Would that the Lord might give
this blessing to me too, that I might deserve to dwell at the
well of vision
56
.
But if anyone rarely comes to church, rarely draws
from the fountains of the Scriptures, and dismisses what he
hears at once when he departs and is occupied with other
affairs, this man does not dwell at the well of vision. Do
you want me to show you who it is who never withdraws

53 Cf. Philo QG. 4.30
313
from the well of vision? It is the apostle Paul who said:
But we all with open face behold the glory of the Lord
(Cf. 2 Cor. 3:18)
57
.
The vision that sees God is not physical but mental
and spiritual; and ... this is why the Savior was careful to
use the right word and say no man knows the Father save
the Son, not... sees. Again, to those whom He grants to
see God, He gives the spirit of knowledge and the spirit
of wisdom, that through the Spirit himself they may see
God (Isa. 11:2)
58
.
The organ which knows God is not the eye of the
body but the mind, for it sees that which is in the image of
the Creator, and it has received by the providence of God
the faculty of knowing Him
59
.
For now, even if we are deemed worthy of seeing
God with our mind and heart, we do not see Him as He is
but as He becomes to us in order to bring His providence
to bear on us....
60
.
Even if we are deemed worthy of seeing God,... we
do not see Him as He is, but as He (accommodates Himself
to us)
61
.

GOD IS LOVE
Although the Early Alexandrian theologians spoke of God's
divine impassability and that He has no human emotion
62
, they in-
sisted upon declaring His true Fatherhood through love, expressed
to us through human language as if He has every feeling and emo-
tion. Origen states, 'Moreover, does not the Father and God of the

58 Comm. on Song of Songs 3.
60 Comm. on Matt. 17:19 on 22:1..
61 Comm. Matt 17. 17ff.
62 Origen: De Principiis 2:4:4, In Num, hom 16:3.
Origen

314
Universe somehow experience emotion, since He is long-suffering
and of great mercy?! Or do you know that when He distributes hu-
man gifts He experiences human emotion?! For 'the Lord your God
endured your ways, as when man endures his son' (Deut. 1:31)..
63

Through love we can acknowledge God
We must realize how many things ought to be said
about (this) love, and also what great things need to be
said about God, since He Himself is "Love." For "as no one
knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom it shall
please the Son to reveal Him... Moreover, in like manner,
because He is called Love, it is the Holy Spirit, who pro-
ceeds from the Father, who alone knows what is in God;
just as the spirit of man knows what is in man (1 Cor.
2:11). Here then the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth, who
proceeds from the Father (John 15:26), ranges, searching
for souls worthy and able to receive the greatness of this
love, that is of God, which He desires to reveal to them
64
.

V V V

63 In Ezech. hom. 6:6.
64 Comm. on Song of Songs, Prologue.
315
3. PHILOSOPHY

I have already spoken about The School of Alexandria
and Philosophical Attitudes
65
. I discussed Origens view on
Greek philosophy, why did the School of Alexandria use philoso-
phy, and to what extent.
Philosophy and rhetorical training were the two principal
ways to complete an education in Origen's time, and studying phi-
losophy was less likely to offend Christians than the study of lit-
erature which he had already completed.
Origen knew and respected the works of Numenius of
Apamea, a Platonist who lived during the second century A.D, but
only fragments of Numenius' work survived.
"Who is Plato," Numenius asked, "but a Moses speaking
Attic Greek?" In the course of On the Good, Numenius used both
the Old and New Testaments, interpreted allegorically, to substan-
tiate his thesis. Similarly, Philo and St. Clement reached out to Pla-
tonism to understand the deeper meaning of the Bible.
We can summarize Origens view of philosophy in the
following points:
1. Like St. Clement, Origen believed that all past philoso-
phy can be, and must be, placed in the service of Christ. He once
told St. Gregory Thaumaturgus there could be no genuine piety in
a man who despised philosophy: "a gift which man alone of all the
creatures of the earth has been deemed honorable and worthy
enough to possess."
Sometimes he praises philosophy and science. In his letter
to St. Gregory Thaumaturgus he states that philosophy looks like
gold which the Hebrews took from Egypt, instead of using it in

65 School of Alexandria, Book 1, p.97 ff.
Origen

316
establishing the Tabernacle they made the golden bull. He knows
Philosophy well, but uses it as a theologian convinced of his right
to dig his wells in the land of the Philistines in spite of their re-
criminations
66
.
Origen studied philosophy not out of love, but to preach to
those who had a philosophical education. In fact he gained many
students from the Museum. In this he initiates St. Pantenaus.
2. Through adopting certain Platonic attitudes, Origen
aimed to refute the first principles of Christian Gnosticism and
Stoicism. Correspondences between Platonism and the needs of
Christian theology in its battle with the Gnostics help explain the
extraordinary power of Platonism over Origen's thought, a power
greater than he himself was aware. He became convinced that false
doctrine was bad philosophy, that true doctrine was true philoso-
phy, and that good philosophy is Platonism. Origen knew how im-
portant Platonism was to his understanding of God and God's rela-
tion to the world, even if he ostensibly consider philosophy, as
Clement did, a preparatory discipline, useful for making the Chris-
tians aware of what was already there, beneath the veil of allegory,
in the Bible. He does not always seem to have been aware, even as
aware as Clement was in his own case, of the extent to which Pla-
tonism molded his understanding of the Christian life.
3. Philosophy was the handmaiden, but he would never al-
low it to become the master
67
. J aroslav Pelikan
68
says, "One of the
most decisive differences between a theologian and a philosopher
is that the former understands himself as, in Origen's classic phase,
a man of the church
69
, a spokesman for the Christian commu-
nity.

66 In Gen. hom. 13:3; Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p.
68 Jaroslav Pelikan: The Christian Tradition, vol. 1, Chicago, 1971, p. 3.
69 Hom. on Lev. 1:1; Hom. on Jos. 9:8; Hom. on Isa. 7:3.
317
Origen was not like his teacher St. Clement, a philosopher
who was converted to Christianity, therefore he was not so kind
towards the Greek philosophy. He is sensitive to the beauty of the
Greek language, he praises it in others, but care about style is in-
consistent with the serious nature of his apostolic task
70
. He con-
centrated on assuring its falseness and insufficiency, because he
was afraid from the beauty of the philosophical expressions
that may deceive believers.
In his speech of the wall of J ericho, he calls philosophy the
high walls which support the world. We are in need of the Lord
J esus (J oshua) who sends the priests and apostles to use the silver
trumpets (Num. 10:2, Ps. 98:6) presenting the heavenly teachings
to destroy these walls of J ericho.
The wedge of gold which Achau stole (J os. 1:21) is the
spoiled philosophies which appear brilliant, deceiving the believers
by the sweet golden tongue.
If you take it and put it in your tent, i.e., you permit-
ted their teaching to enter in your heart, you defile the
whole Church. This is what the wicked Valentinus and
Basilides did. They stole the wedge of gold which was in
Jericho and tried to transfer the evil philosophical princi-
pals to the church, which defile all the Church of God
71
.
He warns us from philosophy, for the pagans abused it by
mixing there own errors with the truth, and thus it cannot teach the
will of God
72
. He also declares that philosophy has no power to
renew our nature.
4. Origen believes that Platonism contains truths present
in the biblical account about reality. His purpose was to recover
Plato for Platonism, and then Platonism for Christianity
73
.

70 Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989, p. 57
71 In Jos. hom 7:7.
72 In Psalms 36:3,6.
73 Ibid., 28.
Origen

318
Plato is certainly for Origen the high point of Greek
thought, of human thought apart from revelation, and he constantly
draws inspiration from him, at least in the form in which Middle
Platonism presented him. In the controversy with Celsus over
knowledge of God many texts of Plato are called to witness by
Celsus and sometimes admired and sometimes contradicted by
Origen on the basis of the Christian revelation. In spite of his great
admiration for Plato, Origen retains his independence of him and is
able to criticize him from the standpoint of his Christian faith
74
.
He sets an immediate distance between himself and Plato
by sharp accusations that Plato was a pagan who, despite the high
insights of dialogues such as the Republic and the Phaedo, failed
to break with polytheism
75
. It is significant that the complaint is
directed not against Plato's metaphysics but against his behavior.
Origen simply assumes as axiomatic the Platonic conception of the
intelligible world with the sensible world as a reflection of it. For
Origen the idea is fundamental to his view of revelation
76
.
5. Origen does not treat all the schools alike and passes a
different judgment on each; at the bottom of the order of merit is
Epicureanism, philosophy's shame with its morality of pleasure
which is the opposite of the Cross of Christ, its negation of Provi-
dence which makes it a veritable atheism, its atomic physics, its
refusal to recognize man's spiritual privileges. With the Platonists
and Stoics he is against Aristotle's doctrine of three kinds of
good
77
.
He does not believe in a certain philosophy, but chooses
what is good in every theory.
Rowan A Greer says,

75 Contra Celsum 3:47; 6:3,4; 7:42,44.
319
We are left in a circle. On the one hand, Origen be-
gins with scripture, and his careful reading of it yields the
theological conclusions that comprise his views as a whole.
From this point of view he is certainly a Christian and, in-
deed, a Biblical theologian.
On the other hand, Origen approaches scripture
with preconceptions that are in great part determined by his
philosophical training and bent of mind. At this level it is
possible to charge him with simply importing Greek phi-
losophy into his interpretation of scripture. The resulting
puzzle is not easily solved...
In the first instance Origen's importance lies in
bridging the gap between Christianity and the Graeco-
Roman world. He was able to expound the Gospel in terms
meaningful to his pagan contemporaries and perhaps more
important, to Christians who retain that culture even upon
conversion...
This is Origen's point of view and his conviction is
that Christianity had the power to transform the old culture
and make it fruitful
78
.
6. He deals with many philosophical problems, such as
man's free will, the divine Providence, the relationship between
God and man etc.
7. According to Origen, the main aim in studying philoso-
phy is to build up a Christian philosophy, that is to say theology.
After destroying Hesebon, the city of thoughts, the Christian
does not leave it in ruins but rebuilds it in his way, using the mate-
rials that suit him in what remains of the demolished town
79
. Thus,
it is the responsibility of the Church to establish the true philoso-
phy instead of the false ones. Origen states that Celsus misunder-

78 Rowan A. Greer: Origen, Introduction.
79 In Num. hom. 13:2.
Origen

320
stands Pauline texts, therefore he accuses the Christians of banish-
ing all wisdom
80
.
The divine philosophy is a theology in the broadest sense
of the term, with exegetical and spiritual content as well as specu-
lative. On the other hand Origen seems to have no idea of a per-
manent rational philosophy in Christianity alongside theology. For
that he would have needed to distinguish more fully between Rea-
son and Revelation and between Natural and Supernatural. Reason
is for him participation in the supernatural Reason of God, his Son,
who is also the Revelation. If there are two passages
81
in which a
correct distinction is found between natural and supernatural, this
distinction is offered in a way that does not seem familiar to him.
Origen holds above all to a supernatural in which the natural is im-
plicitly contained. Why have recourse to an imperfect source when
perfect learning is given? When God speaks must not every human
voice keep silence? The flesh pots of Egypt would be of little
value, seeing that we have the manna of Scripture. Indeed it seems
that for him philosophy of a purely rational order ceased to exist
with the appearance of Christianity, not of course as reflection but
as an independent discipline. Philosophy belongs to the past, a
productive past, which the present uses for the building up of
Christian theology, but does not sustain. The inheritance is ac-
cepted, with reservations
82
.

AMMONIUS SACCAS AND MIDDLE PLATONISM
83

Origen studied under the Platonic philosopher Ammonius
Saccas (c. 175-242 A.D). Ammonius was originally a Christian,
who at some point renounced his faith to embrace Greek philoso-
phy. He had no objection to teaching Christians; in addition to Ori-
gen, he taught Heraclas, a future bishop of Alexandria.

81 Contra Celsus 5:23; Comm. on John 1:37.
83 R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 149; J.W. Trigg: Origen, p. 66-67.
321
Origens decision to study with Ammonius Saccas would
not be difficult to explain even if Clement had not been around to
urge on him the value of philosophy as a preparation for the deeper
Christian mysteries.
Ammonius taught at Alexandria for at least 50 years, from
the time of Commodus (192 A.D) to his own death in c. 242 A.D,
the year of Gordian IIIs Persian expedition, which Plotinus joined.
He was said to have earned his living as a porter and to have been
at one time employed in that capacity at the docks of Alexandria.
Born of Christian parents, he turned to the study of philosophy at
some unknown date during the reign of Emperor Commodus.
However, he retained a reminder of his former occupation, for he
was generally known by the name Saccas (Sack).
R. Cadiou says,
A contemporary witness asserts that the young Ori-
gen followed the lectures of Ammonius Saccas over a pe-
riod of years. The record is found in the Treatise against
the Christians which Porphyry wrote in the year 274. This
man, having been a hearer of Ammonius, who had made
the greatest proficiency in philosophy among those of our
day, with regard to knowledge, derived great benefit from
his master.
Eusebius does not deny the influence of Ammonius
although it lessens the stature of his hero. On the contrary
he confirms Porphyrys statement by quoting a letter writ-
ten by Origen in the days of his exile. In that letter the great
Alexandrian scholar acknowledged his depth to Greek
learning. He says that he became a pupil of one whom he
calls a master of philosophical sciences. He was then older
than the ordinary student, for he informs us that he fol-
lowed the example of Heraclas, his colleague, who I have
found persevered five years with a teacher of philosophy
before I began to attend to these studies. This enables us
to fix the year 210 as the earliest date when Origen could
have joined the classes of Ammonius. At that date Origen
Origen

322
was more than twenty-five years old. It is true that Ammo-
nius is not mentioned in this letter, but it is obvious from
the context that the school of Ammonius is the locale of the
studies which Origen refers to
84
.
The treatise On the agreement between Moses and Jesus
mentioned by Eusebius
85
can be explained as having been com-
posed by Ammonius whom Eusebius confused with.
Ammonius wrote nothing, and it is notoriously difficult to
reconstruct his doctrines, but he taught Origen and Plotinus, the
two most influential thinkers of the third century, as well as other
men eminent in their time. The historical record is confusing, but it
seems that Origen could not have met Plotinus since Origen had
left Alexandria permanently before Plotinus became Ammonius
student.
In his lectures he aimed to reconcile the thought of Plato
and Aristotle, thus aligning himself with the electic tendency char-
acteristic of Antochus of Ascalon and middle Platonism and later
renewed by Platonius and Prophyry.
It is impossible to say just what Origen learned from Am-
monius. It may be that, like other great teachers, Ammonius influ-
enced his students more by instilling in them a sympathetic yet
critical approach to a great tradition than by passing on his own
particular doctrines.
Origens debt to Ammonius and to the Platonism he medi-
ated appears at every level of Origen's thought, from the language
and style he employed to express himself to the deepest convic-
tions he had about the way we can come to share in the being of
God. Prophery is correct in implying that Origen was not a mem-
ber of the brotherhood formed by the disciples of Ammonius, he
was just a hearer, with the purpose of using and learning philoso-

84 R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 186.
85 H. E. 6:19:10.
323
phy for the service of the preaching and finding solutions to the
philosophical problems of his time.
What could have persuaded Origen to follow such a Platonism?
As Origen disagrees with the Stoics and some Gnostics that
the divine ousia was material, that knowledge of God and reality
rested on a materialist epistemology, and that everything was de-
termined by fate, he desired to use Platonism to refute arguments.
He found himself obliged to follow Ammonius, Maximus, St. Pan-
taenus, and St. Clement. Each viewed both Platonists and Aristote-
lians as allies in their attempt to correct falsehoods of Gnosticism
and Stoicism.
Thus far, Origen and Plato were in profound agreement in
their rejection of the Gnostics, but there was far more to their com-
patibility than simply their agreement on the goodness of the world
and its Creator. The Christianity of Origens time, even as it re-
jected the Gnostics hatred of the world, taught its followers to de-
spise the fundamental cravings for comfort, sex, and the continua-
tion of life itself that tie us to the world. Plato's dictum that we
should take flight from this world to become like the divine so far
as we can find its echo in Pauls "Set your mind on things that are
above, not on things that are on earth" (Col. 3:2). If Plato com-
plained that the body was a prison house in which the soul was
tightly bound like an oyster in its shell, Paul asked who would de-
liver him from this body of death (Rom. 7:24).

What did the Neoplatonists believe?
1. They had many beliefs, but their strongest belief lay in
the power of the speculative mind to solve all questions except one
through the quiet logic of reasoning. All things could be under-
stood save God alone. God is incommensurable and above rea-
son, and could be apprehended only under three forms - as the in-
finite, limitless and without thought or form or being; as the one
and the good, the source of all that loves; and as the sum of all the
powers of the universe.
Origen

324
Out of this superabundance issues the world of ideas, radi-
ating from God like the beams of the sun. From the world of ideas
come the souls tainted with the love of sensation and mortal de-
sires and all this world of appearances. The task of the good man is
to ensure that he belongs to the world of ideas rather than to the
world of matter, in which at last the heaviest souls dwell
86
.
Ammonius may have made a particular point of the incom-
patibility between Plato and the Gnostics. Certainly no more fully
agreed with Origen in this regard than did Plotinus. Plotinus un-
ambiguously affirmed the goodness of the created order while be-
ing aware of its limitations.
2. Another area where Origen found Platonism and Christi-
anity singularly compatible was in their simultaneous insistence on
the activity of divine providence and human freedom.
Origen could read them in Plato himself. Indeed, Paul's "in
everything God works for good with those who love him, who are
called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28) almost reads like an
echo of Platos all things that come from the gods work together
for the best for him that is dear to the gods.
R. Cadiou says,
The Platonism of the day was still holding fast to
the old concepts; and Origen, even before Plotinus, de-
nounces the timidity of his Platonist adversaries. In their
excessive fear, certain of the Greeks are of the opinion that
future events are determined by necessity and that, if God
foresees the future, there is no free will. In fear of exclud-
ing from the divine attributes what they call the divine
magnificence, they have dared to put forward this impious
teaching
87
. By their vaunted reverence for the dignity of
God they sought to justify their assumption that His knowl-
edge determines the future. They were acquainted, of

87 In Gen. hom. 3 PG 12:61.
325
course, with the Bible, where the word magnificence is
one of the titles of Providence and is employed in the text
of the Septuagint as a reminder of the marvelous benefits
that God showered upon the people of Israel
88
.
3. Origen distinguished between simple believers who ac-
cept the Christian faith on authority and the tiny elite of spiritual
Christians who seek to know the deep things of God. For Plato, as
for Origen, the intellectual elite is a spiritual elite because the in-
tellect is the faculty of the soul which alone can attain to the vision
of true being.

ORIGEN AND PLOTINUS
Many scholars deal with the relationship between Origen
the Christian and Plotinus the pagan in their main thoughts as two
famous disciples of Ammonius Saccas, and have an important and
lasting influence upon the thought of succeeding theologians and
philosophers. Some scholars believe that they even did not meet
face to face, but they had met through certain thoughts.
Plotinus was born in the thirteenth year of the reign of Sep-
timius Severus, i.e. 204 A.D-205 A.D. Aged twenty-eight, i.e. in
323-233 A.D, he attended various teachers of philosophy at Alex-
andria, but was deeply disappointed by them all until he met Am-
monius Saccas, who was a revelation for him and with whom he
remained for eleven years. Early in 243 A.D - Ammonius had
probably died shortly before - wishing to know the Persian relig-
ion, he joined the emperor Gordian IIIs expedition against Persia.
In the first months of 244 A.D, following the failure of the com-
paign and the death of the emperor, he went to Antioch; that same
year he arrived in Rome, where he finally settled and began his
teaching career. For ten years, following Ammonius example, he

Origen

326
confined himself to oral teaching; only in the first year of Gal-
lienus (253 A.D) did he begin to write some treatises
89
.
R. Cadiou says,
Each of these two men founded a great philosophi-
cal system, and the two systems would soon be in opposi-
tion to each other. Each man became a professor; Origen of
a Christian mysticism, the saner parts of which would later
be absorbed into the mentality of the Church, and Plotinus
of the last philosophy of Hellenism. Yet we cannot fail to
perceive a definite relationship between them, a kinship
that sometimes manifests itself in very lively resemblances
in their methods, in the problems which they discussed, and
in the prefaces and style of their various writings...
The comparison of these two writers shows that
they sat at the feet of the same master. For several years
before he left Alexandria, about 200 A.D., Origen attended
the lectures of Ammonius. Plotinus spent a much longer
time with Ammonius, eleven years, during the period when
Origen was already settled in Caesarea. The consensus of
critical opinion is that if they seem to agree occasionally
or to solve certain problems in a similar way, the explana-
tion is to be found in the fact that they had learned those
solutions from the same master
90
.
R. Cadiou, as many other scholars, believes that there is a
common philosophical tradition in the thoughts of Origen and Plot-
inus, although they differ as Origen depends on the church tradi-
tion and has biblical concepts. For this reason Porphyry reproaches
Origen for having betrayed Plotinus, his classmate of earlier
days
91
.

89 Encyclopedia of the Early Church, Oxford University Press 1992, article Plotinus.
90 Origen, p. 166.
327
As an example Plotinus and Origen criticize astrological
prediction, but every one in his own way. Origen asks: How can
the arrangement of the stars today have caused events that hap-
pened years ago? In the same strain Plotinus asks, How is it pos-
sible to say that the stars are the cause of the nobility of mans
relatives, since those relatives already possessed their nobility be-
fore the stars fell into the position on which the astrologer makes
his prediction?
Another example is Origen and Plotinuss view on the soul
of man. Here I refer to the doctoral dissertation of Antonia Tripoli-
tis: The Doctrine of the Soul in the Thought of Plotinus and Ori-
gen
92
. In an essay based upon this doctoral dissertation, he writes:
Fundamental to the thought of both Plotinus and
Origen, is their insistence on the divine origin and divine
nature of the individual human soul? Their major concern,
indeed the goal of their thought, was the ultimate return
of the soul, by means of knowledge, to unity with its divine
source. Both were convinced that the human soul belongs
to the world of intelligible reality, and both undertook to
describe, each in his own way, the means by which this un-
ion with Reality could be attained...
93

Both Plotinus and Origen believed that the rational
soul participates in the divine eternal world and that its ori-
gin lies outside of time in the realm of the intelligible or
divine
94
. However, there is a difference in how each per-
ceives the status of the soul as it participates in the divine,
that is, the nature of the souls participation in its transcen-
dent source. According to Plotinus, the human rational
soul, which is a persons true nature, is a direct emana-
tion of the divine essence. It is a part of the divine world, a

92 University of Pennsylvania, 1971.
93 (Donald F. Winslow: Disciplina Nostra, Philadelphia 1979) Antonia Trippolitis: Return To The
Divine: Salvation In The Thought Of Plotinus And Origen, p. 171.
94 Enn. 4:4:15ff; De Principiis 1:4:3-5.
Origen

328
being which exists on the lowest level of divinity and there-
fore in continuous and direct relationship with the divine
intellect
95
. Origen, as a Christian who was influenced by
the biblical view of creation, could not accept so exalted a
view of human nature, that the rational should be a part
of the divine and in direct association with it. This biblical
pessimism notwithstanding, he did find, through a rational
interpretation of the Genesis narratives, the basis for a
qualified assertion of the souls participation in the di-
vine...
96

Adhering to the Platonic doctrine of assimilation to
God, both Plotinus and Origen maintain that the world of
sense is alien to the soul and a hindrance to the souls reali-
zation of its own true nature. Each believes that a persons
goal should be to become liberated from the things of sense
and to realize ones divine nature as logos or logikos, thus
regaining ones original status. The rational soul possesses
within itself both the desire and power for communion with
the divine. The attainment of perfection and the regaining
of original purity is thus within the grasp of human capabil-
ity
97
.
Both Origen and Plotinus claim that the ability and
power, movement and desire, to return to God have from
the beginning been implanted by God within the soul
98
.
Both Origen and Plotinus state that it is the responsibility
of the individual soul to recognize the power within it and,

95 Enn. 4:7:15; cf. 4:3:5; 4:4:14-15; 1:1:10; 2:9:2.
96 (Donald F. Winslow: Disciplina Nostra, Philadelphia 1979) Antonia Trippolitis: Return To The
Divine: Salvation In The Thought Of Plotinus And Origen, p. 172.
97 Enn. 1:6:8; 4:9:4,8; Comm. on John 2:3: De Principiis 3:6:1; 4:4:9-10; (Donald F. Winslow:
Disciplina Nostra, Philadelphia 1979) Antonia Trippolitis: Return To The Divine: Salvation In
The Thought Of Plotinus And Origen, p. 173-4.
98 Exhortation to Martyrdom 47; De Principiis 2:11:4ff; cf. Comm. on Cant. 1; and Enn. 4:7:31.
329
by means of this power, to strive conscientiously to attain
the world of intelligible realities
99
.
But it is only Origen, who holds to the souls un-
stable and changeable nature, in whose writings we find
the insistence on the souls inability, of itself, to realize
and utilize the divine power implanted within it to attain
ultimate communion with God. It is important for the soul
to realize and acknowledge its own limitations, that is, its
instability and dependence, if it is to turn to God for that
grace without which salvation is impossible
100
. When it
does this, the soul begins to receive Gods guidance, those
personal and individual acts of grace which guide it
through the various phases of the ascent towards God, all in
accordance with the given souls maturity and capacity for
spiritual progress
101
. It is through the souls conscientious
effort, its imitation of the divine Logos, and with the help
and guidance of the Logos, that the soul is capable of being
perfected and led to union with God. It is the Logos which
provides the soul first with the moral power with which it
can do battle against sin, and then with an increase of intel-
lectual insight as it advances towards God, during which
advance it begins to perceive and understand those mystical
divine truths which heretofore had been hidden from it
102
.
From a common Platonic tradition, then, there
emerged two views of salvation, one of them pagan and
one of them Christian. What they have in common stems
from this shared tradition. Where their views differ stems
from their respective understanding of human nature. Plot-

99 Comm. on Cant. 2; (Donald F. Winslow: Disciplina Nostra, Philadelphia 1979) Antonia
Trippolitis: Return To The Divine: Salvation In The Thought Of Plotinus And Origen, p. 175-6.
100 Contra Celsus 7:42ff; cf. 4:50 and Comm. on Cant. 2.
101 Contra Celsus 7:33, 43-4; De Principiis 4:4:9-10.
102 In Num. hom. 27:1-13; In Gen. hom. 1:7, 13; Comm. on Cant. 2, 3; (Donald F. Winslow:
Disciplina Nostra, Philadelphia 1979) Antonia Trippolitis: Return To The Divine: Salvation In
The Thought Of Plotinus And Origen, p. 176.
Origen

330
inus, as did the pagan Platonists, adopted certain elements
of the tradition, reinterpreted them, and developed out of
them an exalted anthropology. For Plotinus, the human is
essentially divine; the true self, or rational soul, is a mem-
ber of the intelligible universe, a stable, impassable, im-
mortal, divine entity which is untreated and exists from be-
fore all time, eternally sustained in the intelligible universe
and in constant communion with the divine. The goal of
human existence is to understand this essential divinity
and, through virtue and philosophy, to restore it to its
proper, original relationship to the One and to the divine
world.
Origen, also a Platonist, differed from Plotinus pre-
cisely in his adaptation of a more biblically based view of
creation and of the imperfection of human nature. Thus he
used those Platonic concepts which could the more readily
explain his Christian anthropology. Origen is less optimis-
tic than Plotinus about the inherent goodness of human
nature, but more optimistic about the possibility of eternal
salvation for all created beings. Heeding the biblical ac-
counts of creation, Origen assigns to the human soul the
status of creatureliness albeit created from all eternity in
the image of God. As such, the soul has a certain kinship
with God, is immortal, and capable of participating in the
divine life. But it is not essentially divine. As created, the
entire soul is basically unstable and in need of Gods grace
and assistance. The aim of ones life should be to purify
oneself from the things of the sense and to return to fellow-
ship with God. For the Christian, this is done through faith
in Christ (Logos) and diligent imitation of Him who guides
all souls in their return to God
103
.

103 Antonia Trippolitis: Return To The Divine: Salvation In The Thought Of Plotinus And Origen, p.
177-8.
331
MYSTICAL KNOWLEDGE
The only kind of knowledge that really interests Origen is
the kind that he calls 'mystical': mystikos being the adjective that
corresponds to mysterion, mystery. The meaning of the expres-
sions mystical knowledge (gnosis) or 'mystical contemplation
(theoria)' is essentially that of knowledge or contemplation of the
mystery
104
.
H. de Lubac says,
By the very stuff and movement of his thought,
which cannot be separated from the most intimate aspects
of his life, it seems to us that Origen was one of the greatest
mystics in the Christian tradition
105
.
This conception of knowledge is of a mystical kind
in the strongest present day sense of the word: it is indisputable
that a mystical desire powerfully inspires and directs this work,
gives form to this thought, and explains this life
106
.

Why has God spoken to men in symbols and why has He only
given them the truth in this obscure form?
First, because man is a body, riveted to a corporeal world
which is a world of images. There is a close connection between
literalness and corporeality: the same reason lay behind the divine
anthropomorphisms in the Bible and the Incarnation of the Son
107
..
To man imprisoned in his body, incapable of understanding
anything that is not made known to him through his physical or-
gans, God could only reveal Himself through perceptible figures
which would bring man little by little to the discovery of God's
true nature
108
..

Origen

332
It must be repeated that, according to the measure of spiri-
tual progress made, the veil of image which still covers the mys-
tery in the temporal Gospel becomes more and more transparent,
revealing the truth that it holds. When one turns to the Lord, the
veil is taken away, gradually no doubt, and the divinity of Christ
shows more and more through his humanity, the flesh no longer
forming a screen for those who have 'spiritual eyes' capable of per-
ceiving the divinity
109
..
There is no difficulty in showing the way that leads from
one to the other; from the Old Testament to the historical Christ,
the spiritual exegesis of the Old Testament: from the historical
Christ to Christ present in the soul the spiritual interpretation of the
New Testament
110
..
From Christ present in the soul to the Wisdom Christ of
whom there is speech among the perfect, to the transfigured Christ,
the spiritual ascent symbolized by that of the three apostles climb-
ing the Mountain; from the Wisdom Christ of whom there is
speech among the perfect to the Wisdom Christ who is tantamount
to the Intelligible World, the beatific vision
111
.
V V V

110 Henri Crouzel, p. 112-113.
333
4. FAITH

HOW GREAT IS FAITH!
The source and origin of every blessing is to be-
lieve in the supreme God
112
.
Origen comments on the words of St. Matthew concerning
the faith of the centurion, When J esus heard it, He marveled, and
said to those who followed, assuredly, I say to you, I have not
found such great faith, not even in Israel!
Notice how great is (faith), this which makes Jesus,
the Only-Begotten Son of God admire! (Matt. 8:10) The
gold, richness, kingdom, and authorities are in his eyes as
the shadow and a faded flower. But nothing of these things
He admires, nor does He look to it as a great or precious
thing, except faith. He admires faith and honors it, looking
to it as something acceptable to Him
113
.
Lack of faith prevents us from the work of God in our
lives. Origen comments on the words, He did not there many
mighty works because of their unbelief (Matt. 13:58), saying,
We are taught by these things that powers were
found in those who believed, since to every one who has,
to him more will be given (Matt. 13:12), but among
unbelievers not only did the powers not work, but as Mark
wrote, They could not work (Mark 7:5). For attend to
the words, He could not there, do any mighty works, for
it is not said, He would not, but He could not; as if
there came to the power when working co-operation from
the faith of him on whom the power was working, but this
co-operation was hindered in its exercise by unbelief. See,
then, to those who said, Why could we not cast it out?
He said, Because of your little faith (Matt. 17:19,20).

113 Catenea Aurea, Fr. Malaty: Luke, p. 197 (Arabic).
Origen

334
And to Peter when he began to sink, it was said, O you of
little faith, why did you doubt? (Matt. 14:31)
But, moreover, she who had the issue of blood, who
did not ask for the cure, but only reasoned that if she were
to touch the hem of His garment she would be healed, was
healed on the spot. And the Savior, acknowledging the
method of healing, says, Who touched Me? For I
perceived that power went forth from Me (Luke 8:45,
46)
114
.
Without faith man is deprived from the fruits of the Holy
Spirit.
Everyone without faith is a deep and hollow "valley": belief
in Christ fills him with the fruits of the Spirit - that is, with the vir-
tues
115
.

THE PURPOSE OF FAITH
Origen believes that faith in the Holy Trinity and the incar-
nation of the Logos for attaining unity with God is the way of the
true knowledge. The aim of this knowledge is attaining perfection
of the soul, through its restoration to its original nature. The soul or
pseki means in Origens mind coldness, for it lost its original
warmth through its estrangement from God. It can become spirit
(pnevma). In Christ the soul acknowledges the Father, and beholds
Him, and thus she becomes a spirit again

FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE
The perfection of faith is knowledge, which in its turn de-
pends on faith as its foundation and its starting-point. Faith retains
an indirect character, but knowledge, the fulfillment of faith, is in a
certain manner a direct contact with Christ and the mysteries con-
tained in Him
116
..

114 Comm. on Matt. 10:18.
115 In Luke. hom 22 on 3:5ff..
335
Knowledge as Origen understands it starts from faith of
which it is in a sense the perfecting
117
.
We have faith... in God, who enriches us in all ut-
terance and knowledge (1 Cor. 1:5), that He will enrich us
as we strive to observe the spiritual laws, and that, pro-
gressing in our construction on the strength of His boun-
ties, we shall attain the crown of the edifice
118
.

FAITH AND VICTORY OVER HOSTILE POWERS
Origen comments on the divine words, If you have faith as
a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain: Move
from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossi-
ble for you (Matt. 17:20).
The mountains here spoken of, in my opinion, are
the hostile powers that have their being in a flood of great
wickedness, such as are settled down, so to speak, in some
souls of men. Whenever, then, anyone has all faith so that
he no longer disbelieves in anything contained in the Holy
Scriptures, and has faith such as was that of Abraham, who
believed in God to such a degree that his faith was counted
for righteousness, he has all faith as a grain of mustard
seed; then will such a one say to this mountain - I mean,
the dumb and deaf spirit in him who is called lunatic,-
Remove hence, clearly, from the man who is suffering,
perhaps to the abyss, and it shall remove...
Let us also attend to this, This kind does not go out
except by prayer and fasting (Matt. 17:21)... As we devote
ourselves to prayer and fasting, we may be successful as we
pray for the sufferer, and by our own fasting may thrust out
the unclean spirit from him
119
.

118 Comm. on John 6:2 (Drewery).
Origen

336
FAITH AND PRAYER
For Origen, faith is the mother of the fruits of prayer, with-
out her no child can be born.
Just as it is impossible to beget children without a
woman and the act which results in the begetting of chil-
dren, so it is impossible to obtain such and such requests if
one does not likewise pray ... with a certain faith, and a
record of life lived in such and such a way
120
.

FAITH IN THE CROSS!
The passion of Christ, indeed, brings life to those
who believe but death to those who do not believe. For
although salvation and justification are for the Gentiles
through His cross, to the Jews it is nonetheless destruction
and condemnation. For so it is written in the Gospels, be-
hold, this one was born for the ruin and resurrection of
many" (Luke 2:34).

FAITH AND GODS GIFTS
When we have offered to Him gifts from our own
store, we then go on to receive gifts from Him. For when
we have offered Him our faith and love, then He freely be-
stows on us the various gifts of the Holy Spirit
121
.
Gods desire is first to receive something from us,
and then to give us of His own, that His gifts and bounties
may be seen to be bestowed on the deserving
122
.

FAITH AS A DIVINE GRACE
The Divine grace grants us faith itself and increases it.
(Paul) says that among other things the gift of faith
is also granted by the Holy Spirit (cf. . 1 Cor. 12:9, Phil.

120 On Prayer 8:1
121 In Num. hom. 12:3 (Drewery).
122 In Num. hom. 24:2 (Drewery).
337
1:29). [Origen then quotes Luke 17:5] increase our faith
to show that] the apostles, understanding that the faith
which springs up within a man cannot be perfect unless the
faith coming from God is added to it, say to the Savior In-
crease our faith, [and so Romans 4:16]: even that very
faith by which we are seen to believe in God is confirmed
in us by a gift of grace
123
.

FAITH AS THE MEASURE OF ATTAINING GRACE
(Paul teaches that) there are three ways of receiving
grace,.. his point is that we have some part to play in the
matter, but that the greatest fact consists in the bounty of
God. First... there is the measure of faith by which a
man receives grace; then it is given for a mans profit;
lastly, the Spirit apportions it as He wills (cf. Rom 12:6
with 1 Cor. 12:7,11).
Now it appears to be our responsibility that suffi-
cient faith should be found in us to merit higher grace; but
Gods judgment determines for what profitable and useful
ends it should be given, and of course the decision to give it
at all rests entirely on Him... I think I have sufficiently laid
down above the difference between the faith that is re-
quired from us and faith given us by God through grace...
the faith which hopes, believes and trusts with no shadow
of doubting is our own; but the mode of operation of faith
itself, our knowledge of it, and the perfected understanding
of the things we believe, is given by God
124
.
God is above feeling and change. He is uncreated.
But the acts of His providence are as various as are those
whom His providence rules, for He is maker of all. Some of
these acts, for example, provoke to anger, others to envy. In
the same way do His spiritual servants receive dispensa-

123 Comm. on Rom. 4:5
124 Comm. on Rom. 9:3.
Origen

338
tions of His grace, glory and splendor, given from the one
omnipotent God who is Himself above change and feel-
ing
125
.
The grace or gifts of God are given to those who by
faith and virtue have become prepared to receive them
126
.

FAITH AND WORKS
Faith is belief as confidence: it is not a purely intellectual
activity. It is not a theoretical idea in our thoughts, nor is it just
some words we have to utter, but is expressed in its works
127
, a
practical response to the divine love and redeeming deeds. The
living faith is a faith that works through love.
It is clear that he who dies while he is in sin does
not believe truly in Christ, even if he says that he believes
in Him.
For he who believes in the justice of Christ does not
inequity, and who believes in His wisdom does not behave
nor speak in foolishness
128
.
Moses, therefore, lifts up his hands and, when he
lifted them up, Amalec was overcome. To lift up the hands
is to lift up our works and deeds to God and not to have
deeds which are cast down and lying on the ground, but
which are pleasing to God and raised to heaven. He,
therefore, who "lays up treasure in heaven" lifts up his
hands, "for where his treasure is" (Cf. Matt. 6:20-21).
There also is his eye, there also his hand. He also lifts his
hands who says, "The lifting up of my hands is as the
evening sacrifice" (Ps. 140:2). If, therefore, our deeds are
lifted up and are not on the earth, Amalec is overcome
129
.

125 Sel. Ezek. 16:8.
126 Comm. on John Frag. 44 on 3:27.
128 In Joan t. 19. See Fr. Malaty: School of Alexandria, Alexandria 1980, p. 186 (in Arabic).
339
But we must keep in mind that we are judged at the
divine tribunal not on our faith alone as if we did not have to
answer for our conduct (cf. James 2.24), nor on our conduct
alone as if our faith were not subject to examination
130
.
We hope, however, that you pay attention to what is
heard not only to hear the words of God in the Church but
also to practice them in your homes and "to meditate on the
Law of the Lord day and night.' (Cf. Ps 1.2)
131
.
Therefore, from this "olive" let us extract the oil of
our works, from which a lamp can be lit for the Lord " that
we may not walk in darkness (Cf. 1 John 2:11). That is all
we have to say as regards " the lamp of the lampstand" and
its "oil Lev. 24:1f.)
132
.
The birds of heaven which are winged spiritually,
are able to lodge in the branches of faith so great
133
.
[Helchana had two wives, Anna (the nobler wife) and
Fennana; but he had children at first by the latter only]:
This Helchana-which means the possession of God-is
first made a father by his second wife....and it is only after
she has had several children that the womb of Anna is
opened in response to her prayers and she becomes the
mother of that son whom he offered to God...Fennana
means conversion, and Anna means grace. Hence
each of us who wishes to become the possession of God
should marry those two wives...: the first joined to us
through faith (cf. Eph. 2:8)...; union to Fennana (i.e. con-
version) should come second, because it is only after the
grace of belief that one experiences betterment of conduct
and conversion of life. But the order of procreation is dif-
ferent from that of marriage. The first wife...to bear us

131 Homilies on Leviticus 9:5 (Cf. Frs. of the Church).
132 Homilies on Leviticus 13:3 (Cf. Frs. of the Church)
Origen

340
children is Fennana, because the first fruits that we bring
forth are those of conversion....For our first work of right-
eousness is to be converted from sins, since unless we are
first converted...from evil, we cannot become fathers by
Anna and bear children by grace. Note...the difference:
Fennana has sons who do not wait on God-nor can the
sons of conversion be such as can wait on and cling to
God. They are not indeed useless, or completely alien from
divine things, for they receive portions (I Sam 1:4) from
the divine sacrifices....Each of us, then, is first converted
from sin and by his conversion brings forth works of right-
eousness; later Anna is stirred up in us... pours forth
her prayer to God and herself bears sons... (and the sons
of grace) are such as wait upon God. Now grace and
truth came through Jesus Christ. He then is a son of grace
who gives his time to God and Gods word. Cf. Hom. Gen.
9:2: If therefore a son of grace is of such greatness and
quality, let us also hasten to Mary Anna; but let us be
patient, that our first sons may be of conversion-that we
should first give satisfaction by our good works, and only
thereafter breed a son of grace and the gift of the Spirit
(Acts 2:38)...(namely) Samuel... which means God is
there... For where the spirit of grace is, there is said to
be God Himself
134
.

FAITH AND THE HOLY TRINITY
Origen comments on Numbers 17 concerning the budding
of Aarons rod, saying,
Everyone who believes in Christ first dies then is
reborn; and here is another lesson, in the subsequent bud-
ding of the dry rod.
The first shoot is the first confession a man makes
in Christ.

134 Hom. on 1 Sam 5 on 1:1.
341
Then come the leaves, when the reborn man has re-
ceived the gift of grace from the sanctification of the Spirit
of God.
Thereafter he bears flowers when he has begun to
make headway - to be graced with refinement of character,
to pour forth the bloom of mercy and kindness.
Finally he brings forth the fruits of righteousness,
by which he not only lives himself but offers life to others
too. For when he reaches perfection and puts forth the
word of faith, this is bearing fruits by which others may be
nourished.
This is the way the various types of believers are
produced from the rod of Aaron, who is Christ
135
.

135 In Num. hom. 9:9.
342
7

GOD
AND
THE TRINITARIAN FAITH

GOD
1

THE NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES
In chapter four of this book I have mentioned under the title
the Knowledge of God, the following points:
1. Human language cannot express the nature of God, but
through His infinite love He reveals Himself to us using our human
expressions, as if we are His own little children.
2. God is absolutely impossible, has no human motions,
and He is not solid Being. He is a loving Creator, who is eternally
taking care of His creatures.
3. According to the words of our Savior God is a Spirit,
and from the words of St. J ohn God is Light, it must not be
supposed then that God is a body, or in a body, but a simple intel-
lectual nature, admitting of no addition at all. There is in Him no
greater or less, no higher or lower, for He is the Monad, the Unit,
Mind, the Fountain of all mind
2
.
4. Being incorporeal God is independent of the laws of
Space and Time, omniscient, omnipresent.
How unsearchable are His judgments, and His
ways past finding out.

1 William G. Rusch: The Trinitarian Controversy, Fortress Press, Philadelphia, 1980, p. 13.
2 De Principiis 1:1; Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford 1913, p. 194.
God and Trinitarian Faith
343
He has in a sense no titles, and His fittest name is
He That Is
3
.
5. God is unchangeable. There was a question usually
raised: If God is changeless, why do we offer prayers and sacri-
fices to Him, as if He will change His decisions towards us?
Origen felt bound to answer this question. He tackled this
problem in his treatise On Prayer
4
; and answered it by an appeal to
the free will enjoyed by mankind in spite of Gods providence and
foreknowledge. He justified prayer by appeal to its role in God's
dispensation for the universe and the soul. By his prayer, a man
reveals his faith and ultimate desire. Origens discussion is in the
philosophical tradition, though he uses Scripture to support his
case and the argument is twisted to the Christian tradition in which
the question was raised
5
.
6. Without divine grace we cannot acknowledge God.
7. God is known through the universe, but the Word of God
reveals Him in the Old and New Testament.

POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES
Our knowledge of the Divine spreads out on all sides into
the inconceivable, but it is rooted in the positive. Before we can
know what He is not, we must know what He is.
Origen states that Gods incomprehensibility is in us, not
in Him. His dwelling is the thick darkness, because of our disabil-
ity to acknowledge Him as He is. He Himself is Light; and the
more closely we approach Him, the more completely will the
darkness melt away into light. In the future when we become one
spirit with the Logos, we shall see God face to face; then we will
acknowledge Him as the infinite Light who illuminates our under-

4 On prayer, 5:1-10:2.
ment to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia, 1979, p. 114-5.
Origen
344
standings. Even now we are not left without some understanding
of Him which, imperfect as it may be, is yet true as far as it goes.
We see Him dimly revealed in Creation
6
.

GODS HOLINESS
There is none holy like the Lord (1 Sam. 2:2):
However great a mans growth in holiness and his attain-
ments in purity and sincerity, yet none can be as holy as the
Lord, because He is the bestower of holiness, while man
receives it; He is the fountain of holiness... while man...
drinks it; He is the light of holiness while man looks on it
7
.

7 In 1 Sam. hom 11 on 2:2 (Drewery)
345
THE TRINITARIAN FAITH

Origen is quite familiar with the terms triad
8
(Trias) and
Hypostaseis
9
, and what they denote are always present
10
.
One of the chief characteristics of Origens doctrine is: The
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are Three Persons (Hyposta-
seis)
11
. He affirms that each of the Three is a distinct Hypostasis,
from all eternity, not just as manifested in the economy
12
, i.e.,
does not only refer to Their part in salvation history. He is holding
to genuine trinitarianism, although he uses philosophy but he is
always controlled by his Christian faith. He asserts that the Son
and the Holy Spirit are not only powers of the Father, but they
are Hypostaseis like the Father
13
.
In acknowledging the Holy Trinity as recognized more per-
fectly through the incarnation of the Logos and the pouring out of
the Holy Spirit, he proves his sense of the unique Godhead, that in
the New Testament is revealed as Trinity
14
.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FATHER, THE SON
AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. Basil Studer states, The systematic structure of Origen's
theology of the Logos is obviously directed by his interest in the
philosophical question of the relation of the One to the Many. But
it cannot be overlooked that it is basically a matter for him of a
traditional, though newly thought-out vision of the history of sal-
vation. For he has placed the historically understood incarnation at

8 In John 10:39:270; 6:33:166; In Jes. hom. 1:4:1.
9 In John 2:10:75; Contra Celsus 8:12.
10 Basil Studer: Trinity and Incarnation, Minnesota 1993, p. 84..
11 In John 10:39:270; 6:3:166; In Jos. hom. 1:4:1.
12 Kelly, p. 129.
14 De Principiis 1:3:7; Basil Studer: Trinity and Incarnation, Minnesota 1993, p. 84.
Origen
346
the very heart of his doctrine of the revealing mediatorship of the
Logos
15
.
Origen realizes the importance of the oneness of the Son
with the Father and Their distinction also. He wishes to avoid both
the absolute monarchianism, the risk of denying Christs divin-
ity, and modalism
16
. In spite of his rejection of all modalistic
oversimplifications, Origen like the other anti-absolute monarchi-
ans is concerned with a full preservation of biblical monotheism
17
.
Origen insists that both terms of the antinomy, the One and
the Many, must be equally kept in view...
for I cannot separate the Son from the Father, the Father
from the Son...
We call Him Father who is not Son, Him Son who is not
Father
18
.
For to ascribe division to an incorporeal substance is the
act not only of extreme impiety but of the dullest folly
19
. Hence the
generation of the Son is to be regarded as a continuous process:
The Father did not beget His Son and let Him go from Himself,
but always begets Him
20
.
The endeavors to render monotheism beyond all doubt at
first concern the relation of Father and Son, Origen speaks of a
unity of will and action, and in this context employs the compari-
son with marriage
21
and also with the union of Logos and soul.
Similarly he regards the Logos as the image of the Father or as the
revelation of divine glory.
Here I repeat what I mentioned concerning the Discussion
with Heraclides. Origen refers to Scripture in order to show in
what sense two can be one:

15 Basil Studer: Trinity and Incarnation, Minnesota 1993, p. 83.
16 See the previous chapter, Heresies.
20 In Jer. hom 9:4; Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford 1913, p. 219.
21 Principiis 1.2.6; Discussion with Heraclides 3.
347
I. Adam and Eve were two but one flesh (Gen. 2:24).
II. He (the just man) who is joined to the Lord is one spirit
with Him (Cor. 6:17).
III. Finally he introduces Christ himself as a witness be-
cause He said: I and My Father are one.
In the first example, the unity consisted of flesh; in the
second of spirit; but in the third of God. Thus Origen states:
Our Lord and Savior is in His relation to the Father and God of
the universe not one flesh, nor one spirit, but what is much higher
than flesh and spirit, one God.
Origen presents the union as one of love and action, and
also has described it as a substantial union, using the word homo-
ousios
22
(consubstantial, or one and equal in the same essence or
ousia). Pamphilus ascribes to him this famous term Homoousion
of the Nicene Fathers
23
.
2. Origen wishes to indicate the distinction between the Fa-
ther and the Word. He insists that the Son is other in subsistence
than the Father; they are two in respect to Persons
24
. The Father
and Son differ from each other in Hypostaseis
25
.
Originally Hypostaseis and ousia were synonyms, the for-
mer Stoic and the latter Platonic, meaning real existence or es-
sence. Although Hypostaseis has this original sense in Origen, it is
often used in the sense of individual subsistence. The Sons deity
is derived from the fountainhead, the Father. The Logos is the ar-
chetype because he is always with the Father
26
. Thus Origen un-
derstands that the Logos is God by derivation.
3. As the Fathers offspring, the Son participates in His
Godhead; He is Son of God by nature, and His nature is one with

22 Fragments on the Epistle to the Hebrews in PG 14:1308.
24 On Prayer 15:1.
25 The Commentary on the Gospel of St. John 2.2.10.
26 Comm. on John 2.2.10.
Origen
348
the Fathers
27.
This generation cannot be compared with any
corporeal process. It is like the emergence of will from mind
28
. It
is an act of the Father's will, a continuous exercise of will, not a
single act for economy.
Origen states that the Son is brought forth from the Father,
not by a process of division, but in the same way as the will is
brought forth from reason.
Origen asserts that the Logos or the Wisdom was begotten
apart from any physical passion, just as the will proceeds from the
mind. If He is called the Son of Love (Col. 1:13), then why not, in
the same manner, also the Son of Will?
29

The Only-begotten Son of God is His Wisdom exist-
ing substantially... How could anyone believe that God the
Father could have existed at any time without begetting
Wisdom?... We must believe that Wisdom is without begin-
ning...
He is called the Logos because He is as it were the
interpreter of the secrets of the mind of God.
We are forbidden the impiety of supposing that the
way in which God the Father beget and sustains His Only-
begotten Son is equivalent to the begetting of man by man
or animal by animal; there must be a great difference. It is
fitting that this should not be so, since nothing can be found
in existence, or conceived or imagined, to be compared
with God. Thus human thought cannot comprehend how the
unbegotten God becomes the Father of the Only-begotten
Son.
For it is an eternal and ceaseless generation, as ra-
diance is generated from light.
For He does not become the Son externally, by the
adoption of the Spirit, but He is by nature the Son.

27 In John. 2:2:16; 2:10:76; 19:2:6.
349
He alone is Son by nature, and therefore He is
called Only-begotten.
Caution is needed lest anyone should fall into those
absurd fables invented by those who picture for themselves
some kind of promotions, so as to assign parts to the di-
vine nature and to divide the essential being of God the Fa-
ther. Rather as an act of will proceeds from the mind
without cutting a part of the mind or being separated or
divided from it; in some such way the Father is to be
thought of as begetting the Son
30
.
St. John tells us that God is Light, (1 John 1:5),
and Paul calls the Son the radiance of eternal light
(Heb. 1:3). Therefore, as light can never be without radi-
ance, how can it be said that there was a time when the Son
was not? For that is as much as to say that there was a
time when Truth was not, when Wisdom was not, when Life
was not.
But we have to apologize for using such phrases as
there was never a time when He was not, for these words
have a temporal significance. Yet when they are used of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, they are to be un-
derstood as denoting something supra-temporal
31
.
4. The relationship between God, the Father, and his Son,
the Word (Logos), is eternal. The Words generation is eternal
32
. It
cannot be said that "there was once when He was not."
5. Origen confirms the personality (Hypostasis) of the Holy
Spirit.
The Spirit blows where it wills (John 3:8). This
signifies that the Spirit is a substantial being (ousia). It is
not, as some imagine, an activity (energia) of God without
individual existence. And the Apostle, after enumerating

30 De Principiis 1:2:1 - 6.
31 Ibid. 4:4:28.
Origen
350
the gifts of the Spirit, proceeds thus, And all these things
come from the activity of the one same Spirit, distributing
to each individually as He wills (1 Cor. 12:11). If He
wills and is active and distributes, He is therefore
an active substance (ousia) not a mere activity
33
.
He used the words of the book of Acts to prove the same
idea: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 15:21),
"The Holy Spirit said" (13:2), and "This is what the Holy Spirit
says" (21:10).
6. J .N.D. Kelly says,
The Three, on his analysis, are eternally and
really distinct... No doubt he tries to meet the most strin-
gent demands of monotheism by insisting that the fullness
of unoriginate Godhead is concentrated in the Father, Who
alone is the fountain-head of deity
34
. But the Son and
the Spirit are also in their degrees divine, possessing,
though derivatively, all the characteristics of deity; distinct
from the world of creatures, they cooperate with the Father
and mediate the divine life flowing from Him. This vision
of the adorable, everlasting Triad
35,
of which he detected
an anticipation in the thrice-repeated holy of Isaiahs
seraphim, was to inspire generations of later Greek theolo-
gians
36
.
7. For Origen the whole Trinity is involved in the work
of creation in the same way that it is involved in the work of
salvation. Through the Trinity the work of creation is co-ordinate
with the work of salvation, and creation itself serves the purposes
of salvation. It can do so because it has two distinct levels of real-
ity enabling the soul to make a choice between Spirit and matter,
and the related values of good and evil. The making of this choice
requires the nature of man to be such that it can relate to these two

33 In Joan Frag. 37.
34 Frag. in Heb. 2:3:20.
35 Ibid. 6:33:166; 10:39:270.
36 J.N.D. Kelly: p. 131.
351
orders, and it is clearly necessary for men to have a two-fold nature
corresponding to the two-fold structure of the cosmos
37
.

THE HOLY TRINITY AND SIMPLICITY OF GOD
Usually we are asked, "How can God bring forth a Son?"
We answer this question with another question, "Can God not
bring forth a Son?"
We cannot accept God as a solid Being unable to bring
forth! Every energetic essence has to bring forth something. Fire
brings forth light and produces heat, the radioactive elements bring
forth nuclear energy and the human mind brings forth wise
thoughts. God can never be a solid Being, but He eternally brings
forth the Son, for He is the "Light" who bring forth "Light." Truly,
a light that brings forth no light is darkness
38
.
It is said that J esus Christ "Who being the brightness of His
glory and the expression image of His person ..." (Heb. 1:3) "...is
the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15), like the Word is the
image of the invisible mind.
What else are we to suppose the eternal light is, but
God the Father? His splendor (Heb. 1:3) was not present
with Him? Light without splendor is unthinkable. But if this
is true, there was never a time when the Son was not the
Son...
39

UNITY IN DIVINE WILL
Concerning the unity of the Holy Trinity in the divine
will, G. L. Prestige says,
Origen
40
observes that the will of God is present in
the will of the Son, and the will of the Son is undeviating
from the will of the Father, so that there are no longer two

37 G. Bostock (COQ, p. 7,8.)
38 H. H. Bishop Pishoy: Article on 'Trinity.'
39 In Heb. Frag 24.
40 On St. John 13:36, 228.
Origen
352
wills but one will, which single will provides the reason for
our Lords assertion that, I and the Father are one. He re-
peats
41
that the Father and the Son are two things (prag-
mata) in objectivity, but one in consent and harmony and
identity of purpose. Athanasius
42
follows Origen in main-
taining the position that there is one will which proceeds
from the Father and is in the Son, so that from this fact the
Son may be seen in the Father and the Father in the Son
43
."
He also says: "As God is one in will, so is He one in opera-
tion or energy. This doctrine goes back to Athanasius,
where it forms part of his proof of the deity of the Holy
Spirit. Thus he argues at some length
44
that, since the Fa-
ther is light and the Son is radiance from the light, the Holy
Spirit, being the agent by the reception of whom mankind
receives its enlightenment, must be discernible in the Son.
When, therefore, we are enlightened by the Spirit, it is
Christ who in Him enlightens us, since St. J ohn has said
that it is Christ who is the true Light that enlightens every
man. Similarly, the Father is the source, and the Son is
called the River that flows from the Source, yet the Scrip-
ture says that we drink of the Spirit, because in drinking the
Spirit we drink Christ. Again, Christ is the true Son, but it
is through the Spirit that we are made sons and have re-
ceived the Spirit of adopted sonship. So he concludes
45
that
there is a holy and perfect triad expressed in Father and
Son and Holy Spirit, which contains nothing foreign or de-
rived from an external source; its nature is self-consistent
and indivisible, and its energy is one, therefore, the Father
acts invariably through the Logos in the Holy Spirit. Thus
the unity of the Holy Triad is preserved, and so one God is
preached in the Church, who is over all and through all and

42 Against the Arians 3:66.
43 God in the Patristic Thought, p. 256.
44 Ep. ad Serapion 1:19.
45 Ibid. 1:28.
353
in all, and over all, as Father, arch and source; through all,
through the Logos; and in all, in the Holy Spirit
46
."

UNITY IN WORK
Here we are most clearly shown that there is no separation
of the Trinity, but that this which is called the gift of the Spirit is
ministered through the Son and worked by God the Father. And
yet all these work that one and the self-same spirit, dividing to
each man as He will
47
.
In the Trinity nothing can be said to be greater or
lesser, nor can there be any separate action; the gift of the
Spirit is revealed through the Son and works through the
Father. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three in person
and operation but They are one in essence and life.. Thus,
by the unceasing work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit in us and which is carried out through successive
stages, we are able to behold the holy and blessed life of
the saints
48
.
God the Father bestows on all the gift of existence;
and a participation in Christ, in virtue of His being the Lo-
gos or Reason, makes them rational. From this it follows
that they are worthy of praise or blame, because they are
capable alike of virtue and of wickedness. Accordingly
there is also available the grace of the Holy Spirit, that
those beings who are not holy in essence may be made holy
by participating in this grace. When therefore they obtain
first of all their existence from God the Father, and sec-
ondly their rational nature from the Logos, and thirdly
their holiness from the Holy Spirit, they become capable of
receiving Christ afresh in his character of the righteous-
ness of God, those, that is, who have been previously sanc-

46 God in the Patristic Thought, p. 257-8.
47 De Principiis 1:3:7 (Cf. Butterworth).
48 De Principiis 1:3:7,8.
Origen
354
tified through the Holy Spirit; and such as have been
deemed worthy of advancing to this degree through the
sanctification of the Holy Spirit obtain in addition the gift
of wisdom by the power of the working of Gods Spirit. This
is what I think Paul means when he says that to some is
given the word of wisdom, to others the word of knowledge,
by the same spirit
49
.

THE ROLE OF THE HOLY TRINITY
The role of the Father is to give being, that of the Son to
make the being logikos, this representing as we have seen a mainly
supernatural rationality, and that of the Spirit to confer sanctity
50
.
The Fathers action extends to the whole universe,
the Sons is restricted to rational creation,
the Spirits to those who are holy
51
.
Gerald Bostock says, For Origen the whole Trinity is in-
volved in the work of creation in the same way that it is involved
in the work of salvation. Origen believes that just as the Father is
the source of all matter and energy, so he gives existence to every
being; just as the Son gives form to the physical world, so he gives
the power of reason to the soul. and the Spirit who acts as the sub-
stance of heaven similarly gives life to those who are saved
52
.
The three Persons (Hypostaseis) have each a role in the im-
parting of this knowledge. All wisdom comes from God: this Lo-
gos is sometimes invested even with technical skill. Through the
two other Persons it is always the Father, source of the Trinity,
who teaches: He does it through human masters. It is He who gives
deep understanding to those who receive that particular grace. But
to a certain degree the human master is no longer necessary and

50 Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 191
51 De Principiis 1:5-8.
52 Gerald Bostock: Origen's Philosophy of Creation, p. 7 [Colloquium Origenianum Quintum;
Origen and Philosophy, Boston College August 14-18,1989.]
355
the man who has reached the spiritual level is taught directly by
God. To understand the Gospels we need the nous that is the mind
of Christ (1 Cor. 2:6) and to have in ourselves the spring of living
water which the word of J esus pours into the soul. The Son is not
only the physician who cures the blindness or deafness of the soul
so that it can see and hear, he is the Revealer in person who com-
municates to men the knowledge He has of the Father. The Spirit
unveils the spiritual meaning of the Scriptures which He inspired
and He acts within the soul. The role of each of the divine Persons
in this teaching is not always clearly distinguished. It can be said,
however, that the Father is the origin, the Son the minister, the
Spirit the medium in which the teaching is produced
53
..

Origen
356
GODS GOODNESS
and
LOVE

One of the main positive attributes of God which the holy
Scripture underlinesis Gods goodness, revealed through His infi-
nite love to rational creatures, especially to man. Origen asserts
that man is the dearest friend of God, the subject of his love.
1. God is the Shepherd of all souls. He desires the salvation
and glorification, not all of the souls of men but that of rational
creatures. This is assured by his doctrine of Apokapastasis.
And as God is a Lover of men and is ready to wel-
come, at every moment and under any form, the impulse of
human souls to better things, even of those souls who make
no haste to find the Loges, but like sheep have a weakness
and gentleness apart from all accuracy and reason, so He
is their Shepherd
54
.
2. God takes care of man through His divine Providence.
He enslaves nature and all circumstances on mans behalf. In his
comment on the passing of the Red Sea, Origen explains how God
enslaves nature on mans behalf, saying:
Notice the goodness of God the Creator. If you obey
His will, if you follow His Law, He compels the elements
themselves to serve you even against their own nature
55
.
3. God does not want man to be isolated from heaven; He
grants him His own-self as a grace.
4. Gods love is revealed through His redeeming work:
the incarnation, the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ.

54 Comm. on John 1:29; Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 7.
357
Before speaking of his doctrine of Apokapastasis, divine
Providence, grace of God and the redeeming work of Christ in
special chapters, I will deal with Origens reply to the following
questions:
1. Why it is said that God is jealous (Exod. 20:5; 34:14)?
2. How God does not know the sinners (Matt. 7:23;
25:12).
3. What is the meaning of God anger?

GOD IS LOVE
According to Origen, God in His love needs nothing but the
salvation of His creatures
56
.
Origen elaborates on the meaning of loving, and the fact
that love refers to God alone in its strict or proper meaning.
And because God is Charity, and the Son likewise, who is of God,
is Charity, He requires in us something like Himself; so that
through this charity which is in Christ J esus, we may be allied to
God who is Charity, as it were in a sort of blood relationship
through this name of charity... it makes no difference whether we
speak of having a passion for God, or of loving Him; and I do not
think one could be blamed if one called God Passionate Love
(Amorem), just as J ohn calls him Charity (Caritatem). Indeed, I
remember that one of the saints, by name Ignatius, said of Christ:
My Love (Amor) is crucified, and I do not consider him worthy
of censure on this account
57
.

GOD IS JEALOUS
Herein, therefore, "God is jealous": if He asks and
desires that your soul cling to Him, if He saves you from
sin, if He reproves, if He chastises, if He is displeased, if
He is angry and adopts as it were, a certain jealousy

ment to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 113.
57 Cf. In Cant. Prol. 35; Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, Massachsetts, 1976, p. 124.
Origen
358
towards you, recognize that there is hope of salvation for
you t
58
.
For "God is jealous" and does not wish that soul
which He betrothed to Himself in faith to remain in the
defilement of sin, but wishes it immediately to be purified,
wishes it swiftly to cast out all its impurities, if it has by
chance been snatched away to some. But if the soul
continues in sins and says: "We will not hear the voice of
the Lord, but we will do what we wish and will burn
incense `to the queen of heaven'" (Cf. Jer 7:18), a practice
reprobated by the prophet, then it is held over for that
judgment of Wisdom: "Since indeed I called and you did
not listen, but jeered at my words, therefore, I also will
laugh at your ruin" (Prov. 1:24-26), or that judgment
which has been placed on those in the Gospel when the
Lord says, "Depart from me into the eternal fire which God
has prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41)
59
.

LOVER OF THE REPENTANT
(Repentant sinners) who take refuge in... the kind-
ness of God, Who is alone able to benefit them
60
.

DOES GOD KNOW THE SINNER?
In his Commentary on the Psalms, Origen expresses the
relation between God and man in terms of knowledge, we say that
God knows the righteous and does not know the unrighteous. He
does not know the unrighteous because it is not fitting that God
should know evil, and therefore sinners are as nothing in the eyes of
God. The good, on the contrary, belong to God. He is their way; more
accurately, His Son is their way with the result that the Father, who
alone shares the knowledge of the Son, knows them in Him
61
.

58 In Exodus hom 8:5 (Cf. Ronad E Heine- Frs. of the Church, vol. 71.)
59 In Exodus hom. 8:6 (Cf. Ronad E Heine- Frs. of the Church, vol. 71.)
60 Sel. Ps. 2:9.
61 In Psalm 1:6; PG 12:1100 (R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder 1944, Chapter IV.)
359
GOD USES EVIL FOR THE ADVANTAGE OF THE JUST
God did not create evil, nor when others have con-
trived it does He stop it (although He could do) but uses it
for necessary ends. For by means of those in whom is evil,
He makes those who are working towards the achievement
of goodness famous and praiseworthy. For if evil disap-
peared there would be nothing to stand over against good-
ness, and goodness, having no opposite, would not shine
out with its greater brightness and proved superiority. For
goodness is not goodness unless it is proved and tested
62
.

GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBILITIES
The things that cannot be comprehended by the rea-
son of mortals because they are spiritual and beyond hu-
man range and far above our perishable nature, become by
the will of God possible of comprehension by the abundant
and immeasurable grace of God poured out on men
through Jesus Christ, the minister of boundless grace to-
ward us, and through the co-operation of the Spirit
63
.

GODS DWELLING IN THE HEARTS OF MEN
God dwells not in a place or in a land but in the
heart...; the pure heart is His abode [quotes 2 Cor 6 16]
64
.

62 In Num. hom. 14:2.
63 On Prayer 1:1.
64 In Gen. hom. 13:3.
Origen
360
GODS ANGER
65

CONCEPT OF GODS ANGER
God being unchanging, eternal, must needs be passionless.
Scripture attributes to Him wrath, hatred, repentance, but only in
condescension to our infirmities. He is righteous and good, and
desires not the death of a sinner. Punishment is not His work, but
the necessary consequence of sin. There will come a time in the
restitution of all things when it will no longer be possible to speak
of the wrath of God. But though Origen cannot think of the Deity
as agitated by passions in the narrower sense of the word, by men-
tal disturbance or unreason of any kind, it is clear from the lan-
guage already cited that he was far from regarding Him as devoid
of attributes. The Father Himself and God of all, he says, is
long-suffering, merciful and pitiful. Has He not then in a sense
passions? The Father Himself is not impassable. He has the pas-
sion of Love
66
.

DIVINE CHASTISEMENT
Punishment by God does not arise from anger. His punish-
ment of men is not for vengeance, but always disciplinary and re-
medial. Punishment is thus regarded by Origen as something edu-
cational: all suffering teaches a lesson
67
.
Origen shows that punishment actually proceeds from
Gods goodness.
If it was not of use toward the conversion of sinners
to put them to torment, a merciful and kindly God would
never have visited crime with punishment. But like a most
indulgent father He chastens (Prov. 3: 11) His son to

65 Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas In Greek Christian Writers From The New Tes-
tament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia, 1979, p. 168.
66 In Ezech. hom. 6:6; Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford 1913, p. 196-
197.
361
teach him, and like a most far-seeing (providentissimus)
master He reproves an unruly pupil with a look of severity,
lest the latter, secure of being loved, should perish.
Some of you may be so outraged by the very word
anger that you condemn it even in God. Our reply will
be that the anger of God is not so much anger as a
necessary dispensation.
The speaker (of Ps. 6:1) knows that the wrath of
God is a means to human health, and is applied to the task
of healing the sick, of curing those who have scorned to
hear His word...
Everything that comes from God is good, and we
deserve our chastening...
Everything that comes from God and seems harsh is
actually of avail for teaching and healing. God is doctor,
father, master - and not severe, but lenient...
When you find people, according to the accounts of
Scripture, punished, you should compare Scripture with
Scripture (cf. 1 Cor. 2:13)... and you will see that what
appears the harshest is actually the sweetest
68
.
None of that is understood by the people who slan-
der the God of the Law and cast their accusations at Him
regardless of the fact that He was slow even to reprove
men.
You will ask how any of it can be expressive of
Gods goodness. Well, the words I will make to live and
I will heal (Deut. 32:39), come to my mind.
God sometimes causes suffering - but the doctor
too, you know, often does. And when God makes men suf-
fer, it is as a means of restoring them to health. Thus,
when He strikes men, what impels Him to do it is his
goodness.
What I am going to say may seem paradoxical, but I
am going to say it, all the same. What Scripture calls

68 In Ezek. hom. 1:2 (Drewery).
Origen
362
Gods rage works with salvation in view when it adminis-
ters correction, because it is a good Gods rage; and what
it calls his anger is educative because, again, it comes
from a Gods goodness if people could take it in without
harming themselves. Not unreasonably, God hides all that
from those who fear Him, because He does not want them
to presume on that abundant kindness of His that bears
with men and waits for them (Rom. ii. 4); for if they did,
they would be laying up still greater store of anger for
themselves
69
.
In one of the homilies on Jeremiah, Origen shows that bod-
ily pain is good in itself.
It is possible for parts of a body to wither and be-
come lifeless. If they do, they will probably be able to bear
pains which the parts with more life in them could not
stand
70
.
The idea is then transferred to the soul.
Suppose a soul were like a body with limbs so numb
that it could not feel anything when it was struck, even if
the blow were as hard as it could possibly be. Such a soul
would become paralyzed without realizing it, whereas an-
other would be aware of what was happening. Obviously, a
man who does not feel the impact of a thing that ought to
cause him pain is more seriously ill than one who is aware
that something unpleasant is being inflicted on him and
hopes he will suffer from it; for ability to suffer is a sign of
life
71
.
Therefore, because God is merciful and "wishes all
men to be saved" (Cf. 1 Tim. 2:4), he says, "I will visit their
crimes with an iron rod and their sins with whips. I will
not, however, remove my mercy from them" (Ps. 88:32-33;

69 Comm. on Matt. 15:11; Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 278.
71 In Jer. hom. 6:2; Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 279.
363
2:9). The Lord, therefore, visits and seeks the souls which
that most wicked father begot by the persuasion of sin, and
says to each of them: "Hear, daughter, and look and incline
your ear, and forget your people and the house of your
father" (Ps. 44:11). He, therefore, visits you after sin and
disturbs you and he visits you with a whip and a rod for the
sin which your father the devil submitted to you, that He
may avenge that sin "in" your "bosom," that is, while you
continue in the body. And thus the avenging of "the sins of
the fathers in the bosoms of the sons in the third and fourth
generation" is completed (Cf. Jer. 32:18; Exod. 20:5)
72
.
This, therefore, is what this passage of Scripture
summed up in a few words has taught us that we may know
that it is much more serious "to receive sin" and to have it
with us and to carry it to Hell than to do punishment in the
present age for the thing committed
73
.
If it was not of use towards the conversion of sin-
ners to put them to torment, a merciful and kind God would
never have visited crime with punishment. But like a most
indulgent father He "chastens" (Prov. 3:11) His son to
teach him, and like a most far-seeing master he reproves an
unruly pupil with a look of severity, lest the latter, secure of
being loved, should perish. Some of you may be so out-
raged by the very word "anger" as a necessary dispensa-
tion. The speaker (of Ps, 6:1) knows that the "wrath" of
God is a means to human healthfulness, and is applied to
the task of healing the sick, of curing those who have
scorned to hear His word... Everything that comes from
God and seems harsh is actually of avail for teaching and
healing. God is doctor, father, master- and not severe, but
lenient... When you find people, according to the accounts
of Scripture, punished, you should" compare with Scrip-

72 In Exodus hom. 8:6 ( Cf. Ronad E Heine- Frs of the Church, vol. 71.)
73 Homilies On Leviticus 14:4 (Cf. Frs. of the Church)
Origen
364
ture" (cf. 1 Cor. 2:13)... and you will see that what appears
the harshest is actually the sweetest
74
.
God is swift to deeds of kindness but slow to punish
those who deserve it. Although He could silently administer
punishment to those He has condemned and give them no
warning, He does no such thing, but even if He condemns
He speaks - when speech is opportune to turn from con-
demnation the man about to be condemned
75
.

GODS REPENTANCE
In his Homilies on Jeremiah
76
also, Origen faces the problem
of God's repentance in the Old Testament. Origen understands
repentance to mean "change one's mind," and he argues that since a
supposedly wise man inevitably loses face by "repenting," God can
hardly "repent" of a plan He has made, especially as He has
foreknowledge of the future. He goes on to explain that while God is
not like man, He chooses to appear like man in order to educate his
children. Just as we talk baby-language to babies - for a baby cannot
be expected to understand adult conversation - so we must think God
acts with regard to the human race. When you hear of the anger and
wrath of God, you must not think that God suffers the emotions of
wrath and anger.
It is a matter of verbal usage for the sake of a child.
We put on threatening looks, not because we are angry but
for the child's good; if we always show our love and never
correct the child, it is the worse for him. It is in this way that
God is said to be angry, so as to change and better us.
In the Commentary on Romans, he says that because God was
just He could not justify the unjust; but because He recognized that
man's sin was of entirely his fault, being committed under the tyranny
of the devil, He himself sent a Mediator who was able to deal with sin

74 In Ezek. hom 1:2 (See Drewery)
76 In Jer. hom. 18:6.
365
and its cause, convert mankind, and so make the just God
"propitious" to men in a way that he could not be to sinners
77
. That
this work of reconciliation, which Origen is able to describe in rather
qualified propitiation language, was accomplished through the blood
of Christ
78
.
When divine providence is woven into human af-
fairs, He assumes the human mind, manner, and diction.
When we talk to a two-year-old child we use baby-talk for
his sake... Such is the situation you must imagine when God
exercises His providence on the human race, especially on
the infants thereof...
Again, since we repent, God when talking to us says
I repent; and when He threatens us He does not presume
to have knowledge of the future, but threatens us as if He
were talking to children... (E.g.) Speak to the children of
Israel-perhaps they will hear and repent (Jer. 33:21).
This perhaps does not indicate any uncertainty on Gods
part... but is designed to leave open your freedom of
choice, and to prevent your saying: If He foreknew my de-
struction I must perish: if He foresaw my salvation I must
certainly be saved.... You will find thousands of other
such statements about God accommodating Himself to
man. If you hear of Gods wrath and anger, you must not
suppose that wrath and anger are passions in God. They
are accommodations in the use of language, in order to
correct and improve the child. We too put on a fearful
frown for children, not because such is our disposition but
as a means of managing them
79
.
He must be reminded that just as when we are talk-
ing to very small children we do not aim to speak in the
finest language possible to us, but use language fitted to
the weakness of our charges, and suit our actions also to

77 In Comm. Rom. 2:1,8.
78 Ibid. 4:8,12; 8:4; 10:9; In Lev. 10:9.
79 In Jer. hom. 18:6 on 18:8 (Drewery).
Origen
366
what seems useful for the correction and guidance of chil-
dren as such, even so does the Word of God seem to have
disposed the Scriptures, determining what style of narrative
is suitable by the capacity of his hearers and their real
needs
80
.
The repentance of God is actually the change of
His providence from one dispensation to another. (Why use
the term?...) Because the prophets had to use the more
down-to-earth form of expression in speaking of God to the
slowest-witted, to give it a chance of being understood...
We must not impute to God the mercurial character of the
human mind ; for we intend to impute to the essence of di-
vine providence the changes of dispensation it rightly
makes when dealing with us
81
.

DIVINE PROVIDENCE AND TEMPTATIONS
Origen looks upon afflictions, like suffering and martyr-
dom, not as an evil event but as a gift which is granted to some be-
lievers by God's Providence. Under the guidance of providence,
life is a continual trial by which the wicked man is corrected and
the righteous man is granted opportunities of showing his merit
82
.
For example Pauls thorn in the flesh is a gift of the divine provi-
dence to forestall his pride
83
.
If we are told that certain unpleasant experiences -
so-called" evils are inflicted by parents, teachers, and
pedagogues (tutors), or by surgeons who use cutlery or the
knife for purposes of healing, we say that parents... inflict
"evil", but that would not be an accusation against them;
in just the same way God is said to inflict such "evils" for
purposes of correcting and healing
84
.

81 Frag on 1 Sam. 15:9-11 (Drewery).
83 In Jer. hom. 12:8.
367
And the fact that the temptations that come to us are
meant to show us who we are or to make known the secret
things in our hearts is established
85
.
At least we must suppose that the present tempta-
tion has come about as a testing and trying of our love for
God. "For the Lord is tempting you," as it is written in
Deuteronomy," to know whether you love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul"(Deut.
13:3:df.; Matt. 22:37; Deut. 6:5) But when you are
tempted, "You shall walk after the Lord your God, and
fear Him, and keep His commandments:, especially" you
shall hear His voice and cleave to Him, when He takes
you from the regions here and associates you with Himself
for what the Apostle calls "the increase of God" in Him
(Col. 2:19)
86
.
Faith is tested by temptations, and when it conquers
one temptation and its faith has been thus proved, it comes
to another one; and it passes, as it were, from one stage to
another, so, when it proceeds through the different temp-
tations of life and faith one by one, it is said to have stages
in which increase in virtues are sought one by one. In this
way there is fulfilled what is written, "They will go from
virtue to virtue (Ps. 84:7) until the soul arrives at its
goal, namely the highest summit of virtues, and crosses the
rivers of God and receives the heritage promised it
87
.
The soul, unless it is somehow salted with constant
temptations, immediately becomes feeble and soft. For this
reason the saying is established that every sacrifice shall
be salted with salt (Lev. 2:13)
88
.

85 On Prayer 17.
86 Exhortation to Martyrdom 6.
87 In Num. hom. 27:5.
88 In Lev. hom. 27:12.
Origen
368
The lilies (of Song 7:2) are the flowers of the
grace of God, which He collected from the midst of the
worlds of thorns
89
.
Temptation, as I think, gives a kind of strength and
defense to the soul. For temptations are so mingled with
virtues that no virtue appears to be seemly or complete
without them
90
.
No one comes to the contest of martyrdom without
Providence
91
.
God uses martyrdom of His believers as a witness to attract
others to the Christian faith.
Let us learn from this passage what great advan-
tage accrues through the Christian persecutions, how great
a grace is bestowed, how God becomes the champion of the
Christians, how abundantly the Holy Spirit is poured on
them. For the grace of God is then most mightily at hand
when the savagery of men is stirred up; and then do we
have peace with God when are in suffering from men be-
cause of the justice of war...Although Moses and Aaron
stand high through the achievements of their lives, al-
though in natural attainments they are pre-eminent, never-
theless the glory of God could never have shone on them
unless they had come to be persecuted, in tribulation and
danger, nay almost at the point of being killed. And you
(my hearers), you too, must not suppose that the glory of
God can shine upon you if you are idle or asleep
92
.
(Providence) granted increase and boldness of
speech to the multitude in spite of the fact that there were
countless obstacles to the spread of the teaching of Jesus in
the world. But since it was God who wished the Gentiles

89 Excerpta Procopiana in Cant. Cant. 7:2.
90 Ibid.
92 In Num. hom. 9:2 (See Drewery).
369
also to be helped by the teaching of Jesus Christ, every
human plot against the Christians has been thwarted, and
the more kings and local rulers and peoples everywhere
have humiliated them, the more they have grown in num-
bers and strength
93
.
For God has dealings with souls not with a view to
the fifty years, so to speak, of our life here, but to the
boundlessness of eternity. For He has made our intellectual
nature deathless, akin to Himself, and the rational soul is
not, as it were, shut out from healing by being confined to
this life
94
.

93 Contra Celsus 7:26 (See Drewery).
94 De Principiis 3:1:13
Origen
370
THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE
95

In our speech on the divine providence according to St.
Clement of Alexandria we noticed that the Alexandrian Fathers
looked upon philosophy as a divine gift that partially revealed the
truth but not with a full view. For some philosophers denied the
divine providence, while others believed in it but in a very narrow
way. The Alexandrians believed in God's providence in its biblical
sense; namely it embraced all creation in general - the universe, the
nations, and in particular man, and not absent even from animals.
It surpassed time and space, for it involved man even before his
creation, i.e., before the time when he was in the Divine Mind, and
it still takes care of him on earth throughout all ages and will con-
tinue acting beyond the grave, into eternal life, or in the world to
come. Divine Providence cares for believers and unbelievers, ra-
tional and irrational creatures. This is revealed through Gods self-
giving, generosity, tender mercies, kindness and chastening;
through the pleasant events, and through the evil, sorrowful ones
96
.
Origen believes that it is only atheism which is destructive
and immoral that blinds the inner sight from beholding the provi-
dence, which is evident and almost visible
97
.
We confess, as a certain and unshakable dogma,
that God cares for mortal things, and that nothing is done
apart from His providence in heaven or on earth
98
.
Origen speaks of the superlative transcendence of the life
of God
99
to deny that God is extended in physical universe in any
material or quasimaterial sense, at the same time he repeatedly
clarifies God's immanence to confirm Gods infinite goodness and
love for man.

95 Cf. Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty: The Divine Providence, Alexandria 1990.
96 The School of Alexandria, N.J 1994. Book 1, p. 214 ff.
99 G.L. Prestige: God in Patristic Thought, SPCK 1975,p. 26.
371
For how do we live and move and have our being
(Acts 17:28), if His power does not surround and hold to-
gether the universe?!
And what is heaven but the throne of God, and the
earth His footstool, as the Savior Himself declares, except
by His power, which fills the whole universe, both heaven
and earth, as the Lord says (Jer. 23:24)
100
?!

GODS PROVIDENCE AND OUR CREATION
We are indebted to the Gracious God for the existence of
the universe for mans sake, caring for it continuously on mans
behalf, our coming into existence from nothing, and for the special
love of God for mankind even before their creation.
Nothing that exists over its existence to itself: You
alone have been granted your existence from no other. We
all-i.e. the whole creation - did not exist before we were
created: our existence is due to the will of the Creator
101
.
The fact that we exist cannot possibly be a reward
of our works but is due to the grace of our Creator
102
.
(On rational beings) whatever goodness existed in
their being was there not by nature, but by the beneficence
of their Creator... the Creator granted to the minds He had
created, the faculty of free and voluntary movement, in or-
der that the good that was in them might become their own,
since it was reserved by their own free will
103
.
No one, Jew or Gentile, is devoid of this law, which
is in men by nature. It will be found that God gave man all
the feelings and all the impulses by which he could strive
and progress towards virtue; and besides that He im-
planted in him the power of reason, by which he might rec-

101 In 1 Sam. hom. 2. [See B. Drewery: Origen and the doctrine of grace, 1960.]
102 Comm. on Rom. 4:5 (Cf. Drewery).
103 De Principiis 2:9:2 (Cf. Drewery).
Origen
372
ognize what he ought to do and what to shun. God is found
to have bestowed all this on all men alike
104
.

DIVINE PROVIDENCE EMBRACES EVERYTHING
God who loves man takes care of him in all aspects of life;
His providence embraces everything even the number of hairs in
his head (Matt 10:30; Luke 12:7); therefore we have to acknowl-
edge that all events - even the trivial things - happen not by
chance, but by divine providence.
The things that happen to men... do not do so by
chance or accident, but for a purpose so carefully calcu-
lated, so lofty, that not even the number of the "hairs" of
our head" (Matt 10:30) is outside it-and that not only of the
saints but (one may say) of all men; this providence extends
even to "two sparrows" which are sold for a penny (Matt
10:29) whether "sparrows" is meant spiritually or liter-
ally
105
.
To such a degree has Divine providence embraced
everything that not even the hairs of our head have ex-
cepted being numbered by Him
106
.

DIVINE PROVIDENCE EMBRACES EVEN THE ANIMALS
Providence primarily cares for rational beings, but
encompasses irrational animals which also profit from
what is designed for man
107
.
For since God clearly rules over the motion of
heaven and what is in it and over what is accomplished on
earth and sea by His divine skill - the birth, origins, foods,
and growth of all different animals and plants - it is foolish

373
to close our eyes and not look to God (cf. Isa. 6:10; Matt
13:15; Acts 28:27)
108
.

GOD'S PROVIDENCE AND HOLY SCRIPTURE
The divine Providence disposed the writing of the holy
Scripture for nourishing man with divine wisdom and salvation.
This is our understanding of everything that was
written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: that
through the writings holy Providence was granting super-
human wisdom to mankind, sowing (as it were) oracles of
salvation in every writing possible, to show the way to wis-
dom!...
109

GOD'S PROVIDENCE AND MAN'S SANCTIFICATION
In His book, R. Cadiou says under the title God the Friend
of Man,
Nothing is outside the plans of Providence, not even
our sins or our efforts at resistance. We can say with the
Apostle that all the work of salvation is Gods. God has en-
dowed rational beings with the gift of free will. He imparts
His enlightenment to them. He implants in their souls the
germs of good and of perfection. Yet all the while He
leaves them free to reject His gifts, even while He regulates
the circumstances in which the soul lives and breaks down
the obstacles the soul encounters. Do we not render honor
to the architect who builds a house after many others have
offered to build it? Is the leader who has saved a belea-
guered city not given a triumph by the grateful citizens?
Similarly, without further considering our very small part
in the work, we attribute our salvation to the Divine Mercy,

109 Comm. on Ps. 1:4 (Philocalia).
Origen
374
through whose goodness and forbearance the work is
brought to completion
110
.

GOD'S PROVIDENCE AND MAN'S SANCTIFICATION
"There is none holy like the Lord" : However great
is man's growth in holiness and his attainment in purity
and sincerity, yet none can be as holy as the Lord, because
He is the bestower of holiness, while man receives it; He is
the fountain of holiness... while man receives it; He is the
fountain of holiness... while man...drinks from it; He is the
light of holiness while man looks at it
111
.
Thus the work of the Father, which confers on all
existence, is found more glorious and splendid, when each
one, through participation in Christ as "Wisdom", "Knowl-
edge", "Sanctification", advances and comes to higher de-
grees of progress. Likewise when each, through participa-
tion in the Holy spirit, has been sanctified and made purer
and of higher integrity, and thus is more worthy to receive
the grace of wisdom and knowledge, in order that all stains
of pollution and ignorance may be removed and that he
may receive such advancement in integrity and purity.
Hence the life which he received from God may be worthy
of God, whose purpose is to make it pure and perfect: that
the creature should be as worthy as the Creator. For in this
way also shall man, whose Creator wished him to be so,
receive from God the power to exist forever and to abide
for eternity
112
.
(God) cares for the soul [i.e. the seat of the facul-
ties] of every man, that he may be rational, that he may at-
tain knowledge, that his intelligence may find exercise in

111 In 1 Sam. hom. 2 (See Drewery).
112 De Principiis 1:3:8 (See Drewery).
375
(the life of ) the body, that his senses (Heb. 5:14) may be
good fettle
113
.

DIVINE PROVIDENCE AND THE REVELATION OF
TRUTH
Divine Providence uses every means to reveal the myster-
ies of God, at first through creation, and through the natural laws
God grants to man. He also speaks to us through our daily life, so
that we can be in touch with Him. He sent Moses Law, His proph-
ets and finally the "Truth" Himself descended to our world after
becoming a Man to reveal Himself to us and to raise our souls,
minds and motions to the bosom of the Father, by the work of His
Holy Spirit.
The organ of the body which knows God is not the
eye (of the body) but the mind, for it sees that which is in
the image of the Creator, and it has received by the provi-
dence of God the faculty of knowing Him
114
.
"The invisible things of God", i.e., the things con-
ceived by the mind, "are understood by the things that are
made", and "are clearly seen from the creation of the
world" by the process of thought. And [ the disciples of Je-
sus], in their ascent from the created things of the world,
do not halt in the invisible things of God; but after suffi-
cient mental exercise among them to produce understand-
ing, they ascent to the eternal power of God and (quite
simply) to His divinity. They know that, out of love to man,
God revealed His truth and that which may be known of
Himself-and this not only to those devoted to Him, but also
to those who knew nothing of pure worship and piety to-
wards Him, but who by God's providence have ascended to
the knowledge, and impiously hold down the truth in un-

113 In Jer. hom. 3..
Origen
376
righteousness; and just because of this knowledge... they
can no longer plead and excuse before God
115
.

DIVINE PROVIDENCE AND DEMONS
In the early centuries of Christianity as the pagan world
was terribly in the hold of demons and evil spirits on men, a ques-
tion was raised: how do we explain the existence of demons who
are ruling the lives of men in a world governed by God's Provi-
dence? Origen and other Alexandrian Fathers who experienced the
grace of God replied with the following points:
a. Men became sons of Satan (J ohn 8:44) and willingly en-
tered in close relationship with him instead of attaining the adop-
tion to God and receiving unity with Him . It is our own responsi-
bility and not Gods to choose between God or Satan.
b. St. Clement of Alexandria and Origen explain that the
demonic order attempts to make man fall, lead him into slavery
and to ally him with themselves. The divine providence does not
leave us helpless before the demons, for it supports us with the an-
gels for our protection if we accept their actions for our sakes
(Heb. 1:14), and to lead believers to the heavenly wedding room if
they wish.
c. The Alexandrian fathers explain that in the battle against
demons we are not alone, for the battle rises between God Himself
and Satan.
For even if the demons were not kindly disposed to
them, they could still suffer no harm from them, being un-
der the guardianship of the Supreme God who is kindly-
disposed to them because of their piety, and who makes His
divine angels stand over those worthy to be guarded that
they suffer not from the demons
116
.

115 Ibid. 7:46.
377
We are not under the control of demons but of the
God of the universe, through Jesus Christ who brings us to
Him. According to the laws of God, no demon has inherited
control of the things on the earth; but one may suggest that
through their own defiance of the law they divided among
themselves those places where there is no knowledge of
God and the life according to His will, or where there are
many enemies of His divinity. Another suggestion would be
that because the demons were fitted to govern and punish
the wicked, they were appointed by the Logos that adminis-
ters the universe, to rule those who have subjected them-
selves to sin and not to God
117
.
If I belong to the Church, no matter how small I
may be, my angel is free to look upon the face of the Fa-
ther. If I am outside the Church, he does not dare...
Indeed, each of us has an adversary who seeks to
draw us into the ranks of his own leader
118
. (Origen states
that good angels are more powerful, able to defend us
against the adversary
119
).
When a man has received the faith, Christ who has
redeemed him by His blood from his evil masters entrusts
him, since hereafter he is to believe in God, to a holy angel
who, because of his great purity, always sees the face of the
Father
120
.
"For He has appointed His angels over you; to keep
you in all your ways," Ps. 90:11.... For it is the just who
needs the aid of the angels of God, so as not to be over-
thrown by the devils, and so that his heart will not be
pierced by the arrow which flies in the darkness
121
.

117 Ibid. 8:33.
120 Ibid.
121 In Num. hom. 5:3..
Origen
378
The Shepherd (of Hermas) makes the same state-
ment, saying that two angels (one good and the other evil)
accompany every single man; and whenever good thoughts
come into our mind, it says they are put there by the good
angel; but if they are otherwise, it says that is the impulse
of the evil angel
122
.
For everyone is influenced by two angels, one of
justice and the other of iniquity. If there are good thoughts
in our heart, there is no doubt that the angel of the Lord is
speaking to us. But if evil things come into our hearts, the
angel of the evil one is speaking to us
123
.
There had to be angels who are in charge of holy
works, who teach the understanding of the eternal light, the
knowledge of the secrets of God and the science of the di-
vine
124
.
(The angels also are evangelists) Now if there are
men who are honored with the ministry of evangelists, and
if Jesus Himself brings forth tidings of good things, and
preaches the Gospel to the poor, surely those messengers
who were made spirit by God (Ps. 104:4), those who are
flames of fire, ministers of the Father of all, cannot have
been excluded from being evangelists also (Luke 2:10:11)

125
.
The apostles have the angels to assist them in the
accomplishment of their ministry of preaching, in the com-
pletion of the Gospel work
126
.

122 Comm. on Luke 35..
123 Ibid.
124 In Num. hom. 14:2.
125 Comm. on John 13.
126 In Num. hom. 11:4.
379
DIVINE PROVIDENCE AND GODS FATHERHOOD
God reveals His providence in its greatest depth through
His Fatherhood to men. God is not in need of men's worship or of-
ferings but of their hearts to lift them up to His glories, to enjoy
His eternal love, and practice their sonship to Him.
It is right to examine what is said in the Old Testa-
ment quite carefully to see whether any prayer may be
found in it calling God "Father". Up till now, though I
have looked carefully as I can, I have not found one. I do
not mean that God was not called Father or that those
who are supposed to have believed in God were not called
sons of God; but nowhere have I found, in a prayer, the
boldness proclaimed by the Savior in calling God "Fa-
ther"...
But even if God is called "Father" and those who
are begotten by the Logos of Faith in Him are called sons
(Deut. 32:6,18,20; Isa. 1:2; Mal. 1:6), the certainty and
immutability of sonship cannot be seen in the Old Testa-
ment. Indeed, the passages I have listed indicate that those
called sons are guilty, since according to the Apostle, "So
long as heir is a child, he is no better than a servant,
though he is lord of all, but he is under guardians and
trustees until the date set by the Father" (Gal. 4:1-2). And
"the fullness of time", (Gal. 4:4), is present in the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, when those who wish receive the
adoption of sons, as Paul teaches in these words, "For you
did not receive the spirit of bondage to fall back into fear,
but you have received the Spirit of sonship in which we
cry, "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). And in John, "But to all
who received him, He gave power to become children of
God, to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12). And
because of the "Spirit of sonship ", we have learned in the
general letter of John, concerning those born of God,
that" no one born of God commits sin, for He remains in
Origen
380
him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God (1
John 3:9)
127
.

DIVINE PROVIDENCE FOR MANKIND, CHURCH AND
EVERY PERSON
For the number of souls is, as far as we can see, in-
finite; and the same is true of their characters, and they
have innumerable motions, projects, purposes, and im-
pulses. There is One alone who can manage all these for
the best manager, since He knows the fitting times, the ap-
propriate assistance to be given, the ways of training and
direction. And He is the God and the Father of the whole
universe
128
.
His providence cares for us every day- in public
and in private, secretly and openly, even when we know it
not
129
.
All things have been created primarily for the bene-
fit of the rational being...God does not care, as Celsus
thinks, only for the universe as a whole, but, besides the
whole, for every rational being in particular. Yet His
providence for the whole never fails. For even if some part
of it degenerates because of the sin of the rational being,
God sees to (Economies) its purification and to the subse-
quent turning back of the universe to Himself
130
.

DIVINE PROVIDENCE AND THE GOODNESS OF
CREATION
We say that by the providence and wisdom of God all
things are so ordered in this world that nothing is wholly useless to
God, whether it be evil or good... God did not create evil, nor,

127 On Prayer 22:1,2.
128 De Principiis 3:1:14 (In Philocalia 21:13).
129 Sel Ps. 14:44.
381
when others have contrived it, does He prevent it although He
could. But he uses evil for necessary ends. For by means of those
in whom is evil, He makes those who are working towards the
achievement of goodness famous and praiseworthy. For if evil dis-
appeared there would be nothing to stand over against goodness,
and goodness, having no opposite, would not shine out with its
greater brightness and proved superiority. Virtue is not virtue if it
be untested and unexamined...(Origen compares Joseph and his
brethren, the sin of the latter being necessary for the whole story
of Exodus to Deuteronomy; Balak; Judas Iscariot - even the devil
for if he were suppressed ) this would entail the simultaneous dis-
appearance of our struggle against his wiles, and he who had
struggled "lawfully" (2 Tim. 2:5) could no longer expect the crown
of victory
131
.

131 In Num. hom 14:2.
Origen
382
DIVINE GRACE
132

THE CONCEPT OF GRACE
Benjamin Drewery tried to give a definition of Gods
grace, through the numerous works of Origen. He says that we
may suggest that if Origen had been required to offer a formal
definition of grace, he would have responded somewhat as fol-
lows:
Grace is the power of God freely, but not uncondi-
tionally, placed at mans disposal,
whereby He appropriates through the Holy Spirit
the offer of salvation to a new and ultimate life, revealed
and enacted in the Scriptures,
by the Incarnate Jesus Christ, and made available
by Him to the world
133
.
For Origen, divine Grace means Gods free self-giving, His
blessings, His generosity, and His kindness.

GRACE AND REWARD
In his comment on the Pauline words, Now to him who
works, the wages are not counted as grace but as a debt... (Rom
4:4ff), Origen says
None of Gods gifts to humanity is made in payment
of a debt, but all of grace... (Pauls) distinction is rightly
made:
wages is used with reference to sin,
grace-gift with reference to God. For Gods gifts
are of grace, not like wages which are owed... Reward is
something owed, but a work of sheer kindness
134
.

132 Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty: The Divine Grace, Alexandria, 1992; Benjamin Drewery: Origen and the
Doctrine of Grace, London 1960..
133 Benjamin Drewery: Origen and the Doctrine of Grace, London 1960, p. 48.
134 Comm. on Rom. (GK) 22; 34; 4:5(Drewery, p. 18,19).
383

GRACE AND WORKS
God is not in need of our good works, which are in fact a
sign of our response to His love, and to our acceptance of His di-
vine grace in our life. It is a good chance for us that God bestows
His grace upon us continuously and in abundance.
The grace of prophecy is not idle; no grace-gift is
idle in a holy man.
God asks for things from us, not that He has need of
anything, but in order that He might graciously give us in
return things of His own... God graciously gives us in re-
turn good things - with an addition. For to Him who made
his one mina into ten (Luke 19:11ff) He gave in return the
ten minas, adding to them another that belonged to the man
who did not work
135
.
Philo states that these works are practical sacrifices of thanksgiv-
ing which must be offered to God and these what we offer in fact
are Gods gifts to us. Origen considers that attributing good words
to man is guilty of sacrilege.
Everything (says God) that mankind has he receives
from Me. Lest therefore anyone should believe that in offer-
ing gifts he is conferring some benefit on God, and should
stand guilty of sacrilege through the very act that he in-
tended as worship... What can a man offer to God? Just
this.. (these) gifts to Me that I have already given.
That the law of faith suffices for justification in the
complete absence of any works on our part, is shown by the
robber who was crucified along with Jesus and by the sin-
ful woman in Luke (7:37). For her sins were remitted, not
because of any work of hers, but from faith... But that after
recognition of this, unrighteous behavior can bring to noth-

135 In Luke hom. 39.
Origen
384
ing the grace of the One who has justified, (Paul) himself
will make clear at a later point. My own view is that even
such works as appear good, if done before the coming of
faith, cannot justify the agent, because they are not built
on the fair foundation of faith(1 Cor. 3:11).
He does not say that the faith of the righteous is
counted to them for righteousness. If it were, what grace
would appear to be counted to the righteous? Righteous-
ness for righteousness? The works which Paul repudi-
ates...are not the works of righteousness which are laid
down in the law, but those in which the observers of the law
according to the flesh make their glory, i.e. circumcision,
the sacrificial rites, the observation of the Sabbath and new
moons...if a man is justified by such as these he is not justi-
fied freely [Latin, gratis]; for such works are least of all
expected from one justified by grace-his care is to watch
that the grace he has received does not become of none ef-
fect in him (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10). Now there is no danger of
this, and no ingratitude to the grace of God, in harnessing
to that grace works worthy of it; but a man who receives
that grace and then sins becomes guilty of ingratitude to
the One who made the grace available for him. But if you
have not made the grace of none effect, you will have it
multiplied to you, and receive a multitude to graces, as it
were for a reward of good works (and quotes 2 Pet 1:2, 1
Pet 4:10).
Since good works are fruits of the work of the divine grace,
therefore we must receive these gifts with humility.
(O Lord, my heart is not lifted up): These are the
words of a righteous man, endowed with great and wonder-
ful grace-gifts, who does not preen himself on them... but
remains humble
136
.

136 Sel. Ps. 131:1.
385
GRACE AND THE WORKS OF THE HOLY TRINITY
We cannot separate the works of every Hypostasis (Person)
of the Holy Trinity from the other Hypostaseis in our lives, which
in fact are Gods free gifts or abundant grace. J ust for our study we
make a distinction between the grace of every Hypostasis.

1. The grace of the Father:
I. He created us through the Logos.
II. Free will to all rational creatures is a divine gift.
III. His Fatherhood to us revealed through His Only-
Begotten Son.
IV. His continuous divine Providence to all His creatures.
V. He satisfies the needs of our souls with His gifts.
VI. His infinite love is revealed through the redeeming
work of His Son.

2. The grace of the Son:
I. A personal relationship with the Only-Begotten Son.
II. His titles reveal His grace.
III. His incarnation as a divine grace.
IV. His crucifixion as a redeeming grace.
V. His resurrection as a divine grace that passes over the
grave.
VI. In Him we become children of God.
VII. The spirit of prophecy in the Old and New Testament
is a grace of Christ.
VIII. Baptism as a divine grace.
IX. Our Educator and Guide in the Laws of God.
X. Our leader in the spiritual battle; to Him we owe our
victory over hostile spiritual powers.
XI. In Him even judgment is seen to come within the range
of a merciful God.

Origen
386
3. The grace of the Holy Spirit:
I. The Revealer of the truth; and the Giver of wisdom and
knowledge.
II. He grants us adoption to the Father.
III. The Instructor of Prayers.
IV. The source of sanctification and perfection.
I will return to these divine works on our speech of every
Hypostasis.
387
DIVINE GRACE
IN THE LIFE OF BELIEVERS

GRACE AS GODS SELF-GIVING
Grace, according to Origen is enjoying God Himself, the
Holy Trinity, dwelling and acting in men. Therefore, he did not
occupy himself with the concepts of "grace" but rather with having
the experience of the unity with God, the Grantor of grace and
gifts. Who became a gift for man to own Him in his depth; thus
man is raised to His heavens.
This spiritual and biblical understanding led Origen some-
times to use the name of Christ in lieu of His gifts or grace
137
. At
other times he used to call Christ "The Kingdom in Person
138
," for
he who attains the Kingdom of God, enjoys it not as a thing, but as
the Divine Logos who fulfills all mans needs.
In other words, the eschatological attitude did not let the
Alexandrians think or enter into a dispute about the conception of
grace, but rather they were involved in experiencing "grace" as the
enjoyment of the Person of Christ Who fills the inner life and
acts within us by His Holy Spirit, to lead us to the Fathers
bosom. Christ Himself, the Grace-Giver, grants Himself as a
"grace," in order that we may attain Him in us.
(As He became Man), we are now able to receive
Him; to receive Him so great and of such nature as He
was, if we prepare a place in proportion to Him in our
soul.
Christ, who is all virtue, has come, and speaks, and
on account of this, the kingdom of God is within His disci-
ples and not here or there.

137 Benjamin Drewery: Origen and the Doctrine of Grace, London 1960, p.109.
138 See Josh. hom. 17:3 where the partaking in the "wisdom" and "Knowledge" of God, His "Truth"
and His "Logos" is summarized as partaking in the divine grace.
Origen
388

GRACE AS GODS SELF-REVELATION
But as one cannot be in the Father or with the Fa-
ther except by ascending from below upwards, and coming
first to the divinity of the Son, through which one may be
led by the hand and brought to the blessedness of the Fa-
ther Himself, so the Savior is the inscription "the door
139
."
Since the Father is inseparable from the Son, He is
with him who receives the Son
140
.
For there is in the divinity of the Logos some help
towards the cure of those who are sick, thus respecting
what the Logos says, "They that be whole need not a physi-
cian, but they that are sick" Matt. 9:12; others, again, who
are pure in soul and body exhibit "the revelation of the
mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but
now is manifested by the Scriptures of the prophets" Rom
16:25, and "by the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" 2
Tim. 1:10, whose "appearing" is manifested to each one of
those who are perfect, and enlightens the reason in the true
knowledge of things
141
.
God the Logos was sent, indeed, not only as a phy-
sician to sinners, but also as a Teacher of divine mysteries
to those who are already pure and who sin no more
142
.
We, the eyes of whose souls have been opened by
the Logos, and who see the difference between light and
darkness, prefer by all means to take our stand "in the
light" and will have nothing to do with darkness at all
143
.
Accordingly, if Celsus was to ask us how we think
we know God, and how we shall be saved by Him, we

139 Origen: In Ioann. 1:29.
140 Comm. Matt. 13:19.
141 Contra Celsus 3:61 (A.N. Frs. vol. 4).
142 Ibid. 4:68.
143 Ibid. 8:59.
389
would answer that the Logos of God who entered into those
who seek Him or who accept Him when He appears, is able
to make known and to reveal the Father, Who was not seen
(by anyone) before the appearance of the Logos. And Who
else is able to save and conduct the soul of man to the God
of all things save God the Logos, Who, "being in the begin-
ning with God," became as flesh, that He might be received
by those who could not behold Him, inasmuch as He was,
the Logos, and was with God, and was God? And discours-
ing in human form and announcing Himself as flesh, He
calls to Himself those who are flesh, that He may in the
first place cause them to be transformed according to the
Logos that was made flesh, and afterwards may lead them
upwards to behold Him as He was before He became flesh;
so that they receiving the benefit, and ascending from their
great introduction to Him which was according to the flesh,
say, "Even though we have known Christ according to the
flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer" 2 Cor. 5:16
144
.
...(We believe in) self-revealing God, Who has
manifested Himself by Him who by His great power has
spread the true principals of holiness among all men
throughout the whole world
145
.
The things that cannot be comprehended by the
reason of mortals, because they are vast, beyond human
range and far above our perishable nature, become by the
will of God possible of comprehension by the abundant and
immeasurable grace of God poured out on men through Je-
sus Christ, the Minister of boundless grace toward us, and
through the co-operation of the Spirit
146
.
Who sees God as Christ sees Him, for He alone
"sees"... "the Father" (John 6:46), and even if it is said that
the "pure in heart shall see God" Matt 5:8 it will be beyond

144 Ibid. 4:68.
145 Ibid. 8:59.
146 On Prayer 1:1.
Origen
390
question by Christ and spiritual; and... that is why the Sav-
ior was careful to use the right word and say "no man
knows the Father save the Son", not... "See." Again, to
those whom He grants to see God, He gives the "Spirit of
knowledge" and the "spirit of wisdom", that through the
Spirit Himself they may see God (Isa. 11:2). That is why He
said "He who has seen me has seen the Father" John 14:9.
We shall not be so stupid as to assume that those who
speak about the physical body of Jesus saw the Father
also; otherwise the scribes, Pharisees, Pilate... and all the
crowd that cried "Crucify... Him" will have done so... Many
looked on Him, but none is said "to have seen " Him unless
he who has recognized that He is the Logos and the Son of
God, and that in Him the Father also is at the same time
recognized and seen
147
.

GRACE AND OUR PERFECTION
Divine grace grants us perfection in every virtue.
For we must apply not only to wisdom but to every
virtue the words of Solomon For though a man be never
so perfect among the children of men, yet if Your wisdom
be not with him, he shall be nothing regarded (Wisdom
9:6). Thus a man perfect in chastity or righteousness or vir-
tue or piety who has not, however, received that chastity
[etc.] that comes from the grace of God, will be nothing
regarded.
Hence if we wish to be granted this more perfect
virtue, and that it should abound in us, let us first use every
means to acquire diligently that which is perfect on human
standards; and having done so, let us show our awareness
that this is nothing regarded without the grace of God,
let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God (I
Pet. 5:6), and pray... that the perfection of all the good in

147 Comm. Song of Songs, 3.
391
us may be given from God, and that He may make us per-
fect and acceptable to God, as it were His sons
148
.

GRACE OF RENEWAL (DEIFICATION)
Rowan A. Greer
149
says that Origins description of the
highest aspect of the Christian life borrows themes from Plato. The
goal of the Christian life is to be made divine, as he says,
There is one (kind of food) that stands out above all
the others mentioned, "the daily bread for our being" about
which we must pray that we be made worthy of it, and that
nourished by God the Logos, who was in the beginning
with God, we may be made divine
150
.
Here Origen depends upon the earlier Christian tradition
and in particular upon Clement of Alexandrias use of the phrase
from Platos theaetetus that defines human destiny as "likeness to
God as far as possible." Plato also understands this destiny as a
flight of the soul to God. In the phaedrus the soul gains wings for
its return to heaven, and Origen alludes to the idea when he speaks
of the soul returning like an eagle to God. On his speech of the
blessedness of the martyrs, he says, "Having cut so great (worldly)
bonds, they have made for themselves wings like those of an eagle,
and can fly up to the house of Him who is their Lord
151
."
In his "De Principiis" Origen explained the meaning of dei-
fication by saying "The aim for which we hope is that so far as it
can happen we may be made participants in the divine nature by
imitating him, as it is written, "He who says he believes in Christ
ought to walk in the same way in which he walked" (cf. 1 John
2:6)."

148 Comm. Ser. Matt. 69 on 25:29.
149 Rowan A. Greer: Origen, p. 25.
150 On Prayer, 17:13.
151 Exhortation to Martyrdom, 15.
Origen
392
J auncey says
152
that grace according to Origen, is not
merely enlightenment (grace of baptism), though it is that, but it is
also a real participation in the fullness of Christ, a most real union
of the divine power, with human choice. Origen says "It is thus
that by the unceasing work of Father, Son and Holy Spirit towards
us, carried through successive stages of progress, we are able (if it
may be so) to behold the holy and blessed life of the saints
153
."
Origen sees "the Spirit as the Source of our regeneration,
so that without the Spirit no one can participate in the Father and
the Son. Thus, the charity that pours into our hearts by the Holy
Spirit makes us partakers in the divine nature
154
." He also says:
[The presence of Christ in our souls and the mystery of our union
with Him is stressed much more by Origen than by the heirs to his
thought
155
."
Now, I present some quotations from Origins writings
concerning the role of Gods grace in the continuous renewal of
our nature
156
:
For no noble deed has ever been performed
amongst us, where the Divine Logos did not visit the souls
of those who were capable, although for a little time, of
admitting such operations of the Divine Logos.
If a branch cannot bear fruit except if it abides in
the vine, it is evident that the disciples also of the Logos,
who are the rational branches of the Logos true vine, can-
not produce the fruits of virtue unless they abide in the true
vine, the Christ of God...
"For the Son of Man has come already, but not in
His Glory" (quotes Isa. 53:25). He had to come in this way,
that He might "bear our sins" and suffer "on our behalf;"

152 E. Jauncey, p. 142.
153 De. Principiis 1:3:8.
154 De Princ. 1:3:5.
155 In Rom. Hom. 5:8; 8:2 (see In Cant 1;4; In Jern. hom 9:1; In Luc. hom. 22:1 etc.).
156 Contra Celsus 6:78; 5:12; Comm Matt. 12:9 on 16:27 (B. Drewery); Contra Celsus 6 (PG
11:1417-1240); Comm. on John 2:2; 1:37.
393
for it was not fitting that the Christ in glory should "bear
our sins" and suffer "for us." But, He is coming again in
glory after this preliminary preparing of His disciples
through that appearing of His which had "no form nor
comeliness." He became like them that they might become
like Him, "conformed to the image" (Rom. 8:29) of His
glory: since at His first coming He became conformed to
"the body of our humiliation" (Phil. 3:21), when He "emp-
tied Himself and took the form of a servant," He restores
men to the form of God and makes them like unto it.
Thus, knowing that Christ has come, we see that
through Him many christs have been made in the world,
who like Him, loved righteousness and hated iniquity, and
therefore God... anointed them with oil of gladness (Ps.
45:7). But, He, having loved righteousness and hated iniq-
uity more than His companions, did receive the first fruits
of this anointing, and as it were, the whole anointing of the
oil of gladness. But His companions, each according to his
capacity, shared in His anointing. Therefore, since Christ
is the Head of the Church, so that Christ and the Church
make one body, the oil has gone down from the head to the
beard (the symbol of the perfect man) of Aaron, and this
oil, going down, reached to the collar of His robe.
The Son in His kindness generously imparted deifi-
cation to others... who are transformed through Him into
gods, as images of the Prototype... the Logos is the Arche-
type of the many images.
If by participation (in the Logos) we are raised from
the dead, and enlightened, and also, it may be, shepherded
by Him and ruled over, since He does away with the irra-
tionality and the deadness in us, in as much as He is the
Logos and the Resurrection
157
.
Nevertheless, it presents an offering to God even if
it is said only "to offer fine wheat flour mixed with oil." For

157 Comm. in Ioannem 2:2.
Origen
394
every soul needs the oil of divine mercy and no one can es-
cape the present life unless he has at hand the oil of heav-
enly mercy
158
.

GRACE OF ADOPTION TO THE FATHER
None of the Old Testament writers addressed God
as "Father"], perhaps because they did not know the Fa-
ther; they prayed to Him as God and Lord, awaiting the
One Who pours out the Spirit of adoption, not less on them
than on those who believe in God through Him after His
appearing. Unless indeed Christ did appear to the eye of
their minds, and they did gain, being perfected, the spirit of
adoption, but did not venture to speak or write of God as
Father openly and to all, lest they might anticipate the
grace that through Jesus was poured out on all the world,
as He called all men to adoption.
The devil was formerly our father, before God be-
came our Father, perhaps indeed the devil still is;...if "eve-
ryone that commits sin is born of the devil" we are born of
the devil, so to speak, as often as we sin. Such perpetual
birth from the devil is as wretched as perpetual birth from
God is blessed; and not that I do not say that the righteous
man has been born once and for all of God, but that he is
so born on every occasion that God gives him birth for
some good action. (This perpetual rebirth is true even of
Christ) for Christ is the effulgence" of "glory," and such
effulgence is not generated once only but as often as the
light creates it... Our Savior is the "Wisdom of God", and
the wisdom is the "effulgence of eternal light" (Wis. 7:26).
If then the Savior is always being born... from the Father,
so too are you, if you have the spirit of adoption (Rom.
8:15), and God is always begetting you in every deed and
thought you have; and this begetting makes you a perpetu-
ally re-born son of God in Christ Jesus.

395
I think that non can address God as "Father" unless
he has been filled with the "spirit of adoption" (Rom. 8:15),
and that such a son may address his Father as "Father" to
honor Him with regard to the commandment (Mt. 5:44),
"Love your enemies... that you may be sons of your Fa-
ther...". Again everyone who "does righteousness" (1 John.
2:29) is born of God, so born, with the "seed of God in
him" (John 3:9). Because he "can sin no more," he may say
"Father... Again, one is born of God not from corruptible
seed but through the living and abiding Logos of God, as it
is written: "As many as received Him, them He gave the
right to become children of God... who were born not of
blood... but of God" (John. 1:12f). The point of this saying
is not to raise us to the level of Gods nature, but that He
(the Logos) gives us to share in His grace, and graciously
grants us His own dignity; for He tells us to call God "Fa-
ther"
159
.

GRACE AND THE HEAVENLY LIFE
Divine grace makes our hearts very close to heaven, grant-
ing us the desire to attain the heavenly kingdom not only in the
world to come but here on earth, by the dwelling of Christ in our
souls. Origen says: "as long as Jesus Christ, the Divine Logos that
was in the beginning with God, does not dwell in a soul, the king-
dom of heaven is not in that soul. However when one is ready to
receive that Logos, the kingdom of heaven is nigh at his right
hand
160
."

GRACE AND SHARING IN THE CRUCIFIXION OF
CHRIST
Divine grace enables us to share in Christs crucifixion and
death.

159 Comm. John 19:5; Hom. Jer. 9:4; Hom. Luke Frag 42 on 11:2 [See B. Drewery: Origen and the
Doctrine of Grace].
160 Comm. Matt. 10:14 on 13:52 [B. Drewery].
Origen
396
Then [Thomas], as a true disciple, resolving to fol-
low wherever He should go, sought that the other disciples
too should by the grace of Christ lay down their lives with
Him
161
.

THE HOLY BIBLE AS A DIVINE GRACE
The Holy Spirit as the Revealer of the Truth, grants us the
holy Scripture as a divine grace, works in our souls as a field of
God. By heavenly grace not only do we discover the truth through
the holy Scriptures, but also attain its effect in our lives. It grants
us to be in the presence of God Himself on reading the Holy Scrip-
ture, to hear Him, and to understand His word.
Every man is his own farmer. His soul is like a field
to be plowed, and the oxen he drives there are the holy
thoughts which Scripture has given him. Under the plow-
share of the Logos his soul receives the seed of Gods
grace and becomes, as it were, a new field. On the fertile
soil he casts the seed of Gods teaching, the seed of the law
and of the prophets and of the Gospel, and all such teach-
ing he holds in his memory for his hours of meditation and
prayer
162
.
Jude wrote an epistle which was short, but filled
with the powerful words of heavenly grace
163
.
The divine scripture says that the spoken word, even
if it is most true and convincing in itself, is not sufficient to
reach a human soul unless some power is also given by
God to the speaker and grace flowers on what is said, and
it is only by Gods gift that this power is possessed by those
who preach with effect
164
.

162 In Luc., Frag. XXX; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 39.
397
God admonishes those who hear Him throughout
the whole of scripture and through those who teach by
Gods grace
165
.
Nothing good can come apart from God, and this is
above all true of the understanding of the inspired Scrip-
tures
166
.
Let us exhort God to grant that, as the Word grows
in us, we may receive a rich large-mindedness in Christ Je-
sus and so be able to hear the sacred and holy words
167
.
And so, if at times we do not understand what is
said, we shall not lessen our obedience or betake ourselves
to easier material, but wait for the grace of God to suggest
to us an answer to our question, whether by direct enlight-
enment or through the agency of another
168
.

DIVINE GRACE AND PRAISING GOD
Divine grace changes the inner man into the joyful king-
dom of God; thus the true believer can sing the praises of Gods
glory.
None can exalt the Lord if the Lord has not uplifted
him...
To uplift ones own soul in all virtue and in the life
of wisdom is to exalt the one who dwells in that soul?
169

166 Sel. Ps. 1:2.
167 In Jer. hom. 6:3.
168 In Isa. hom. 2:1.
169 Cf. Ps. 29:2.
Origen
398
GRACE AND SATISFACTION
Our souls cannot be satisfied except by the works of divine
grace; through it we receive God Himself dwelling in our inner
man, and His gifts.
Grace comes to us from God and we are filled with
His gift
170
.

GRACE AND ATTRIBUTING GOD TO BELIEVERS
God is attributed to us as our own, if we receive Him
within us by His grace.
He is the God of the living... who perceive the grace
He gave them when He announced Himself as their God
and said This is my eternal memorial (Ex 3:15), And so
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob live perceiving God and His
grace
171
.

FREE GRACE
Grace is the gift of God offered to men who are unable to
attain it by their own merits. St. Paul says, "being justified freely
by His grace" Rom. 3:24.
None of Gods gifts to humanity is made in pay-
ment of a debt, but all are of grace.
Gods grace is not given to those who lack zeal in
the cause of good, nor can human nature achieve virtue
without help from above
172
.

THE GROWTH OR THE LOSS OF GRACE
Origen assured that it is the free grace of God that acts in
the life of the believer, it is ever acting in his life granting him the
good will and the power to practice the "new life in Christ. Be-

170 In Ezek. hom. 6:6.
171 Comm. on Matt. 17:36 on 22:23ff.
172 86. Comm. Ined, des Ps. 118:326; See our Book: Man and Redemption, Ottawa 1987, p 23ff.
399
lievers cannot by themselves do good without Gods grace, and at
the same time God who grants man free will as the most noble gift
does not work in him unwillingly. He grants him to accept free
grace or reject it. This grace is not something solid or static but
always dynamic, ever-acting, therefore the believer who accepts it
must enjoy continuous growth in grace, otherwise he loses it.
Therefore, St. Paul says, "Do not quench the Spirit" 1 Thess. 5:19.
In His wisdom He makes His graces great to those
who show with all their power... that they love Him with all
their souls
173
.
This expression (rekindling the lamp, torch or
other lights) seems to indicate something like this also in
Jacob. As long as he was far from Joseph and received no
information about his life, his spirit had failed in him, and
the light which was in him had been darkened, as the kin-
dling has already failed. However when those who reported
to him about Josephs life came, that is those who said that
"the life was the light of men," John 1:4 he rekindled his
spirit in himself, and the brightness of the true light was
renewed in him.
However because occasionally the divine fire can
be extinguished even in the saints and the faithful, we hear
the Apostle Paul warning those who were worthy to receive
gifts of the Spirit and grace, by saying: "Do not quench the
Spirit" (1 Thess. 5:19). The Scripture says of Jacob, there-
fore: "And Jacob is still living," (Gen. 45:28), as if he has
experienced something like that which Paul warned
against, and has renewed himself through those words
which had been spoken to him that Joseph is still alive.
However this also should be noticed, that he who
"rekindled his spirit," meaning of course, that spirit which
seemed almost extinguished, is said to be Jacob. But he
who says: "it is a great thing for me if my son Joseph is liv-

173Exhort. to Martyrdom 2
Origen
400
ing;" Gen. 45:28 as if he understands and sees that the life
which is in the spiritual Joseph is great, he is no longer
called Jacob, but Israel, he who sees in his mind the true
life which is Christ, the true God.
But he is excited not only about the fact that he has
heard that "Joseph his son is living", but especially about
that which has been announced to him that it is Joseph who
holds "dominion over all Egypt", for the fact that his son
has reduced Egypt to his rule is truly great to him. For to
tread on lust, to flee luxury, and to suppress and curb all
the pleasures of the body, this is what it means to have
"dominion over all Egypt". And this is what is considered
great and held in admiration by Israel.
But if there is someone who should subject at least
some vices of the body, but yield to others and be subject to
them, it is not said correctly of him that he holds "dominion
over the whole land of Egypt," but, for example, he will ap-
pear to hold dominion over one, perhaps, or two or three
cities. But Joseph whom no bodily lust ruled, was a prince
and lord "of all Egypt". Therefore no longer Jacob, but Is-
rael, whose spirit has been rekindled, says: "It is a great
thing for me if Joseph my son is living. I will go and see
him before I die" (Gen. 45:28)
174
.

THE MEASURE OF HIS GRACE
Origen affirms that God helps man by His freely-given
grace. He desires to grant it without limitation, but He gives it ac-
cording to the following factors.
1. His grace surpasses our needs, but we receive what we
need only.
2. Gods will (Rom 12:6, 1 Cor. 12:7,11).
3. Our faith, expressed by works and virtues.

174In Exod. hom 15:2,3.
401
God does not have to measure out His Spirit and
His grace - to His greatness there are no limits (Ps
145:3). The point of the measure is to spare the recipi-
ents, who can only cope with what is fitting for them to
take
175
.
For the grace-gift of God surpasses our need, even
as does being in the glory of sun, moon and stars, or in the
holy resurrection of the dead
176
.
Grace is given according to the measure of the gift
of Christ, if not from works (Rom. 11:6), at least on
condition of some qualification on our part. For grace is
given from faith (Rom. 4:16), its purpose being to co-
operate towards the adornment of faith with works
177
.

175 Comm. on Eph. 17 on 4:6.
176 Comm. on John 9 (6).
177 Comm. on Eph. 17 on 4:6.
402
8

GOD THE FATHER

The specific attributes of the First Hypostasis will be best
ascertained by considering His relation to the Second and the Third
Hypostaseis.

ETERNAL FATHER AND ETERNAL SON
Origen states that the generation of the Son is eternal and
also continuous; the Father is begetting the Son at each instant,
just as light is always emitting its radiance
1
. By eternity and conti-
nuity Origen expresses eternity conceived as a unique instant
which cannot be expressed by human language
2
.
The Son is begotten by the Father as the reflection is by the
light, as the will proceeds from the intellect, or as the word is emit-
ted by the intellect. Origen applies to this generation the titles
given to Wisdom in the Book of Wisdom (7:25-26), a breath of the
power of God, a very pure emanation of the glory of the Al-
mighty
3
.
The logic of Origens anti-Sabellian exegesis led to the in-
sistence that the Logos was distinct from the Father, but eternal, so
that none could "dare to lay down a beginning for the Son, before
which He did not exist
4
." Since everything is eternal in God, this
generating act is eternal also: aeterna ac sempiterna generation
5
;
the Son has no beginning.

1 In Jer. hom. 9:4.
4 De Principiis 4:4:1; Jaroslav Pelikan: The Christian Tradition, Chicago, 1971, p.191.
5 In Jer. 9:4; De Principiis. I:2:4.
God the Father
403
Contrary to what Arianism was to say, the eternity of this
generation is clearly affirmed, for it is inconceivable that the Fa-
ther ever existed without His wisdom, His Reason, His Word, all
expressions which denote the Son. Nor did the Father begin to be
Father, as if He had not been so before, since all change in God is
inconceivable. Twice in his treatise De Principiis and once in the
Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans we find the famous sen-
tence that was to be used against the Arians: ouk en boti ouk en
There was not when He (the Son) was not
6
. There is no time that
He was not
7
. The relation of the Son to the Father is, therefore, that
of the unity of substance.
What else are we to suppose the eternal Light is,
but God the Father? His splendor (Heb. 1:3) was not pre-
sent with Him? Light without splendor is unthinkable. But
if this is true, there is never a time when the Son was not
the Son...
8

FATHERHOOD OF GOD
Peter Widdicombe says,
For Origen, the affirmation that God is Father lies at
the heart of Christian faith. It is fundamental to his concep-
tion of the divine nature, to his perception of the relation
between God and the Son and its difference from the rela-
tion between God and the created order, and to his under-
standing of the process of redemption. The description of
God as Father is a commonplace of his theological vocabu-
lary. His writings are replete with biblical quotations in
which God is referred to as Father, many of which are from
the Gospel of J ohn; he also quotes Timaeus 28 C where
Plato refers to the Creator and Father of all, but relatively
rarely
9
.

7 De Principiis. 1:2:9 f.; 4:4:I; In Rom. I:5.
8 In Heb. frag 24.
9 Peter Widdicombe: Fatherhood of God from Origen to Athanasius, Oxford 1994, p.7.
Origen
404
Therefore, even though God is called "Father," and
those who are begotten by the word of faith in Him are
called "sons," yet one cannot find among the ancients the
concept of positive and unalterable sonship
10
.
I think that none can address God as Father un-
less he has been filled with the spirit of adoption (Rom.
8:15), and that such a son may address his Father as
Father to do him honor, with due regard to the com-
mandment (Matt. 5:44f, Love your enemies... that you may
be sons of your Father...). Again, everyone that does
righteousness (1 John 2:29) is born of God. So born with
the seed of God in him (ibid. 3:9), because he can sin
no more, he may say Father... Again, one is born of God
not from corruptible seed but through the living and abid-
ing Word of God, as it is written: As many as received
Him, to them gave He the right to become children of
God... which were born not of blood... but of God (John
1:12f). The point of this saying is not to raise us to the level
of Gods nature, but that He (the Word) gives us to share in
His grace, and graciously grants us His own dignity; for
He tells us to call God Father
11
.

HO THEOS
In a passage from the Commentary on John which has
given rise to scandal, Origen remarks that in J ohn 1:1 the God -
Ho Theos stands for the Father, while the Son is called Theos -
God without the article. The God is in a way the proper name
of the Father, source and origin of the Deity
12
.
When Origen comes to the activity proper to each Hyposta-
sis, he attributes to the Father the gift of being: He is the One
who is (Exod. 3:13) and the source of being. He does not hold His

10 On Prayer 22:2.
11 In Luke hom. Frag. 42 on 11:2.
God the Father
405
existence from anything else, and everything else holds its exis-
tence from Him. Sometimes He is called nous, intelligence, and
ousia, being and sometimes with the Platonists, beyond nous and
beyond ousia
13
.
Without any compromise of the equality of Hypostaseis in
the Trinity, Origen could teach that the Father is the principle of
all being and all good
14
.

THE GOOD AND JUST FATHER
The second passage in the Treatise on First Principles
15
is
directed against the Gnostics, especially the Marcionites. Origen
reacts against the separation that they make between the Creator
God of the Old Testament and the Father of J esus Christ. He shows
that J esus in the Gospels always calls the Creator God His Father
and that St. Paul does the same
16
.
Origen asserts that there cannot be justice without goodness
nor goodness without justice. Even when God punishes, He does it
out of goodness. And God is called good in the Old Testament and
just in the New
17
.

THE FATHER IS NOT CREATOR OF EVIL
The Father is the origin and Creator of everything, even of
matter, but not of sin and evil. Sin and evil are not positive reali-
ties, but negative; sin is that nothing which, according to J ohn
1:3 was made without the Word
18
.

13 Comm. on John 13:21:123; 19:6:37; Contra Celsus 7:38: Origen there takes up a formula of
Celsus; Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 183
14 R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 178-179.
15 De Principiis 2:4-5.
18 Comm. on John 2:13-15 (7-9), 92-111; Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 183
Origen
406
CHRIST REVEALS HIS FATHER IN THE OLD AND NEW
TESTAMENTS
God the Father can be recognized through His creatures as
the sun through its rays:
Our eyes frequently cannot look upon the nature of
the light itself, that is, upon the substance of the sun: but
when we behold his splendor or his rays pouring in, per-
haps, through windows or small openings to admit the
light, we can reflect how great is the supply and source of
the light of the body. So, in like manner, the works of Di-
vine Providence and the plan of this whole world are a sort
of rays, as it were, of the nature of God, in comparison with
His real substance and being. As therefore, our under-
standing is unable of itself to behold God Himself as He is,
it knows the Father of the world from the beauty of His
works and the comeliness of His creatures
19
.
1. The Logos reveals Him even in the Old Testament:
He inspired men before His incarnation
20
, granting believers divine
knowledge.
Before that time, Christ, the Word of God was in
Moses and the prophets
21
.
2. We know the Father through the incarnation of the
Logos: The incomprehensible Father becomes comprehensible
through the Logos, who in the fullness of time became Man. He
grants His believers to be united with the Father in Him and thus
they acknowledge Him. By this knowledge the soul becomes per-
fect, i.e., returns to her original goodness.
The incarnation of the Word renders Him able to
reach anybody. Here is where Origens Platonism differs

19 De Principiis. I:I:6 ANF.
20 Against Celsus, 8:54.
God the Father
407
from the classical tradition in which Celsus and Clement
stand: Plato may say that it is difficult to find the maker
and father of this universe, indicating that it is not impossi-
ble for human nature to find God in a degree worthy of
Him, or if not worthy of Him, yet at least in a degree higher
than that of the multitude... we affirm that human nature is
not sufficient in any way to seek for God and to find Him
in His pure nature, unless it is helped by the God who is
object of the search
22
.
The aim of faith is to attain the knowledge of the Father,
through the unity with the Son who alone knows Him
23
.
The Word of God, coming to those who seek Him,
or to those who receive Him when He is manifested, is able
to make known the Father and to reveal Him who was not
seen before His coming
24
.
3. We who have the practical knowledge of the Father
can be reconciled with Him through our Savior, who became
the High Priest and the Victim.
Christ, the true High Priest who by His own blood
made God propitious to you and reconciled you to the Fa-
ther
25
.
We have peace with God (Rom. 5:1), but it is
through our Lord Jesus Christ who reconciled us to God
through the sacrifice of His blood... Christ came that He
might destroy the enemies and make peace, and reconcile
us to God when we were separated because of the barrier
of wickedness which we set up by sinning
26
.
We can approach (God) through Jesus Christ, and
especially if we know Christ in His capacity of Righteous-

22 Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, Massachsetts, 1976, p. 103; cf.
23 In John 1:16.
25 In Leviticum hom. 9:10.
Origen
408
ness, Truth, Wisdom, Resurrection, True Light. For without
these we cannot approach God-nor indeed without Peace
which is Christ
27
.
4. Christs titles call us to attain the knowledge of the
Father.
He is called the Logos, granting us the reason (logika) by
which we acknowledge of the Father. He is the Light of the
world, who illuminates our inner sight to behold the Father.
If we look at the things by the names of which the
Son of God is called, we shall understand how many good
things Jesus is, whom those preach whose feet are beautiful
(Isa. 52:7).
One good thing is life; but Jesus is the Life. An-
other good thing is the Light of the world, when it is true
Light, and the light of men; and all these things the Son of
God is said to be
28
.
He is the Truth, those who abide in Him, attain divine
knowledge.
Our Savior, therefore, is the image of the invisible
God, inasmuch as compared with the Father Himself He is
the truth: and as compared with us, to whom He reveals the
Father, He is the image by which we come to the knowl-
edge of the Father, whom no one knows says the Son, and
He to whom the Son is pleased to reveal Him
29
.
All who believe and are assured that grace and
truth came through Jesus Christ (John. 1:17), and who
know Christ to be the truth, agreeably to His own declara-
tion, I am the Truth John. 14:6, derive the knowledge
source than from the very words and teaching of Christ.
And by the words of Christ we do not mean those only

27 Sel. Ps. 119:169.
28 Comm. on John, book 6:28
29 Origin: De Principiis, Book 1, Ch. 2, Section 6.
God the Father
409
which He spoke when He became Man and tabernacled in
the flesh
30
.
And another good thing which one may conceive to
be in addition to Life or Light is the Truth
31
.
He is the Way and the Door:
Since one cannot be in the Father or with the Fa-
ther without first ascending to the divinity of the Son, by
which one can be led up to the blessedness of the Father,
the Savior is described in Scripture as the Door
32
.
And a fourth in addition to these is the Way which
leads to the Truth.
And all these things our Savior teaches that He is,
when He says: I am the Way and the Truth and the life
(John 14:6).
Ah, is not that good, to shake off earth and mortal-
ity, and to rise again, obtaining this boon from the Lord,
since He is the Resurrection, as He says: I am the Resur-
rection (John 11:25).
But the door also is a good, through which one en-
ters into the highest blessedness.
Now Christ says: I am the Door (John 10:9).
And what need is there to speak of Wisdom, which
the Lord created the first principle of His ways, for His
works (Prov. 8:22), in whom the Father of her rejoiced,
delighting in her manifold intellectual beauty, seen by the
eyes of the mind alone, and provoking him to love who dis-
cerns her divine and heavenly charm?
A good indeed is the wisdom of God, proclaimed
along with the other good foresaid by those whose feet are
beautiful.

31Comm. on John, book 6:28
Origen
410
And the Power of God is the eighth good we enu-
merate, which is Christ.
Nor must we omit to mention the Word, who is God
after the Father of all. For this also is a good, less than no
other.
Happy, then, are those who accept these goods and
receive them from those who announce the good tidings of
them, those whose feet are beautiful
33
.
Basil Studer states that for Origen, the Son is the Wisdom
and the Logos (Word). In relation to the Father He is Wisdom,
whose knowledge He is
34
. In relation to the world He is the Logos,
the communication of what He beholds in the Father
35
.
5. Through our Lord Jesus Christ we attain fatherhood of
God, the Father is attributed to us as our own God and Father.
You shall be my people and I will be your God.
He is not the God of all men but only of those to whom He
graciously gives Himself, as He did to the patriarch to
whom He said I am your God (Gen. 17:1)... [Origen
quotes Matt. 22:32: not the God of the dead but of the liv-
ing.] Who is the dead? The sinner- the man who does
not possess the One who said I am the life (John 11:25),
the one whose works are dead (Heb. 6:1). If then He is
not the God of the dead..., and we know who is the living
- the one who guides his life by Christ and remains with
Him - and if we desire God to be our God, let us bid fare-
well to the works of death...
36

This Jesus Christ...has graciously bestowed on
those who are truly His disciples that the same One should
be not only their God but their father [and quotes John
20:17: I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my

33 Comm. on John, 1:11.
35 De Principiis 1:2:3; Basil Studer: Trinity and Incarnation, p. 80.
36 In Jer. hom. 9:3 on 11:4.
God the Father
411
God and your God]. It is my opinion that He bestowed the
same gift on Abraham also...
37

Further, the words from His fullness we have all
received and grace for grace...show that the prophets
too were able to accept the gift from the fullness of Christ,
and received the second grace in place of the first. For
they, too, led by the hand of the Holy Spirit, after their ini-
tiation by allegory, attained to the vision of the truth. That
is why not all the prophets but only many (Matt. 13:17)
longed to see what the apostles saw. For if there was a dif-
ference between the prophets, it lay in this, that the higher
class who had been perfected did not long to see what the
apostles saw, for they had already seen it; but those who
had not, like them achieved this ascent to the heights of
Gods Word had come to yearn for the things made known
to the apostles through Christ...
38

In general, before the incarnation of the Only-Begotten
Son, many of the men of the Old Testament could not acknowl-
edge God as their own Father.
Perhaps because they did not know the Father; they
prayed to Him as God and Lord, awaiting the One who
pours out the Spirit of adoption not less on them that on
those who believe in God through Him after His appearing.
Unless indeed Christ did appear to the eye of their minds,
and they did gain, being perfected, the spirit of adoption,
but did not venture to speak or write of God as Father
openly and to all, lest they might anticipate the grace that
through Jesus was poured out on all the world, as He
called all men to adoption
39
.

THE ROLE OF THE FATHER IN OUR SALVATION

38 Comm. on John 63 (2).
Origen
412
Origen, in his exposition of the idea of the ransom, repeat-
edly referred to the idea of Christs being handed over by His Fa-
ther to the hostile powers. Since the devil had the power of death,
the way man was rescued from the devil and death was for the Son
to be delivered by the Father into the devils hands, and by Him in
turn into the hands of the enemies of Christ.
To whom did he give his soul as a ransom for
many? Certainly not to God! Then why not the devil? For
he had possession of us until there should be given to him
the ransom for us, the soul of Jesus
40
.
"This slain Lamb has been made, according to certain
hidden reasons, a purification for the whole world; for which,
according to the Fathers love to man, he submitted to death
purchasing us back by His own blood from Him who had got
us in his power, sold under sin
41
."
The Father gave up His own Son not only for the
saints... for the great ones, but for the least also, and for
every single member of the Church... God then, who gave
us worth through pouring out the precious blood of His Son
for us...
42
.

THE FATHER GIVES US TO HIS BELOVED SON
For He (the Father) gives them to His Son their
teacher and doctor, to free them from ignorance and dis-
ease - i.e. from sin - and so keep them under His protection
and kingly rule.
The tombs in question... are the bodies of the
souls which were sinful, i.e. dead to God. But when
through the grace of God such should have been aroused to
faith, their bodies... are made the bodies of the holy...

40 In Matt. hom. 13:8-9; Jaroslav Pelikan: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100), p. 148.
42 Comm. on Rom. 7:9 0n 8:32.
God the Father
413
HIS DWELLING IN THE SOULS
He visits the souls of those who have been able to
receive His operations
43
.
V V V


414
9

JESUS CHRIST

Origen, in his writings and preaching, concentrates on
Christ. His heart is abundantly flamed with the love of Christ, as
he finds in Him all his needs.
1. Origen believes that the souls of men had fallen from
their heavenly rank, and instead of their freedom they are unable to
be restored to their origin without Christ.
2. Christ in His infinite love stretches His hands for the
whole of mankind for their eternal glorification.
3. In His love He paid His precious blood to the devil who
enslaves us, as a cost of our freedom.
4. As the Savior of the world he is the High Priest who of-
fers His life as the unique Victim and Sacrifice.
5. Our Lord J esus Christ is the Heavenly Groom who
works for His spiritual marriage with our souls as His own bride.
6. He is the true heavenly and unique Teacher and Physi-
cian who heals our souls from the darkness of ignorance and cor-
ruption, granting Himself as the Truth, the Medicine, and the
Righteousness.
7. He satisfies all our needs, asking us to receive Him as
the heavenly Kingdom, heavenly Bread, the spiritual J ordan, the
hidden Treasure, the divine Way, the Door, the Truth, the Rock,
the Resurrection, the Beginning and the End etc.
Origen
415
8. Men of God of the Old Testament were joyfully waiting
for the Messiah (Christ). Origen finds our Lord J esus Christ eve-
rywhere, and the entire Old Testament speaks of Him only
1
.
CHRIST AS A LOVER OF MANKIND
Origen believes that our Lord J esus Christ is the Savior of
all rational creatures, especially mankind. He believes in the resto-
ration of all these creatures, even the devil and his evil angels.
Christ who loved men, even while they were sinners and
enemies, and sacrificed Himself on their behalf, enter in a personal
relationship with the soul of man. Therefore Origen attributes
Christ to himself as his own, calling Him my J esus.
The Apostle (St. Paul) declares what is written
about Adam and Eve thus: This is a great mystery in Christ
and in the Church (Eph. 5:32); He so loved her that He
gave Himself for her, while she was yet undutiful, even as
he says: When as yet we were ungodly according to the
time, Christ died for us (Gal. 2:20); and again: When as
yet we were sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:6)
2
.
But if my Jesus is said to be taken up in glory, I
see Gods graciousness
3
.

1 Job 5:46f, Rowan A. Greer: Origen, Paulist Press, 1979, page xi.
2 Comm. on the Songs of Songs, book 2:3 (ACW).
3 Contra Celsus 3:31
Jesus Christ
416
THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST

Origen saw that the Person of the Word was not reduced to
a role or an office
4
. The Son is a Hypostasis, Living Wisdom. He is
verily and substantially God, and therefore of necessity co-eternal
and co-equal with the Father.

ETERNAL SON OF GOD
In the previous chapter we noticed that Origen states that
the generation of the Son is eternal and also continuous; the Fa-
ther is begetting the Son at each instant, just as light is always
emitting its radiance
5
. By eternity and continuity Origen expresses
eternity conceived as a unique instant which cannot be expressed
by human language
6
.
There never can have been a time when He was not.
For when was that God, whom John calls the Light, desti-
tute of the radiance of His proper glory, so that a man may
dare to ascribe a beginning of existence to the Son... Let a
man, who ventures to say there was a time when the Son
was not, consider that this is all one with saying there was
a time when Wisdom was not, the Word was not, the Life
was not
7
.
None of these testimonies, however, sets forth dis-
tinctly the Saviors exalted birth; but when the words are
addressed to Him, You are My Son, this day have I begot-
ten You (Ps. 2:7; Mark 1:11; Heb. 1:5), this is spoken to
Him by God, with whom all time is to-day, for there is no
evening with God, as I consider, and there is no morning,
nothing but time that stretches out, along with His unbe-

5 In Jer. hom. 9:4.
7 De Principiis 4:28; Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, p. 207-208.
Origen
417
ginning and unseen life. The day is to-day with Him in
which the Son was begotten, and thus the beginning of His
birth is not found, as neither is the day of it
8
.
Wherefore we recognize that God was always the
Father of his Only-begotten Son, who was born indeed of
Him and draws His being from Him, but is yet without any
beginning, not only of that kind which can be distinguished
by periods of time, but even of that other kind which the
mind alone is wont to contemplate in itself and to perceive,
if I may so say, with the bare intellect and reason...
John, however, uses yet more exalted and wonderful
language in the beginning of his gospel, when by an appro-
priate declaration he defines the Word to be God; And the
Word was God, and He was in the beginning with God
John 1:1, 2). Let him who assigns a beginning to the Word
of God or the Wisdom of God beware lest he utters impiety
against the unbegotten Father Himself, in denying that He
was always a Father and that He begets the Word and pos-
sessed wisdom in all previous times or ages or whatever
else they may be called...
This is an eternal and everlasting beginning, as
brightness is begotten from light. For he does not become
Son in an external way through the adoption of the Spirit,
but is Son by nature.
Now, as we said above, the wisdom of God has her
subsistence nowhere else but in Him who is the beginning
of all things, from Whom also she took her birth. And be-
cause He Himself, who alone is a Son by nature, is this
Wisdom, He is on this account also called the Only-
Begotten
9
.

8 Comm. on John 1:32 (ANF).
9 De Principiis 1:2:2-5 (Cf. Butterworth).
Jesus Christ
418
ETERNAL WISDOM OF GOD
But since the Wisdom of God, which is His Only-
begotten Son, is in all respects unalterable and unchange-
able, and since every good quality in Him is essential and
can never be changed or altered, His glory is on that ac-
count described as pure and sincere...
Now Gods Wisdom is the Brightness of that Light,
not only in so far as it is light, but in so far as it is everlast-
ing Light. His Wisdom is therefore an everlasting Bright-
ness, enduring eternally. If this point is fully understood, it
is a clear proof that the Sons existence springs from the
Father Himself, yet not in time, nor from any other begin-
ning except, as we have said, from God Himself
10
.
Now Christ is Wisdom-as-a-whole, and the capacity
for wisdom achieved by each of the wise is actually a par-
taking in Christ...
11
.

HIS DIVINITY IS NOT LIMITED BY A PLACE
In his "De Principiis" Origen assures Christs divinity and
that His divinity is not limited by a place:
But perhaps someone will say that through those
who are participants (cf. Heb. 3:14) in Gods Word or His
Wisdom or truth or life the Word and Wisdom appears
Himself to be in a place. The answer must be given that
there is no doubt that Christ insofar as He is Logos and
Wisdom and all the rest was in Paul, because of which he
said, "Or do you desire proof that Christ is speaking in
me?" (2 Cor. 13:3). And again, "But it is no longer I who
live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). Then, there-
fore, since He was in Paul, who will doubt that He was
likewise in Peter, in John, and in each one of the saints,

Origen
419
and not only in those on earth but also in those in the
heavens? For it is absurd to say that Christ was in Peter
and Paul, but not in Michael the Archangel and in Gab-
riel. From this it is clearly discovered that the divinity of
the Son of God was not confined to any place, since He is
not so much in one as not to be in another. Rather, since
He is not confined in any place because of the majesty of
His incorporeal nature, He is further understood not to be
absent from any place...
He is not present in a similar way in every one. And
He is present more fully and more clearly and, if I may put
it this way, more openly in the archangels than in holy
men. This is evident from the fact that when the saints ar-
rive at the highest perfection, they are said to be made
"like angels" or "equal" to angels according to the view of
the Gospel (cf. Mt. 22:30; Luke. 20:36). It follows that
Christ is made present in different ones to the degree that
the reckoning of what they deserve permits...
And David points out the mystery of the entire Trin-
ity in the creation of everything when he says, "By the
Word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their
power by the Spirit of His mouth" (Ps. 33:6).
And John the Baptist points to some such conclu-
sion when in Jesus corporeal absence he said to the
crowds, "Among you stands One whom you do not know,
even He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandals I
am not worthy to untie" (John. 1:26-27). John could not
have said He stood in the midst of those among whom He
was not corporeally present, about Him who was absent,
so far as His corporeal presence was concerned. Thus, it
is clear that the Son of God is both wholly present in the
body and wholly present everywhere.

Jesus Christ
420
THE INCARNATION

THE INCARNATION AND CHRISTS DIVINITY
Origen insists on the fact that having become man, he re-
mained what he was, God. J esus kenosis did not put an end to his
divine character.
Then again: Christ Jesus, He who came to earth,
was begotten of the Father before every created thing. And
after He had ministered to the Father in the foundation of
all things, for all things were made through Him (J ohn
1:3), in these last times He emptied Himself and was made
Man, was made flesh, although He was God; and being
made man, He still remained what He was, namely, God.
He took to Himself a body like our body, differing in this
alone, that it was born of a virgin and of the Holy Spirit.
And this Jesus Christ was born and suffered in truth and
not merely in appearance, and truly died our common
death. Moreover He truly rose from the dead, and after the
resurrection... He was then taken up into heaven
12
.
Hear also Paul say, "You are Gods field, Gods
building,"(1 Cor. 3.9.) What then is that "sanctuary" which
has "not been made by the hand of man," but prepared by
the hands of God? Hear Wisdom saying, "She has built a
house for herself."(Prov. 9.1.) I think, however, that this is
understood more correctly of the Lords incarnation. For
"it was not made by the hand of men," that is the temple of
flesh is not built in the virgin by human work, but, as
Daniel had prophesied, "A stone cut without hands
separated and became a great mountain."(Dan. 2.34-35.)
That is the "sanctuary" of the flesh which was taken up
and "cut" from the mountain of human nature and the

Origen
421
substance of flesh "without hands," that is, apart from
the work of men
13
.
J oseph C. McLelland, under the title God: Changeless Yet
Lively deals with Origens view on the incarnation of the Logos.
He writes,
For Origen, the question is approached in terms of
the Platonic doctrine of model and image, and of the place
of the Incarnate Word in this kind of universe.
He faces a profound difficulty in all this, because he
is opposing those (Stoics, Epicurus, even Aristotle) who
have filled the world with a doctrine that abolishes provi-
dence, or limits it, or introduces a corruptible first principle
which is corporeal, while the doctrine of the J ews and
Christians which preserves the unchangeable and unalter-
able nature of God has been regarded as irreverent, since it
is not in agreement with those who hold impious opinions
about God
14
...
The incarnate Word participates in the relative and
temporary nature of the world into which He comes. The
truth of the Gospel consists in apprehending a gracious di-
vine-human reality, to be sure, but there follows recogni-
tion of the merely symbolic nature of the human element
and ascension to the divine reality above it
15
...
The question of the divine descent in incarnation is
therefore decisive for the entire theology of Origen. Celsus
had brought the objection that we affirm that God Himself
will come down to men. And he thinks it follows from this
that He leaves his throne
16
. But Celsus, replies Origen,
does not know the power of God, for He both fills all things
and maintains all things in their being. If God is said to de-

13 In Exodus hom .6:12 ( Cf. Ronad E Heine- Frs. of the Church, vol. 71.)
14 Contra Celsus 1:21; Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, Massachsetts, 1976, p. 106-107.
15 Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, Massachsetts, p. 113.
Jesus Christ
422
scend, or if the Word comes to us, this does not mean
that He moves from one place to another or leaves His
throne. There is no changing or leaving involved
17
.
Even supposing that we do say that He leaves one place
and fills another, we would not mean this in a spatial
sense. In what sense would we mean it? In an existential
sense, for the change is to be understood as taking place
in us: anyone who has received the coming of the Word of
God into his own soul changes from bad to good, from li-
centiousness to self-control, and from superstition to pi-
ety. One scholar has concluded that for Origen, The
earthly life of Christ was a grand symbolic drama, a divine
mystery-play for the enlightenment of humanity
18
.
Origen refers to his former reply, and adds, While
remaining unchanged in essence, He comes down in His
providence and care over human affairs. He distin-
guishes this doctrine from that of Epicurus and the Stoics,
for they have missed the true conception of Gods nature,
as being entirely incorruptible, simple, uncompounded, and
indivisible. So also
19
Christ was in the he form of God but
emptied Himself, that men might be able to receive Him.
But he underwent no change from good to bad. When the
Word assumed a human body and a human soul, He re-
mained Word in essence, suffering nothing of the ex-
perience of the body or the soul. His descent is to the low
level of those who cannot behold the divine radiance; He
becomes as it were flesh, and is spoken of in physical
terms, until he who has accepted him in this form is gradu-
ally lifted up by the Word and can look even upon, so to
speak, his absolute form
20
.

17 Cf. Contra Celsus 6:60.
Origen
423
There are different forms corresponding to the dif-
ferent kinds of receivers - whether he is a beginner, or has
made a little progress, or is considerably advanced, or has
nearly attained to virtue already, or has in fact attained
it
21
. A favorite illustration in this respect is the Transfigu-
ration story
22
. The people down below could not receive
the truer form in which he showed himself to the chosen
few on the mountain. The former saw only the mortal na-
ture (Origen quotes Isaiah 53, he had no form or beauty),
while the disciples attained to the immortal Logos. Yet Ori-
gen does not wish to suggest that the human form is an
appearance only-he does not mislead or tell lies.
23
Al-
though he will not say that the incarnate form partakes of
an absolute character, he is not saying the opposite, in the
Gnostic manner of reducing the incarnation to an appear-
ance of relative value--a sort of theophany. He wishes to
maintain its truth as preparatory rather than normative.
Again it is pedagogy which is operative: the divine Logos
assumes humanity in relation to our present fallen state, for
we could only thus at first receive Him
24
.

JESUS CHRIST BECAME TRUE MAN
Origen does not deny the reality of Christs body, it had
genuine need of sustenance
25
. His life, His Passion were in no
sense fantastic. Origen believes that so real was J esus body that
we cannot accept in the literal sense the story of His being carried
up into a mountain by the tempter
26
.
Now this body (of the demon) is by nature a fine
substance and thin like air, and on this account most peo-

22 E.G. 2:64.
24 Comm. on John 1:20; Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous.
25 In Gal., Frag., Tollinton: Selections from the Commentaries and Homilies of Origen, SPCK 1929,
p 41ff; Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, p. 121.
Jesus Christ
424
ple think and speak of it as incorporeal; but the Savior had
a body which was solid and capable of being handled
27
..
Origen is facing the deep mystery of the composite na-
ture of Christ
28
. He grants that the Logos intentionally assumed a
body no different from human flesh, so he assumed with the body
also its pains and grieves
29
. Yet he knows that His passion and
death are at the heart of divine love and salvation - he can speak of
the benefit of Christs death
30
, and can argue from the reality of
his agonies to the reality of his resurrection
31
.
Origen, who gave the Greek Christology the scientific
terms, physis, hypostasis, ousia, homousios, theonthropos, is the
first to use the designation God-man (theonthropos)
32
), to affirm
J esus humanity against the Gnostics. He also affirmed the unity of
Christs nature. He stated that "Christ" though designated by a
name which connotes His divinity, human attributes can be predi-
cated of Him and vice versa. He says:
The Son of God, through whom all things were cre-
ated was named Jesus Christ and the Son of man. For the
Son of God also is said to have died-in reference, namely,
to that nature which could admit of death; and He is called
the Son of man, who is announced as about to come in the
glory of God the Father, with the holy angels. And for this
reason, throughout the whole of Scripture, not only is the
divine nature spoken of in human words, but the human na-
ture is adored by appellations of divine dignity
33
.
After the Incarnation the soul and body of Jesus be-
come one with the Word of God
34
.

27 De Principiis 1:2:2-5 (Cf. Butterworth).
28 Contra Celsus 1:66..
30 Contra Celsus 1:54f., 61.
32 In Ez. hom. 3:3.
33 De Princ. 2,6,3 ANF.
Origen
425

THE SHAPE OF HIS BODY
Origen believes that our Lord J esus Christ had a true body
which had its shape like all men, and was seen by all who sur-
rounded Him, at the same time His body changed in accordance
with the capacity of those who saw it, and because of this its ap-
pearances could be beneficial and fitting to the needs of each
viewer. At one time it might be said He had no form nor beauty,
and at another He might appear to the chosen three transfigured in
glory... To those who are still at the foot of the mountain and not
yet prepared to ascend, the Word has no form nor beauty. His
form to such people is dishonored and deficient in comparison
with those who by following Him have received power to go with
Him even as He climbs the high mountain, He has a more divine
form.
Not only did He possess two forms, one in which He
was seen by all, another into which He was transformed
before His disciples on the mountain - but that He used to
appear to every individual in a form corresponding to his
worth
35
.
The Word appears in different forms in accordance
with each mans capacity. For some He has no form nor
beauty; for others He is blooming with beauty. By those
who are [still] ascending through lofty works and thus
making for the high mountain of wisdom, He is con-
ceived in His simpler form and known in carnal terms. But
by the perfect He is conceived in His divinity, and their
knowledge enables them to see Him in the form of God
36
.
And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue
were fixed on Him (Luke 4:20)... How much I desire that
in our congregation... the eyes of the soul, and not of the

35 Comm. Ser. Matt. 100 on 26:48ff.
36 Frag. Hom. Luke 15 (On Transfiguration).
Jesus Christ
426
body, of the catechumens and believers, men, women and
children, be fixed on Jesus. for beholding Him makes His
light reflect and your faces become more bright
37
.

CHRIST HAS A HUMAN SOUL
Charles Bigg states:
He is the first to speak at large of the Human Soul
of J esus. Like other souls, it is eternal and eternally united
with the Word. From the first it received Him wholly, and
clove to Him inseparably. It was like in all things to all
other human souls, free as they; but the perfection of love,
the singleness of worthiness, bound it so closely to the
Godhead, that the union of the two may be compared to a
mass of iron glowing for ever with a white heat. He who
should touch the iron would feel not the iron but the fire.
Hence in scripture we commonly find the titles proper to
the Humanity of our Lord transferred to His Divinity and
the Humanity of our Lord transferred to His Divinity and
conversely. It is the communicatio Idiomatum. The Flesh of
J esus was pure from all birth stain, from all defilement of
every kind. It was real flesh
38
.
In his work "De Principiis," Origen assured that Christ has
a human soul.
Therefore, when the Son of God wished to appear to
men and live among men for the salvation of the human
race, He took not only a human body, as some suppose, but
also a soul, and one like our souls in its nature, but like
Himself in purpose and power, and such as could fulfill
without turning all the wishes and dispensations of the
Word and Wisdom.

37 In Luc. hom. 32:6.
38 Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria p. 233.
Origen
427
Origen believes in the pre-existence of the soul of Christ,
like all other rational creatures. Henri Crouzel says,
So the Christ-man exists in the pre-existence, long
before the incarnation, and has quite a history before that
event. He is the Bridegroom of the pre-existent Church
formed of the totality of rational creatures
39
.

THE PURPOSES OF THE INCARNATION
Benjamin Drewery gives a summary of Origens view on
the purposes of the incarnation, saying;
Christ became like men that they might become like
Him: He made available all good things-teaching the way
to God, warning of judgment, exemplifying the good life,
converting, reforming, purging from evil, gladdening His
followers, sowing the seed of Gods word, opening the
kingdom of God to all the world, to unworthy as well as
worthy, even if not to the unwilling
40
.
1. To join us with Himself
Consider, then, how the Son will be able to be
elevated in His flesh to the possession of those goods that
already belong to Him by reason of His divinity; for those
who are in the world, since they belong to the Father, can be
considered to belong, in a certain way, to the Son, the sharer
in the Fathers purposes. How, then, can He receive from the
Father the order to demand that the nations be given to Him
for an inheritance and that His possessions should extend to
the ends of the earth? The reason is that man, to avoid
serving God, has risen in futile revolt against God; and the
Father, who is the Creator of all beings, in His wish to
redeem mankind has sent into this world the Logos, His Only-
begotten Son, to the end that the Son might be made flesh and

40 Benjamin Drewery: Origen and the Doctrine of Grace, London 1960, p. 113.
Jesus Christ
428
go forth, without changing His divine nature, to preach
deliverance to the captives and to give sight to the blind.
Therefore we say that the Son receives His kingdom and is
recognized as being established as the heir. But, although we
can say this because of the human nature which He has
assumed, we must be on our guard so as not to
misunderstand the inner structure of the mystery of the
Trinity
41
.
When Jesus is among the multitudes He is outside
His house,(Matt. 13:1) for the multitudes are outside the
house. This work issues through His love towards men, for
He leaves the house and goes far to those who are unable
to come to Him
42
.
2. To renew our nature
Nothing good has happened among men without the
working of the divine Word
43
.
The Lord became man to resurrect our fallen human nature,
and to change it from earth unto heaven.
It says, "a consecrated linen tunic will be put on"
(Lev. 16.4). Flax thread comes from the earth; therefore, it
is "a sanctified linen tunic" that Christ, the true high priest,
puts on when he takes up the nature of an earthly body; for
it is said about the body that "it is earth and it will go into
the earth.." (Cf. Gen. 3:19.) Therefore, my Lord and Sav-
ior, wanting to resurrect that which had gone "into the
earth," took an earthly body that he might carry it raised
up from the earth to heaven
44
.
In the Epistle to the Hebrews, St. Paul clearly explains the
difference between the animal sacrifice and Christs Sacrifice, for

41 In Psalm., 2:8 PG 12:1108; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder 1944, Chapter IV.
42 Fr. Malaty: Luke, p. 294 (in Arabic).
Origen
429
the first one was repeated because of its weakness and failure to
renew the depth of human nature, but the last One was offered
once only for it still has the power to renew our interior man. Ori-
gen says that J esus Christ as a Priest and Victim at the same time
did not offer animals blood that consumes but His own Blood that
gives life, resurrection and immortality. He always changes believ-
ers from mortality into immortality, redeeming their nature to par-
ticipate in His life and to bear His likeness.
Discoursing in bodily form and giving Himself out
as flesh, He summons to Himself those who are flesh, in or-
der that He may first of all transform them into the likeness
of the Word who has been made flesh, and after that He
was before He became flesh
45
.
The Son of His kindness generously imparted deifi-
cation to others ... who are transformed through Him into
gods, as images of the prototype .. the word is the arche-
type of the many images
46
.
In his Commentary on John, Origen states that the word
Jordan means their going down
47
. Christ, our Savior, is the
Jordan, in Him we descend to be purified. In other words, the Logos
descended by His incarnation and became man, so that we may
descend and gain Him as our purification.
When, therefore, we consider these great and mar-
velous truths about the nature of the Son of God, we are
lost in the deepest amazement that such a being, towering
high above all, should have emptied himself of his ma-
jestic condition and become man and dwelt among men, a
fact which is evidenced by the grace poured upon his
lips and by the witness which the heavenly Father bore
him, and confirmed by the signs and wonders and mighty
deeds which He did. And before that personal appearance

47 Comm. on John, book 6:25.
Jesus Christ
430
which He manifested in the body, He sent the prophets as
heralds and messengers of His coming; while after His as-
cension into the heavens He caused the holy apostles, un-
learned and ignorant men from the ranks of tax-gatherers
or fishermen but filled with His divine power, to travel
through-out the world, in order to gather together out of
every nation and all races a people composed of devout
believers in Him...
When, therefore, we see in Him some things so hu-
man that they appear in no way to differ from the common
frailty of mortals, and some things so divine that they are
appropriate to nothing else but the primal and ineffable na-
ture of deity, the human understanding with its narrow lim-
its is baffled, and struck with amazement at so mighty a
wonder and knows not which way to turn, what to hold to,
or whither to betake itself. If it thinks of God, it sees a man;
if it thinks of a man, it beholds One returning from the dead
with spoils after vanquishing the kingdom of death
48
.
Let us look at the words of the Gospel now before us.
"Jordan" means "their going down." The name "Jared" is
etymologically akin to it, if I may say so; it also yields the
meaning "going down; for Jared was born to Maleleel, as it
is written in the Book of Enoch - if any one cares to accept
that book as sacred-in the days when the sons of God came
down to the daughters of men. Under this descent some have
supposed that there is an enigmatical reference to the descent
of souls into bodies, taking the phrase "daughters of men" as
a tropical expression of this earthly tabernacle. Should this
be so, what river will "their going down" be, to which one
must come to be purified, a river going down, not with its own
descent, but "theirs," that, namely, of men, what but our
Savior who separates those who received their lots from
Moses from those who obtained their own portions through

Origen
431
Jesus (Joshua)? His current, flowing in the descending
stream, makes glad, as we find in the Psalms, (55:4) the city
of God, not the visible Jerusalem - for it has no river beside it
- but the blameless Church of God, built on the foundation of
the Apostles and Prophets, Christ Jesus our Lord being the
chief corner-stone. Under the Jordan, accordingly, we have
to understand the Word of God who became flesh and
tabernacle among us. Jesus who gives us as our inheritance
the humanity which He assumed, for that is the head corner-
stone, which being taken up into the deity of the Son of God,
is washed by being so assumed, and then receives into itself
the pure and guileless dove of the Spirit, bound to it and no
longer able to fly away from it
49
.
(for the falling and the rising of many Luke
2:34.): The first blessing is that he who stands in sin
should fall and die in sin: the second that he should rise
and live in righteousness. Faith in Christ graciously be-
stows both these blessings
50
.
The sojourning of the Savior with us, which made
available to us all good things
51
.
If we have risen with Christ, who is righteousness,
and we walk in newness of life, and live according to right-
eousness, Christ has risen for us, that we might be justi-
fied... Christ, then, justifies only those who have under-
taken a new life, on the model of His Resurrection, and cast
off the old clothing of... unrighteousness as that which
leads to death
52
.
3. To grant man victory over sin, the evil world, and the devil
Jesus the Son of God, my Lord, may grant and or-
der me to tread beneath my feet the spirit of fornication,

50 In Luke Hom. 17 on 2:34.
51 In Luke hom. 4.
52 Comm. on Rom. 4:7 on 4:23-25.
Jesus Christ
432
to tread on the neck of the spirit of wrath and anger, the
demon of avarice (etc.)...
53

Just as the Father alone has immortality (1 Tim.
6:16) our Lord having, for love of us, taken on Himself the
burden of death on our behalf - by the same showing to the
Father alone belong the words in Him there is no dark-
ness - Christ having, for mans benefit, taken on Himself
our darkness, that by His power He might bring our death
to naught and disperse the darkness in our souls
54
.
Before the advent of our Lord and Savior all the
demons reigned in mens minds and bodies, in undisturbed
possession of their spirits. But when the grace and mercy of
our Savior God appeared on earth to teach us how each
mans spirit should regain the liberty and image of God in
which it was created...
Who is this if not Jesus Christ, by whose stripes we
who believe in Him were healed, when he put off the prin-
cipalities and powers among us, and made a show of them
openly upon the Cross? (Col. 2:15)
55
.
We have fallen under the power of our enemies -
namely, the ruler of this age and his subordinate evil
powers; hence we required redemption, through the One
who buys us back from our state of alienation from Him.
Hence our Savior gave His own blood as a ransom for
us... Forgiveness of sins follows redemption, and is in-
deed impossible before a man has been redeemed. First we
must be redeemed from the power of the one who has taken
us prisoner and holds us in his sway: freed from him-
beyond the reach of his hands, so to speak-we may thus be
able profitably to receive the forgiveness of sins, and

53 In Josh. hom. 12:3.
54 Comm. on John 2:26 (21).
55 Contra Celsus 1:54f.
Origen
433
healed from the wounds of sin to do the works of piety and
the other virtues
56
.
4. To grant man victory on death
For everyone who is with Jesus is beyond the power
of death
57
.
He once rose from the dead and so utterly con-
vinced His disciples of the truth of His resurrection that
they showed all men through their sufferings that their gaze
is fixed on life eternal and the resurrection which has been
exemplified to them in word and deed, and so can mock at
all the hardships of this life
58
.
5. To grant us the true effective Knowledge "Gnosis"
Origen says that the Logos is our Teacher, Law-giver and
Model
59
. He teaches us not only through words, but also by grant-
ing us to associate with Him, thus we lose our deadliness and irra-
tionality, and become divinely possessed and rational
60
. He also is
the pattern of the perfect life
61
, the exemplar of true virtue into
whose likeness Christians are transformed
62
, thereby being enabled
to participate in the divine nature
63
.
Within the divinity of the Word is power not only to
help and cure those who are sick,... but to show to the pure
in body and mind the revelation of the mystery...
The divine Word was sent as a doctor to sinners,
but as a teacher of divine mysteries to the already pure and
sinless
64
.

56 Comm. on Eph. 4 on 1.
57 Comm. on Matt. 16:8 on 20:25-28.
59 Kelly ,p. 180f; De Principiis 4:1:2; Contra Celsus 2:52:3:7.
62 Ibid. 8:17.
64 Contra Celsus 3:61,62.
Jesus Christ
434
With the light of the Word we banish the darkness
of impious doctrines... Because the Word has opened the
eyes of our soul, we see the difference between light and
darkness, and choose in every way to stand in the light
65
.
6. To convert the lost sheep of the house of Israel and then, be-
cause of their unbelief, to take away the kingdom of God from
the former, Jewish, husbandmen and give it to other husband-
men
66
.
7. He registers as the Head of our race
Just as through having Adam as the first example ,
the head, of our natural mode of birth, we are all said to
have in this respect one body, even so do we register Christ
as our head through the divine regeneration, which has be-
come a pattern for us, of His death and resurrection
67
.

CONTINUITY OF THE GOODNESS OF JESUS
The goodness of Jesus toward men was not confined
to the days of His incarnation; even to this day the power
of Jesus is working for the conversion and moral growth of
those who believe in God through Him
68
.

INCARNATION AND ANGELS
Origen believes that the mediatorship of the Logos lasts not
only in the Church as a whole and in every member of her, but also
in the angels and powers
69
. Thus the Logos gradually unifies all
with Himself, without violating the freedom of rational beings
70
.

67 Comm. on John Frag. 14o0 on Colos. 1:18.
69 De Principiis 4:4:5; 4:3:13 [left out by Rufinus; In Lev. hom. 1; Contra Celsus 7:17).
70 Cf. De Principiis 3:5:6-8.
Origen
435
Origen believes that through Gods goodness to men He
became a man, and to angels appears as an angel so that all feel
that He belongs to them.
The Savior accordingly became, in a diviner way
than Paul, all things to all, that He might either gain all or
perfect them; it is clear that to men He became a man,
and to the angels an angel. As for His becoming man no
believer has any doubt, but as to His becoming an angel,
we shall find reason for believing it was so, if we observe
carefully the appearances and the words of the angels, in
some of which the powers of the angels seem to belong to
Him
71
.

THE TWO ADVENTS OF CHRIST
Origen suggests that the two visits of our Lord J esus Christ
to Cana of Galilee symbolize His two advents.
In the first, after washing, He gladdens us who
make our lives with Him, giving us to drink of what by His
power is wine... For in reality before Jesus the Scripture
was water, but since He came it has become wine to us.
In the second (advent), He relieves from fever at the
time of the judgment with which He has been entrusted by
God, freeing from fever and completely healing the noble-
mans son...
Thus at the first coming those who receive Him are
gladdened; at the second those who were not willing before
to drink of His wine are freed from all disease and the fiery
darts of the enemy (Eph. 6:16)
72
.
For the Son of Man has come already, but not in
His glory (Origen quotes Isa. 53 2-5). He had to come in
this way, that He might bear our sins and suffer on our

Jesus Christ
436
behalf; for it was not fitting that the Christ in glory should
bear our sins and suffer for us.
But He is coming again in glory after this prelimi-
nary preparing of His disciples through that appearing of
His which had no form nor comeliness. He became like
them that they might become like Him, conformed to the
image (Rom. 8:29) of His glory: since at His first coming
He became conformed to the body of our humiliation
(Phil. 3:21) when He emptied Himself and took the form
of a servant, He restores men to the form of God and
makes them like unto it
73
.
It was not the aim of His first advent to judge man-
kind before He had taught them and shown them the things
they should do; nor did He come to punish the bad and
save the good, but to sow in His own wonderful way the
seed of His word by a certain divine power among the
whole human race
74
.

73 Comm. on Matt. 12:29 on 16:27.
Origen
437
JESUS CHRIST
AND
OUR SALVATION

THE NEED OF SALVATION
1. Origen who was aflame with the love of God as a re-
sponse to the divine love says to Celsus that the only thing that
God needs is the salvation of His creatures
75
, not for any lack, but
because of His infinite love towards His creatures.
2. Natural religion and natural morality are not enough.
There is salvation only in Christ, and good works done before jus-
tification are of no avail
76
. The soul of man is so weakened and
distracted that it cannot be redeemed apart from the power and
grace of God in Christ. The severity of Origens judgment on the
good pagan is, of course, much qualified by his denial that this
life is the only chance a man has
77
.
And, because the Enemy had spread these nets eve-
rywhere and had trapped almost everyone in them, it was
needful that somebody should come who should be stronger
than they and stand out above them and should destroy
them, and thus clear the way for those who followed Him
78
.
3. Basil Studer
79
states that the external function of the Lo-
gos for Origen is two fold: it refers to creation and to the history of
salvation. Through Him the world has been created. As the world
soul He established its order
80
. Thus He establishes salvation,
which consists in the conservation of the world. Even His incarna-

75 Contra Celsus 8:62; cf. St. Clement of Alexandria: Stromata 7:14.
76 Comm on Rom. 8:2.
79 Trinity and Incarnation, p. 80.
80 De Principiis 2:1:3; 1:2:9; i:3:5f.
Jesus Christ
438
tion served salvation in this sense of conservation
81
. In the history
of salvation the Logos is behind all human events
82
. In the Old
Testament He exercises the works of Prophetic insight meditated
through chosen men and through His own appearances
83
. In the
fullness of time He was made man, to rid men of demons, to re-
establish the Law and to provide the example of a virtuous man
84
.
4. The fulfillment of salvation will be realized when He
Himself, as the Head of the Church will subordinate Himself to the
Father and God will be all in all
85
. This will be realized in the last
advent (parousia) of the Logos in creation and history
86
.

CONCEPT OF SALVATION
To understand the various explanations that Origen gave of
the mystery of redemption, we must never lose sight of the first
two books of the Commentary on J ohn. With Origen, the Passion
is always bound up with the mission of the Word. The suffering
Christ is the horseman of the Apocalypse, riding on a white horse.
The horse is white as a symbol of the truth proclaiming His glory,
and the Riders garments are sprinkled with the blood with which
He triumphed. Christs sacrifice is a preparation for the spiritual
progress of the Christian soul
87
.
We can summarize the concept of salvation according to
Origen in the following points which cannot be separated from
each other:
1. For Origen salvation is not separated from illumination.
Our Savior is the Divine Revealer, Educator and Enlighten-
ment.

81 Cf. De Principiis 2:6:3.
83 Cf. De Principiis 1:Praef.:1.
84 Cf. De Principiis 3:5:6; 3:3:2.
85 Cf. De Principiis 1:6:1f; 3:5:6.
Origen
439
Salvation is expressed as light in opposition of darkness,
and knowledge in opposition of ignorance. Concerning the re-
deeming work of our Lord J esus Christ, J .N.D. Kelly
88
says that
the Logos is our Teacher, Law-giver and Model
89
etc.
By associating with Him we lose our deadliness and irra-
tionality, becoming divinely possessed and rational
90
.
He is the Pattern of the perfect life, the Exemplar of true
virtue into whose likeness Christians are transformed
91
, thereby
being enabled to participate in the divine nature
92
. As he puts it
93
,
Discoursing in bodily form and giving Himself out as flesh, He
summons to Himself those who are flesh, in order that He may first
of all transform them into the likeness of the Word who has been
made flesh, and after that may exalt them so as to behold Him as
He was before He became flesh; and again
94
with Jesus human-
ity and divinity began to be woven together, so that by fellowship
with divinity human nature might become divine, not only in Jesus
Himself, but also in all those who believe and embrace the life
which Jesus taught, the life which leads everyone who lives ac-
cording to His commandments to friendship with God and fellow-
ship with Him.
It might be said that being a didaskalos (teacher) himself,
Origen regarded his God as a Didaskalos too, as a Master in
charge of the education of children, and looked on Gods universe
as a vast didaskaleion in which every single thing contributed to
the education of the free human beings at school there
95
.
From the statements of the Gospel of J ohn that "grace and
truth came through J esus Christ" (J ohn 1:17) and that Christ was

88 See J.N.D. Kelly, page !84-5.
89 De princ. 4:1:2; 4:3:12; Contra Cels. 2:52;3:7.
90 In Joh. 1:37:268.
91 Contra Cels. 8:17.
92 De Princ. 4:4:4.
Jesus Christ
440
"the truth" (J ohn 14:6) in person, it followed that the only reliable
source of the Christian life lay in the very words and teachings of
Christ. But, continued Origen, the words of Christ did not include
only the words which He spoke while He was in flesh, for Christ
had also been the Word of God active in Moses and the prophets.
The Spirit that worked in the prophets was Christ...
it is Christ who has given us the Spirit of prophecy
96
.
According to Origen, J esus allowed darkness to descend
upon His soul in order that it might be dispelled from ours. How
could the darkness have overtaken Him? The Word is quicker than
the evil powers, and they are always outstripped by Him. If He
waits for them, as He did in the drama of His Passion, they are en-
trapped. When they approach Him, they are certain to be de-
stroyed. Redemption is, therefore, only the first aspect of illumina-
tion. It is a struggle in which Truth confronts the powers of dark-
ness before vanquishing them utterly
97
.

2. Salvation is a reconciliation with God.
We have peace with God (Rom. 5:1), but it is
through our Lord Jesus Christ who reconciled us to God
through the sacrifice of His blood... Christ came that He
might destroy the enemies and make peace, and reconcile
us to God when we were separated because of the barrier
of wickedness which we set up by sinning
98
.

3. Origen, explaining the work of the Savior and His death,
he declares, not only has been set forth as an example of dying for
religion, but has affected a beginning and an advancing of the
overthrow of the evil one, the Devil, who dominated the whole
earth
99
. From the moment of His birth His life was a conflict with

96 Sel Lam. 4:20.
Origen
441
the powers of darkness
100
. His passion and resurrection signified
their final defeat. Origen appeals
101
to Col. 2:15 as proving that the
Saviors death has a twofold aspect, being both an example and
also the trophy of His victory over the devil, who in effect was
nailed to the cross with his principalities and powers...
Salvation is seen basically in the context of the war be-
tween good and evil, between God and the devil. Origen can
maintain that Christ as the Logos conquers the opposing powers by
reason, by making war on his enemies by reason and righteous-
ness, so that what is irrational and wicked is destroyed
102
. Right
doctrine is a means of conquering sin
103
. The Light shines not only
on the darkness of mens souls, but has penetrated to where the
rulers of this darkness carry on their struggle with the race of men;
and shining in darkness the Light is pursued by darkness, but is not
overtaken
104
.
Young says that the conquest of the devil is in fact the most
prominent theme of Origens soteriology. The De Principiis
spends a chapter on How the devil and the opposing powers are,
according to the scriptures, at war with the human race
105
. The
activity of the demons plays a large role in Origens arguments
with Celsus
106
. The Homilies on Joshua are full of warfare against
the devil, for J oshuas wars are allegorized as the wars of Christ
and his followers against the devil and his angels
107
. In the Com-
mentary on Romans
108
. Origen explains the Incarnation and Work
of Christ by means of a parable which expresses this soteriological
position: there was a just and noble king, who was waging a war

100 Contra Celsus 1:60:6:45; hom. in Lucia. 30:31.
101 Hom. in Jos 8:3; in Matt 12:40.
104 Comm. on John 2:21; Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writ-
ers from the New Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 174.
105 De Principiis 3:2; also 1:5:1; 3:3:6; 3:5:6.
106 Contra Celsus 8:55-57, etc.; also 1:31; 6:43; 7:17; 8:44,54.
107 Hom. on Jos. 12:1; 7:3-6,7; 9:4,5.
108 Comm. on Rom. 5:10; also 5:1,3,6,7,10; 4:8..
Jesus Christ
442
against an unjust tyrant, but trying to avoid a violent and bloody
conflict, because some of his own men were fighting on the ty-
rants side, and he wanted to free them, not destroy them. He
adopted the uniform of the tyrants men, until he managed to per-
suade them to desert and return to their proper kingdom, and suc-
ceeded in binding the strong man in fetters, destroying his prin-
cipalities and powers and carrying off those dead captive. This
idea is basic to Origens whole understanding of salvation, and is
the theory to which he turns to explain all soteriological prob-
lems
109
.

4. Frances Young says that connected with the idea of
Christ as Educator, is another important theme of Origens sote-
riology, the description of Him as the Example of obedience
which Christians should follow, as the Way. This theme finds ex-
pression particularly in the call to martyrdom, which is the culmi-
nation of observance of the entire pattern of living set out in the
Gospel
110
. This is closely linked with the idea of illumination
which we have already considered, since by following Christ of
heaven, especially through martyrdom, men will understand as
never before, all secrets and understand all mysteries, and will dis-
cover the nature of the intelligible and the beauty of Truth
111
. But
again this description of Christs saving work is part of the picture
of the struggle against the devil and his angels, for, above all,
martyrs in Christ despoil with Him the principalities and powers
and triumph with him, by partaking in his sufferings and the great
deeds accomplished in his sufferings - among which is his triumph-
ing over principalities and powers which you will soon see con-
quered and overcome with shame
112
.

109 Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers from the New Tes-
tament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 173 ff.
110 Exhort. on Martyrdom 12. See also Comm. on Rom. 4:10; 7:3,13; Contra Celsus 7:17; 8:44..
111 Exhortation of Martyrdom 13..
112 Exhortation of Martyrdom 42.
Origen
443
Obedience, self-denial and humiliation, death to sin, the
spiritualized martyrdom
113
, is likewise an imitation of Christ, part
of the educative work of the Savior, and an incident on the drama
of conquering evil and leading to virtue and participation in the
divine nature. It is essentially Christs work to restore what had
been corrupted, and deal with the enemy that had caused the cor-
ruption
114
.

5. Salvation is a process of healing which is realized by the
true Physician who Himself is the Medicine. Christ brings heal-
ing to the morally sick
115
, and resurrection and life to the morally
dead
116
. He came into our deadness to deliver mankind from the
bondage of corruption
117
. This, too, is part of Christs conquest of
the tyranny of death, sin and the devil, for the devil has the power
of death and is the enemy of him who is the life
118
.
Only, if one wishes to be healed, let him follow Je-
sus
119
.
Come now to Jesus, the heavenly Physician.
Enter into this medical clinic, His Church.
See, lying there, a multitude of feeble ones. The
woman comes who was made unclean from birth (Mark
5:25; Lev. 12:2f.). A leper comes who was segregated
outside the camp for the uncleanness of his leprosy
(Mark 1:40; Lev. 13:46). They seek a cure from the Physi-
cian: how they may be healthy, how they may be cleansed.
Because this Jesus, who is a doctor, is Himself the
Word of God, He prepares medications for His sick ones,

113 Comm. on Rom 9:39; 5:8-9; also Contra Celsus 2:69; De Principiis 4:4:4..
114 De Principiis 3:5:6; Frances M. Young, p. 175.
115 Comm. on Matt. 11:18; Contra Celsus 8:72; 3:60..
116 Comm. on Rom. 5:1-9.
117 Comm. on John 1:25,28, 35; 2:6; 10:4.
118 See Comm. on Rom. 5:1-9; Comm. on Matt. 13:9; Hom. on Jos. 8:6; Frances M. Young: The
Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers from the New Testament to John Chrysostom,
Philadelphia 1979, p. 175.
Jesus Christ
444
not from potions of herbs but from the sacraments of
words.
If anyone sees these verbal medicines scattered in-
elegantly through books as through fields, not knowing the
strength of individual words, he will overlook them as
cheap things, as not having any elegance of word. But the
person who in some part learns that the medicine of souls
is with Christ certainly will understand from these books
which are read in the Church how each person ought to
take salutary herbs from the fields and mountains, namely
the strength of the words, so that anyone weary in soul may
be healed not so much by the strength of the outward
branches and coverings as by the strength of the inner
juice
120
.
There are many other matters, too, which are hid-
den from us, and are known only to Him who is the Physi-
cian of our souls. For if in regard to bodily health we occa-
sionally find it necessary to take some very unpleasant and
bitter medicine as a cure for the ills we have brought on
through eating and drinking, and sometimes, if the charac-
ter of the ill demands it, we need the severe treatment of the
knife and a painful operation, yes, and should the disease
have extended beyond the reach even of these remedies, in
the last resort the ill is burnt out by fire, how much more
should we realize that God our physician, in his desire to
wash away the ills of our souls, which they have brought on
themselves through a variety of sins and crimes, makes use
of penal remedies of a similar sort, even to the infliction of
a punishment of fire on those who have lost their souls
health
121
.
Origen believes that those who become perfect are in need
of J esus Christ, not as a Physician but as a Teacher.

120 Homilies on Leviticus 8:1 (See Frs. of the Church)
Origen
445
We do not find any healing recorded of the disciples;
since if any one is already a disciple of Jesus he is whole, and
being well he needs Jesus not as a Physician but in respect of
His other powers
122
.

6. Salvation is realized through Atonement. Frances
Young states that all the previous various ways of expressing
Christs work have led to the Classic theory of Atonement. The
work of salvation is, first the conquest of the powers of corruption,
and then the exaltation of man by a process of healing and educa-
tion.
The work of Atonement in Origens thought is, first the
wresting of the evil powers, the death and sin which tyrannize over
human nature, and then the reconciliation of human nature with
God.
For no man could die with Jesus the death for us
all, that we may live, because all had been in sin and all
had need of another to die for them, not they for others
123
.
This description of Christs work appears as Origens alle-
gorization of the Day of Atonement ritual (Lev. 16).
The two goats which were presented before the Lord at the
door of the tabernacle of meeting (Lev. 16:7), and the high-priest
casts lots for them, are Barabbas and J esus; Pilate sent off
Barabbas alive with the sins of the people on his head, whereas
Christ was offered as a sin offering to cover the sins of those who
were to be forgiven
124
.
The desert to which the scapegoat was sent, was a place
empty of virtues, empty of God, empty of justice, empty of Christ,
empty of every good thing.

122 Comm. on Matt., book 11:3.
123 Comm. Ser. Matt. 88 on 26:33-35.
124 In Lev. Hom. 10:2.
Jesus Christ
446
The man who led off the scapegoat had to be pure, and he
must be understood to represent the Lord himself, our Savior. Ori-
gen draws the parallel between their actions, first pointing out that
as the man washed his garments in the evening, so Christ purified
the tunic of our flesh and blood, the human nature he had assumed
on our behalf. He then interprets his leading away the scapegoat in
terms of Colossians 2.15: he nailed to his Cross the principalities
and hostile powers and triumphed over them. This means Origen
asserts, that he fulfilled the lot of the apopompaeus (the LXX
word for Azazel) in them, and as the man in readiness led them
into the wilderness; thus he led away the spiritual hosts of wicked-
ness and the rulers of the darkness of this world, triumphing over
them within himself (in semetipso). He alone had the power to
lead them off to the desert, the empty places of hell. He then re-
turned with His work accomplished, and ascended to heaven,
where He was purified more completely at the heavenly altar, that
He might present the pledge of our flesh which He took with Him
in perpetual purity. This then is the dies propitiation is, when
God is propitious to men. When sin has been removed, when the
hostile powers have been led out of the way and human nature pu-
rified, then reconciliation with God is possible.

7. For Origen, the sacrificial death of Christ gave mankind the
means of escape from the domination of the evil powers and of
participation in the divine nature
125
.
For the divinity of Christ is from above by which
this fire is enflamed. Suitably, therefore, the heavenly fire
consumed all these things which were done in the body by
the Savior and restored all things to the nature of his divin-
ity...
For indeed, the whole burnt offering of his flesh
which was offered through the wood of the cross united the
earthly with the heavenly, the human with the divine
126
.

125 De Principiis 4:4:4; Frances M. Young, p. 184.
Origen
447
For the ancients, sheep, he-goats, cattle, and birds
were killed and fine wheat flour was moistened. For you,
the Son of God was killed. How could it please you to sin
again? And yet, lest these things not so much build up your
souls for virtue as cast them down to despair, you heard
how many sacrifices there were in the Law for sins. Now
hear how many are the remissions of sins in the gospel
127
.
Such great things, then, He is, the Paraclete, the
atonement, the propitiation, the sympathizer with our
weaknesses, who was tempted in all human things, as we are,
without sin; and in consequence He is a great High-Priest,
having offered Himself as the sacrifice which is offered once
for all, and not for men only but for every rational
creature
128
.

8. Salvation means the glorification of believers through
the resurrection of Christ. At the resurrection Christs humanity
was glorified, and we as the Church had the right to be glorified
through union with Him. Christs resurrection is the paradigm for
the exaltation of believers.
With a view to giving us the blessings of the first-
born, he himself becomes "firstborn from the dead," that he
himself might have the primacy in everything, and may take
up us, who believe in his resurrection, for his first fruits . . .
if, indeed, we keep firm hold on the grace of these blessings
to the end, aided by the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
himself
129
.

129 Homily on Numbers [3:4]: Drewery 132.
Jesus Christ
448
THE DEATH OF CHRIST AS A PROPITIATORY SACRI-
FICE
Origen applies Isaiah 53:4 f. to Christs passion, stating that He
too has borne our sins and has been bruised because of our
iniquities, and the punishment which was owing to us, in order that
we might be chastised and might obtain peace, has fallen on
Him
130
. In some passages, Origen states that Christs death is
conceived as paying His precious blood to the devil to purchase us
and grant us freedom from his dominion.
Because He is a sacrificial victim, He becomes, by
the pouring out of His blood, a propitiation in that He gives
remission of past sins. Such propitiation, however, comes
to each believer by the path of faith... It is certain that pro-
pitiation was fulfilled by the pouring out of the sacred
blood [ Heb 9 22]
131
.
But now Christ died for us, and how, since he was the
Lamb of God, he bore the sin of the world and carried our
weaknesses and suffered for us, we have often explained in
other places, where we brought as examples accounts that
are found in secular histories; for even in them, some persons
are said to have driven away pestilences, storms and other
such eventualities by throwing themselves into the grip of
death, and to have freed their homeland or nation from the
destruction of an impending catastrophe. How true these
stories are, or what rational explanation they may have, God
alone knows. Yet of those of whom these stories are told, not
even in fiction is it said that anyone freed the whole world,
except Jesus alone, who though he was in the form of God,
did not think it robbery to be equal with God but emptied
himself, and took the form of a servant and offered a victim

130 In Joh. 28:19:165.
131 Comm. on Rom. 3:8 on 3:25.
Origen
449
for the whole world, delivering his own blood to the prince of
this world, according to the wisdom of God
132
.
Christ indeed did no sin, but He was made sin
on our behalf, when He who was in the form of God
deigns to be in the form of a servant:, when He who is
immortal dies, and He who is impassible suffers, and He
who is invisible is seen; and since death and every other
weakness of the flesh is imposed on us all because of our
sinful state, He Himself also, who was made in the like-
ness of man and found in fashion as a man, offered as a
sacrifice to God a calf without blemish - that is, His
immaculate flesh -unquestionably in return for the sin
which he took over from us in bearing our sins
133
.
At the same time, Origen believes that the meaning of
words implying propitiation certainly did not mean buying off the
anger of God. One of the problems he and his contemporaries
faced was the challenge of Marcions view that in Christ was re-
vealed a God of love, while the God of the Old Testament was a
God of justice and wrath, distinct from the Father of J esus Christ.
Perhaps for this is reason Origen had to explain the wrath of God
in so many homilies
134
.
Origen speaks
135
of J esus delivering up His soul, or life, as
a ransom for many. To whom did he give it? It could not have been to
the Father; rather it was to the devil who had dominion over us until
the soul of Jesus was given to him as a ransom for us. He delivered
His soul in exchange for the souls of men which the Devil had
claimed as due because of their sinfulness. The devil accepted the
exchange, but could not hold J esus, who proved stronger than
death, in his clutches and was thus cheated of his victim. The devil
was deceived; he thought he could master it (the soul) and did not

132 Comm. on Rom. 4:11; see Frances M. Young, p. 182-3.
133 In Lev. hom. 3:1.
134 Frances M. Young, p. 185 ff.
135 In Matt. 16:8; 12:28; In Joh. 6:53:274: Hom. In Exod. 6:9; etc.
Jesus Christ
450
realize that he could not bear the torture of holding it
136
. So the life
offered in sacrifice and the blood shed as an expiation become in the
hands of Origen the ransom price given by God to the devil. For it
was the Holy Father of Jesus who "spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all," as his lamb, that the lamb of God, who
died for every man, might bear away the sin of the world
137
.
The sin of all, however, is not taken away by the
Lamb without suffering or affliction for the sinners before
its removal. For thorns have been not only scattered but
deeply rooted in the hands of every man who has be-
come drunk with evil and lost the power to become so-
ber
138
.

THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST AND ANIMAL SACRIFICES
In the Epistle to the Hebrews, St. Paul clearly explains the
difference between animal sacrifices and Christ's Sacrifice, for the
first one was repeated because of its weakness and failure to renew
the depth of human nature, but the last One was offered once only
for it still has the power to renew our inner man. Origen stated that
animal sacrifices were consumed by eating or even burning them;
however, our Lords Sacrifice is not only alive, but is Life-giving
to those who partake of It. J esus Christ as a Priest and Victim at
the same time did not offer animals blood that consumes but His
own Blood that gives life, resurrection and immortality. He always
changes believers from mortality into immortality, redeeming their
nature to participate in His life and to bear His likeness.

CHRISTS SACRIFICE FOR SIN
139

Because of the interdependence of sacrificial interpreta-
tions of Christs death and ways of understanding Old Testament

136 Comm. on Matt. 16:8; Young, p. 183.
137 Contra Cells 8:43; Frances M. Young, p. 183-4.
139 Frances M. Young, p. 179 ff.
Origen
451
sacrifices, Origen frequently uses Old testament sacrificial lan-
guage to describe the death of Christ without attempting to explain
further how the sacrifice for sin worked. Consequently in many
passages, his view appears to be the expiatory idea found in the
Old and New Testaments. Under the Old Covenant, they tried to
remove sins by the blood of bullocks and goats, but they could not
do it. It was because they were so ineffectual that the Son of God
came in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin; He condemned sin
in the flesh, because He was made a sacrificial Victim for sin and
was offered for the purging of sin. The whole scripture testifies to
this, he claims; he does not question the principle. As we have al-
ready seen, the removal of sin was Origens idea of the means of
propitiation; so, as in the New Testament, vocabulary of propitia-
tion is used with an expiatory sense.
Occasionally Origen tries to explain how Christs sacrifice
could remove sin. According to Leviticus, the priests eat the sin-
offering: so, says Origen, Christ, who is priest as well as victim,
eats the sins of the people. God is a consuming fire. The God of
fire consumes human sins; He assumes them, devours them and
purges them. Christ thus took upon Himself our sins, and like a
fire, He ate and assumed them Himself.
A second explanation depends closely on Old Testament
ideas. Christ was a sacrificial offering without blemish; this purity
is in a way contagious, so that anyone who touches the flesh of this
sacrifice is sanctified.
Both these attempts to explain are based on an acceptance
of scriptural language and ideas; they emphasize the fact that the
sacrifice dealt with sin by removing it, but do not satisfactorily ex-
plain how.
Whenever Origen really requires an explanation, he passes
over to the classic theory For example, This slain lamb has been
made, according to certain hidden reasons, a purification for the
whole world; for which, according to the Fathers love to man, He
Jesus Christ
452
submitted to death purchasing us back by His own blood from him
who had got us in his power, sold under sin.

THE NATURE OF THE SACRIFICE OFFERED BY
CHRIST
Christs sacrifice is superior to the sacrifices of the Old
Testament, because It takes place in heaven
140
. In Homilies on Le-
viticus
141
Origen regards Christs sacrifice on earth, that is, his
death on the cross, as a type of his heavenly sacrifice. But he
makes a quite different distinction, for the priest offered one bull
on the altar as a holocaust (burnt-offering) and another as sin-
offering which was burned outside the camp, and there is a differ-
ence between a burnt-offering and sin-offering.
So, interpreting this allegorically, Christ offered a burnt-
offering on the heavenly altar, but on earth, that is, outside the
camp of heaven, where sin had reigned since Adam, He offered it
for sin. Perhaps Origen considers Christs heavenly sacrifice a gift
sacrifice, a sacrifice of praise, worship and thanksgiving.
Origen frequently refers to Christian sacrifices as an imita-
tion of Christ, of martyrdom being a holocaust, of perfect obedi-
ence and imitation of Christ leading to the holy place, and making
the Christian a partaker in the divine sacrifice. Thus the sacrifice of
Christ was the offering of perfect worship and obedience to God,
the example for Christians to imitate
142
.
See, therefore, if perhaps Jesus, whom Paul says through
his own blood to have made peace not only for the things which
are in earth but also for the things in heave, is the same calf
which was offered in heaven, certainly not for sin but for an
offering; and on earth, where sin reigned from Adam to
Moses, he was offered for sin. And this is the one which suf-

140 In Lev. hom. 1:3.
141 In Lev. hom 1:3:3
142 Frances M. Young, p. 215.
Origen
453
fered outside the camp, outside that camp, I think, which Jacob
had seen, the celestial camp of the angels of God about whom it
was written in Genesis, And when he looked up, Jacob saw the
camp of God in its splendor, and the angels of God went up to him.
And when he saw them, Jacob said, This is the camp of God.
Therefore, outside that heavenly camp is everything in which we
live; this earthly place in which Christ suffered in the flesh
143
.

CHRIST AS THE HIGH-PRIEST
The expression of St. Cyril of Alexandria Christ is the al-
tar, the offering and the priest
144
comes from Origen
145
.
The fact that Isaac carried wood for the burnt of-
fering prefigured the bearing by Christ of His own cross.
Now carrying the wood for the burnt-offering is the duty of
the priest. Christ is therefore both Victim and Priest
146
.
Not only do the sacrifices of the Old Testament point to
Christ, Christ is a fulfillment of the "shadows and images" of the
high priest.
As a true High Priest, He has offered the Father a true sac-
rifice in which He is Himself the Victim, thereby propitiating the
Father
147
.
For as none is good (Matt. 8:2, 3) but one, God the
Father, so among rivers none is good but the Jordan, nor
able to cleanse form his leprosy him who with faith washes
his soul in Jesus. And this, I suppose, is the reason why the
Israelites are recorded to have wept when they sat by the
rivers of Babylon and remembered Zion; those who are
carried captive, on account of their wickedness, when they
taste other waters after sacred Jordan, are led to remember

143 In Lev. 1:3:3 (Barkley).
144 PG 68596-604.
145 Jean Danilou: The Bible and the Liturgy, Michigan 1979, p. 130 n.
146 In Gen. hom. 8:1.
147 In Rom. 3:8.
Jesus Christ
454
with longing their own river of salvation. Therefore it is said
of the rivers of Babylon, "There we sat down," clearly
because they were unable to stand, and wept." And Jeremiah
rebukes those who wish to drink the waters of Egypt, and
desert the water which comes down form heaven, and is
named from its so coming down-namely, the Jordan
148
.
Origen interprets Christs death as an act of vicarious sub-
stitution or propitiatory sacrifice. He argues
149
that, as the Leader
of the Church, J esus is the head of a body of which we are mem-
bers; He has taken our sins upon Himself, has borne them and has
suffered freely for us. As a true priest, He has offered the Father a
true sacrifice in which He is Himself the Victim, thereby propitiat-
ing the Father
150
. The Son offers the Christians own gifts of pity,
justice, piety, peace
151
. He offers the lives of transformed believ-
ers
152
.
Christ, the true High Priest who by His own blood
made God propitious to you and reconciled you to the Fa-
ther
153
.

THE MYSTERY OF THE CROSS
Henri De Lubac says,
But the proclamation of J esus crucified remains no
less essential. For the economy of the Passion is central.
It is the Economy par excellence. Origen knows that
without the wood of the cross the leprosy of sin cannot be
healed. He knows that it is the whole Church, without any
distinction of categories, that was saved by the blood of
Christ. He knows that the death of Christ is the Tree of life
for all of us, that all fruitfulness comes from this death as

149 Hom. in Lev. 1:3.
150 In Rom. 3:8.
151 In Lev. hom 9:6.
Origen
455
from the grain of wheat which must fall into the earth and
seem to perish. He declares that all the glory and all the
riches of the Church lie in Christs Passion. For him, to be
converted is to come to the cross of Christ and the wis-
dom of the perfect consists not in some other knowledge,
but in the contemplation of the profound mysteries which
Paul uncovers there for us and then in rejecting... the wis-
dom of the world. It is to be crucified to this worlds wis-
dom. For there is total opposition between the narrow way
of salvation shown to us in the cross of Christ, and the wide
and easy way which the philosophy of the wise men of the
world seeks to engage us. The vision of the Logos can be
attained only at the price of death to the world and at the
cost of great tribulation; and no matter how sublime this vi-
sion may be, it will never make us lose sight of the cruci-
fied J esus, at once priest and victim. There is no wisdom
that excuses us from taking up his cross and following him.
Even supposing that, like Paul, one has been caught up to
the third heaven, there is only one way not to fall back; and
it is precisely this, to take up the cross and follow J esus in
whom we have a great high priest who has passed through
the heavens
154
.
Every soul, therefore, which comes to childhood, and
is on the way to full growth, until the fullness of time is at
hand, needs a tutor and stewards and guardians, in order
that, after all these things he who formerly differed nothing
from a bond-servant, though he is lord of all, (Cf. Gal. 4:1,2)
may receive, when free from a tutor and stewards and
guardians, the patrimony corresponding to the very costly
pearl, and to that which is perfect, which on its coming does
away with that which is in part, when one is able to receive
"the excellency of the knowledge of Christ , having been

duction and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. XX.
Jesus Christ
456
previously exercised so to speak, in those forms of knowledge
which are surpassed by the Knowledge of Christ," (Phil. 3:8)
having been previously exercised, so to speak, in those forms
of knowledge which are surpassed by the knowledge of
Christ
155
.
The passion of (Jesus) on the Cross was the judg-
ment of the whole of this world... Since the divine event on
the Cross entailed the judgment on all existing things, He
could say when the moment of the Passion drew near-
Now is the judgment of this world
156
.
R. Cadiou states that Origen tells his pupils that a study of
the crucified J esus is the means of reaching the highest degrees of
the spiritual life. He warns them that this mystery of the Saviors
Passion would give them a knowledge of Christ that would be far
from imperfect, and that it is so difficult a mystery that even the
Apostles had to be instructed in its meaning before they could un-
derstand it and before they could see that it meant our salvation
157
.
Cadiou also says that we need feel no shame of the Saviors
Passion, for it has its source in His voluntary abasement and in His
extreme desire to serve. We do not hesitate to say that the good-
ness of Christ appears in a greater and more divine light, and more
according to the image of the Father, because He humbled Him-
self. His acceptance of servitude was but a small part of His sac-
rifice. In His sufferings, in His silence, in His agony, the Word-
made-flesh experienced all the sorrows that afflict the human
heart. In Him their domain was limited, because He was without
sin. But in another sense His afflictions were total, since He who
was always the Savior and even in His transcendence and in His
divinity willed that it should be so. He was silent before Pilate,
He desired to suffer for all mankind. If He had spoken, He would

156 Comm. on John frag 89 on 12:31.
Origen
457
not have been crucified because of weakness. There was no weak-
ness in what the Son of God said
158
.
The Cross is a sign of the divine love.
He would not have done unless He had possessed...
boundless love for us, and this is true both of our Lord Je-
sus Christ Himself in dying for the ungodly, and of God the
Father in giving His only-begotten Son for the redemption
of the ungodly
159
.
The Cross gives a perfect example to believers of Chris-
tian dying for the sake of God.
Christ slew the enmity in His own flesh, when by
undergoing death He gave an example to mankind of fight-
ing against sin even unto death, and thus at length by re-
solving the enmity in His own flesh reconciled by His blood
mankind to God
160
.
It is in no way unreasonable that the One who was
to be the living model for mankind showed how they should
die for the sake of religion
161
.
The Cross is a sign of victory.
For when pagans lead their enemies in triumphal
processions they put up trophies of victory over them in the
form of a cross; and in this way the Cross of Christ is a
trophy of victory over Satan. Hence Paul can say, May I
never boast save in the Cross (Gal. 6:14), for he knew
what that Cross has power to achieve-my liberation from
evil, won by His dying to save me from death
162
.

158 In Joan. 19:2 PG 14:544; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p.
159 Comm. on Rom. 6:10 on 5:6f.
160 Comm. on Rom. 6:12.
162 Comm. on Cor. 6.
Jesus Christ
458
What do the demons fear? At what do they tremble?
Beyond question - the Cross of Christ, in which they are
triumphed over... (Col. 2:15). Fear and trembling, there-
fore, will fall upon them when they see the sign of the Cross
fixed in faith upon us...
163
.
Origen comments on J oshua 8:29 LXX, where it reads he
hanged the king of Gai on a double tree, saying,
The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ was double...
that is, it stands on two footings...; on the visible plane the
Son of God was crucified in the flesh, but invisibly there
was nailed on that cross the devil and his principalities
and powers [Col. 2: 14f. quoted in full]... Hence the cross
of the Lord has two meanings: the first is given by the
apostle Peter - Christ crucified left us an example (1 Pet
2:21); and this second shows the cross as a trophy of vic-
tory over the devil on which he was crucified and van-
quished
164
.
The Cross gathers believers from all the world in unity of
love.
when, lifted up upon the cross He was about to em-
brace with His arms the whole world
165
.

163 In Exod. hom. 6:8.
164 In Josh. hom. 8:3 on 8:29.
165 In Exod. hom. 11:4 on Isa. 65:2.
Origen
459
JESUS CHRIST
AND
OUR SATISFACTION

CHRIST AS THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE SOUL
Man is in need of the Logos to satisfy all his needs. He
presents Himself to man as if He is everything to him.
And perhaps, as the Apostle says, for those who
have their senses exercised to the discerning of good and
evil (Heb. 5:14), Christ becomes each of these things in
turn, to suit the several senses of the soul.
He is called the true Light, therefore, so that the
souls eyes may have something to lighten them.
He is the Logos, so that her ears may have some-
thing to hear.
Again, He is the Bread of life, so that the souls
palate may have something to taste.
And in the same way, He is called the Spikenard or
Ointment, that the souls sense of smell may apprehend the
fragrance of the Word.
For the same reason He is said also to be able to be
felt and handled, and is called the Logos made flesh, so
that the hand of the interior soul may touch concerning the
Word of life (John 1:1-4; 1 John 1:1).
But all these things are the One, Same Logos of
God, who adapts Himself to the sundry tempers of prayer
according to these several guises, and so leaves none of
the souls faculties empty of His grace
166
.
Christ offers Himself to those who feel in need of Him.
This feeling grants them the merit of His presence and dwelling in
their hearts.

Jesus Christ
460
Indeed I might say He becomes everything that
every creature capable of being liberated needs of Him.
Because of this He becomes the Light of men when they,
darkened by evil, seek that light which shines in darkness
and is not comprehended by it; He would never have be-
come the Light of men if men had not come to be in dark-
ness
167
.
Christ who is one and the same presents Himself to every
believer according to his spiritual condition,
There are, as it were, different forms of the Logos,
as He appears to each of those led to know him, corre-
sponding to their condition - the beginners, those slightly
or considerably advanced, and those approaching or al-
ready in possession of virtue
168
.
Christ becomes present in each individual to the
degree that his merits have allowed
169
.

THE TITLES OF CHRIST
Although Christ is one in essence, He has many ti-
tles to indicate His powers and his workings; for He is ap-
prehended in His being as Grace, Righteousness...,
Peace..., Life..., Truth..., the Logos
170
.
To seek Jesus is to seek the Logos, Wisdom, Right-
eousness, Truth, the Power of the Father; for Christ is all
these
171
.

Origen
461
SUFFICIENCY TO BEGINNERS AND TO THE SPIRITU-
ALITY MATURE
Origen makes a distinction between the titles of Christ,
those which are offered to the beginners in their spirituality, and
others for those who are mature. The former are in need of Christ
as a Physician to heal their wounded nature, as the Shepherd to
take care of their needs, or as the Savior who forgives their sins.
The latter are in need of Him as the Wisdom, Logos and Right-
eousness.
Happy indeed are they who needing the Son of God
have yet become such as no longer to need Him as a Doc-
tor who heals the sick or as a Shepherd or as Redeemer,
but as Wisdom, Logos, Righteousness, or one of the other
titles that He takes for those whose spiritual maturity fits
them for His noblest gifts
172
.

CHRIST IS ALL GOOD THINGS
Now what the Gospels say is to be regarded in the
light of promises of good things; and we must say that the
good things the apostles announce in this Gospel are sim-
ply Jesus.
One good thing which they are said to announce is
the resurrection; but the resurrection is in a manner Jesus,
for Jesus says: I am the resurrection...
Isaiah too says: How beautiful are the feet of them
that proclaim good tidings (Isa. 52:7); he sees how beau-
tiful and how opportune was the announcement of the
Apostles who walked in Him who said, I am the way, and
praises the feet of those who walk in the intellectual way of
Christ Jesus, and through that door go in to God.
They announce good tidings, those whose feet are
beautiful, namely, Jesus
173
.

173 Comm. on John, 1:10.
Jesus Christ
462

CHRIST IS THE BEGINNING AND END
The Beginning and the End is a phrase we usu-
ally apply to a thing that is a completed unity; the begin-
ning of a house is its foundation and the end the parapet.
We cannot but think of this figure, since Christ is
the stone which is the head of the corner, to the great unity
of the body of the saved.
For Christ the only-begotten Son is all and in all,
He is as the beginning in the man He assumed, He is pre-
sent as the end in the last of the saints, and He is also in
those between, or else He is present as the beginning in
Adam, as the end in His life on earth, according to the say-
ing: The last Adam was made a quickening spirit. This
saying harmonizes well with the interpretation we have
given of the first and the last
174
.

CHRIST AS THE LOGOS
It is when Origen handles the titles of Christ that he
formulates his own answer. His introduction to the Com-
mentary on John is a treatise on the epinoiai. The manifold
functions of the Logos are expressed through his tittles:
word, wisdom, redeemer, shepherd, etc. It would seem that
Word is the highest, the eternal title, and yet: if we go
through all his titles carefully we find that he is the arche
only in respect of his being wisdom. Not even as the Word
is he the arche, for the Word was in the arche. And so one
might venture to say that wisdom is anterior to all the
thoughts that are expressed in the titles of this first-born of
every creature (1:22). This does not mean, however, that
the title of Word is not crucial, since it is Logos which on

Origen
463
investigation forces theology to reckon with positing a sec-
ond, separate entity, a Son of God, and so to examine all
other titles (1:23)
175
.
He is the Word, because He is as it were the interpreter of
the secrets of the divine intelligence, the channel of Revelation
176
.
Origen uses the term Logos as a source of our reasoning:
As, then, from His activity in enlightening the world
whose light He is, Christ is named the Light of the world, and
as from His making those who sincerely attach themselves to
Him put away their deadness and rise again and put on
newness of like, He is called the Resurrection, so from an
activity of another kind He is called Shepherd and Teacher,
King and Chosen Shaft, and Servant, and in addition to
these Paraclete and Atonement and Propitiation. And after
the same fashion He is also called the Logos, because He
takes away from us all that is irrational, and make us truly
reasonable, so that we do all things, even to eating and
drinking, to the glory of God, and discharge by the Logos to
the glory of God both the commoner functions of life and
those which belong to a more advanced stage
177
.
If we consider the Logos in the beginning, who was
with God, God the Word, we shall perhaps be able to declare
that only he who partakes of this Being, considered in this
character, is to be pronounced reasonable ("logical"), and
thus we should demonstrate that the saint alone is
reasonable
178
.
CHRIST IS THE LIGHT
For He Himself is the Light of the world who
also illuminates the Church by His light. For just as the

175 Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, Massachsetts, 1976, p. 110.
178 Comm. on John, book 2:!0.
Jesus Christ
464
moon is said to receive light from the sun so that the night
likewise can be illuminated by it, so also the Church, when
the light of Christ has been received, illuminates all those
who live in the night of ignorance.
But if someone progresses in this so that he is al-
ready made a child of the day, so that he walks hon-
estly in the day, (Cf. Rom. 13:13) as a child of the day
and a child of light, (Cf. 1 Thess. 5:5) this person is illu-
minated by Christ Himself just as the day is illuminated by
the sun
179
.

CHRIST IS THE TRUTH
The Only-begotten is the Truth because He em-
braces in Himself according to the Fathers will the whole
reason of all things with perfect clearness; and being the
Truth, He communicates to each creature in proportion to
its worthiness
180
.

CHRIST AS THE WISDOM OF GOD
Basil Studer states that for Origen, the Son is the Wisdom
and the Logos (Word). In relation to the Father He is Wisdom,
whose knowledge He is
181
. In relation to the world He is the Lo-
gos, the communication of what He beholds in the Father
182
.
J oseph C. McLelland states that even the title wisdom is
for us. He writes,
In acknowledging Wisdom as the only attribute
properly eternal, a distinct problem is posed by the text of I
Cor. 1:30: Christ J esus, whom God made our wisdom, our
righteousness and sanctification and redemption. For once
having settled the question of an eternal or absolute title,

179 In Gen. hom. 1:5.
180 In Joan 1:27 PG 14:73; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 176.
182 De Principiis 1:2:3; Basil Studer: Trinity and Incarnation, p. 80.
Origen
465
Origen wishes to show that all other titles were taken by
Wisdom for us, in accommodation to human needs rather
than in expression of divine verities. He explains Pauls
words by referring them to other passages which call the
Son wisdom (and power) in an absolute sense
183
. Thus
we have both forms of the statement, the relative and the
absolute whereas with the other titles such as sanctifica-
tion and redemption we have only the relative. Origens
purpose is to distinguish the higher titles, including Wis-
dom, Word, Life and Truth from those which are later,
which he took for our sake. Divine providence has met
human need and human potential by supplying the variety
of titles to lead us along the way of attribution toward the
absolute and ultimate Arche. And a crucial passage ob-
serves, happy indeed are those who in their need for the
Son of God have yet become such persons as not to need
him in his character as a physician healing the sick, nor in
that of a shepherd, nor in that of redeemer, but only in his
characters as wisdom, as the word and righteousness, or if
there be any other title suitable for those who are so perfect
as to receive him in his fairest characters
184
.
The two classes (simpler and higher believers) have
analogies in what concerns the Logos. Some are adorned
with the Word himself; some with what is next to him but
appears to be the very original Logos himself, those,
namely, who know nothing but J esus Christ and him cruci-
fied, and who behold the Word as flesh. The Logos is not
on earth as He is in heaven; on earth he is made flesh and
speaks through shadow, type and image. Origen con-
cludes: the multitude, therefore, of those who are reputed
to believe are disciples of the shadow of the Word, not of
the true Word of God which is in the opened heaven
185
.

184 Comm. on John 1:22; Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, p. 110-111.
185 Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, Massachsetts, 1976, p. 111-112.
Jesus Christ
466
The Word is milk for those Christians who are like
children, vegetables for those who are weak, and solid meat
adapted to athletes for those engaged in active combat.
The solid form of the living bread is spiritual and rea-
sonable food shared with angels, and confers deifica-
tion
186
.

CHRIST AS THE WAY
"For without boasting, it is self-evident that nothing
better could be conceived than to entrust oneself to the Su-
preme God and to be dedicated to a doctrine which teaches
us to leave everything created and leads us to the supreme
God through the inanimate and living Logos
187
."

CHRIST AS THE KING
Both the Son of God and the Antichrist desire to
reign. The Antichrist desires to reign in order to destroy,
while Christ to redeem.
Christ reigns upon those who are faithful among us,
by His Word, Wisdom, Justice and Truth. But if we prefer
our lusts upon God then sin reigns upon us, as the apostle
says, Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body
Rom. 6:12.
There are two kings who want to reign: Either sin
and the devil who reign over evildoers; or Justice and
Christ over righteous men. No doubt, our Lord and Savior
desires to reign but by justice, truth and every virtue. . . He
does not want to be crowned as a King without suffering (
the Cross. )
188
.

CHRIST IS OUR KINGDOM

186 Joseph c. McLelland: God The Anonymous, Massachsetts, 1976, p. 112.
188 In Luc. hom. 30:1-3..
Origen
467
Our aim is to attain the kingdom of God within us, which is
Christ Himself. It was Origen who said J esus was the autobasileia,
the kingdom in Person
189
. In his Commentary On Matthew 12:14,
Origen clarifies that the Kingdom of the heavens is the totality of
virtues, and Christ is each and every virtue.
He is here speaking of Himself as the Kingdom of
God, for He is King and God
190
.
For this reason as long as Jesus Christ, the divine
Word that was in the beginning with God, does not dwell in
a soul, the kingdom of heaven is not in that soul. But when
one is ready to receive that Word, the Kingdom of heaven
is nigh at his hand
191
.

CHRIST AS THE HEAVENLY BREAD
But the Scripture says, "And in the morning you will
be filled with bread" (Exod. 16:12). The Word of God is
also bread for us. For He himself is "the Living Bread
which descends from heaven and gives life to this world"
(John 6:51,33). But the fact that it says that this bread is
given "in the morning" while we say that His coming in the
flesh took place in the evening, I think is to be understood
as follows.
The Lord came in the evening of the declining world
and near the end of its appointed course, but at His
coming, since He himself is "the Sun of Righteousness."(Cf.
Mal 4.2 LXX: 3.20) He restored a new day for those who
believe. Because, therefore, a new light of knowledge arose
in the world, in a certain manner He made his own day in
the morning and, as it were, "the Sun of Righteousness
brought forth its own morning, and in this morning those
who receive his precepts are filled with bread...

189 Comm on Matt. 14:7; Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, p. 51.
190 In Luke hom. 32 on 10:9.
191 Comm. on Matt. 10:14 on 13:52.
Jesus Christ
468
Besides this interpretation, we can also take it to
mean that for each one our morning and beginning of day
is that time when we first are illuminated and approach the
light of faith. At this time, therefore, when we are still in
the first principles we cannot eat the flesh of the word, that
is, we are not yet capable of perfect and complete doctrine.
But after long exercises, after much advance, when now we
are near evening and are being impelled to the goal of
perfection, then at last we can become capable of solid
food and the perfect word.
Let us, therefore, now hasten to receive the
heavenly manna. That manna imparts the kind of taste to
each mouth that each one wishes
192
. For hear also the Lord
saying to those who approach Him: "Be it is done unto you
according to your faith" (Matt. 8:13). And, therefore, if you
receive the word of God which is preached in the Church
with complete faith and devotion, that word will become
whatever you desire.
For instance, if you are afflicted, it consoles you
saying, "God does not despise a contrite and humble heart"
(Ps. 50:19).
If you rejoice in your future hope, it heaps up joys
for you saying, "Rejoice in the Lord and exult, O righteous"
(Ps. 31:11).
If you are angry, it calms you saying, "Cease from
wrath and leave indignation behind" (Ps. 36:8).
If you are in pain, it heals you saying, "The Lord
heals all your weaknesses"(Cf. Ps. 102:3).
If you are consumed by poverty, it consoles you
saying, "The Lord lifts up from the earth the helpless and
snatches the poor from the dung" (Ps. 112:7).

192 (Cf. Origen Comm. Matt.., Ser. 100 where he relates the differing tastes of the manna to Wis
16.20-21. It was a common Rabbinical tradition that the manna had the particular taste that each
person eating it wished (Mekilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, Vayassa' ch. V; Midrach Rabbah, Exod. 25.3;
Yoma 75a.)
Origen
469
So, therefore, the manna of the word of God imparts
into your mouth whatever taste you wish
193
.
But many things might be said about the Logos
Himself who became flesh, and true meat of which he that
eats shall assuredly live for ever, no worthless person be-
ing able to eat it; for if it were possible for one who contin-
ues worthless to eat of Him who became flesh, who was the
Logos and the living bread, it would not have been written,
that "every one who eats of this bread shall live for ever"
(John 6:51)
194
.
What can nourish the soul except the Word, and
what is more precious to his mind more than the wisdom
of God?....
195

CHRIST AS THE SERVANT
Again, let any one consider how Jesus was to His
disciples, not as he who sits at meat, but as he who serves,
and how, though the Son of God, He took on Him the form
of a servant for the sake of the freedom of those who were
enslaved in sin, and He will be at no loss to account for the
Fathers saying to him: "You are My Servant" (Isa.
49:3,6.). And a little further on: It is a great thing that
you should be called My Servant. For we do not hesitate
to say that the goodness of Christ appears in a greater and
more divine light, and more according to the image of the
Father, because "He humbled Himself, becoming obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:6,8). Than
if he had judged it a thing to be grasped to be equal with
God, and had shrunk from becoming with God, and had

193 In Exodus hom . 7:8 ( Cf. Ronad E Heine- Frs. of the Church, vol. 71.)
194 Commentary on Matthew, Book 11: 14 ( Cf. ANF).
195 On Prayer 27:2.
Jesus Christ
470
shrunk from becoming a servant for the salvation of the
world
196
.

CHRIST IS THE JORDAN
Naaman is angry; he does not see that our Jordan is
the cleanser of those who are impure form leprosy, from that
impurity, and their restorer to health; it is the Jordan that
does this, and not the prophet; the office of the prophet is to
direct to the healing agency...
197

But as the dragon is in the river of Egypt, so is God in
the river which makes glad the city of God; for the Father is
in the Son. Hence those who come to wash themselves in Him
put away the reproach of Egypt, and become more fit to be
restored
198
.

CHRIST AS OUR HIDDEN TREASURE
The heavenly things, therefore, even the kingdom of
heaven, or Christ Himself the King of the ages, are the
kingdom of heaven which is likened to a treasure hidden in
the field
199
.
What treasures? Compare the words in Him are
hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col.
2:3). These treasures are in Christ. From that source come
forth these winds, these spirits, so that one man becomes
wise, another faithful, another has knowledge, and others
receive whatever grace-gift of God it may be (I Cor. 12:8)

200
.

200 In Jer. hom. 8:5 on 10:3.
Origen
471
CHRIST AS THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Origen comments on the event of the standing of the sun
over Gibeon in the days of J oshua till the people took revenge
upon their enemies (J os. 10:12-14) that it was a symbol of the
work of our Savior who changes our life into a continuous day till
we attain final victory over our enemy.
we desire to explain - if it is possible - how the Lord
Jesus spreads the light and extends the day for the salva-
tion of the souls and the destruction of the powers of evil. . .
.
The Sun ever shines and not realizes sunset, i.e. ,
the Sun of Righteousness who shines the light of truth in the
believers hearts, when the number of believers is com-
pleted then the evil time will come, the last generation in
which the love of many will be cold because of the increase
of selfishness and the lack of righteousness. Only little
numbers of believers will remain, and the day will be short-
ened (Matt. 24:22).
Yes, God Himself knows the extension of the days at
the time of salvation and the shortening of time at tribula-
tion and waste!
For us, let us walk faithfully through the light of the
day and accomplish the works of light, as long as we attain
with the day and the time of light is extended
201
.
Let us struggle against our enemies against prin-
cipalities, against powers, against the rulers of the dark-
ness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the
heavenly places (Eph. 6:12).
The Sun of Righteousness does not stop from His
companionship to us , for He never leaves us. He is not in a
hurry for the sunset, as He Himself says, I am with you
always (Matt. 28:20). He is with us not only for a troubled

201 In Jos. hom. 10:3.
Jesus Christ
472
day, but all the days, even to the end of the ages, till we
conquer our enemies
202
.

CHRIST, THE SOURCE OF TRUE JOY
For the Logos of God does not show forth His own
beauty so much in healing the sick, as in His tendering the
temperate draught to make glad those who are in good health
and are able to join in the banquet
203
.

CHRIST IS OUR PROTECTION
We live under the shadow of the grace of Christ
204
.
He who imitates Christ is a rock
205
.

CHRIST, THE SOURCE OF VICTORY
None boasted of His victory or ascribed it to His
own courage, but because they knew that it is Jesus who
gives the victory, not a man moves his tongue (Josh
10:21). The apostle well understood this when he said Not
I but the grace of God that is in me (1 Cor. 15:10)...
May my Lord Jesus grant me (after winning the bat-
tle of life).. to lay the victory not to my own credit but to
that of His cross
206
.
Jesus... who destroys the vices within us and over-
turns the most vile kingdoms of sin..
207
.

CHRIST IS THE REST OF THE SOUL
Scripture does not say that the land had rest from
wars under Moses, but under Joshua (= Jesus) (Joshua

202 In Jos. hom. 10:5.
204 Sel Lament. 4:20.
205 Fr. Malaty: Luke, p. 358.
206 In Jos. hom 12:2.
207 In Josh. 15:4.
Origen
473
11:23). It is likewise certain that the territory of our own
lives, the field of our struggles and tribulations, will only
have rest from war by the power of the Lord Jesus. For
within us are all those tribes of vices which... besiege the
soul...
208
.

CHRIST, THE GROOM OF THE SOUL
Christ is called the Bridegroom of the soul, whom
the soul espouses when she comes to the faith
209
.

CHRIST AND REVEALING THE MYSTERIES OF THE
SCRIPTURES
It is He who opens the Scriptures (Luke 24:32)
and so kindles the hearts of the disciples
210
.

PROPHETS AND THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST
According to Origen, many prophets received the grace of
Christ as they desire to see Him through their initiation by alle-
gory.

JESUS AND THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY
Christ, who has given us the Spirit of prophecy
211
.

CARRYING JESUS CHRIST
Simon the elder reveals the need of mankind to enter the
Temple of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to carry
J esus Christ on their hands so that they might be freed from the
prison of this world.

208 In Josh. Hom. 1:7.
209 In Gen. Hom. 10:4.
210 In Exod. hom. 12:4.
211 Sel. Lam. 4:20.
Jesus Christ
474
Simon didnt enter the temple by chance, but he was
led by the Spirit of God...
You also, if you want to receive Christ, embrace
him among your hands and to be ready for freedom from
prison, endeavor to be led by the Spirit who enter you into
the temple of God. There is Jesus inside the church, in the
temple which is established by the living stones
212
.
The One Word... sent out the rays which reach the
souls of those willing to receive Him
213
.

THE GROWTH OF CHRIST
By the might by which He emptied Himself, He also
grows!...
He appeared weak as He took a weak body, and He
was able to grow also and be strengthened...
The Son of God emptied Himself, and with the same
night He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was
with Him!..
214

SEEKING FOR CHRIST
St. Mary and St. Joseph were seeking for Jesus
Christ among the relations and friends but they did not find
Him.
We do not find Jesus while we are among the rela-
tions and friends according to the flesh. We do not find
Him in the family according to the flesh... I shall not find
my Jesus among the multitudes... Seek Him in the temple of
God.
Seek Him in the Church.

212 In Luc. hom. 15:3.
214 In Luc. hom. 19:2.
Origen
475
Seek Him among the teachers who do not leave the
temple. There you will find Him...
May we seek him with great effort anxiously then
we shall find Him, as the Scripture says, your father and I
have sought you anxiously (Luke 2:48). Dont seek Him
in slackness, slothfulness and hesitation, as some do for
they do not find Him
215
.
If you have lost the Son of God a day seek Him at
first in the temple...
But hurry to the temple; there you will find Jesus
the Word and the Wisdom
216
.

BE A RELATIVE TO CHRIST!
The Gospel gives the title parents to the Virgin
for she conceived Him and to Joseph for he served Him
217
.

HOW DO WE DO GREATER WORKS THAN JESUS
CHRIST (JOHN 14:12)?
For I think it is in truth a greater work when a
man while still in the flesh, frail and easily falling, over-
comes in battle the giants and the legions of the demons,
his only weapons being the Gospel of Christ and his own
faith in it. He ranks as greater than the one He gains Him-
self
218
.

215 In Luc. hom. 18:4.
216 In Luc. hom. 19:4.
217 In Luc. hom. 19:3.
218 In Num. hom. 7:6.
476
10

THE HOLY SPIRIT

A chapter of the Treatise on First Principles is devoted to
the Holy Spirit
1
. Its first concern is to affirm against Marcion and
Valentinus. He specifically mentions that there is only one Holy
Spirit who inspired both the Testaments, just as there is only one
Father and one Son. While in the Old Testament the Spirit was
only given to the prophets, now, after the coming of the Savior, He
is poured out abundantly over the whole Church and teaches how
to read the Scriptures in their spiritual sense. This Holy Spirit dis-
tributes the charisms, that is graces attached to an act or to a func-
tion
2
.
Origen confirms the Personality of the Holy Spirit. The
apostle, after enumerating the gifts of the Spirit, proceeds thus,
And all these things come from the activity of the one same
Spirit, distributing to each individually as He wills. (I Cor. 12:11)
if He wills and is active and distributes, He is not a force or
energy of God, but an active personal substance
3
. Origen uses the
words of the book of Acts to prove the same idea: It seemed good
to the Holy Spirit and to us (Acts 15:21). The Holy Spirit said
13:2; This is what the Holy Spirit says 21:10. He acknowledges
that the Spirit operates in creation, and describes Him as chief in
rank of all things originated by the Father through Christ
4
.
In (John 3:8) the Spirit is an Essence. He is not, as
some suppose, a Divine Energy, having (as they pretend)
no distinctive personal existence
5
.

1 De Principiis 2:7.
3 Fragment 37 on the Gospel of St. John.
4 Comm. on John 2.10.75.
5 See H.B. Swete: The Holy Spirit in the Ancient Church, p. 133.
The Holy Spirit
477
He (the Holy Spirit) is an entity, and an entity is not
(merely) an energy, though it has a capacity for energy
6
.

THE DIVINITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Origen asserts the divinity of the Holy Spirit, "The Spirit
Himself is in the Law and in the Gospel; He is ever with the Father
and the Son; like the Father and the Son He always is and was and
will be
7
."
The divinity of Christ is evident not only from the wonders
which He produced
8
and from the prophecies which He fulfilled
9
,
but also from the power of the Holy Spirit operating in Christians:
And there are still preserved among Christians
traces of that Holy Spirit which appeared in the form of a
dove. They expel evil spirits and perform many cures and
foresee certain events, according to the will of the Logos.
And although Celsus or the Jews whom he has introduced
may treat with mockery what I am going to say, I shall say
it nevertheless - that many have been converted to Christi-
anity as if against their will, some sort of spirit having sud-
denly transformed their minds from a hatred of the doctrine
to a readiness to die in its defense
10
.
The Holy Spirit is the same rank as the Son, exercising the
ministry of eternal life, without any dependence other than that
which unites Him to the Father as to His origin. He has no need of
being instructed by the Logos. He knows the Father and is one of
the Trinity, and it is impossible to suppose that there is in Him ei-
ther acquisition of new knowledge or progressive advancement in
the knowledge He eternally has
11
.

6 See H.B. Swete: The Holy Spirit in the Ancient Church, p. 373.
7 Comm. in Ep. ad. Romans 6:7.
11 R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 231-2
Origen
478
We must not suppose, however, that the Spirit
knows God as we do, through the revelation of the Son. For
if the Holy Spirit knows the Father by this means, He
passes from ignorance to knowledge; and it is certainly as
impious as it is foolish to confess that He is the Holy Spirit
and then to ascribe ignorance to Him.

For even if we grant
that something else existed before the Holy Spirit, yet it
was not by a process of development that He came to be the
Holy Spirit; as if one should dare to say that at the time
when He was not yet the Holy Spirit He did not know the
Father, but that after He had gained this knowledge He be-
came the Holy Spirit. That could not be, for the Holy Spirit
would never have been included in the unity of the Trinity,
that is, along with God the unchangeable Father and with
his Son, unless He had always been the Holy Spirit
12
.
He is mentioned after the Father and the Son because He
completes the work and because, in the life of religion, perfection
comes only at the end
13
. Origen also says, The Savior was made
less than the Spirit through the divine plan of the Incarnation
14
.

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. The grace of the Father applies to all creation; the grace
of the Son to all rational beings; but the grace of the Holy Spirit is
restricted to believers.
I think it is the Holy Spirit, in whom is contained
every kind of gift. For on some is bestowed by the Spirit,
the word of wisdom, on others the word of knowledge, on
others faith; and so to each individual of those who are ca-
pable of receiving Him, is the Spirit Himself who made that

The Holy Spirit
479
quality, or understood to be that which is needed by the
individual who has deserved to participate
15
.
Thus, therefore, the working of the power of God
the Father and God the Son is spread indiscriminately over
all created beings, but a share in the Holy Spirit is pos-
sessed, we find, by the saints alone. Accordingly it is said,
No man can say that Jesus is the Lord except in the Holy
Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). Even the apostles themselves are
scarcely worthy at the last count of hearing the words,
You shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come
upon you (Acts 1:8). It follows logically from this, I think,
that he who has sinned against the Son of Man is worthy
of forgiveness because he who is a sharer in the Word or
Reason seems, if he ceases to live according to reason, to
have fallen into ignorance of folly and so to deserve for-
giveness; whereas he who has once been counted worthy to
share in the Holy Spirit and then turns back again is by this
very act and deed said to have blasphemed against the
Holy Spirit...
What we have been describing is the peculiar grace
and work of the Holy Spirit
16
.
This grace must thus be deserved; the recipients must be
(for example)
17
:
I. Those who thirst after God.
The Holy Spirit, from whom those who thirst after
and long for God obtain spiritual graces (Rom. 1:11)
and heavenly gifts

.
II. Those who merit it through faith in Christ or through
thirsting after and longing for God.

15 De. Principiis. 2:7:3.
17 Cf. B. Drewery, p. 172-3.
Origen
480
The grace of the Holy Spirit... is given to the faith-
ful
18
.
III. Those cleansed by the Law, who have known and ful-
filled the commandments of God.
You, who wish to receive holy baptism and to earn
the grace of the Spirit, must first submit to the cleansing of
the Law; must hear the word of God, cut out your innate
vices and lay aside... your barbarous habits, that in gentle-
ness and humility you may be able to receive in addition
the grace of the Holy Spirit
19
.
IV. Those who are faithful, gentle, humble, pure in heart,
whose lives are praiseworthy for their good deeds, their virtues,
their love.
Not all who are descended from Israel belong to
Israel (Rom. 9:6), nor are all who have been washed with
water straightway washed with the Holy Spirit, just as not
all who are enrolled as catechumens are outside the sphere
of the Spirit. Cornelius was a catechumen, and before he
came to the waters he deserved to be granted the Holy
Spirit. Simon had received baptism, but because he was
insincere in seeking this grace he was denied the gift of the
Holy Spirit (Acts 8)
20
.
(The Spirit rested on them and they all prophe-
sied):We read that the Spirit rests not on all men whatso-
ever but on the holy and blessed; For the Spirit of God
rests on the pure in heart (Matt. 5:8) and on those who
purify their souls from sin, just as He does not dwell in a
body given over to sins, even if He has dwelt in it in the
past; for the Holy Spirit cannot tolerate the partnership
and company of an evil spirit. For there is no doubt that

18 De Principiis 2:11:5
20 In Num. hom 3:1
The Holy Spirit
481
when we sin an evil spirit comes and makes play in our
heart, whosoever we be... Hence our sin grieves the Holy
Spirit (Eph. 4:30), but our righteous and holy deeds pre-
pare Him a resting-place in us. Hence (in Numbers 11)...
to say that the Spirit rested on the seventy elders is to de-
clare the praise, worthiness and goodness of their lives
21
.
In each generation the wisdom of God enters souls
which she finds holy and makes them friends of God and
prophets. Indeed one could find in the sacred books men in
each generation who were holy, and receptive of the divine
Spirit
22
.
The Holy Spirit comes only to the virtuous and stays
far from bad men... Apart from and alien to the bad, it fills
those who have faith and love
23
.
2. We are in need of the Holy Spirit to grant us unity with
the Father through the Son. Truly, our Lord J esus Christ is the
only Way that leads us to this unity, for He offered His sacred
blood as a price for it, but it is realized by His Spirit. Through Him
we become partakers of the Father and the Son.
It is impossible to become partakers of the Father,
or of the Son, without partaking of the Holy Spirit
24
.
It is God's work to dwell invisible, by His Spirit and
by the Spirit of Christ, in those in whom He judges them
worthy to dwell
25
.
It is also through the Father's grace, or His Self-giving that
we are granted His own Spirit to dwell in us.
God is always giving a share of His own Spirit to
those who are able to partake of Him
26
.

21 In Num. hom. 6:3 on 11:25.
22 Celsus 4:7.
23 Comm. on John Frag. 37.
Origen
482
At the same time it is the Spirit's grace that grants us, by
His dwelling within us, the adoption to the Father so that we might
find a place in the Fathers bosom and become able to participate
in His nature and in His eternal glories.
3. We need the Holy Spirit to live within us, to reveal to us
"God" who is Love (1 J ohn 4:8); not through mere words and
theoretical thoughts, but by the presence of "Love" Himself within
us.
We must realize how many things ought to be said
about (this) love, and also what great things need to be
said about God, since He Himself is. "Love." For "as no
one knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the
Son wills to reveal Him" (Matt. 11:27), so also no one
knows Love except the Son. In the same way, no one knows
the Son, Who is Love Himself, except the Father. Moreover,
in like manner, because He is called Love, it is the Holy
Spirit, who proceeds from the Father, who alone knows
what is in God; just as the spirit of man knows what is in
man (l Cor. 2: 11). Here then the Paraclete, the Spirit of
Truth, who proceeds from the Father (John 15:26), ranges,
searching for souls worthy and able to receive the great-
ness of this love, that is of God, which He desires to reveal
to them
27
.
4. The Holy Spirit has His role in our prayers, if we rec-
ognize our insufficiencies. He guides our souls even beyond the
heavens.
The Spirit that cries in the hearts of the blessed,
Abba, Father... makes intercession for us to God with
groanings beyond utterance (Rom. 8:26), taking on Himself
our groanings because of His great love and pity for men
28
.

27 Comm. on Song. of Songs, Prologue.
28 On Prayer 2:3.
The Holy Spirit
483
In whatever part of the world he (the Christian)
prays, but he rises above the universe, shutting the eyes of
sense, and raising upwards the eyes of the soul. However
he stops not at the vault of heaven; but passing in through
beyond the heavens, under the guidance of the Spirit of
God
29
.
5. The Holy Spirit grants us the word of God, and divine
knowledge.
(The Scriptures) were composed, and have come
down to us, from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, by the
will of the supreme Father, through Jesus Christ
30
.
"The Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things
of God" 1 Cor. 2:10... The soul of man cannot search "eve-
rything," and a greater Spirit was necessary within us...
That we, by the mingling of this Spirit with us might search
along with Him everything, even...
31

6. The Holy Spirit reveals the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
The Gospel shows (the Holy Spirit) to be of such
power and majesty that it says the apostles could not yet
receive those things which the Savior wished to teach them
until the Holy spirit should have come, who could pour
Himself into their souls and enlighten them concerning the
nature and faith of the Trinity
32
.
7. The Holy Spirit helps us in witnessing to the Gospel and
teaching others the truth.
If a man teaches the same things in the same way
that Jesus taught, he speaks not "from his own heart" but
by the Holy Spirit
33
.

31 Comm. 1 Cor. 10.
33 In Ezek 2:2.
Origen
484
8. Allegorism or the spiritual understanding of the
Scripture is a grace of the Holy Spirit, granted to perfect believ-
ers to enter the chamber of eternal marriage between Christ and
their soul to enjoy the divine wisdom and its mysteries. He is the
Giver of knowledge and wisdom. Origen received this thought
from his teacher St. Clement
34
, who stated that the understanding
of the Holy Scriptures belongs not to all, but to the Gnostics who
are guided by the Holy Spirit, the Giver of knowledge.
(Send me Your light): That is, the light sent out from
(the Father) into the mind of those who are called to re-
demption, the understanding through the Spirit, which
leads those who are thus enlightened to God
35
.
(Quotes Psalm 18:11 God made darkness His hid-
ing-place"): "By this it is made clear that the ideas about
God which are open to human understanding on its own
merits are without clarity or certainty, since God hides
Himself as if in darkness from those who cannot see Him-
partly because of the impurity of the mind that is bound to
a human "body of humiliation" (Phil 3:21), partly because
of its limited power to comprehend God... That the prophet
may show the profundity of the doctrines about God, which
is beyond the same Spirit which locked" (Isa. 22:22) and
"sealed" (Isa 29:11) the writings of Isaiah. If the Spirit has
not "opened" the words of the prophets, the imprisoned
truths cannot be opened
36
.
The sacred Scriptures were not composed by any
human words, but were written by the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit and were also delivered and entrusted to us by
the will of God the Father through His Only Begotten Son
Jesus Christ...
37

34 Stromata 5:16.
35 Contra Celsus 4:95; Sel. Ps. 43:3.
36 Contra Celsus 6:17 (Benjamin Drewery).
37 De Principiis 4:2:2 (R.A. Greer, p. 180).
The Holy Spirit
485
No soul can attain the perfection of knowledge in
any other way than by becoming inspired by the truth of
divine wisdom
38
.
We pray that the light which comes from the knowl-
edge of the glory of God may shine in our hearts (2 Cor.
4:6 ) through the Spirit of God, who is dwelling within us
and makes us able to imagine and understand the things of
God. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these
are sons of God" Rom. 8: 14
39
.
If anyone meditates on the Law of the Lord day and
night (Ps. 1:2), if anyone is like the mouth of the righteous
that mediates on wisdom (Ps. 37:30), he will be able to in-
vestigate and discover these things more clearly, providing
that he is seeking through the right way, knocking the door
of God's wisdom and asking that it be opened for him so he
may be worthy to receive and understand the words of
knowledge and wisdom through the Holy Spirit; and to be
worthy to partake of that Wisdom Who says, I stretched
out my words and you did not hear" Prov. 1:24; Col. 4:3
40
.
It is the Holy Spirit who tells the deeds of which we
read...
For whence could Moses tell of what has been done
since the beginning of the world or what was in store at its
end, unless through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?
Whence could he prophesy of Christ, unless the
Holy Spirit told him?...
The meaning of the narrative [in Numbers] and the
real truth hidden under this veil, can only be known in full
clarity, as I hold, by the Holy Spirit, who inspired the
words, and by our Lord Jesus Christ, who said of Moses
he wrote of Me (John 5:46), and by the Almighty God,

40 Comm. on Song of Songs: Prolog (ACW).
Origen
486
whose venerable counsel is revealed to mankind not by
open disclosure but under the veil of letters
41
.
All the knowledge of the Father has been revealed
by the Son and is gained by the Holy Spirit... We must know
that as the Son, who alone knows the Father, reveals Him-
self to whom He wills (Matt. 11 :27) so also the Holy Spirit,
who alone "searches the deep things of God," 1 Cor. 2: 10,
reveals God to whom He wills
42
.
"Let us have (suffer) pains to avoid being found
unworthy of so great and sublime an understanding [viz.
the mystical interpretation of Leviticus 24:1], but rather
that our soul should first become a "holy place" in which
we may receive the holy mysteries by the grace of the Holy
Spirit from whom everything that is holy has received its
sanctity
43
.
("I opened my mouth and panted [drew breath] be-
cause I longed for your commandments"): "He who
through his actions has opened his heart, draws in the Holy
Spirit who reveals to him the mysteries of God. The
"mouth" of my soul is my understanding. Closing this to
evil thoughts, I opened it to good ones, and drew in the
Spirit of understanding, grace and wisdom. The cost of the
grace of the Spirit is the recital and execution of the com-
mandments of God: no sooner is our mouth opened that the
Spirit is drawn from heaven
44
.
9. The dignity of the Holy Ghost appears in a number of
passages of the New Testament where He is associated with the
Father and the Son in the sanctification of souls. An outstanding
example is the baptismal formula
45
.

41 In Num. hom. 26:3.
44 Sel. Ps. 119:131.
The Holy Spirit
487
Before the incarnation of the Logos, the Holy Spirit was
working in man's life for its sanctification. There were saints even
more before Christ, who lived in the hope of His redeeming action.
But now, the Holy Spirit - who is the Spirit of Christ - descended
upon Him, on His baptism, on our behalf, so that He might dwell
in us, and grant us adoption to the Father through baptism. There-
fore, our Lord asks us to call God, "Our Father who art in heaven.
St. Paul says: "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again
to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry
out: "Abba, Father. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our
spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs, heirs
of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him,
that we may also be glorified," Rom. 8:15-17. St. J ohn says, "But
to all who received Him, He gave power to become children of
God," J ohn 1:12.
The record in the Acts of the Apostles tells about the
manifestation of the Spirit that lives in the baptized, when
the water prepares the way for those who approach with
sincerity. Baptism is called the "bath of rebirth," Tit. 3:5,
which takes place with the renewal of the spirit
46
.
Because through the sacrament of Baptism the de-
filement of birth are laid aside, therefore even little ones
are baptized; for "except one be reborn of water and Spirit
he will not be able to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven
47
."
The Savior interprets how it is possible to be born
from above, saying that since entrance into God's Kingdom
is set before us, but it is impossible for anyone to attain this
without having been born of water and Spirit, it follows
that to be born from above is by being born of water and
Spirit. But he is born of(the)Spirit, who is made ;according
to it, becoming from it holy and spiritual. Then, since he

47 In Luc. hom 14 (Harold Smith: Ante-Nicene Exegesis of the Gospels, SPCK 1962, p. 35).
Origen
488
who enters into the Kingdom of God is born not of the
Spirit alone, but also of water, it follows that we should
search out from the Scriptures something also about water.
And consider whether it does not differ from the Spirit
merely in conception and not in substance (See John vii.
38-39). For if it is said of the Spirit that living water flows
like rivers from the believer, the water will differ from the
Spirit only in conception. As then anyone who is born of the
Savior would be wise from Wisdom, so also of the - Spirit
he is born holy and spiritual, and of the water he is born
cleansed, and each man watered for fruit-bearing is born
of water and Spirit.
Another will say that "water" means here the teach-
ing which cleans the soul, which itself contributes to being
born from above. Of this cleansing by divine education the
Psalmist said to God, "You shall wash me and I shall be
whiter than snow" (Cf. Jer. 4:14). Then since not only the
soul is called to salvation, but also the very body, which it
uses as an instrument for its own operations; naturally this
too must be sanctified through what is called in the divine
teaching "washing of regeneration, which is also named
divine Baptism, no longer mere water, for it is sanctified by
some mystic invocation; cf. Matt. 27:l9f.... How can it be
any more mere water which has partaken as far as possible
of the power of the Holy Trinity and is associated with
moral and intellectual virtue? Consider too its greatness by
considering why it is received. For if it is in order to enter
the Kingdom of heaven, and this is of surpassing excel-
lence; how is the cause of entrance into it not a great
thing? The Kingdom of God means the constitution of those
who live according to His Laws. But this has its abode in a
proper place, I mean in heaven. Since it is here called
"Kingdom of God," but in Matthew "Kingdom of Heaven,"
we must say that Matthew has named it from its subjects, or
the places in which they are; while John and Luke have
named it from its King, even God; as when we, speaking of
The Holy Spirit
489
the Kingdom of the Romans, designate it through its sub-
jects, signifying it also from the place on the earth or the
world
48
.
The Church has received a tradition from the apos-
tles to give baptism even to little ones. For since the secrets
of divine mysteries had been entrusted to them, they knew
that there are in a11 people genuine defilements of sin,
which ought to be washed away through water and Spirit
49
.
As we received this divine grace we must call our God,
"Our Father," not only by our lips but through our whole saintly
life, that declares our true adoption to God.
Because of the "Spirit of sonship" we have learned,
in the general letter of John concerning those born of God,
that "no one born of God commits sin, for His seed remains
in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God," 1
John 3:9..., they may not say "Our Father" only half way.
Such people add to their works their hearts, which are the
fountain and origin of good works which lead to righteous-
ness, while the mouth joins in harmony and confesses to
achieve salvation (Cf. Rom. 10:10)
50
.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
There is one and the same Holy Spirit in the Law
and the Gospels
51
.
The Jewish prophets, illuminated by the divine
Spirit as far as was serviceable to their prophesying, were
the first to enjoy the visitation of the superior Spirit to
them. Because of what I may term the touch of what we call
the Holy Spirit upon their soul they gained clearer men-

48 John Frag. 36 (H. Smith).
49 Romans 5:9 (H. Smith).
50 On Prayer 22:2,3.
51 In Lev. hom. 13:4.
Origen
490
tal perception and brighter radiance of the soul and even of
the body, which no longer warred against the life-
according-to-virtue, because it was mortified in respect of
the mind of the flesh (Rom. 8:6ff). For we are persuaded
that the deeds of the body and the enmities arising from
the mind of the flesh which is opposed to God, are done
to death by the divine Spirit
52
.
Of the Jewish prophets some were wise before they
received the gift of prophecy and divine inspiration, others
became wise through the mental illumination that the ac-
tual gift of prophecy bestowed. These were chosen by
Providence to be entrusted with the Divine Spirit... on the
ground of the unexampled and finely-toned freedom of their
lives-such a quality as would face danger and death with-
out fear
53
.

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND GODS DWELLING IN OUR
HEARTS
God is always giving a share of His own Spirit to
those who are able to partake of Him
54
.
The Holy Spirit had been able to find a place within
(Anna) because of her holiness and purity
55
.
The Holy Spirit comes only to the virtuous and stays
far from bad men
56
.

THE RENEWAL OF OUR NATURE THROUGH BAPTISM
As we have seen, the Fathers of the Church do not separate
between adoption to God and the renewal of our nature, for they
are two aspects of the same grace.

55 In Luke hom. 17.
56 Comm. on John Frag. 37.
The Holy Spirit
491
In the fountain of baptism our inner man is created and our
nature is renewed by the Holy Spirit, so that we might live as sons
of God who attain a new life in Christ.
(Baptism) is named "the washing of generation,"
being accompanied by the renewing of the Spirit, who still
broods over the water
57
.
The Holy Spirit creates for Himself a new people
and renews the face of the earth; when through the grace of
the Spirit, men" put off the old man with his doings," Col.
3:9, and begin to "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4)
58
.

THE SPIRIT OF SANCTIFICATION
The grace of the Holy Spirit is added so that those
creatures which are not holy by virtue of their own being
may be made Holy by participation in the Spirit. Thus they
derive existence from God the Father, rationality from the
Word and sanctity from the Holy Spirit. Again when they
have once been sanctified through the Holy Spirit they are
made capable of receiving Christ, in respect that He is the
Righteousness of God (1 Cor. 1:30) and those who have
deserved to advance to this stage through the sanctification
of the Holy Spirit will go on to attain the gift of wisdom
through the power of the Spirit of God and His operation in
them
59
.
His special work is that of sanctification. The Father gives
being to all that exists; the Son imparts reason, Logos, to all capa-
ble of it; the Holy Ghost works life in those that believe. Hence
though all men may be said to participate in the First and Second
Persons, not all men share in the Third. It is He that creates in man
the capacity to receive Christ, first as J ustice, then as Wisdom, and

57 In Joan. 6:33.
Origen
492
so on in ever deepening affinity, till at last the gift of being be-
comes worthy of the Giver
60
.
But just as a person receives the adoption of sons
by participation in the Son of God and is made wise by par-
ticipation in Gods Wisdom, so also he is made holy and
spiritual by participation in the Holy Spirit. For it is one
and the same thing to receive participation in the Holy
Spirit as to receive it in the Father and the Son, since, of
course, the nature of the Trinity is one and incorporeal.
And what we have said about the participation of the soul
must be understood to apply to angels and heavenly pow-
ers, just as it does to souls, since every rational creature
requires participation in the Trinity.
St. Clement of Alexandria declares the unceasing divine
work in our life, saying, [the Instructor created man from dust, re-
news him by water and nurses him by the Spirit]. What does St.
Clement mean by the words. "The Instructor nurses man by the
Spirit"? The Divine Instructor, J esus Christ, sent His spirit in the
Church not only to grant us adoption to God, but to nurse us con-
tinuously by the divine life, or by "holiness in J esus Christ" that we
might become holy as our God is Holy [Lev. 11:44, 45, 1 Pet.
1:16].
In the Old Testament, especially in Leviticus, God repeat-
edly called man to practice "holiness," giving him His command-
ments, accepting animal sacrifice and the laws of purification, but
man was weak and unable to practice this. He felt that" holiness" is
a burden that he could never bear, for it meant less pleasure for
him.
Now as the Lord grants us His Holy Spirit dwelling within
us, holiness becomes the delightful law that the children of God
enjoy. This kind of life brings some changes - in our opinion -

The Holy Spirit
493
from simple pleasure to real delight which we enjoy through the
communion of the Holy One.
Holiness is a natural life to the spiritual man, in whom the
Holy Spirit dwells and acts, sanctifying his soul, mind, heart,
senses and all the members of his body. St. Anthony, the Great,
presents in his letters a beautiful speech concerning the sanctifica-
tion of a believers life especially his soul - by the Holy Spirit who
guides man towards a saintly life .
(Rational beings) first obtain their existence from
God the Father, then their rationality from the Word, and
thirdly their sanctification from the holy Spirit. They are
made capable of receiving Christ in His capacity of Right-
eousness, because they have now been sanctified through
the Holy Spirit; and those who have deserved to achieve
this degree of progress through the sanctification of the
Holy Spirit obtain just as surely the gift of wisdom through
the power of the working of the Spirit of God, and His op-
eration in them ...
That this may come to pass, and that those who
were made by God may be present unceasingly and insepa-
rably with Him. It is the work of wisdom to instruct and
educate them and lead them to perfection, by the strength-
ening and the unceasing sanctification of the Holy Spirit,
through such sanctification alone they can attain to God
61
.
(The Holy Spirit ) is manifestly a sanctifying power, which
we all can have a share of so as to be sanctified by His
grace
62
.
As by participation in the Son of God, man is
adopted into the rank of the sons of God... so also by par-

Origen
494
ticipation in the Holy Spirit, man is made holy and spiri-
tual
63
.
He is called the "Spirit of holiness" for He offers
holiness to all
64
.
The "good tree" is the Holy Spirit, the "bad tree" is
the devil and his servants. He who has the Holy Spirit
shows His fruits, which the apostle enumerates (Gal 5:22).
He who has the opposite power bears the fruits of "dishon-
orable passions" (Rom. 1:26), "thorns and thistles" (Heb.
6:8)
65
.
(The Holy Spirit) is a sanctifying power, a share of
which all are said to have who have deserved to be sancti-
fied through His grace
66
.
The Holy Spirit is so holy as to be above sanctifi-
cation; for His holiness comes not from some outside
source, thus making Him holy-He was always holy... But
every creature will be sanctified unto holiness, either
through the Holy Spirit who deems it fitting to make him so,
or through his own merits
67
.
He is called the Spirit of holiness because he offers
holiness to all
68
.

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND VICTORY
The Spirit wrestles with the flesh, and that mans
spirit which the Spirit strengthens wins victory
69
.

64 Comm. Rom. 1:5.
65 Ibid. Frag. 9 on 6:43.
67 In Num. hom. 11:8 on 18:9.
68 Comm. on Rom. 1:5..
69 In Luke hom. 11.
The Holy Spirit
495
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR ADVOCATE
The Alexandrians considered "prayers" - both liturgical and
private - not as some formalities or duties to be fulfilled,, but as a
great task that needs the grace of the Holy Spirit which acts in the
life of the Church and within every soul. By praying, the Church
(or the soul ) is lifted up in the presence of the Holy Trinity, prac-
tices her dialogue with God openly and expresses her love towards
Him and towards all creatures. 'The Lord promised His disciples
that He would sent them the "Advocate," His own Spirit (J ohn
16:7f), who alone has the power to raise up our minds and illumi-
nate our souls to enjoy close communication with the Father
through His Only-Begotten Son. This is what St. Paul means by
the intercession of the Spirit for the saints according to the will of
God ( Rom. 8:26,27).
Prayer is the action of the Holy Trinity in our life, for the
Father sheds light upon it, the Son teaches it and the Holy Spirit
works within us to enable us to understand and speak rightly of
such a great subject, as Origen states.
The Holy Spirit grants our barren minds fruitfulness, and
makes them spiritual, so that we can pray and sing with the Spirit
(I Cor. 14:15).
David says: "To you I have lifted up my eyes, You
who dwell in heaven, "Ps. 123:1; "To You, O God, have I
lifted up my soul" Ps. 25:1... How? The soul is lifted up and
follows the Spirit... It even comes to be in Him
70
.
Indeed, St. Paul says, "the Spirit Himself makes in-
tercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Now He who searches the hearts, knows what the mind of
the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints
according to the will of God, Rom 8:26,27. The Spirit
cries, "Abba, Father, in the hearts of the blessed people
and He knows by careful attention our sighs in this taberna-

70 On Prayer 8:2.
Origen
496
cle, sighs suitable of weighing those who have fallen or have
transgressed. He intercedes on our behalf, taking on Him-
self our groanings because of His great love and pity for
men.
By His wisdom he sees that our souls have been
humbled to dust (Ps. 44:45)... and so He "makes interces-
sion with God" not by using any "groanings" but those
"which cannot be uttered.
And this Spirit, not content with making intercession
to God, intensifies His intercession and "More than making
intercession" in the case, I believe, of those who are "more
than conquerors," Rom. 8:37...
71

I will pray with the Spirit, and I will also pray with
understanding. I will sing with the Spirit and I will also
sing with understanding." 1 Cor. 14:15...For neither can
our mind pray unless the Spirit prays first for it.. so that we
can not even sing and say hymns to the Father in Christ
with proper rhythm, melody, measure, and harmony unless
the Spirit Who searches everything, even the depth of God
(1 Cor. 2:10), first praises and sings hymns to Him...
I believe that it was a result of seeing the human
weakness that is incapable of praying as one ought to pray,
and realizing this, that one of the Lords disciples when he
herd the wise and mighty words spoken by Him in His
prayer to the Father, said to the Lord when he had finished
praying: "Lord, teach us to pray" Luke 11:1...
72

Prayer is such a great task that it requires the Fa-
ther to shed light upon it, His "first born word" to teach it,
and the spirit to work within us to enable us to understand
and speak rightly of so great a subject
73
.

71 Ibid. 2:3
72 Ibid. 2:4.
73 Ibid. 2:6.
The Holy Spirit
497
But meanwhile Moses cries out to the Lord. How
does he cry out? No sound of his cry is heard and yet God
says to him. "Why do you cry out to me? Exod 14:15. I
should like to know how the saints cry out to God without a
sound. The apostle teaches, "God has given the Spirit of his
Son in our hearts crying: "Abba, Father! Gal. 4:6. And he
adds, "The Spirit himself intercedes for us with indescrib-
able groans." And again, "He who searches the heart
knows what the Spirit desires because he pleads for the
saints according to God." So, therefore, when the Holy
Spirit intercedes with God, the cry of the saints is heard
through silence
74
.
He prays for those who pray and appeals along
with those who appeal. But, He does not pray for servants
who do not pray continuously through Him, nor will He be
the Advocate with God for His own if they are not obedient
to His instructions that they "always ought to pray and not
lose heart" Luke 18:1
75
.

GRACE AND PRAISING GOD
It is easy for any person to praise God by his lips, but we
are in need of the Gift of the Spirit that grants us inner joy (Gal. 5:
22 ), to praise Him by our whole inner man, our minds, hearts and
senses. By this divine gift we enjoy the pledge of heavenly life,
which is a delightful life of singing and praising God.
If the mind is not filled with the grace of God, it
cannot sing the praises of His glory
76
.
Since we have been brought by a heavenly power (1
Cor. 2:4), indeed by a more than heavenly one, to faith and
belief we should worship God, the Creator of all, as ours
77
.

75 On Prayer 10:2.
76 Sel Ps. 71:9.
Origen
498
THE HOLY SPIRIT, SOURCE OF JOY
For if anyone has deserved to participate in the
Holy Spirit by the knowledge of His ineffable mysteries, he
undoubtedly obtains comfort and joy of heart. For since he
comes by the teaching of the Spirit to the knowledge of the
reasons of all things which happen - how and why they do
occur - his soul can in no aspect be troubled, or admit any
feeling of sorrow
78
.

THE HOLY SPIRIT OUR COMFORTER THROUGH
TRIBULATIONS
For it is not to all, but to Paul and those like him,
that this present tribulation is said to be momentary and
light, because they have the perfect charity of God in Christ
Jesus poured out in their hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom.
5:5)
79
.

LOVE AS THE FIRST FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Jesus was hungry, i.e. constantly seeking to
share in the fruits of the holy Spirit in the life of the right-
eous; His food, if one may put it so, the figs that He eats
in His hunger, is the love growing in the life of him who
bears it - that love which is the first fruit of the Spirit -
and joy, peace, long-suffering, etc.(Gal. 5:22)
80
.

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
In this sacrament of penance and confession the believer
attains second baptism, for he receives a kind of spiritual renewal
to his inner man.

78 De. Principiis. 2:7:4.
79 Song of Songs: Prologue.
80 Comm. on Matt. 16:27 on 21:17-22.
The Holy Spirit
499
"That the thoughts out of many hearts may be re-
vealed,"(Luke 2:35).
There were evil thoughts in men, and they were re-
vealed for this reason, that being brought to the surface
they might be destroyed, slain, put to death, and He Who
died for us might kill them. For while these thoughts were
hidden and not brought into the open they could not be ut-
terly done to death. Hence, if we have sinned we also ought
to say," I have made my sin known to You, and I have not
hidden my wickedness. I have said I will declare my un-
righteousness to the Lord against myself" (Ps. 32:5). For if
we do this and reveal our sins not only to God but also to
those who can heal our wounds and sins, our wickedness
will be wiped out by Him who says," I will wipe out your
wickedness like a cloud," Isa. 44:2.
Certainly, the Christian should be under strict dis-
cipline (more than those men of Old Testament times), be-
cause Christ died for him... Now listen to all the ways of
remission of sins in the Gospels:
First, we are baptized for the remission of sins.
Second, there is the remission in the suffering of
martyrdom.
Third, the remission given in return for works of
mercy (Luke 11:44)..
Fourth, the forgiveness through our forgiveness of
others, (Matt. 5:14)...
Fifth, the forgiveness bestowed when a man "has
converted a sinner from the error of his ways," James 5:20.
Sixth. sins are remitted through abundance of love
(Luke 7:4).
In addition, there is also a seventh way of forgive-
ness, hard and painful, namely the remission of sins
through penitence when "the sinner washes his bed with
tears, and tears are his bread by day and night,' Ps. 6:6;
42:3; and when he does not hold back in shame from de-
Origen
500
claring his sin to the priest of the Lord and asking for
medicine ( James 5: 14)..
81

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND MARRIAGE
Since God has joined together (a man and woman
in marriage), for this reason there is a grace-gift for those
joined together by God. Paul knew this, and declares that
equally with the purity of the unmarried state is a marriage
according to the word of God a grace-gift (Origen quotes 1
Cor 7: 7). Those who are joined together by God obey in
thought and deed the command "husbands, love your
wives...." (Eph 5:25)
82
.

TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
Thus therefore, to those converted from sin, purifi-
cation is indeed given through all that which we said
above, but the gift of the grace of the Spirit is designated
through the image of "oil" that this one who is covered
from sin, not only can attain cleansing but also be filled
with the Holy Spirit by whom he can receive the best "robe
and ring" and, having been reconciled with the Father, can
be restored to the place of a son, through our Lord Jesus
Christ himself, "to whom is glory and power forever and
ever, Amen
83
.

STRONG IN SPIRIT
(grew and became strong in spirit): To grow and
to become strong are different things.

81 In Lev. hom 2:4
82 Comm. on Matt. 14:6 on 19:3-12.
83 In Lev. hom. 8:15 (Gary Wayne Barkley- Frs. of the Church).
The Holy Spirit
501
Human nature is weak, and if it is to become strong,
it needs the help of a strengthener. Whose help? The
Spirits.
This means that he who would be truly strong must
become strong in Spirit.
The majority become strong in and according to
the flesh, but the athletes of God (2 Tim. 2:3ff) become
strong in spirit, and because of this become valiant against
the carnal mind that is set on the flesh (Rom. 8:7). For
the Spirit wrestles with the flesh, and mans spirit which
that Spirit strengthens wins victory
84
.

QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT
Because the divine fire can be from time to time ex-
tinguished even in the saints and the faithful, hear the
apostle Paul prescribing for those who have deserved to
receive the gifts and graces of the Spirit Quench not the
Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19)
85
.

TAKE THE MINA FROM HIM
Take the mina from him (Luke 19:11ff.), that is,
the grace of the Holy Spirit since while he is in possession
of it he cannot be punished
86
.

JESUS CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
Because Jesus is the only one who never sinned, in
Him alone the Holy Spirit remained
87
.

84 In Luke hom. 11 on 1:80.
85 In Gen. hom. 15:3.
86 In Luke hom. 39.
87 In Num. hom. 6:3.

502
11

THE PHILOSOPHY
OF
CREATION

PHILOSOPHY OF CREATION
1

Truly Origens treatment of cosmology is philosophical
rather than theological, and he is reacting to the Neoplatonism in
the atmosphere around him, but his purpose is not to present a phi-
losophical idea, but to serve the exegesis of the Scripture through
the contemporary ideas of cosmology.
Gerald Bostock believes that the framework of Origens
philosophy of creation is clarified in his exegesis of Genesis 1:6,
concerning the image of the firmament, which lies between the up-
per and the lower waters of creation.
First of all heaven is said to be made, the totality
that is of spiritual substance, where God rests on a throne
as it were ... (cf. Isa. 66:1).
But this heaven, namely the firmament, is corpo-
real.
And so that first heaven, which we call spiritual,
represents our mind ... our inner spiritual being which
looks on God.
But this corporeal heaven, which is called the fir-
mament, represents our external being which sees physi-
cal reality. Just as the firmament is called heaven, so a
man who is in the body, and who can distinguish between

1
See Gerald Bostock: Origen's Philosophy of Creation, [Colloquium Origenianum Quintum; Origen
and Philosophy, Boston College August 14-18,1989.]
Philosophy of Creation
503
the waters which are above and those which are below the
firmament, will be called a heaven or heavenly man ... (cf.
Phil. 3:20) ... sharing in the water which is above the fir-
mament, the spiritual water welling up to eternal life
(John. 4:14), because he is separated from the water of the
abyss (Gen. 1:2), where darkness dwells and the prince of
this world (John. 12:31)
2
.
This passage, according to Bostock, sets out three basic
principles:
First, that there is a spiritual heaven or realm which tran-
scends and precedes the establishment of the firmament or this pre-
sent world.
Secondly, that the firmament is set between entirely differ-
ent "waters" of a higher and lower nature.
Thirdly, that the nature of man is co-ordinated with the
structure of the universe.
Bostock says that in affirming the first principle Origen
sets himself within the Platonic tradition as it is expounded by
Philo, who says that the intelligible world came into existence be-
fore the creation of the physical world
3
. Unlike Philo however Ori-
gen is in no danger of seeing this intelligible world as a purely
mental construct, because he sees it as the heaven of Biblical tra-
dition, the dwelling-place of God and of His holy angels. This
heaven is God's first and essential act of creation, as opposed to
the second creation of the visible world
4
. The present visible world
is not to be thought of as the first of Gods works.
Origen has no difficulty in reconciling this idea with Gene-
sis, because the word beginning in Gen. 1:1 (arche) does not
have any temporal significance. Scripture, recognizing the dis-
tinction between first and beginning, does not say He first

2
In Gen. hom. 1:2 PG 12:1334A
3
Cf. Philo, De Opif. 4:10.
4
Origen
504
made... The world had its beginning (i.e. source) in the Creator,
but was not the first of His works, because He made many things
earlier.
The spiritual world, in which the angels dwell, constitutes
the heaven of Biblical teaching. But it is also the realm of incorpo-
real reality, as this is described in the Platonic tradition. "To be in
the heavenly realms (Eph. 1:3) means to be in mental and intangi-
ble reality. For a man stores up treasure in heaven (Matt. 6:20) and
no longer has his heart on earth, in material and corporeal concerns
that is, when he attends to the intelligible universe
5
. G. Bostock
states that there is a clear, philosophical contrast between the
static realm of Platonic ideas and the heaven of Origen's theol-
ogy. Origen has a dynamic concept, as he refers to the Holy
Spirit who blows where He wills, who moves over the face of the
waters.
Origen refers to God as the universal source of being, and
the one who continually wills existence
6
.
Secondly, that the firmament is set between entirely differ-
ent "waters" of a higher and lower nature. Their characteristics are
different in that the higher waters represent the pure substance of
the Spirit, while the lower waters represent the substance of mere
matter. Origen clearly believes that matter, however inferior to
Spirit in terms of unity and structure, is substance in the sense
that it is everlasting. Its eternity must not be taken to mean that
matter existed prior to God and His creation, as Plato appears to
suggest
7
. Origen rejects this view of matter
8
. It is not the eternity of
an autonomous realm, but that of an element within the eternal
creation of God. It has no absolute beginning. In other words, crea-
tion, as Origen understands it, is the temporal expression of an

5
Com. Ep. 1:3.
6
Comm John 1:17, De Principiis 1:3:5.
7
Plato: Tmaeus 30A
8
505
eternal order.
Creation, as Origen understands it, is the temporal expres-
sion of an eternal order. And it is from this standpoint that we have
to approach the description in Genesis of the creation of the world.
It is an act which essentially takes place outside time.
The God who made the whole world did not need
time to make the mighty creation of heaven and earth... For
even if these things seem to have been made in six days,
intelligence is required to understand in what sense the
words In six days are meant...
9

Origen believes it is ridiculous to understand creation as
taking place in six days, interpreted as a literal sequence. He
points out that days did not exist before the sun and moon and
stars were formed, and it is quite clear to him that the days de-
scribed in Genesis 1 do not refer to a literal succession. In this he
is following the thinking of Philo, and of the Middle Platonists
who said that Plato's description of an apparently temporal creation
was made for the sake of "clarity of instruction." In the same way,
Origen says that "everything was made at once ... but for the sake
of clarity a list of days and their events was given
10
. The same line
of thought is found in St. Didymus
11
. The story of creation, in other
words, refers to one simultaneous act, but was presented in sequen-
tial form to enable us to imagine the process.
Origen is happy to affirm that "bodily nature was created
out of nothing after a space of time and brought into being from
non-existence
12
." Similarly it will end in non-existence: "bodily
matter exists but for a space of time, and just as it did not exist be-
fore it was made, so it will again be resolved into non-existence
13
."
This philosophical proposition is confidently related by Origen to

9
Comm. Mot 14:9.
10
Sel Gen 2:2 PG 12:97B-C.
11
In Genesim 35.
12
13
Ibid. 2:3:2.
Origen
506
those Biblical texts which affirm that heaven and earth will pass
away. This world has both a beginning and an end. Its nature is
such that it forms a cosmic counterpart to the life of the individual,
who enters into time by his birth and departs from it by his death.
Thirdly, that the nature of man is co-ordinated with the
structure of the universe. Creation itself serves the purposes of sal-
vation.
1. Creation can serve the purposes of salvation because it
has two distinct levels of reality enabling the soul to make a choice
between spirit and matter, and the related values of good and evil.
The making of this choice requires the nature of man to be such
that it can relate to these two orders, and it is clearly necessary for
men to have a two-fold nature corresponding to the two-fold struc-
ture of the cosmos
14
.
2. Man can acknowledge the invisible heaven through the
visible things of this world.
God made all things in wisdom so He created all
species of visible things on earth in which to place some
knowledge of things invisible, whereby the human mind can
mount to spiritual understanding and find the causes of
things in heaven
15
.

CREATION AND THE CREATOR
As we have seen in our speech of the Father, the Creator
Himself is the Good God. Origens cosmology shows His good-
ness, for He created the world in a marvelous harmony, through
the divine Wisdom. He also asserts the divine providence and free
will of rational beings. R. Cadiou says,
Let us assume that this primary Demiurge is the
Creator Himself. He has created matter by giving to it the

14
Gerald Bostock: Origen's Philosophy of Creation, p. 8; [Colloquium Origenianum Quintum;
Origen and Philosophy, Boston College August 14-18,1989.]
15
Comm. on Songs 3.
507
quantity necessary to enable it to receive divine ideas. This
much simpler hypothesis explains also the plasticity of
things in the hands of the Artisan of the universe.
Why, then, should we have need of imagining a dif-
ferent worker in the process of creation?
Is it not more logical to think of matter as being
predisposed to order because this predisposition has been
given to it by the almighty Power which originally created
it?
16

We must not forget that the world, in its creation,
received the totality of the ideas formed by the divine
Wisdom
17
.
It is one power that grasps and holds together all the
diversity of the world and leads the different movements
toward one work, lest it is so immense an undertaking that
the world should be dissolved by the dissensions of souls.
And for this reason we think that God, the Father of all
things, in order to ensure the salvation of all His creatures
through the ineffable plan of His word and wisdom, so ar-
ranged each of these that every spirit, whether soul or ra-
tional existence, however called, should not be compelled
by force, against the liberty of his own will, to any other
course than that to which the motives of his own mind led
him (lest by so doing the power of exercising free will
should seem to be taken away, which certainly would pro-
duce a change in the nature of the being itself). And He so
arranged that the varying purposes of these would be suita-
bly and usefully adapted to the harmony of one world, by
some of them requiring help, and others being able to give
it, and others again being the cause of struggle and contest
to those who are making progress. Among these their dili-

16
17
De Principiis 2:1:4; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 143.
Origen
508
gence would be deemed more worthy of approval, and the
place of rank obtained after victory be held with greater
certainty, which should be established by the difficulties of
the contest
18
.
The cosmology of the De Principiis illustrates in
many ways the theory of a universe peopled with beings
created by God; the world is a proving-ground where
providence raises up the stronger for the help of the
weaker in the struggle for perfection, and thus the com-
munion of saints is adjusted to the harmony of nature
19
.
Are we to offer our congratulations to the Creator
for having found the special set of circumstances, lack of
which would have prevented Him from being the Demi-
urge, the Father, the Benefactor, the God of justice and
mercy? He has no need of destiny or chance or even of
an anterior nature to set Him to work
20
.

THE ORIGIN OF MATTER
Origen concentrated his efforts on two problems: the prob-
lem of the origin of matter and the problem of the foreknowledge
of God. His entire criticism was directed to the exposure of an am-
biguity by which the philosophers of his day were misled.
His adjustment was based on a classical doctrine of phi-
losophy. Matter was always considered and unbegotten substance
as old as the divine ideas themselves. It is the receptacle of quali-
ties. It is quite undetermined and quite without form, if considered
simply in itself. Actually, of course, it cannot be separated from
the modes of being which give it existence. In itself, it always
lacks determination, yet it always receives some determination
21
.

18
R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 157-158.
19
20
21
509

IS EVIL CREATED?
For Origen the cause of evil is within the soul. The soul
might not have come into being at all, and even in this created state
it does not necessarily possess all its being or all its good. Seeing
that it can weaken without involving the Creator in the responsibil-
ity for such weakness, he recognized sin as the sole cause of evil.
Thus, matter will no longer be the force of rebellion but the most
imperfect of the things created by God, an occasion of trouble and
annoyance for the souls that dwell above it on the levels where the
spirits move and live. With regard to primeval matter and the ele-
ments with which the Creator performed His work, Origen will
find them in the divine thought itself, in the wisdom established
in the beginning of His ways
22
.

PRESENTATION OF CREATION IN THE MIND OF GOD
Creation, as Origen understands it, is the temporal expres-
sion of an eternal order.
Yet in this matter human intelligence is feeble and
limited, when it tries to understand how during the whole
of Gods existence His creatures have existed also, and
how those things, which we must undoubtedly believe to
have been created and made by God have subsisted, if we
may say so, without a beginning...
This is that Wisdom in whom God delighted when
the world was finished, in order that we might understand
from this that God ever rejoices. In this Wisdom, therefore,
whoever existed with the Father, the creation was always
present in form and outline, and there was never a time
when the pre-figuration of those things which hereafter
were to be did not exist in Wisdom...
God did not begin at a certain time to be Creator,

22
Origen
510
when he had not been such before
23
.

INNUMERABLE WORLDS
St. J erome writes,
In the second book he (Origen) asserts that there are
innumerable worlds, not, in the manner of Epicurus, many
similar worlds existent at one time, but that after the end of
one world comes the beginning of another. A world existed
before this world of ours, and another in turn will exist
after it, and another after that, and others in constant
succession. But he is in doubt whether there will ever be a
world similar in every respect to another world, so that the
two would appear to differ in no particular, or whether it is
certain that there will never be one world quite like an-
other and totally indistinguishable from it
24
.
In St. Theophilus of Alexandrias Paschal letter
25
, translated
by St. J erome we also find the following: Nor does any man die
over and over again, as Origen dared to write, in his desire to es-
tablish that most impious doctrine of the Stoics is by the authority
of the divine Scriptures.
It seems that Origen himself refuses this idea, as he says,
Moreover, as for those who maintain that worlds
similar to each other and in all respects alike sometimes
come into existence, I do not know what proofs they can
bring in support of this theory. For if it is said that there is
to be a world similar in all respects to the present world,
then it will happen that Adam and Eve will again do what
they did before, there will be another flood, the same
Moses will once more lead a people numbering six hundred
thousand out of Egypt, Judas also will twice betray his

23
24
Ep. ad Avitum 5.
25
Epistle 96.
511
Lord, Saul will a second time keep the clothes of those who
are stoning Stephen, and we shall say that every deed
which has been done in this life must be done again. I do
not think that this can be established by any reasoning, if
souls are actuated by freedom of choice and maintain their
progress or the reverse in accordance with the power of
their own will. For souls are not driven on some revolving
course which brings them into the same cycle again after
many ages, with the result that they do or desire this or
that, but they direct the course of their deeds towards what-
ever end the freedom of their individual minds may aim at
26
.

THE WHOLE UNIVERSE IS GOD'S TEMPLE
But a Christian, even of the common people, is as-
sured that every place forms part of the universe, and the
whole universe is God's temple
27
.

THE WORLD AS A PLACE OF PURIFICATION
Rowan A. Greer says,
Discernment is the key to Origen's idea. The Chris-
tian must learn to look beyond corporeal and visible things
to the Creator. If sometimes Origen expresses his idea as a
rejection of the world, we must keep in mind that it is the
world as a fallen order and as a place of torment for the
soul that is rejected
28
.

CREATION SERVES THE RIGHTEOUS MEN
Origen believes that evil men hate all creatures, while
righteous men who are full of love, are served by the creatures. For

26
27
Contra Celsus 7:44.
28
Rowan A. Greer: Origen, p. 24.
Origen
512
them, what seems violent changes and becomes kind to them. The
righteous man passes the Red Sea as if it was a land, while the evil
man is drowned in it. For the righteous, the water becomes walls
on his right and left hands for his protection (Exod. 14:22-29). In
the terrible wilderness he receives food descending from heaven
(Ps 78:20)... God promises us that if we walk through the fire we
shall not be burned (Is. 43:2). God changes even the rock into a
spring of water... at last Origen says, "The righteous must not be
afraid of anything, for all the creation is subject to him (Gen.
1:26; Ps. 8:7)
29
"

V V V

29
In Jos. hom. 4:1.
513
THE STARS
30

ST. CLEMENT AND THE STARS
Alan Scott speaks of Clement of Alexandria as the teacher
of Origen and his view on stars explaining the following points:
1. St. Clement of Alexandria is an uncompromising oppo-
nent of the Hellenistic religion of the heavens, particularly in his
Protriptikos, which is addressed to pagans. He is aware of the pa-
gan and Gnostic depiction of the stars as either gods or evil de-
mons, and rejects both. He attacks Alcmaeon of Croton for believ-
ing that the stars are gods and alive, and Xenocrates for suggest-
ing that the planets and the cosmos are eight gods
31
. The heavenly
bodies are not gods but are at best administrators
32
and instruments
established by God to measure time
33
. Like Philo, he is also a
strong opponent of astrology.
2. With Philo and St. J ustin Martyr, St. Clement proposes
that God allowed the pagans to worship the heavenly bodies so
that they may be spared from atheism and might have at least some
knowledge of the divine
34
.
3. In the Ecllogae Propheticae, Clement says that the stars
are spiritual bodies, in communion with and governed by their
angels
35
. He follows this with a long interpretation of Psalm 18:5
(19:4), He set his tent in the sun. Clement denies the Gnostic in-
terpretation of Hermogenes that Christs body is taken from the
sun, and passes on his own teacher Pantaenus view that Old Tes-
tament prophecy has a future as well as a past reference, so that

30
Alan Scott: Origen and the Stars, Oxford Early Christian Studies, 1994.
31
Protrepticus 5:66; 2:26; 6:67; 10:102.
32
Stromata 6:16:148.
33
Alan Scott, p. 104.
34
Alan Scott, p. 106; Stromata 6:14:110; Justin Martyr: Dialogue 55:1.
35
Eclogae Propheticae 55:1; also in Epistola Iudae frag. 3:207).
Origen
514
this passage in fact looks forward to the Resurrection
36
.

ORIGEN AND THE STARS
37

Alan Scott in his dissertation explains the following points:
1. According to Origens student, Gregory Thaumaturgus,
Origen devotes considerable attention to secular learning, includ-
ing astronomy. It was a propaedeutic, not to philosophy but to the
study of the scripture. His knowledge of astrology depends on the
advances of contemporary astronomy, but he only uses them in a
highly restricted role. He regards himself not as a scientist or a free
thinker in cosmological matters, but describes himself as a
churchman, who was interested in the faith and tradition of the
Church.
2. Origen is the first Christian theologian to discuss the
physical composition of the stars. With Philo he rejects Anaxago-
ras contention that the stars are fiery metal
38
,but he thinks they are
still made of some type of body which is ethereal in nature
39
.
3. Since Origen saw pagan learning as a preparation for un-
derstanding the gospel, much of his cosmology comes out only in-
cidentally in doctrinal discussion and scriptural exegesis.
a. Following the view of contemporary astronomy
40
that the
sun is the leader of the other planets, Origen interprets this in a
Christian sense, saying that the superiority of the sun illustrates the
place that the Logos has in the spiritual world.
b. Like most Hellenistic philosophers he realizes that the
moon reflects the light of the sun, but he then compares this again
and again to the Churchs relationship to Christ, the only light

36
Alan Scott, p. 108.
37
Ibid., part III.
38
Contra Celsus 5:11.
39
40
Astronomy and astrology in antiquity were used interchangeably.
515
which the Church has is that given it by the Sun of Righteousness,
who is Christ
41

c. Origen passes on the standard scientific view that the
earth lies at the absolute center of the universe, stating that it rests
on nothing but the power of God
42
.
d. Many of the stars are greater than the earth, so we cannot
interpret literally the words of Philipians 2:10 , that at the name of
J esus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under
the earth
43
.
4. Origen believes that the heavenly bodies are living be-
ings; and they have a much happier life than that of humanity
44
. But
there is some room for doubt in his mind as we will see. He notes
that tradition does not make clear whether the stars have life or
not
45
.
The sun also, and the moon and the rest of the
heavenly bodies are living beings; and moreover, just as
we men for certain sins have been enveloped in these bod-
ies of ours, which are gross and heavy, so the lights of
heaven have been given bodies of one sort or another to
enable them to provide more or less light, while the de-
mons, for greater offenses, have been clothed with real
bodies
46
.
Quoting Romans 8:22 all creation groans and grieves,
Origen believes that the universe has a soul, and it will be judged
likewise humanity
47
. He also thinks that heavenly bodies commit
sin as it is written that the stars are not clean in His sight (J ob
25:5), therefore they possess life and soul.

41
Comm. on John 1:25; 6:55; In Gen. hom. 1:5; In Num. hom. 23:5; In Ezech. hom. 9:3.
42
In Jer. hom. 8.
43
Philocalia 23:17.
44
On Prayer 7.
45
46
De Principiis Praef. 10.
47
Contra Celsus 8:31.
Origen
516
In time the sun itself may say: I desire to be dissolved, to
return and be with Christ, which is far better. The sun, moon and
stars are obedient to God, for did not the Lord say- I have given a
commandment to all the stars (Isa. 45:I2)? Thus they bestow upon
the world the amount of splendor God has entrusted to them, and
like all other living creatures they will partake in the end of a new
heaven and a new earth, when perhaps every bodily substance
will be like the other, of a celestial purity and clearness
48
.
5. Angels are assigned to the heavenly bodies, one to the
sun, another to the moon, and a third to the stars
49
.
6. The movement of the stars witnesses their goodness.
Against the Gnostics, Origen asserts that the world, created by
God, is good. When the Scripture called the world evil, it de-
noted earthly and human affairs.
7. Origen denies worshipping the stars. He believes that the
universe is filled with rational, spiritual beings who have powers
and responsibilities which are much greater than anything in the
human race.
8. Origen is acutely aware that his cosmological specula-
tions are innovative, and he frequently expresses his views hesi-
tantly. He confesses that he is unable to give answers to some
questions concerning the world to come; and also concerning the
stars.
When... the saints have reached the heavenly
places, then they will clearly see the nature of the stars one
by one, and will understand whether they are living beings
or whatever else may be the case
50
.
9. Origen asserts that the stars and planets cannot be eter-

48
De Principiis 1:7:4; Robert Payne: Fathers Of The Eastern Church, Dorset Press, New York,
1985, P. 50.
49
In Jer. hom. 10:6.
50
517
nal, since they are created and visible
51
.
10. Origens combination of physical and theological
speculations was not developed in Patristic literature because there
was a strong tendency to separate theology from physics and as-
tronomy.

V V V

51
De Principiis 1:7:2:46-51; 3:6:4:114f; Comm. on Rom. 8:11..
Origen
518
RATIONAL CREATURES

J .W. Trigg gives an account of Origens view on rational
creatures in the following words:
Origen followed his discussion of God (in De Prin-
cipiis) with a discussion of rational creatures.
These beings have the gift of reason as their princi-
pal attribute, and since they are rational, Origen, who ac-
cepted the arguments of Plato's Phaedo on the immortality
of the soul, considered them to be naturally immortal as
well.
The spiritual world of rational creatures was, Ori-
gen believed, Gods original creation, and the creation of
the material world came later.
He claimed biblical warrant for his doctrine of two
creations in the puzzling first verse of Genesis, "In the be-
ginning God created the heavens and the earth." He ac-
cepted the interpretation of Philo that this verse, which
would seem to be superfluous in light of the detailed de-
scription of the creation in the rest of the first chapter, actu-
ally applies to the creation of the spiritual world, the rest of
the chapter being the description of the material world.
God, Origen held, must have created a limited
number of rational creatures, as an infinite number of
them would be incomprehensible even to God, and to allow
that the All-knowing could fail to comprehend anything
would be to postulate what is not possible, a self-
contradiction in the nature of God. Origen may have
learned of the problem of the incomprehensibility of the
infinite from Numenius, who wrote that if matter is infinite,
it is unbounded; if unbounded, irrational; if irrational, un-
knowable; if unknowable, without order.
Since they are not God, these rational creatures are
not good essentially, as only God is, but they do possess
519
free will to choose the good and the concomitant moral
responsibility to do so.
There are four major types of rational creatures:
angels, the powers of wickedness, the animating spirits of
the heavenly bodies, and human souls.
The human soul of Christ, as we have seen, is a
rational creature that is a uniquely special case.
The thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers
of Paul suggested to Origen that within these four large
groups there are a multitude of ranks, each with its proper
dignity and authority. Angels and devils, much less ani-
mated heavenly bodies, are scarcely prominent in theologi-
cal thought today, but Christians, Gnostics, Platonists, and
J ews all affirmed their existence and importance in Ori-
gen's time
52
.
Every mind that participates in the intelligible
light ought undoubtedly to be of one nature with every
other mind that in a similar fashion participates in the
intelligible light.
If, therefore, the heavenly powers by the fact that
they participate in wisdom and sanctification receive par-
ticipation in the intelligible light, that is, the divine nature,
and if the human soul receives participation in the same
light and wisdom, they and it will be of one nature and of
one substance with one another.
Moreover, the heavenly powers are incorruptible
and immortal; so, doubtless, the substance of the human
soul will be incorruptible, and immortal.
Not only this, but since the nature of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, from whose intelligible light alone the
entire creation draws participation, is itself incorruptible
and eternal, it certainly both follows and is necessary that

52
Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM Press Ltd, 1983, p.103-4.
Origen
520
every substance that draws participation from that eternal
nature also endures itself forever both incorruptible and
eternal, so that the eternity of the divine goodness may be
understood by the fact that those who receive His benefits
are also eternal.
But just as in our examples the diversity of perceiv-
ing the light is retained, since the vision of the person see-
ing is described as duller or sharper, so also in the case of
participation in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit diversity
is retained in proportion to the attention of the understand-
ing and the capacity of the mind
53
.
A similar course of reasoning must be applied to the
angels. We must not suppose that it is the result of chance
that a particular duty is assigned to a particular angel; the
work of curing and healing, for instance, to Raphael; the
supervising of mortals to Michael.
We must believe that they have obtained these du-
ties for no other reason except their own individual merits
and that they entered upon them as a reward for the zeal
and virtue they displayed before the construction of this
world; after which event this or that kind of duty was as-
signed to each member of the order of archangels, while
others were counted worthy of being enrolled in the order
of angels and to act under this or that archangel, or under
this or that leader or chief of his order.
All this, as we have said, was arranged not by
chance or at random, but by the most appropriate and
righteous judgment of God, being settled in accordance
with merit, God himself deciding and approving.
Thus to one angel would be entrusted the Church of
Ephesus, to another the Church of Smyrna; this angel
would be Peters, that Pauls; and so on through the entire

53
Rowan A. Greer: Origen, Introduction.
521
number of those least ones who are in the Church it
would be decided which of the angels, who daily see the
face of God, must be attached to each, and also which an-
gel it must be who was to encamp around them that fear
God
54
.

ANGELS, DEMONS, AND SOULS OF MEN
He considers the universe a community of distinct spirits,
a city of obedient souls; as a necessary consequence, it is a vast
living thing, with a unity that is moral rather than physical. The
individual souls, which are not parts of a total soul but natures or
essences irreducible one to another, work together for the general
harmony, each according to its own personal value
55
.
No such hierarchy of classes is found in Origens concept
of the spiritual universe. For him, the universe consists of a multi-
tude of dwellings, as it were, peopled by souls that are ever in
process of either rise or fall. Above men are the spirits of the stars
and of the angels, and below them are the demons, plunged in the
deepest degradation. At the beginning those spiritual powers were
all intelligences, and they can still return to their pristine condition.
Their original unity and equality render possible the restoration of
the world. To save someone, it is necessary not only to help him,
but to raise him to himself
56
.
Origen believes that angels, demons and souls of men were
all rational creatures and have free will. They were good, but their
goodness is accidental and not essential, God alone is good by His
own nature. They also possessed the same and equal qualities, and
by their own will they increased or decreased in their degrees. All
had sinned, the sins of the angels were not grievous like those of
the demons, while the sins of the souls of men are in the middle.

54
55
R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 241.
56
Origen
522
Besides those three rational creatures, Origen adds the stars
as living beings as we already noticed.
J .N.D. Kelly
57
states that Origen is a firm exponent of the
theory of the pre-existence of all individual souls. In the beginning,
he explains
58
, God out of His goodness created a fixed number of
rational essences, all of them equal and alike (there was no reason
for any diversity), and all of them endowed with free will - thus he
strives to defend the divine justice and the principle of liberty
against the Gnostics. Since these souls were free, it rested with
their own volition to advance by imitating God, or to fall away by
neglecting Him, to depart from good being tantamount to settling
down to evil. With the unique exception of Christs pre-existent
soul
59
, all these rational beings opted in varying degrees for the lat-
ter; the result was their fall, which gave rise to the manifold and
unequal gradations of spiritual existence.
Before the ages they were all pure intelligences (
), whether demons or souls or angels. one of them, the
Devil, since he possessed free will, chose to resist God, and
God rejected him. All the other powers fell away with him,
becoming demons, angels and archangels according as
their misdeeds were more, or less, or still less, heinous.
Each obtained a lot proportionate to his sin. There re-
mained the souls; these had not sinned so grievously as to
become demons or so venially as to become angels. God
therefore made the present world, binding the soul to the
body as a punishment... Plainly He chastises each to suit
his sin, making one a demon, another a soul, another an
archangel
60
...

57
Kelly, p. 180-1.
58
59
De Principiis 2:6:3; cf. Jerome: Epistle 124:6.
60
523
THE PRE-EXISTENT CHURCH
All the rational creatures, those which would later become
angels, men, demons, were created together and absolutely equal.
They were absorbed in the contemplation of God and formed the
Church of the pre-existence, united like the Bride to the Bride-
groom with the pre-existent intelligence that was joined to the
Word and had been created with them
61
.

V V V

61
Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 206.
Origen
524
MAN

G. Bostock states that Origen makes use of the two ac-
counts of creation in Genesis to demonstrate that man has a two-
fold nature - both an inner self, made in the image of God, and an
external form fashioned from the dust of the ground
62
. This inner
self, which is "invisible and Incorporeal, Immaculate and immor-
tal,
63
" corresponds to the eternal creation, while his external form
corresponds to the physical world
64
. Like the eternal world which
precedes the formation of the physical order, man's inner self is
older and superior to his external form
65
. It was created directly by
God, when God "breathed the breath of life" (Gen. 2:7) into man,
so that he shared in God's own incorruptible Spirit
66
.

GREATNESS OF MAN
St. Gregory of Nyssa, the disciple of Origen, considers man
as the dearest creature to God. He inherits this concept from his
teacher, who looks to Christ in His relation to believers as the
Great of great ones, the Lord of lords, the King of kings.
"Among his brothers" Jesus is "great," among these
who previously had been called "Great;" and thus, he is
"Pastor of pastors" (Cf. 1 Pet. 5:4), and "High priest of
high priests" (Cf. Heb. 4:14), and "Lord of lords" and
King of kings (Cf. 1 Tim. 6:15). And so, He is the great
of the great; and this is why it is added, "Great among his
brothers.
67

When contemplating Gods supreme view of His beloved

62
Comm. Rom. 2:13.
63
In Gen. hom. 1:13.
64
Ibid. 1:2.
65
In Jer. hom. 2:1.
66
67
Homilies On Leviticus 12:2 (Cf. Frs. of the Church)
525
creature, i.e., man, and God's close and deep relationship with him,
Origen was incited to believe that mans soul is much greater than
to be attributed to this visible world. Erroneously, he believed that
the soul existed before the body to which it was assigned as a pen-
alty for its sin. The Alexandrians rejected this Origenist theory, for
it deforms the believers view of the body and also of the world.
They believe that the body is not a jail where the soul is impris-
oned but is a good divine gift, that helps the soul and partakes with
it in all human needs, and will partake with it in the heavenly
glory.
Even after the fall of souls, God cannot abandon them, for
He has created the soul to know the reasons of things and to con-
template in Him
68
.

MANS SOUL AS A DWELLING-PLACE OF GOD
Those who defile their souls, and change them from
being a house of the Heavenly Father, the holy Jerusalem
and house of prayer into a cave of thieves... They deprive
their souls from what is precious, and rob the best of what
they have so that they become as nothing
69
.

MAN AS AN IMAGE OF GOD
The theme of the creation of man in the image of God
flows from three passages in Genesis: I:26-27 which links the im-
age of God with mans domination over the animals; 5:I-3 where
the image expresses a certain filiation; 9:6 where the image makes
man a sacred being whose blood may not be spilt
70
.
Origen understands the first two chapters of Genesis, not as
two accounts of the creation, but as two distinct creations. Of these
the first relates to the soul, which alone is created after the image,

68
69
Comm. on Ioan. 10:18.
70
Origen
526
the soul which is the incorporeal and invisible image of the
incorporeal and invisible Word, and the second relates to the body,
which is simply the vessel containing the image. Origen in his
Commentary on Genesis saw the second chapter as an account of
the creation of the ethereal body of the pre-existent: since only the
Trinity is without a body, these two creations, though logically dis-
tinct, must have been chronologically simultaneous
71
.
The after-the-image is, Origen expressly says, our prin-
cipal substance, the very basis of our nature: man is defined, at the
deepest level of his being, by his relation to God and by the move-
ment that leads to his becoming more like his model, thanks to the
divine action which is manifest at the beginning and at each of the
stages of this development, and thanks also to the freedom that
God has given man when creating him. This freedom, in which
free will, the power of choice, holds an important place, is not,
however, limited to free will, but exhibits, through our authors
spiritual doctrine, all the shades of meaning of Pauls eleutheria.
The truth is that adherence to God liberates, rejection of God
enslaves. The after-the-image is, in addition, a source of
knowledge: of course, all knowledge of God is revelation, but the
first of these revelations is the one God gave us when he created us
in his image: in this after-the-image, which is what the most pro-
found element of our being, we find God. Here, Origen reproduces
a principle of Greek philosophy which is a common-sense affirma-
tion: only the like knows the like
72
.
The likeness will be achieved with perfect knowledge, in
the resurrection and the beatitude. We do not press the point here,
for it will be studied more completely in connection with Origens
eschatology. Let us simply say that the likeness will end in unity
with Christ, a unity which is not understood in a pantheistic man-
ner, for it respects the hypostaseis of the angels and of men as

71
72
Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 95-6.
527
Origen makes clear in contradiction to the Stoic conflagration..
But all, having become sons, somehow within the Only Son, will
see the Father in the same way that the Son sees Him. All having
become one Sun in the Sun of Righteousness, the Word, will shine
with the same glory. It would not do to conclude, as has sometimes
too hastily been done, that there will not then be any further me-
diation by the Word. That will always exist, but its mode will have
changed: it is in becoming within the Son that the saints will see
the Father as Himself and will shine with His glory
73
.
Man has two icons, one he had received from God
at the time of creation as it is written in Genesis In the
image of God He created Gen. 1:27, and the other is the
image of the earthly man ( 1 Cor. 15:49) which he received
on his disobedience and sinning, when he was moved away
from Paradise, when the prince of this world seduced him
(John 12:31)...
As the coin has the image of the ruler of this world,
thus he who completes the deeds of the kings of darkness
(Eph. 6:12) has his image.
Jesus orders us to render this image and move it
away so that we may have the original image in which He
created, so that we should be in the likeness of God. Thus
we render what is of Caesar to Caesar, and what is to God
to God (Luke 20:23-26)
74
.
But it is our inner man, invisible, incorporeal, in-
corruptible, and immortal which is made according to the
image of God. For it is in such qualities as these that the
image of God is more correctly understood. but if anyone
supposes that this man who is made according to the im-
age and likeness of God is made of flesh, he will appear to
represent God Himself as made of flesh and in human form.

73
74
In Luc. hom. 39:4.
Origen
528
It is most clearly impious to think this about God
75
.
For if man, made according to the image of God,
contrary to nature by beholding the image of the devil has
been made like him by sin, much more by beholding the
image of God, according to whose likeness he has been
made by God, he will receive that form, which was given to
him by nature, through the Word and His power. And let no
one, seeing his image to be more with the devil than with
God, despair that he can again regain the form of the im-
age of God, because the Savior came not to call the just,
but sinners to repentance.(Cf. Luke 5.32.)
76

CHRIST, THE UNIQUE IMAGE OF THE FATHER
Only Christ is in the strict sense the image of God, the per-
fect image: He is this by His divinity alone, invisible image of the
invisible God, for God, invisible and incorporeal, can only have
one image, invisible and incorporeal
77
.
If the humanity of Christ is not included by Origen in the
image of God, it is like that of all men after the image or image
of the image. However, it plays a special part in the transmission
of the image, it is like a second, intermediate image, the Word be-
ing the first, between God and us, for it is the most immediate
model offered to us to imitate, and, according to Origens interpre-
tation of Lamentations 4, 20 which we shall explain below, the
Shadow of the Lord Christ under which we live among the na-
tions. Contrariwise, we know of no passage in Origen which
brings in the Holy Spirit in connection with the image
78
.

75
In Gen. hom. 1:13(Cf. Heine).
76
In Gen. hom. (Cf. Heine).
77
78
529
THE IMAGE OF GOD IS CONTINUOUSLY MAGNIFIED
OR DECREASED IN US
Origen comments on the words of St. Mary, my soul
magnifies the Lord (Luke 1:46), saying that the Lord is un-
changeable, but His image in us may be magnified or decreased.
As the image (of the Lord) is magnified and be-
comes more bright by my deeds, thoughts, and words and
thus the Lord is glorified...
So when we sin His image becomes belittled and
faded
79
.
According to Rown A. Greer Origen's writings reveal that
his primary interest lies in the drama of the soul's struggle to re-
turn to God after her fall. Origen's views of martyrdom, prayer
and Scripture merge into one vision of the Christian life as a
movement towards a perfect knowledge of God and perfect fel-
lowship with Him through Christ
80
.
Origen insists that in all men some elements of the divine
image remain. The Logos lights every man coming into the world;
all beings that are rational partake of the true Light
81
. The Gospel
brings to actuality what in unbelievers is present potentially
82
. The
preacher needs not hesitate to claim for a Christian possession all
that seems sound and good in Hellenic culture
83
.

ADAMS SIN OR INDIVIDUAL SIN?!
There are passages in Origens writings especially in his
Commentary on Romans, where he appears to accept the doctrine
that the whole race was present in Adams loins and sinned in
him. It is difficult, however, to take them at their face value, for

79
In Luc. hom. 8:2.
80
Rown A. Greer: Origen, Paulist Press, 1979, p. 17.
81
Comm. on John. 20:28; In Jer. hom. 14:10.
82
Comm. on Rom. 8:2.
83
Henry Chadwick: History and Thought of the Early Church, London, 1982, p. 184.
Origen
530
we know that in his translation, he adjusted his teaching in the in-
terests of orthodoxy.
Man in his essential nature is essentially incorporeal, and
would have stayed immortal if he had not fallen into sin
84
. As it is
he has fallen from the heights of heaven, and his original divine
nature is now robed in flesh.
Origen states that the Fall has caused man to put on the
garments of mortality and of frailty. These are the "coats of skin"
(Gen. 3:21) made by God for Adam and Eve when they were being
expelled from Paradise
85
. Following Philo and the Gnostics, who
had interpreted the coats of skin as bodies
86
, Origen sees the Fall
not simply as a moral but as a metaphysical event. The Fall means
that man enters a world which is separate from God
87
, and takes on
a dual nature of spirit and of flesh because he is now clothed in a
physical body.
Mans dual nature includes a dual means of perception be-
cause the Fall has the effect of creating mans physical sight,
which corresponds to the physical world in which he now lives.
"They ate and the eyes of both of them were opened" (Gen. 3:6-7).
Their eyes which were opened were those of the senses ... But it
was the eyes of the soul with which they saw when they rejoiced in
God and His Paradise." As a result of his first creation in the image
of God man still has a capacity for spiritual sight, but the Fall
means that he normally uses his physical sight and his spiritual
sight remains unused
88
.
As a result of this dual means of perception man can make
an effective choice between the two levels of creation to which his
nature corresponds. Morally speaking he is poised like the firma-

84
In Jer. Comm
85
86
Philo :Quaest in Gen. 1:53. For the Gnostics see Clement: Stromata 3:95:2 and Irenaeus : Adv.
Haer 1:5:5.
87
Comm. Rom. 3:3 PG 14:9338C.
88
Against Celsus 6:67; Comm. Mat. 16:11.
531
ment between matter and Spirit - pure matter representing the limit
of his soul's movement away from God while the Spirit represent-
ing the goal of his striving for God. Mentally speaking however his
nature must correspond to the whole of the cosmos. Origen be-
lieves that man's nature is analogous to that of the whole cosmos,
because he is in himself a "minor mundus'- or microcosm. Origen
spells this out in graphic detail: "You must recognize that you have
within yourself flocks of cattle ... and even of birds. You yourself
are indeed another small world, with the sun, moon and stars
within you
89
."
Origen had no difficulty in finding Scriptural support that
the pre-existent soul committed sins before receiving her body,
especially the story of J acob and Esau, the one loved, the other
hated by God at birth
90
.

GOODNESS OF MAN IS ACCIDENTAL
If then there are any other things called good in the
Scriptures, such as an angel, or a man, or a slave, or a
treasure, or a good heart, or a good tree, all these are so
called by an inexact use of the word, since the goodness
contained in them is accidental and not essential
91
.

MAN AS A TRICHOTOMY
92

Origen believes that man consists of three elements:
1. The pneuma or spiritus. The spirit is the divine element
present in man and thus it has real continuity with the Hebrew
ruach. Being a gift of God, it is not strictly speaking a part of the
human personality, for it takes no responsibility for a mans sins;

89
In Lev. hom. 5:2.
90
Mal. 1:2-3 taken up again in Rom. 9:11: thus Peri Arch. 3:1:22; Cf. Henri Crouzel: Origen, San
Francisco 1989, p. 209.
91
92
Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 88-92; Henry Chadwick: History and Thought of
the Early Church, London, 1982, p. 190-1.
Origen
532
nevertheless these reduce it to a state of torpor, preventing it from
acting on the soul. It is the pedagogue of the soul, or rather of the
intellect, training the latter in the practice of the virtues, for it is in
the spirit that the moral consciousness is found; and training it also
in the knowledge of God and in prayer.
2. The soul (psyche anima), contains a higher and a lower
element. In De Principiis
93
2:10:7 Origen discusses the better ele-
ment of the soul which was made after the image and likeness of
God, and the other part . . . , the friend and lover of corporeal
matter
94
.
The soul is the seat of the free will, of the power of choice
and so of the personality. If it submits to the guidance of the spirit,
it is assimilated to the spirit, becomes wholly spiritual, even in its
lower element. But if it rejects the spirit and turns towards the
flesh, the lower element takes over from the higher its governing
role and renders the soul entirely carnal
95
.
This higher element, intellect, heart or governing faculty,
constituted the whole of the soul in the pre-existence, according to
the theory favored by Origen.
The lower element of the soul was added to it after the
primitive fall: it corresponds to the souls standing temptation to
turn aside from the spirit and yield to the attraction of the body. It
is the source of the instincts and the passions, and it is sometimes
treated as equivalent to the two lower elements in Platos trichot-
omy, the thymos and the epithymia, without Origen distinguishing
between the noble and the evil tendencies in these.
It seems that Origen feels a kind of confusion concerning
the soul of man, for he concludes his speech of the soul, saying,
These points about the rational soul we have

93
De Principiis 2:10 7.
94
Cf. De Principiis 3:4:1.
95
533
brought forward to the best of our ability rather as matters
for discussion by our readers than as definite and settled
doctrines
96
.
Henry Chadwick states that in the doctrine of the soul Ori-
gen was faced by a choice between three possible doctrines:
(a) The Creationist view that God creates each soul for
each individual as conceived and born.
(b) The Traducianist view: There is also a creation but in-
direct and mediate: they suppose that the soul derives with the
body from the paternal seed.
(c) The Platonic Pre-existence theory, according to which
immortal and pre-existent souls temporarily reside in the body.
Those who believed in theory lodes to the Traducianists as their
opponents. They presented a grave objection. If the soul is truly
that breath which the Lord in the beginning breathed into Adam,
then how can it come with the body from the seed of the father?
Does not this then mean that it will die with the body, a conclusion
that our faith cannot accept?
97

Creationism seemed to involve God in endless fuss; Tradu-
cianism seemed to endanger the transcendence of the soul in rela-
tion to the body by making it something corporeal. Pre-existence
had the merit of making a theodicy possible which answered the
Gnostics complaint against the justice and goodness of the Crea-
tor. On several occasions Origen disclaims the myth of transmigra-
tion as false, yet his own system presupposes a picture of the soul's
course which is strikingly similar. Probably the right solution of
this problem is to be found in Origen's insistence on freedom rather
than destiny as the key to the universe. In other words, he objected
to the fatalistic principles underlying the doctrine of transmigra-
tion; he did not object to the idea if its foundations rested on the
goodness and justice of God assigning souls to bodies in strict ac-

96
97
Origen
534
cordance with their merits on the basis of free choices.
Origen teaches that souls are not unbegotten and eternal
98
,
but created by God, who from overflowing goodness created ra-
tional, incorporeal beings.
And there is the further question whether the soul
puts on a body only once and, having laid it down, seeks
for it no more; or whether, when it once has laid aside
what it took, it takes it yet again; and, if it does so a second
time, whether it keeps what it has taken always, or some
day puts it off once more. But if, as the Scriptures lead us
to think, the consummation of the world is near and this
present state of corruption will be changed into one of in-
corruption, there seems no doubt that the soul cannot come
to the body a second or third time under the conditions of
this present life. For, if this other view were accepted, then
the world would know no end of such successive re-
assumptions
99
.
In the creation of a soul God does not produce an unfin-
ished or imperfect work. The created soul, however, has within
itself the power to turn away from God, the power to abandon truth
for falsehood, and reality for illusion
100
.
3. The body (soma, corpus). It is because the souls of men
have been implicated in the primitive fall in a less grave way than
the demons and because there is for them some hope of cure that
they have been put into this perceptible and terrestrial world as a
place of correction, having bodies
101
.

Origen applies the word body both to the terrestrial body
and to the more subtle bodies which he distinguishes in his specu-
lations on the history of rational beings: ethereal bodies or daz-

98
Cf. De Principiis 1:3:3.
99
Comm. on the Songs of Songs, book 2:5 (ACW).
100
101
535
zling bodies, belonging to the pre-existent intelligences; the an-
gels; those raised from the dead to eternal blessedness; the dark
bodies of the demons and of those raised from the dead to damna-
tion
102
.
We have seen that we must not confuse the meaning of the
word body with the almost always pejorative meaning of the word
flesh, which expresses an undue attachment to the body and thus
refers rather to the lower part of the soul. But the earthly body, like
everything perceptible, is good in itself: created by God, it is
among those realities of which the Bible says that when He looked
at them in their profound being: God saw that they were good.
After death, even before the resurrection, the soul retains a
certain bodily dress which Origen infers from the parable of the
evil rich man and Lazarus and from the appearance of Samuel to
Saul, if we rely on a text quoted by Methodius of Olympus in his
Aglaophon or On the Resurrection: he assimilates it expressly to
the vehicle of the soul and it is of course a logical consequence
of the affirmation that the Trinity alone is absolutely incorporeal.

MIND AND SOUL
God is fire and warmth. Moving further away from God the
intelligences got cold and became souls. So we are tailing about a
decline in fervor and charity. The reduction from intelligence into
soul is a matter of degree, for not all fell to the same level
103
.
We must see, therefore, whether perchance, as we
said was made clear by its very name, the psyche or soul
was so called from its having cooled from the fervor of the
righteous and from its participation in the divine fire, and
yet has not lost the power of restoring itself to that condi-
tion of fervor in which it was at the beginning. Some such
fact the prophet appears to point to when he says, Turn

102
103
Origen
536
unto your rest, O my soul. All these considerations seem to
show that when the mind departed from its original condi-
tion and dignity it became or was termed a soul, and if ever
it is restored and corrected it returns to the condition of
being a mind
104
.
Mind when it fell was made soul, and soul in its
turn when furnished with virtues will become mind...
Now if this is so, it seems to me that the departure
and downward course of the mind must not be thought of as
equal in all cases, but as a greater or lesser degree of
change into soul, and that some minds retain a portion of
their original vigor, while others retain none or only very
little. This is the reason why some are found right from
their earliest years to be of ardent keenness, while others
are duller, and some are born extremely dense and alto-
gether untouchable
105
.
But perhaps it will be asked: If it is the mind, which
with the spirit prays and sighs, and the mind also which
receives perfection and salvation, how is it that Peter says,
Receiving the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls?
If the soul neither prays nor sings with the spirit, how shall
it hope for salvation? Or, if it should attain to blessedness,
will it no longer be called a soul? Let us see whether, per-
haps, this point may be answered in the following manner,
that just as the Savior came to save that which was lost, but
when the lost is saved, it is no longer lost; so, if he came to
save the soul, as he came to save that which was lost, the
soul when saved remains a soul no longer
106
.

THE SOUL OF JESUS CHRIST

104
105
106
537
The pre-existent intellect of J esus is from the moment of
its creation united to the Word, in a way which makes it absolutely
incapable of sin, through the intensity of its charity, that charity
which in a way transforms it into the Word, as iron plunged into
fire becomes fire
107
.
But all question about the soul of Christ is removed
when we consider the nature of the incarnation. For just as
he truly had flesh, so also he truly had a soul
108
.
The reader must also take this point into considera-
tion, that of the passages in the Gospels which concern the
soul of the Savior, it is noticeable that some refer to it un-
der the name of soul and others under the name of spirit.
When Scripture wishes to indicate any suffering or trouble
that affected Him, it does so under the name soul, as when
it says: Now is My soul troubled (John 12:27), and My
soul is sorrowful even unto death (Matt. 26:38) and No
one takes my soul from Me, but I lay it down of Myself
(Luke 23:46). On the other hand He commends into His
Fathers hands not His soul but His spirit; and when He
says the flesh is weak He does not say the soul is will-
ing but the spirit; from which it appears as if the soul
were a kind of medium between the weak flesh and the will-
ing spirit
109
.
But if the above argument, that there exist in Christ
a rational soul, should seem to anyone to constitute a diffi-
culty, on the ground that in the course of our discussion we
have often shown that souls are by their nature capable of
good and evil, we shall resolve the difficulty in the follow-
ing manner. It cannot be doubted that the nature of His
soul was the same as that of all souls; otherwise it could

107
De Principiis 2:6; Henri Crouzel: Origen, Harper & Row, 1989.
108
109
Origen
538
not be called a soul, if it were not truly one. But since the
ability to choose good or evil is within the immediate reach
of all, this soul which belongs to Christ so chose to love
righteousness as to cling to it unchangeable and insepara-
bly in accordance with the immensity of its love; the result
being that by firmness of purpose, immensity of affection
and an inextinguishable warmth of love all susceptibility to
change or alteration was destroyed, and what formerly de-
pended upon the will was by the influence of long custom
changed into nature. Thus we must believe that there did
exist in Christ a human and rational soul, and yet not sup-
pose that it had any susceptibility to or possibility of sin...
Suppose then a lump of iron be placed for some
time in a fire. It receives the fire in all its pores and all its
veins, and becomes completely changed into fire, provided
the fire is never removed from it and itself is not separated
from the fire...
And while, indeed, some warmth of the Word of
God where the divine fire itself essentially rested, and that
it is from this that some warmth has come to all others
110
.

THE BODY
In his work First Principles Origen remarks
111
"We ought
first to consider the nature of the resurrection, that we may know
what that body is which shall come either to punishment or to rest
or to happiness; which shall question in other treatise which we
have composed regarding the resurrection we have discussed at
great length, and have shown what our opinions are regarding it."
Eusebius mentions two volumes On the Resurrection
112
. The list of
St. J erome names De resurrection libros II but adds et alios resur-
rection dialogos II. It seems that later were both combined into

110
De Principiis 2:6 (Cf. Butterworth).
112 Hist Eccl. 6,24,2.
539
one. Pamphilus
113
, Methodius of Philippi
114
and J erome
115
. From
Methodius we learn that Origen rejected the idea of a material
identity of the risen, with the human, body and its parts. St.
J erome's remarks
116
that in this study Origen compared Christian
doctrine with the teaching of ancient philosophers like Plato, Aris-
totle, Numenius and Cornutus.
Alongside that, many passages affirm the essential good-
ness of the human body. Origen argues, "The body of the rational
being that is devoted to the God of the Universe is a temple of the
God whom they (Christians) worship
117
." The human body could be
"made holy" for God
118
; and each Christian man or woman could
build their body into a "holy tabernacle of the Lord
119
." "You have
progressed to become a temple of God, and you who were mere
flesh and blood have reached so far that you are a limb of Christ's
body
120
."
On the other hand, the flesh, for Origen, is impure because
it is ambiguous and dangerous. He emphasizes the imperfection of
every human act performed by a human being whose concupis-
cence never entirely leaves. Origen proclaims repeatedly that
through time until the end of the world, the trace of past deeds is
engraved on human heart, even the traces of thoughts which passed
and were rejected by human will
121
.

INNER PURITY
For there are also others who offer their flesh as a

113 Apol. pro Orig. 7.
114 De resurr.
115 Contra Joh. Hier. 25-26.
116 Epist. 70,4.
117
Contra Celsum, 4:26, in: H. Chadwick, Origen: Contra Celsum, Cambridge University Press,
1980, p. 202.
118
On Jud., 6:5.
119
On Exod., 13:5.
120
On Jes., 5:5.
121
On Numbers, 25:6, in H. Crouzel, Origen, translated by A.S. Worrall, San Francisco, Harper &
Row, 1989, p. 139.
Origen
540
whole burnt offering but not through the ministry of the
priest. They offer neither knowingly nor according to the
Law which is in the mouth of the priest. They are indeed
pure in body but are found to be impure in spirit.
It is possible for such to be pure in body. Yet, they
do not offer their whole burnt offerings through the hands
and ministry of the priest. For they do not have in them the
counsel and the prudence with which to perform the
priestly function in the presence of God . They are like
those "five foolish virgins" who certainly were kept virgins
and had purity of body. But they did not know how to store
up the "oil" of charity and peace and the remaining virtues
"in their vases"; and therefore they were excluded from the
marriage chamber of the bridegroom (Cf. Matt. 25:1f.).
Hence, the continence of the flesh alone is not able to reach
to the altar of the Lord if it is lacking the remaining virtues
and the priestly ministry.
And therefore, we who read or hear these things
should attend to both parts-to be pure in heart, reformed in
habits. We should strive to make progress in deeds, be vigi-
lant in knowledge, faith, and actions, and be perfect in
deeds and understanding in order that we may be worthy to
be conformed to the likeness of Christ's offering, through
our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, through whom to God the
Almighty Father with the Holy Spirit be "glory and power
forever and ever. Amen" (Cf. 1 Pet. 4:11; Rev. 1:6)
122
.

THE RELATION BETWEEN THE BODY AND THE SOUL
Origen would revive the functions of the soul. The direc-
tive part of the soul became, in his hands, the power of contemplat-
ing the Good
123
.
This couch, which she refers to as shared by her-

122
In Lev. hom. 1:5 (cf. G.W. Barkley - Frs. of the Church).
123
541
self and her Bridegroom, seems to me to mean the human
body in which while the human soul is still a tenant it is
deemed worthy of consorting with the Word of God... It is
fitting that such a soul should have this common couch
of the body with the Word, for the power from on High be-
stows grace on the body also-the gifts of chastity, conti-
nence, and other good works
124
.
Rational being, of which the human soul forms a
part, can beget no good things of itself-even if it can re-
ceive them. It is like a woman: it needs another to beget the
virtues of action and thought that it proves able to bring to
birth. Hence I call it the bride-of no mean bridegroom, but
of Him alone who can sow the seed of good, none other
than Jesus...
125
.
This matter of the body, then, which now is cor-
ruptible, shall put on incorruption when a perfect soul, in-
structed in the doctrines of incorruption, has begun to use
it.
And I would not have you be surprised that we
should use the metaphor of bodily clothing to describe a
perfect soul, which on account of the word of God and his
wisdom is here called incorruption. For indeed Jesus
Christ Himself, who is the Lord and Creator of the soul, is
said to be the clothing of the saints, as the apostle says,
Put you on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14). As there-
fore Christ is the clothing of the soul, so by an intelligible
kind of reasoning the soul is said to be the clothing of the
body; for it is an ornament of the body, covering and con-
cealing its mortal nature. When therefore the apostle says,
This corruptible must put on incorruption, it is as if he
said, This body, with its corruptible nature, must receive

124
Comm. on Song of Songs 3.
125
Comm. on John Frag. 45 on 3:29.
Origen
542
the clothing of incorruption, that is, a soul that possesses in
itself incorruption, by virtue of the fact that it has put on
Christ, who is the wisdom and the word of God
126
.

MAN'S EFFECT ON THE CONGREGATION
When one person commits a sin, anger will include all the
people (J os. 7:1)
127
.

V V V

126
127
In Jos. hom 7:6.
543
ANGELS
128

J ean Danilou presents Origens view on angels and their
role in heaven and on earth, in his book, The Angels and their
Mission According to the Fathers of the Church.

For the highly developed teaching of Origen on angels and
demons see De Principiis. 1;8; 3:2.
In the preface of De Principiis Origen found that the ex-
press teaching of the church had laid it down as the official tradi-
tion that the angels were the servants of God (and, as such, his
creatures), but had left the time of their creation and the nature of
their existence as matters for investigation and speculation
129
.

THEIR GOOD WILL TOWARDS GOD
But if they are mighty in strength Ps. 103:20 to
do the will of God, and if they seek the destruction of the
impious, this is a sign that it is on account of their good
will towards God that they stand before Him (Luke 1:19)
and serve Him and are at His right hand
130
.

ANGELS FREE WILL
Not only Origen assures the free will of angels, demons,
and souls of men, and their capacity to do good and evil, but also
he believes that angels admitted evil but in a little degree. God
alone is Holy by nature.
Our contention is, however, that among all rational
creatures there is none which is not capable of both good

128
Cf. Jean Danilou: The Angels and their Mission According to the Fathers of the Church,
translated by David Heimann, 1933.
129
Jaroslav Pelikan: The Christian Tradition, 1. The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-
600), Chicago, 1971, p. 134-5.
130
Origen
544
and evil. But it does not necessarily follow that, because we
say there is no nature which cannot admit evil, we there-
fore affirm that every nature has admitted evil, that is, has
become evil. Just as we may say that every human nature
possesses the capacity to become a sailor, and yet this will
not result in every man becoming a sailor; or again that it
is possible for every man to learn the art of grammar or
medicine, and yet this does not prove that every man is ei-
ther a doctor or a schoolmaster; so when we say that there
is no nature which cannot admit evil, we do not necessarily
indicate that every nature has actually done so; nor on the
other hand will the statement that there is no nature which
may not admit good prove that every nature has admitted
what is good.
Our opinion is that not even the devil himself was
incapable of good, but the fact that he could admit good
did not lead him to desire it or to take pains to acquire vir-
tue. For, as we learn from the passages we quoted out of
the prophets, he was at one time good, when he dwelt in
the paradise of God, in the midst of the cherubim. Just
as, therefore, he had in himself the power of admitting ei-
ther good or evil, and falling away from good he turned
with his whole mind to evil, so also there are other created
beings who, while possessing the power to choose either,
by the exercise of free will flee from evil and cleave to the
good...
The nature of the Holy Spirit, which is Holy, does
not admit pollution, for it is holy by nature or essence...
Thus there exists that other order of rational crea-
tures, who have so utterly abandoned themselves to wick-
edness that they lack the desire, rather than the power, to
return, so long as the frenzy of their evil deeds is a passion
and a delight
131
.

131
545

CHURCH OF ANGELS
If the angel of the Lord encamps beside those who
fear the Lord and brings them deliverance (Ps. 33:. 8)... it
would seem that when a number of people duly meet together
for the glory of Christ, they will each have their own angel
encamped beside them, since they all fear the Lord. Each an-
gel will be with the man he has been commissioned to guard
and direct. Thus, when the saints are assembled, there will be
two Churches, one of men and one of angels
132
."
There are two Churches, a Church of men and a
Church of angels. Whenever we say anything in conformity
with the real drift and meaning of the Scriptures, the angels
rejoice at it and pray with us. And because the angels are
present in the Church at any rate, in any Church that de-
serves to be called Christ's - St. Paul orders that when women
go there to pray, they should have their heads veiled, for the
angels' sake [I Cor. 11:I0]. These are evidently the angels
that stand by the saints and rejoice over the Church. We can-
not see them, because our eyes are darkened by the filth of
sin, but the Disciples saw them-Jesus said to them: 'Believe
me when I tell you this; you will see heaven opening, and the
angels of God going up and coming down upon the Son of
Man' (John 1:51)
133
.
According to Origen, guardian angels are Christ's diligent co-
workers in the saving of all mankind. Each one of us is attended by a
good and bad angel.
ANGELS AND PEOPLE OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTA-
MENT
a. The angels as the friends of the Bridegroom instruct

132
On Prayer 31:4.
133
In Luc. hom. 23.
Origen
546
the Church, that is to say, the people of God, during the time of
their espousals, the Old Testament. But the Church longs for the
kiss of the Bridegroom, His coming in person. When I was pre-
paring myself for my marriage with the Son of the King and the
First-Born of every creature, the holy angels followed me and min-
istered to me, bringing me the Law as a wedding present. Indeed it
has been said that the Law was promulgated through the angels by
means of a mediator (Gal. 3:19). But, since the world was already
nearing its end and still His presence was not granted me and I
only saw His servants rising and descending about me, I poured
out my prayer to you, the Father of my Bridegroom, begging you
to have pity on my love and send Him to me so that he need no
longer speak with me through His servants the angels but might
come Himself
134
.
In his comment on the words: We will make the chains of
gold, inlaid with silver (Song of Songs 1:10), he states that this
time he sets it in relation with the figurative character of the Old
Law, which is signified by the silver, as opposed to the spiritual
reality of the Gospel, which is the gold.
We propose to show how the holy angels who, be-
fore the coming of Christ, watched over the bride while she
was still young are the friends and companions of the
Bridegroom mentioned here... In fact, it seems to me that
the Law which was promulgated through the agency of a
mediator did indeed contain a foreshadowing of the good
things which were to come, but not their actual likeness;
and that the events set down in the Law and enacted in fig-
ure though not in reality are merely imitations of gold, not
real gold.
Among these imitations are the Ark of the Covenant,
the mercy seat, the Cherubim, ... the Temple itself and eve-
rything which is written in the Law. It is these imitations

134
547
which were given to the Church, the bride, by the angels,
who are the friends of the Bridegroom and who served her
in the Law and the other mysteries. That, I believe, is what
St. Paul meant when he spoke of the worship of the angels
which some enter into blindly, puffed up by their mere hu-
man minds (Col. 2:18). Thus, the entire cult and the relig-
ion of the Jews were imitations of the gold. Wherever any-
one turns toward the Lord and the veil is lifted from before
him, he sees the real gold
135
.
If we explain the passage as referring to the soul, it must
appear that, as long as the soul is still young and not fully formed,
it is under guardians and teachers. These are the angels who are
called the guardians of children and who always see the face of the
Father in heaven. Accordingly, they are imitations of gold given to
the soul which is not yet sustained with the solid nourishment of
the Word. Thus there is a parallelism between the history of hu-
manity and the history of the individual. In the one as well as the
other, the role of the angels is concerned with the beginnings, the
preparations. This conception contains an entire general theology
of the missions of the angels in outline form.
b. Origen speaks of angels set in charge of the four ele-
ments, who were perhaps well known to St. Paul (Gal. 4:9), and of
angels presiding over the different domains of the universe, over
the stars, the metros, the plants and animals
136
.
c. The promulgation of the Law is the principal gift made
by God to His people through the ministry of the angels.
For the Law is said to have been ordained by an-
gels in the hand of a mediator(Gal. 3:19)
137
.
The angels served the people of Israel in the Law

135
136
In Jer. hom. 10:6.
137
Comm. on the Songs of Songs: Prologue 4 (ACW).
Origen
548
and in the other mysteries
138
.
d. According to the Book of Wisdom, during the entire
Exodus the people not only were served by angels, but also they
were nourished by the bread of the angels, You did feed Your
people with the food of angels and gave them bread from heaven
prepared without labor, having in it all that is delicious and the
sweetness of every taste (Wis. 16: 20). Origen asks our souls to
practice the Exodus, and to have their spiritual trip in the desert of
this life that we may receive the same angelic food.
Do not waver at the solitude of the desert; it is dur-
ing your sojourn in the tents that you will receive the
manna from heaven and eat the bread of angels
139
.
d. Origen tells us that the Ark of the Covenant, the mercy
seat, the Cherubim, and even the temple itself
140
were given to Is-
rael through the angels.

THE ANGELS AND THE MINISTRY OF THE NEW TES-
TAMENT
Origen sees one of these angels in the Macedonian who
appeared to St. Paul to beg aid of him
141
.
The role of the angels of the Churches has its remote be-
ginning in their mission toward souls who are still pagan.
Come, Angel, receive him who has been converted
from his former error, from the doctrine of the demons...
Receive him as a careful physician; warm and heal him...
Receive him and give him the baptism of the second birth
142
.
The Apostles have the angels to assist them in the
accomplishment of their ministry of preaching, in the com-

138
Ibid. 2.
139
In Num. hom. 17:3.
140
141
In Luc. hom. 12.
142
Hom. in Ez., 1,7.
549
pletion of their gospel work
143
.

ANGELS AND THE NATIONS
Origen like his teacher St. Clement of Alexandria believes
that the presiding powers of the angels have been distributed ac-
cording to the nations and the cities
144
. He writes: Some certain
spiritual powers have come into a presiding office over particular
nations in this world
145
.
Origen, following the J ewish tradition, attributes to them a
part in the origin of the various languages
146
. But their mission is
primarily spiritual.
We read in Scripture that there are princes over
each nation-and the context makes it quite clear that they
are angels and not men. It is these princes and the other
powers of this world who each have a separate science and
a special doctrine to teach
147
.
Accordingly we find in the holy Scriptures that
there are rulers over individual nations, as for instance, we
read in Daniel of a certain prince of the kingdom of the
Persians and another prince of the kingdom of the
Greeks who, as is clearly shown by the sense of the pas-
sage itself, are not men but powers. Moreover in the
prophet Ezekiel the prince of Tyre is most plainly pic-
tured as a certain spiritual power
148
.
The angels to whom the nations were entrusted are power-
less to stop the flood of evil. Before the birth of Christ these an-
gels could be of little use to those entrusted to them and their at-
tempts were not followed by success... Whenever the angels of the

143
Hom. in Num., 11, 4.
144
Stromata 6:17.
145
146
Contra Celsus 5:30.
147
148
Origen
550
Egyptians helped the Egyptians, there was hardly a single prose-
lyte who believed in God
149
.

THE ANGELS OF THE NATIVITY
Origen says, The coming of Christ into the world was a
great joy for those to whom the care of men and nations had been
entrusted
150

Origen has already shown the angels eager to descend with
the Word. When the angels saw the Prince of the heavenly host
tarrying among the places of earth, they entered by the way that
He had opened, following their Lord and obeying the will of Him
who apportioned to their guardianship those who believe in Him.
The angels are in the service of Your salvation. If He descended
into a body, they have been granted to the Son of God to follow
Him. They say among themselves, If He has put on mortal flesh,
how can we remain doing nothing? Come, angels, let us all de-
scend from heaven, That is why there was a multitude of the heav-
enly host praising and glorifying God when Christ was born. Eve-
rything is filled with angels
151
.
Origen interprets the shepherds of Bethlehem allegorically
as the angels of the nations, making a play on the word shepherd,
which applies to the one as well as to the other. The shepherds
can be considered as the angels to whom men are entrusted. They
all had need of assistance so that the nations in their charge would
be well governed. It is to them that the angel came to announce the
birth of the true Shepherd
152
.

THE ANGELS OF THE ASCENSION
The entry of the Incarnate Word into heaven appears much

149
In Luc. hom. 12.
150
In Luc. hom. 12.
151
In Ex. hom. 1:7.
152
In Luc. hom. 12.
551
like an unforeseen revelation made to the heavenly powers.
With Origen appears the text of Isaiah 63, and the allusion
to the blood of the Passion. When he came forward the Victor,
His body raised up from the dead, certain of the Powers said,
Who is this that comes from Bosra, with His garments dyed red?
But those who were escorting Him said to those in charge of the
gates of heaven, Open, you gates of eternity
153
.

ANGELS AND THE LAST ADVENT
As the Son of man comes in the glory of His own
Father, so the angels, who are the words in the prophets,
are present with Him preserving the measure of their own
glory. But when the Word comes in such form with His own
angels, He will give to each a part of His own glory and of
the brightness of His own angels, according to the action of
each
154
.
THE ANGELS ARE EVANGELISTS
The angels are not merely entrusted with one small
service for the gospel... But the angel flying on duty in
mid-air (Rev. 14:6) has a gospel wherewith to evangelize
all nations, for the good Father has in no wise deserted
those who have fallen from Him
155
.
Now if there are those among men who are honored
with the ministry of evangelists, and if Jesus Himself brings
tidings of good things, and preaches the Gospel to the
poor, surely those messengers who were made spirits by
God (Ps. 104:4), those who are a flame of fire, ministers of
the Father of all, cannot have been excluded from being
evangelists also. Hence an angel standing over the shep-
herds made a bright light to shine round about them, and

153
Comm. in Jo., 6,56.v
154
Comm. on Matt. 12:30 (ANF).
155
Comm. on John 1:14.
Origen
552
said: Fear not; behold I bring you good tidings of great
joy, which shall be to all the people; for there is born to
you, this day, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of
David (Luke 2:10, 11). And at a time when there was no
knowledge among men of the mystery of the Gospel, those
who were greater than men and inhabitants of heaven, the
army of God, praised God, saying, Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will among men. And
having said this, the angels went away from the shepherds
into heaven, leaving us to gather how the joy preached to
us through the birth of Jesus Christ is glory in the highest
of God; they humbled themselves even to the ground, and
then returned to their place of rest, to glorify God in the
highest through Jesus Christ. But the angels also wonder at
the peace which is to be brought about on account of Jesus
on the earth, that seat of war, on which Lucifer, star of the
morning, fell from heaven, to be warred against and de-
stroyed by Jesus
156
.

THE ANGELS AND SACRAMENTS
Origen believes that the angels have their role in the prepa-
ration of men for baptism as well as they have their role in baptism
itself.
Come, angel, receive him who has been converted
from his former error, from the doctrine of the demons...
Receive him as a careful physician, warm and heal
him...
Receive him and give him the baptism of the second
birth
157
.
At the time that the Sacrament of the Faith was adminis-
tered to you, there were present heavenly Powers, the min-

156
Comm. on John 1:13 (ANF).
157
In Eze. hom. 1:7.
553
istrations of the angels, the Church of the first-born
158
.
The angels are present at Baptism.
Yes, the powers of heaven were present when the sac-
rament of faith was given you; the hierarchies of angels, the
Church of the firstborn, were there [cf. Heb. 22:. 23]. If we
realize that 'Israel' means 'seeing God mentally', we shall see
that the name is even more appropriate when used of the an-
gels who minister to us; for, as the Lord said when speaking
of the children-and you were a child yourself when you were
baptized, your angels always see the heavenly Father's face
[Matt. 18:10]... Such were those sons of Israel who were pre-
sent, gazing on God's face, when the sacraments of faith were
given you...
159

As the angels preside over baptism so they are equally pre-
sent at every Christian assembly.
On the question of the angels the following is a nec-
essary conclusion: If the angel of the Lord shall encamp
round about them that fear Him, and shall deliver them;
and if what Jacob says is true not only in his own case but
also in the case of all those who are dedicated to the om-
niscient God, when he speaks of the angel that delivers me
from all evils: then it is probable that, when many are as-
sembled legitimately for the glory of Christ, the angel of
each encamps round each of them that fear God, and that
he stands at the side of the man whose protection and guid-
ance has been entrusted to him. Thus, when the saints are
assembled together, there is a twofold Church present, that
of men and that of angels
160
.
I have no doubt that there are angels in the midst of
our assembly too, not only the Church in general, but each

158
Hom. in Jos., 9,4
159
In Jos. hom. 9:4.
160
Origen, De or., 31,5 (ACW 19).
Origen
554
church individually-those of whom it is said that their an-
gels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Thus we have here a twofold Church, one of men, the other
of angels. If what we say is in conformity with both reason
and the meaning of Scripture, the angels rejoice and pray
together with us. And since there are angels present in
Church-that is, in the Church which deserves them, being
of Christ-women when they pray are ordered to have a cov-
ering upon their heads because of those angels. They assist
the saints and rejoice in the Church. We indeed do not see
them because our eyes are grown dim with the stains of sin;
but the Apostles see them, as they were promised: Amen,
amen, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened and
the angels of God going up and coming down upon the Son
of Man. And if I had this grace which the Apostles had, I
would see the multitude of angels that Eliseus saw, when
Giezi, standing right beside him, saw nothing
161
.
With reference to the words, when through the
laver I became a child in Christ, it may be said, that there
is no holy angel present with those who are still in wicked-
ness, but that during the period of unbelief they are under
the angels of Satan; but, after the regeneration, He who
has redeemed us with His own blood consigns us to a holy
angel, who also, because of his purity, beholds the face of
God
162
.

ANGELS
If the angels of God came to Jesus and ministered
to Him (Matt. 4:11), and if it is not right for us to believe
that this ministry of the angels to Jesus was for a short time

161
Hom. in Luc., 23.
162
555
only during His bodily sojourn among men, when He was
still in the midst of those who believed, not as He that sits
at table but as he that serves (Luke 22:27), how many an-
gels, do you think, minister to Jesus who wishes to gather
together the sons of Israel one by one and assemble those
of the dispersion and saves them that are in fear and call
upon Him?(Isa. 27:12; John 10:16; 11:52; Acts 2:21; Rom.
10:12f.) And do they not contribute more than the apostles
to the growth and increase of the Church, so that John says
in the Apocalypse that certain angels stand over the
churches? (Rev. 1:20; 2:1, 8, 12,18; 3:1,7, 14.) Nor is it in
vain that the angels of God ascend and descend upon the
Son of man, and are seen by eyes illumined by the light of
knowledge (John 1:51; Osee 10:12 LXX)
163
.
The angel, indeed, of each one, even of the little
ones in the Church, always seeing the face of the Father
who is in heaven (Matt. 18:10) and beholding the divinity
of our Creator, prays with us and cooperates with us, as far
as is possible, in what we seek
164
.
If then God knows the free will of every man, there-
fore, since he foresees it, He arranges by His Providence
what is fair according to the deserts of each, and provides
what he may pray for, the deposition of such and such thus
showing his faith and the object of his desire...
To this other man who will be of such and such a
character, I will send a particular guardian angel to work
with him at his salvation from such and such a time, and to
remain with him up to a certain time. And to another I will
send another angel, one, for example, of higher rank, be-
cause this man will be better than the former. And in the
case of another, who, having devoted himself to lofty teach-
ings, becomes weak and returns to material things, I will

163
On Prayer 11:3 (ACW).
164
On Prayer 11:5.
Origen
556
deprive him of his more powerful helper; and when he de-
parts, a certain evil power-as he deserves-will seize the op-
portunity of profiting by his weakness, and will seduce him,
now that he has shown his readiness to sin, to commit such
and such sins
165
.

THE GUARDIAN ANGELS
The doctrine of guardian angels was not new with him; it is
found in the Shepherd of Barnabas, and St. Clement of Alexandria,
and was based principally on the Scriptures (Gen. 48:16; Tob.
3:25); Matt. 18:10. This doctrine appears in the earliest Christian
texts. It is found in Pseudo Barnabas
166
, in Hermas
167
, in St. Clement
of Alexandria
168
, who goes back himself to the Apocalypse of St.
Peter. Origen develops the doctrine to a great extent.
All of the faithful in Christ, no matter how small,
are helped by an angel, and Christ says that these angels
always see the face of the Father who is in heaven
169
.
Here Origen refers to Matthew 18:10; elsewhere he refers
to Acts 12:15
170
.
We must say that every human soul is under the di-
rection of an angel who is like a father
171
.
The Fathers of the fourth century profess the same doctrine.
For St. Basil an angel is put in charge of every believer, provided
we do not drive him out by sin. He guards the soul like an army
172
.
When a man has received the Faith, Christ who has

165
166
Pseudo-Barn., 18,1.
167
Vis., 5, 1-4.
168
Ecl., 41, 48.
169
De Princ., 2, 10, 7.
170
Hom. in Num., 11,4; see also 20, 3.
171
Comm. in Matt., 13,5.
172
Hom. in Ps. 33:6. See also Gregory of Nyssa, Hom. Cant., 7; Hilary, Tract. Ps. 124; Tract. Ps.
137: All the faithful are aided by the services of these divine ministers according to what has
been written: The angel of the Lord surrounds those who fear Him (Psalm 33:8): Eusebius,
Praep. Ev., 13; Gregory the Wonder-worker, Pan. Orig., PG 10, 1061 BC.
557
redeemed him by His blood from his evil masters entrusts
him, since hereafter he is to believe in God, to a holy angel
who, because of his great purity, always sees the face of the
Father
173
.
But, lest this should happen, lest the evil spirits
should again find foothold in her, God's providence looked
forward in such wise as to provide the little ones and those
who, being as yet but babes and sucklings in Christ, cannot
defend themselves against the wiles of the devil and the at-
tacks of evil spirits, with angel champions and guardians.
These are ordained by Him to act as tutors and governors
of those who, as we said, are under age and so unable to
fight for themselves (1 Cor. 3:1; Eph. 6:11; Gal. 4:2)
174
.
Each and everyone of the faithful, and he the least
in the Church, is said to be assisted by an angel, of whom
the Savior says that he sees the face of God the Father
175
.
Angels are the highest rational creatures. Origen
believed that angels direct nations and churches as well as
act as the guardians of individual people. Angels of higher
rank have charge of more important functions. In his homi-
lies at Caesarea, Origen claimed, for example, that angels
of higher rank are assigned to persons of higher intellectual
stature and consequently greater responsibility, than are
assigned to the common run of folk. Persons who failed to
behave worthily of their high calling could be divorced by
their heavenly guardians and assigned to an angel of lower
rank
176
.
Angels, demons and men were created equal; differences
even among heavenly creatures are a result of their conduct, that

173
Comm. in Matt., 13, 28.
174
175
176
Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM Press Ltd, 1983, p.105.
Origen
558
depended on their own will.
God gave angels the care of all of creation; rational and ir-
rational.
Before conversion, man is subject to demons, but after con-
version he is under the care of a private angel who incites him to
do good and defends him against evil angels.
Angels participate with us in our worship. When the church
assembles, the angels of believers also assemble with them as a
hidden church.
So great was the demonic influence felt to be that Origen
devotes a chapter of his work On First Principles to "how the devil
and the opposing powers are, according to the Scriptures, at war
with the human race." He expends much of his effort, however, on
putting the demons' role into perspective. Some simple Christians
think, Origen says, that the demons' powers are so overwhelming
that they drive people into sin, and that if there were no demons
there would be no sin. But this is not the case; sin arises from
within, and the demons take advantage of our sinfulness and ag-
gravate it, although they do in fact introduce some evil thoughts
into our hearts as well. In any event, we are not alone in the fight
against the evil powers, since there are good spirits too who come
to our aid. Here Origen recalls a passage from the second-century
Shepherd of Hermas
177
, which speaks of two angels in the human
person, one of righteousness and one of wickedness, each compet-
ing for his soul
178
.
Or at least since the Lord in the gospel testifies that
the hearts of sinners are besieged by "seven demons" (Luke
11:26), "the priest" appropriately sprinkles seven times
before the Lord" in purification that the expulsion "of the
seven evil spirits" from the heart of the person purified

177
Mand 6:2:1-10.
178
De Principiis 3:2:4; Boniface Ramsey: Beginning to Read the Fathers, Paulist Press, 1985, p. 65-
6.
559
maybe shown by " the oil shaken seven times from the fin-
gers
179
."
Origen applies a verse from Psalm 90 to the Christians:
For He has given His angels charge over you; to keep you in all
your ways. (Psalm 90:11). He comments: For it is the just who
need the aid of the angels of God, so as not to be overthrown by
the devils, and so that their hearts will no be pierced by the arrow
which flies in the darkness
180
.
Origen attributes to the angels a role in this healing proc-
ess. Interpreting the parable of the Good Samaritan as pertaining to
the conversion of the sinner, he writes: When he was about to
leave in the morning, he took two pennies from the money he had
with him, from his silver, and gave them to the innkeeper, certainly
the angel of the church, whom he commands to look after [the sick
man] carefully, and nurse him back to health.
181
Elsewhere, com-
paring the resurrection of Lazarus to that of the sinner, Origen
remarks that the body of Lazarus, after leaving the tomb, is still
bound with bandages: One might ask to whom Jesus said Loose
him. It is not recorded as being said to the disciples, nor to the
crowd, nor to those who are with Mary. Because of the words,
Angels drew near and ministered to Him, and because of the
symbolic character of the passage, one might suppose that it is
other than these who are addressed here
182
.
Origen distinguishes the general presence of the angles
with regard to the one who is praying and the special presence of
the guardian angel. In the same way we must suppose that the an-
gels who are the overseers and ministers of God are present to one
who is praying in order to ask with him for what he petitions, the
angel, indeed, of each one, even of the little ones in the Church,

179
In Lev. hom. 8:14 (G.W. Barkley - Frs. of the Church).
180
Hom. in Num., 5, 3.
181
Hom. in Luc., 34.
182
Comm. in Jo., 28, 8.
Origen
560
always seeing the face of the Father who is in heaven and behold-
ing the divinity of our Creator, prays with us and cooperates with
us, and far as is possible, in what we seek.
183
This participation of
the guardian angel in prayer, his union with our supplication,
comes up frequently in Origen. This Christian has nothing to fear
from the devil, because the Angel of the Lord shall encamp round
about those that fear Him and he shall deliver them; and his angel
who constantly sees the face of the Father in heaven, always offers
up his prayers through the one High-Priest to the God of all. In
fact, he himself joins in the prayers of the one entrusted to his
care
184
.
Thus the angel circulates between the soul and heaven. We
readily admit... that they rise upwards carrying the prayers of
men.. and come back down bringing to each one what he desires of
the goods that God has appointed them to administer to the objects
of their loving kindness
185
.
All men are moved by two angels, an evil one who inclines
them to evil and a good one who inclines them to good
186
. And
again: What I say of every single province I think ought to be be-
lieved as well of every single man. For everyone is influenced by
two angels, one of justice and the other of iniquity. If there are
good thoughts in our head, there is no doubt that the angel of the
Lord is speaking to us. But if evil things come into our heart, the
angel of the evil one is speaking to us
187
.

THE ANGELS AND SPIRITUAL LIFE
The assistance of the angels which is given to the soul at

183
De or., 11,5 (ACW 19).
184
Contra Cels., 8,36.
185
Ibid., 5, 4. See also Hom. in Num., 11,5; Hom. in Lev., 9,8. Hilary has this testimony to give:
There is positive grounds to the teaching (auctoritas absoluta) that the angels preside over the
prayers of the faithful. They offer to God every day the prayers of those who have been saved
(Comm. in Matt., 18,5). See also Tract. Ps. 129.
186
Hom. in Luc., 35.
187
Ibid., 12.
561
baptism is to continue throughout the whole course of its life. Not
even sins can suppress it. They can only sadden the angel of the
soul
188
.
Origen had already written: There had to be angels who
are in charge of holy works, who teach the understanding of the
eternal light, the knowledge of the secrets of God, and the science
of the divine
189
.
Thus Origen writes: But set forth, be not afraid of the de-
sert solitude. Soon even the angels will come to join you
190
.
Origen was the first really to emphasize this characteristic
of the action of the angels, the fact that it is concerned with the be-
ginnings of the spiritual life: Look and see if it is not above all the
children, led by fear, who have angels; and if in the case of the
more advanced it is of the Lord of the angels who says to each of
them: I am with you in tribulation.; To the extent that we are im-
perfect, we have need of an angel to free us from evils. But when
we are mature and when we have passed the time for being under
teachers and masters, we can be led by Christ Himself
191
.
Here Origen stresses a general aspect of the doctrine of the
angels, their relation with beginnings and preparations. It is they
who prepared the path of Christ in the Old Testament; they are the
friends of the Bridegroom whose joy is perfect when they hear the
voice of the Bridegroom and who leave the Bride alone with Him;
it is they who, as the Gospel teaches, have a particular relationship
with children. So their role remains connected with the beginnings
of the spiritual life. They draw the soul to good by noble inspira-
tions and they give it a horror of sin. Thus they dispose it to re-
ceive the visitation of the Word. But they withdraw before Him. In

188
Origen, Hom. in Luc., 35.
189
Hom. in Num., 14, 2.
190
Hom. in Num., 17, 4; E. Bettencourt, Doctrina ascetica Origenis, pp. 30 f.
191
Comm. in Matt., 12, 26. See also Comm. in Jo., 1, 25; Hom. in Num., 11, 3; 14, 3. See E.
Bettencourt, op. cit., pp. 24-28.
Origen
562
the course of its spiritual ascent, the soul passes first of all through
the angelic spheres, but it goes beyond in order to arrive to the
realm of God. The whole mission of the angels is to lead souls to
the King of the angels and then to disappear before Him.

ANGELS REJOICE FOR OUR VICTORY
When you will be engaged in the conflict you can say
with Paul: We are made a spectacle to the world and to an-
gels and to men (1 Cor. 4:9). The whole world, therefore, all
the angels on the right and on the left, all men, both those on
the side of God (Deut. 32:9; Col. 1:12) and the others - all
will hear us fighting the fight for Christianity. Either the an-
gels in heaven will rejoice over us, and the rivers shall clap
their hands, the mountains shall rejoice together, and all the
trees of the plain shall clap their branches (Ps. 97:8; Isa.
55:12 LXX) - or - and God forbid that it should happen - the
powers of the lower world will gloat over our crime and will
be glad
192
.

THE ANGELS AT THE MOMENT OF OUR DEATH
The angels as the servants of the Savior desire and help us
in our salvation. they assist at the ascension of the souls of the true
believers, specially the martyrs, crying out, Quis est iste?
193
Ori-
gen shows the angels assisting with open admiration at the strug-
gles of the martyrs, just as they did at that of Christ:
A great multitude is assembled to watch you when
you combat and are called to martyrdom. It is as if we said
that thousands gather to watch a contest in which contest-
ants of outstanding reputation are engaged. When you are
engaged in the conflict you can say with St. Paul: We are
made a spectacle to the world and to the angels and to

192
Exhortation to Martyrdom, 18 (ACW).
193
Origen, Hom. in Judic., 7,2.
563
men. The whole world, therefore, all the angels on the
right and on the left, all men, both those on the side of God
and the others-all will hear us fighting the fight for Christi-
anity. The angels in heaven will rejoice with us
194
.
Who could follow the soul of a martyr as it passes
beyond all the powers of the air [the demons] and makes
its way towards the altar of heaven? Blessed is that soul
which, by the crimson of its blood poured out in martyr-
dom, puts to rout the ranks of the demons of the air advanc-
ing toward it. Blessed is he of whom the angels shall sing
the prophetic words as he enters into heaven, Who is this
that comes up from Bosra?
195

When this tabernacle has been dissolved, and we
have begun to enter into the Holies and pass on to the
promised land, those who are really holy and whose place
is in the Holy of Holies will make their way supported by
the angels, and until the tabernacle of God come to a halt,
they will be carried on their shoulders and raised up by
their hands. This the Prophet foresaw in spirit, when he
said: For he has given his angels charge over you; to keep
you in all your ways (Psalm 90:11). But everything that is
written in this Psalm applies to the just rather than the
Lord... Paul, treating of the same mystery, strengthens the
belief that some will be borne upon the clouds by the an-
gels when he says, Then we who live, who survive, shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17)
196
.
The angels who have had the responsibility of human souls

194
Exhort., 18 (ACW 19).
195
Ohm. in Judaic., 7,2. Gregory of Nyssa presents the angels waiting on the death of martyrs in
order to lead their souls into their abodes (Serm. 40 Mart.).
196
In Num. hom. 5, 3. See also Eusebius, Comm. in Is., 66: The angels will lead the elect to their
blessed end, when they will be lifted up, carried as was Elias on an angelic chariot, amid the rays
of heavenly light.
Origen
564
are shown examining the merits and demerits of the souls who pre-
sent themselves before the gates of heaven. They are somewhat
like customs officials at the gates of cities
197
.
Every angel, at the end of the world, will present
himself for judgment, leading with him those whom he
guided, helped, and taught
198
.

ANGELS AND SPIRITUAL UNION WITH THE SOULS OF
MEN
We must therefore take heed lest there be found in
us any unseemly thing, and we should not find favor in the
eyes of our husband Christ, or of the angel who has been
set over us. For if we do not take heed, perhaps we also
shall receive the bill of divorcement, and either be bereft of
our guardian, or go to another man. But I consider that it
is not of good omen to receive, as it were, the marriage of
an angel with our own soul
199
.

THE FOOD OF ANGELS
The saints can sometimes share spiritual and rational
food not only with men, but also with the more divine powers.
They do so either to help them, or to show what excellent
nourishment they have been able to prepare for themselves.
The angels rejoice and nourish themselves on such a demon-
stration, and become the more ready to cooperate in every
way and for the future to join their efforts towards a more
comprehensive and more profound understanding for him
who, provided only with the nourishing doctrines that earlier
were his, has brought joy to them and, to put it thus, nour-
ished them. Nor must we wonder that man should give nour-

197
Origen, Hom. in Luc., 23.
198
Hom. in Num., 11,4).
199
565
ishment to the angels. Christ Himself confesses that He stands
at the door and knocks, that He may come in to him who
opens the door to Him, and sup with him (Rev. 3:20). And
then He gives of His own to him who first nourished, as well
as he could, the Son of God
200
.
Since the angels also are nourished on the wisdom
of God and receive strength to accomplish their own
proper works from the contemplation of truth and wisdom,
so in the Psalms we find it written that the angels also take
food, the men of God, who are called Hebrews, sharing
with the angels and, so to speak, becoming table-
companions with them. As much is said in the passage,
Man ate the bread of angels (Ps. 77:25). Our mind must
not be so beggarly as to think that the angels forever par-
take of and nourish themselves on some kind of material
bread which, as is told, came down from heaven upon those
who went out of Egypt (Exod 16:15; Ps. 77:24), and that it
was this same bread which the Hebrews shared with the
angels, the spirits dedicated to the service of God (Heb.
1:14)
201
.
Just as the demons, sitting by the altars of the Gen-
tiles, used to feed on the steam of the sacrifices, so also the
angels, allured by the blood of the victims which Israel of-
fered as symbols of spiritual things, and by the smoke of the
incense, used to dwell near the altars and to be nourished
on food of this sort
202
.

200
On Prayer 27:11 (ACW)
201
202
Origen
566
DEMONS

The demons, having once been rational (logika) beings,
have become, through their rejection of God irrational (aloga) be-
ings without reason; thus they are assimilated to the animals, be-
coming as it were spiritual beasts
203
. Origen states that the Church
assures the existence of the demons, and left the questions what
they are, and how they are for discussion.
Further, in regard to the devil and his angels and
the opposing spiritual powers, the Church teaching lays it
down that these beings exist, but what they are or how they
exist it has not explained very clearly. Among most Chris-
tians, however, the following opinion is held, that this devil
was formerly an angel, but became an apostate and per-
suaded as many angels as he could to fall away with him;
and these are even now called his angels
204
.

THE AUTHORITY OF THE DEMONS UPON THE
WICKED
Origen asks if truly Satan and his angels have been de-
stroyed by the redeeming work of Christ, why we believe that he
still has authority against the servants of God? He answers that the
violent activity of Satan has its effect on evildoers only, but he has
no authority upon those who are in Christ
205
.
One must suppose that if a man becomes unworthy of
a holy angel, he may even give himself up to an angel of the
devil because of the sins he commits and his disobedience
wherewith he condemns God
206
.
In this way, then, even Satan was once light, before

203
204
205
In Librum Jesu Neve, hom. 8:4.
206
567
he went astray and fell to this place, when his glory was
turned into dust (Isa. 14:11) which is the peculiar mark of
the wicked, as the prophet also says. And so he is called the
prince of this world (John 12:31; 16:11) for he exercises
his princely power over those who are obedient to his wick-
edness, since this whole world (and here I take world
to mean this earthly place) lies in the evil one (1 John
5:19), that is, in this apostate. That he is an apostate, or
fugitive, the Lord also says in Job, in the following words,
You wilt take with a hook the apostate dragon (Job
40:20), that is, the fugitive dragon. And it is certain that the
dragon means the devil himself
207
.
R. Cadiou says,
The devils power is derived from the weakness of
the soul. Is that power ever exerted unless the soul is off
guard and lacking in vigilance? Does not the devil take ad-
vantage of the lowering of our resistance owing to luxury
and sloth? Seizing the occasion of the first transgression, he
presses us hard in every way, seeking to extend our sins
over a wider field. He knows how to profit from sin, for he
was the first sinner on this earth. He exploits the threefold
temptation of the body, of external things, and of our
thoughts. He turns a man of uncontrollable anger into a
murderer. He takes full control, we know, in the morbid
states of obsession, of madness, and of melancholia. He
offers such incitements to sin that even the purest soul must
be vigilant against the merest defilement from his assaults.
But his attacks are never greater than our powers of resis-
tance. No being, except the Savior, has ever had to with-
stand the attacks of all the powers of hell. Therefore the
great occasion of sin is the flesh itself, with its instincts that
turn the soul away from its true end. Within our body there

207
Origen
568
are germs of evil, opposed to the germs of good which God
has implanted in the mind. The human will, which of itself
is weak to accomplish any good, readily yields to those in-
stincts. Then the memory, in its weakness to hold fast to
good, makes sinful impressions even stronger
208
.

BAPTISM AND OUR AUTHORITY ON THE DEMONS
Before baptism a renunciation of Satan is realized. In per-
forming this solemn act, the catechumen faced the west, the region of
the devil and his cohorts of evil angels. He then turned toward the
east, the land of salvation, to be baptized.
And how many savage beasts infuriated against us,
wicked spirits and evil men, have we encountered and often
through our prayers muzzled so that they were unable to fix
their teeth in those among us who had become the members
of Christ! (Cf. 1 Cor. 6:15; Dan. 6:22)
209

THE AUTHORITY OF BELIEVERS UPON THE DEMONS
Origen warns that evil spirits are lying in wait to lead men
astray and subject them to their kingdom of darkness.
He asks the powers of betrayal to attack the souls of
men not openly but suddenly through unstraight ways... We
say with Paul, we do not ignore his plans
210
.
The believer should cultivate the aid of the administering
spirits of God to repulse those hostile demons
211
.
Do the demons have any authority? Origen believes that
these diabolical and bestial images cannot destroy the image of
God. The latter endures beneath the former like the water in Abra-
hams well which the Philistines filled with mire. A picture painted

208
209
On Prayer 13:3.
210
In Jos. hom. 14:3.
211
De Principiis 3:2:5; Jaroslav Pelikan: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100), p. 136.
569
by the Son of God, it is indelible. But, just as Isaac had to come to
clear out the wells his father had dug, only Christ, our Isaac, can
clear the wells of our soul of the filth that our sins have accumu-
lated, so that the living water can flow again. The permanence of
the after-the-image in man despite his faults assures, through the
grace of Christ, the possibility of conversion: it is the same with
the permanence of the spirit, an element of the trichotomic anthro-
pology
212
.
Before we have the faith there was a kingdom of sin
in everyone of us. But by the coming of Jesus, all kings
who were reigning over us were killed... He teaches us
how to kill them all and do not leave even one of them to
escape, for if we leave one alive, we cannot be considered
as the followers of Joshuas sword (Jos. 11:10-11).
If a sin of greed, pride or carnal lusts reigns over
you, you are not a soldier of Israel and you disobeyed the
commandment which God gave to Joshua
213
.
All the earth is the palace of this king who received
authority over the whole earth as if it is his own palace; it
is the Satan!...
It is written in the Gospels that the strong one
sleeps in his palace in security until He who is stronger
comes and fetters him with chains and deprives him of his
possessions. Then, the king of this palace is the prince of
this world
214
.
Origen comments on the words, you should tread upon the
lion and the cobra Ps. 91:13.
As we read in the Scripture which straightens us,
we acknowledge completely that we have an authority to
tread upon you (O devil ) with feet.

212
Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 96-97
213
In Jos. hom. 15:4.
214
In Jos. hom. 14:2.
Origen
570
This authority is not given in the Old Testament (Ps.
91:13), but in the New Testament. Does not the Savior say:
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents
and Scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and
nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19).
Let us trust in this authority and receive our armor,
and trample with our conduct on the lion and copra
215
.
Jesus came strong in the battle to destroy all our
enemies and redeem us from their snares and free us from
our enemies and all who hate us
216
.

PERPETUAL FATHERHOOD OF THE DEVIL AND THAT
OF GOD
The devil was formerly our father, before God be-
came our Father. Perhaps indeed the devil still is;... if
everyone that commits sin is born of the devil, so to
speak, as often as we sin.
Such perpetual birth from the devil is as wretched
as perpetual birth from God is blessed.
Note that I do not say that the righteous man has
been born once and for all of God, but that he is so born on
every occasion that God gives him birth for some good ac-
tion. (This perpetual rebirth is true even of Christ) for
Christ is the effulgence of glory, and such effulgence
is not generated once only but as often as the light creates
it... Our Savior is the Wisdom of God, and wisdom is the
effulgence of eternal light (Wisdom 7:26). If then the
Savior is always being born... from the Father, so too are
you, if you have the spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:15), and
God is always begetting you in every deed and thought
you have; and this begetting makes you a perpetually re-

215
In Luc. hom. 31:1-7.
216
In Luc. hom. 10:3.
571
born son of God in Christ Jesus
217
.
Our inner man, therefore, is said either to have God
as Father, if he lives according to God and does those
things which are of God, or the devil, if he lives in sin and
performs his wishes.
The Savior shows this clearly in the Gospels when
he says, "You are of your father the devil and you wish to
do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the
beginning and he did not stand in the truth" (John 8:44).
As, therefore, the seed of God is said to remain in
us when we, preserving the word of God in us, do not sin,
as John says, "He who is of God does not sin because
God's seed remains in Him,"(1 John 3.9.) so also when we
are persuaded to sin by the devil we receive his seed
218
.

TRUSTING IN THE DEMONS
Origen states that horses in the Scriptures refer to the
Devil.
A horse is a vain hope for safety, neither shall it
deliver any by its great strength Ps. 33:17. This also is
said concerning those who trust in the Devil: They have
bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand up-
right Ps. 20:8. Comparison here, in fact, is not between
the chariot (horses) and the Lord, as if to these we appeal.
But here he explains that we supplicate the true God, while
they to the chariots and horses, i.e., to the evil spirits
219
.

DEVILS CURRENCY
Well, murder is the devils currency... You have
committed murder: you have, then, received the devils

217
In Jer. hom. 9:4.
218
In Exodus hom. 8:6 ( Cf. Ronad E Heine- Frs. of the Church, vol. 71.)
219
In Jos. hom. 15:3.
Origen
572
money. Adultery is the devils currency... You have commit-
ted adultery: you have received coinage from the devil.
Robbery, false witness, rapacity, violence-all these are the
devils riches and his... treasure; for such is the money that
comes from his mint. It is, then, with this kind of money that
he buys his victims, and makes his slaves all those who
have taken the smallest coin from such a treasury
220
.

DEMONS AS EVIL GUARDIANS
The demons can be guardians, guardians in reverse, trying
to make those they have taken charge of sin, whether individuals
or nations. At their head is their chief, Satan, the Devil, the Evil
One, in whom Origen sees the Principle of the fall following
(J ob 40,14 [19 LXX]): He is made to be the first of the works
(plasma) of God, to be the laughing stock of his angels
221
.

THE CROSS AND THE DEVIL
1. The Demons as the princes of this world laid a snare to
J esus Christ, and crucified Him, not knowing who was concealed
within Him.
When these, therefore, and other similar princes of
this world, each having his own individual wisdom and
formulating his own doctrines and peculiar opinions, saw
our Lord and Savior promising and proclaiming that he
had come into the world for the purpose of destroying all
the doctrines, whatever they might be, of the knowledge
falsely so called (1 Tim. 6:20), they immediately laid
snares for Him, not knowing who was concealed within
Him. For the kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers
were gathered together against the Lord and against His

220
In Exod. hom. 6:9.
221
573
Christ (Ps. 2:2)... They crucified the Lord of glory
222
.
2. Through the cross the demons lost their dominion.
He began on the cross by chaining the demon, and,
having entered into his house, that is to say, into Hell, and
having ascended from there into the heights, He led away
captives, that is to say, those who rose again and entered
with Him into the heavenly Jerusalem
223
.
But if we follow Jesus and believe His words and
are filled with His faith, the demons will be as nothing in
our sight
224
.

THE SALVATION OF THE DEVIL
In chapter four under the title Apokatastis, I have dealt
with this topic, the salvation of the Devil according to Origen.
Robert Payne says,
J ust as he believed that the sun would return to God,
so he believed that even the Devil would return to his
proper inheritance, and walk once again in the Paradise of
God between the cherubim
225
. And why, he asks, should it
not be? Was he not once the Prince of Tyre among the
saints, without stain, adorned with the crown of comeliness
and beauty, and is it to be supposed that such a one is any
degree inferior to the saints? Sin did not brand a man eter-
nally; the pains of Hell are disciplinary and temporary, not
everlasting, and Hell fire is no more than the purifying
flame which removes the baser elements from the souls
metal. Not the body as flesh, but the body as spirit will rise
again on that eternal morning, of which all the ages of the
world are no more than the previous night. And that this

222
223
Comm. on Rom. 5:10; PG 14:,1052 A.
224
In Num. hom. 7:5.
225
Origen
574
Heaven exists, and that the end will be as the beginning we
have no doubt, for God would never have implanted in our
minds the love of truth, if it were never to have an opportu-
nity of satisfaction
226
.

THE DEVIL AS THE BLINDER
Origen maintains that the blinder is the evil one, the
Healer is our Lord J esus Christ.
But as for they could not believe, we must say
that the case is similar to that of congenital physical blind-
ness, later cured by the Savior: to say I cannot see be-
cause I am blind would not be to deny that the blind man
would ever be able to see. Indeed later he could, when Je-
sus opened the eyes of the blind and graciously bestowed
the gift of sight... In the same way those who once could not
believe because their eyes had been blinded by the evil one
were still able to come to believe by coming to Jesus... and
seeking the gift of (spiritual) sight
227
.
We are not under the control of demons but of the
God of the universe, through Jesus Christ who brings us to
Him. According to the laws of God no demon has inherited
control of things on the earth; but one may suggest that
through their own defense of the law they divided among
themselves those places where there is no knowledge of
God and the life according to His will, or where there are
many enemies of His divinity. Another suggestion would be
that because the demons were fitted to govern and punish
the wicked, they were appointed by the Word that adminis-
ters the universe, to rule those who have subjected them-
selves to sin and not to God
228
.

226
De Principiis 2:10:5; Robert Payne: Fathers Of The Eastern Church, Dorset Press, New York,
1985, P. 45.
227
Comm. on John Frag 9:2 on 12:39.
228
Contra Celsus 8:33.
575
12

FREE WILL

The first chapter of book three of De Principiis which takes
up over half of that book, brings us to the heart of Origen's theol-
ogy, the doctrine of free will. Except for one paragraph, the full
Greek text survives. The chapter falls into three unequal parts. The
first part is a discussion, in philosophical terms, of the question.
The brief second part cites biblical texts that uphold the doctrine of
free will. The third and longest part discusses in detail passages
from the Bible that seem, on what Origen insisted to be a superfi-
cial reading, to deny free will
1
.

FREE WILL OF RATIONAL CREATURES
According to Origen men as well as all other rational crea-
tures are free
2
. Truly man is everywhere in chains, but it is his own
responsibility, for the cause of his enslavement is traceable to that
very freedom, which he misused.
All the Gnostic systems, and most other specula-
tions of this period, ran in a fatalistic direction. If Origen
appears to us to spend unnecessary trouble in his effort to
establish the fact of human freedom, we must remember
that it is largely this which gives the Christian tone and
color to all his thought
3
.

1
Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM Press Ltd, 1983, p.115-6.
2
De Principiis preface 5.
3
Henri De Lubac: Origen, On First Principles, NY., 1966 (Koetschau text together with an introduc-
tion and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. LVII.
Origen
576
The weakness of Origens system, considered as a
whole, lies in its assumption that the entire cosmic process
is a mistake, due to the misuse of free will
4
.
Against the Gnostics, specially Marcion, Valentinus, and
Basilides Origen argues that rational creatures were originally
equal, for in the changeless God, who is just, there could be no
cause of diversity
5
. The primary referent of this equality is the
goodness of each creature as obedient to or imitative of God
6
.
Unlike God creatures possess their goodness accidentally (kata
sumbebekos) and not essentially (ousiodos). But they can make it
their own by freely choosing to continue in the good
7
. This choice
is free, however, the opposite choice is possible. Whatever choice
is made, the creature is responsible for it
8
.
Thus, Origen was able to give an account of the levels of
creatures goodness (or evil) and Gods judgment upon them. Each
creature is the cause of his own fall
9
. And in proportion as one
falls, one is placed in the cosmos by God. The scale runs from the
highest angels down to demons. Even in the various fallen stages
creatures remain free to return to their original goodness or to be-
come worse
10
.
...every rational nature can, in the process of pass-
ing from one order to another, travel through each order to
all the rest, and from all to each, while undergoing the
various movements of progress or the reverse in accor-
dance with its own actions and endeavors and with the use
of its power of free will
11
.

4
tion and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. LVIII.
5
Ibid. 2:9:5-6.
6
Ibid.
7
8
Church History 35 (1966): 13-23 (B. Darrell Jackson: Sources of Origens Doctrine of Freedom).
9
De Principiis 1:4:1
10
Church History 35 (1966): 13-23 (B. Darrell Jackson: Sources of Origens Doctrine of Freedom),
p. 14.
11
Free Will
577
As we have seen before in chapters 7 and 9, after the Fall,
man was unable to return to his original goodness by his own ef-
fort. He is in need of the grace of God and the redeeming work of
Christ, even this is realized through his free will.
Every soul has the power and choice to do every-
thing that is good. But because this good feature in human
nature had been betrayed when the chance of sin was of-
fered... the fragrance it gives forth(Song 2:13), when it is
redeemed by grace and restored by the teaching of the
Word of God, is that very fragrance which the Creator had
bestowed at the beginning and sin had taken away....The
grace which [the soul] had first received from the Creator,
was lost, and now was recovered...
12

FREEDOM AS A CHURCH DOCTRINE
Origen believes that a doctrine of freedom is one of the
doctrines set forth by the apostles as essential. He was not an
innovator on this. Earlier Christian writers had considered freedom
an important Christian doctrine
13
. Yet beyond its traditional status,
Origen has a rationale for including this doctrine. He starts De
Principiis 3:1, the chapter on freedom, in this way
14
:
Since the teaching of the Church includes the doc-
trine of the righteous judgment of God, a doctrine which, if
believed to be true, summons its hearers to live a good life
and by every means avoid sin, for it assumes that they ac-
knowledge that deeds worthy of praise or blame lie within
our own power (ephhemin ) - let us now discuss separately
a few points on the subject of free will,...
15

The freedom of creatures is inferred from the doctrine of
judgment. Gods judgment to be righteous, must be exercised on

12
Comm. on Song Songs 4.
13
For example St. Justin: Apology 1:43-44; St. Theophilus: Ad Autolycum 2:27; and St. Irenaeus:
Adv. Haer. 4:37.
14
Church History 35 (1966): 13-23 (B. Darrell Jackson: Sources of Origens Doctrine of Freedom).
15
De Principiis 3:1:1 (Butterworth)
Origen
578
responsible creatures. Responsibility in turn requires freedom.
Now the doctrine of judgment is ecclesiastic and scriptural.

FREEDOM AS A SCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE
In his speech on Free will, Origen quotes several passages
from the Old and New Testaments (Micah 6:8; Deut. 30:15, 19;
Isa. 1:19f; Matt. 5:39, 22, 28; Rom. 2:4-10) to show that God
commands obedience and rewards it, and punishes disobedience
16
.
But this God ...tells us that it lies in our power to observe the in-
junctions...
17
He concludes, Indeed, there are in the Scriptures
ten thousands of passages which with utmost clearness prove the
existence of free will
18
.
Thus the freedom of the rational creature is an inference
from certain Scriptures which do not mention freedom at all. One
wonders why Origen did not use some such text as Galatians 5:1 or
2 Corinthians 3:17 as Scripture passages basis for a doctrine of
freedom. But he did not; rather he inferred it as a consequence of
other scriptural. Still, in that respect, it has a Scriptural basis. But
note what has been inferred from these Scriptures: only the exis-
tence of freedom. When Origen delineates the nature of freedom,
he draws upon non-Biblical sources
19
.
Freedom is related to Scripture in two ways.
First, Scripture is allegorized to be consistent with it. Ori-
gen sees in the prophecies about Egypt, Tyre, Babylon, Israel, etc.
references to heavenly places which are the dwelling places of
souls in the various stages of fall and return
20
. And in the Scriptures
about the king of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:11-19) and Lucifer (Isaiah

16
Ibid. 3:1:6.
17
Ibid.
18
Ibid.
19
p. 13-14.
20
Free Will
579
14:12-22; Luke 10:18) he sees proof that individuals can choose to
fall from a higher state to a lower one
21
.
Second, Scripture presents certain difficulties which the
transcendental doctrine of freedom can explain. For example, why
did God love J acob and hate Esau before they were born? The an-
swer is, of course, older causes
22
.
There is another aspect to Origens doctrine of freedom. He
gives a detailed picture of its internal structure. It has been estab-
lished that freedom is the principle of movement from one state to
another, but it is a certain kind of movement. In two texts, De
Principiis 3:12-3 and De Oratione 6:1, Origen locates freedom by
subdividing the class of things moved (ton kinoumenon)
23
:
1. some are moved solely from without (exothen), e.g.,
logs, wood, stones, and anything moved qua body.
2. Some are moved from within themselves (en heautois),
e.g., animals, plants, fire, springs; of these there are two kinds.
a. Some are moved out of themselves (ex heauton), viz.,
without living soul (apsycha).
b. Some are moved from within themselves (aphheauton),
viz., living things (empsycha); of these there are two kinds.
I. Irrational animals.
II. Rational animals (logikon zoon)
24
.
In sections 7-24 (Book 3:1), many scriptural passages
which appear to deny freedom are shown to be capable of an inter-
pretation at least consistent with and sometimes favorable to Ori-
gens doctrine of freedom. For example, there is the difficult text
in Exodus 4:21 where God is represented as hardening Pharaohs
heart. Origen interprets this to mean that Pharaoh freely rejects

21
22
De Principiis 3:1:2; 2:9:7; Church History 35 (1966): 13-23 (B. Darrell Jackson: Sources of
Origens Doctrine of Freedom).
23
p. 15.
24
p. 15.
Origen
580
the work of Moses (a series of external impressions) and therefore
Gods action in Moses results in Pharaohs hardening of the heart.
Other men freely accept this same action of God and are thereby
brought closer to God
25
. It should be clear that there is much in
Origens doctrine of freedom that he does not even pretend to de-
rive from Scripture. I turn now to examining possible philosophi-
cal sources for Origens non-Biblical theories
26
.

Movable Things
________________________
1. from without 2. from within themselves
_____________________
a. without soul b. with soul
___________________
I. Irrational animals II. Rational animals

MAN'S FREE WILL AND DIVINE GRACE
How can we say that we have free will, if God by His grace
already had chosen us as His own, and He knew us before we were
created that we would believe in Him?
The divine plan of our salvation was eternal, the Father
chose us, for He was pleased with us even before we were made,
through His beloved Son. He accepted us for we were hidden in
His Son, our Mediator, clothing His righteousness. We were cho-
sen, for He knew us before we were created that we would believe
in Him.

25
26
p. 16.
Free Will
581
St. Paul clarifies this, saying:
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be con-
formed to the image of His Son.
Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called;
whom He called, these He also justified;
and whom He justified, these He also glorified (Rom.
8:29,30).
Origen comments on this Pauline passage, saying:
Such passages as these are seized on by those who
do not understand that man who is foreordained by the
foreknowledge of God is really responsible for the happen-
ing of what is foreknown; and they imagine that God intro-
duces men into the world who are already equipped by na-
ture for salvation... Let us observe the order of the words...
It is not fore-ordination that is the start of calling and justi-
fication. If this were so, a more convincing case could be
put by those who bring in the absurd argument about sal-
vation by nature. It is in fact, foreknowledge precedes
fore-ordination... God observed beforehand the sequence of
future events, and noticed the inclination of some men to-
wards piety, on their responsibility, and their stirring to-
wards piety which followed on this inclination; He sees
how they devote themselves to living a virtuous life, and He
foreknew them, knowing the present, and foreknowing the
future... His foreknowledge is not the cause of what hap-
pens as a result of the responsible actions of each individ-
ual. Thus, the freedom bestowed by the Creator enables
man to choose what to realize, of various possibilities
which arise
27
.
As a result of (God's) foreknowledge the free ac-
tions of every man fit in with that disposition of the whole
which is necessary for the existence of the universe
28
.

27
Comm. on Rom. 1 (Philocalia 25:1).
28
On Prayer (De Oratione), 6:3.
Origen
582
God... is not ignorant of the future, but permits man
to do what he wishes through his faculty of free will
29
.
Origen replies to those who say that our salvation is in no
way our responsibility, but is a matter of our constitution, for
which the Creator is responsible, saying:
"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in
vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, the
watchman stays awake in vain" (Ps. 126 [127]:1). This is
not meant to deter us from building, or to counsel us not to
be vigilant in guarding the city which is in our soul... We
should do right in calling a building a work of God, rather
than of the builder, and the preservation of a city from hos-
tile attack we should rightly call an achievement of God
rather than of the guard. But in so speaking we assume
man's share in the achievement, while in thankfulness we
ascribe it to God who brings it to success.
Similarly man's will is not sufficient to obtain the
end (of salvation) (Rom. 9:16), nor is the running of the
metaphorical athletes competent to attain the prize of the
upward summons of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14). This
is only accomplished with God's assistance. Thus it is quite
true, It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of
God who shows mercy (Rom. 9:16). Our perfection does
not come about by our remaining inactive, yet it is not ac-
complished by our own activity; God plays the great part in
effecting it
30
.

29
Sel Exod. 15:25.
30
Free Will
583
FREE WILL AND GOD'S PROVIDENCE
31

Origen asserts that Divine Providence allows mans free
will full scope in his cooperation with God. He says that if a be-
liever takes away the element of free will from virtue he destroys
its essence
32
. This conviction is one of the pillars of Origens ethics
and theology.
Origen harmonized the freedom of the will with the plan of
Divine Providence. In doing so, he constituted himself the de-
fender of free will. As he expounds his theory, providence envel-
ops free will, impels it in the direction of good conduct, disciplines
it, and heals it. If we contemplate this help as it comes to us from
God, we cannot understand it. But the Christian teacher or the
spiritual director is not without evidence to convince him of its
value
33
.
The universe is cared for by God in accordance
with the condition of the free will of each man, and that as
far as possible it is always being led on to be better, and...
that the nature of our free will is to admit various possibili-
ties
34
.
Someone may ask: How can we interpret God's Providence
through the free will of men, for if God takes care of everyone,
even of the number of each heads hair (Matt. 10: 30) how will we
accept the free will of others who would harm me or even kill me
through their free will?
Our God who in His goodness grants us free will, through
His infinite wisdom uses this human freedom for the edification of
His children, for He changes even evil deeds to the salvation of
others. St. Clement of Alexandria gives a biblical example. J acobs
sons sold J oseph as a slave, but God used this evil action for J o-
sephs glory. J oseph said to his brothers: But now, do not there-

31
Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty: Man and Redemption, Alexandria 1991, p. 8.
32
Cf. Contra Celsus 4:3.
33
34
Contra Celsus 5:21.
Origen
584
fore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me
here; for God sent me before you to preserve life ... so now it was
not you who sent me here, but God, and He has made me a father
of Pharaoh, and lord of all (Gen 45: 5-9); Do not be afraid, for
am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against
me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this
day, to save many people alive (Exod. 50: 19, 20).
J udas, the traitor, misused the freedom which was granted
to him, and God used even his evil action for realizing the salva-
tion of mankind by the crucifixion of our Lord.
The universe is cared for by God in accordance
with the condition of the free will of each man, and that as
far as possible it is always being led on to be better, and ...
that the nature of our free will is to admit various possibili-
ties
35
.
God does not create evil; still, He does not prevent
it when it is displayed by others, although He could do so.
But He uses evil, and those who exhibit it, for necessary
purposes. For by means of those in whom there is evil, He
bestows honor and approbation on those who strive for the
glory of virtue.
Virtue, if unopposed, would not shine out nor be-
come more glorious by probation. Virtue is not virtue if it
be untested and unexamined...
If you remove the wickedness of Judas and annul
his treachery you take away likewise the cross of Christ
and His passion; and if there were no cross, then princi-
palities and powers would have not been stripped nor tri-
umphed over by the wood of the cross (Col. 2: 15). Had
there been no death of Christ, there would certainly have
been no resurrection and there would have been no First-
born from the dead (Col. 1: 8); and then there would have
been for us no hope of resurrection.

35
Contra Celsus 5:21.
Free Will
585
Similarly concerning the devil himself, if we sup-
pose for the sake of argument, that he had been forcibly
prevented from sinning, or that the will to do evil had been
taken away from him after his sin; then the same time there
would have been taken from us the struggle against the
wiles of the devil, and there would be no crown of victory
in store for him who rightly struggled
36
.

PHILOSOPHICAL BASICS OF FREEDOM
37

Origens originality consists partly in his combination of
Platonic and Stoic theory and partly in modifying these theories by
Scriptural doctrines. He combines the Platonic transcendental
viewpoint with the Stoic analysis of the internal structure of free-
dom. The former is related to Scripture as a structure found alle-
gorically present in Scripture. It is impossible to say which came
first in Origens mind. He may have seen this transcendental struc-
ture in Scripture and then found Plato confirmatory. But since he
finds it in Scripture by allegory, it seems more likely that the the-
ory is prior. With the Stoic aspect of his doctrine of freedom there
is no such ambiguity. He does not relate it to Scripture at all, either
as confirming Scripture or being confirmed or derived from it. This
part of his doctrine of freedom is purely philosophical.
He ends up with the free rational soul as the middle term
between antecedents which are not in its power (in accordance
with Stoicism) and consequences which follow strictly from its
choices (in accordance with Platonism). In this combination, Pla-
tonism is modified by drastically reducing the number of antece-
dents. ( In the myth of Er all possible lives were presented to the
souls.) Stoicism is modified by positing God as the providential
manipulator of antecedents. This is Scriptural in basis. The Scrip-
tural modification of Platonism is at least two-fold. First, the Lo-
gos of God enters the hierarchy of creatures for the purpose of

36
In Num. hom. 14:2.
37
p. 21-22.
Origen
586
training them to make the right choices in order to improve their
status. Second, Origen sees more clearly than Plato an end to the
series of epochs when the rational souls will have been completely
remodeled by the Logos and God will be all in all.

FREE WILL AND CONVERSION
There is a place in Origens thought for human responsibil-
ity. The attempt is to deal with the question of why some people
adamantly reject Christianity. The main emphasis is on free will
38
.

FREE WILL AND GOOD AND EVIL POWERS
We are not governed by necessity, nor compelled
against our will to do good or evil. For if we are free, some
powers may perhaps be able to urge us to sin, and others to
help us to save ourselves. But we are not at all compelled
to do good or evil, contrary to what is maintained by those
who say that the courses and motions of the stars are the
causes of human actions
39
.
FREEDOM AND WELCOMING CHRIST
A man must question his own heart as soon as he hears the
message of the Church. Christ is found by those who are deter-
mined to find Him. He does not impose Himself upon us. He
knows by whom He is likely to be repulsed and by whom He is to
be welcomed. At the moment foreseen by providence, He makes
Himself known to the heart that longs for Him.
As long as a man preserves the germs of truth
within himself, the Word is never far away from him. Such
a man can always nourish the seeds of hope
40
.

38
Gary Wayne Barkley: Origen; Homilies on Leviticus, Washington, 1990, p. 9.
39
De Principiis, Praef.
40
In Joan. 19:12 PG 14:548; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 297.

587
13

THE CHURCH

A CHURCHMAN

Origen is a churchman, in the fullest sense of the term, his
proudest boast is to be an ecclesiastical man
1
. It may even be said
that the Scripture and the Church were the most important and es-
sential things about him. He created the critical study of the Old
Testament text, and worked out the theology of the relationship
between the Old Testament and the New. In doing so, he was
handing the Church tradition.
Jean Danilou states that Origen is a churchman, saying, We
have seen from his life that he had been catechist, lector, priest,
doctor and martyr by turns: the whole of his life was spent in the
discharge of ecclesiastical functions
2
.
J aroslav Pelikan says,
For one of the most decisive differences between a
theologian and a philosopher is that the former understands
himself as, in Origen's classic phrase, a man of the
church, a spokesman for the Christian community. Even
in his theological speculations and in his polemic against
what may have been public teaching in the church of his
time, a theologian such as Origen knew himself to be ac-
countable to the deposit of Christian revelation and to the
ongoing authority of the church. His personal opinions
must be said into the contents of the development of what
the church has believed, taught, and confessed on the basis
of the Word of God
3
.
Henri de Lubac says,
Origen
588
His intellectual formation, we must not forget, was
entirely Christian; we might even say entirely ecclesiastic.
Many features of his homilies remind us of it, if need be.
We of the Church, he says; I a man of the Church, living
in the faith of Christ and set in the midst of the Church...
J ustin, Tatian, Clement and others like them were converts;
because of a turn of mind due to their early formation they
remained philosophers. But when Origen affectionately
proclaims himself a man of the Church, he underlines
something like an inborn quality that is the mark of his
whole genius. When he speaks of the world, the word is
often used in the sense it has in the gospels-the world that
passes away, especially the evil world from which J esus
Christ comes to set us free...
He constantly appeals to the rule of the Church,
the faith of the Church, the word of the Church, the
preaching of the Church, the tradition of the Church,
the doctrine of the Church, the thought and teaching of
the Church. In the bones of the paschal Lamb he sees a
symbol of the holy dogmas of the Church of which not
one shall be broken. He does not want that there be any
disagreement on doctrine among Churches. He is Ada-
mantius, the man of iron; doctrinal firmness is one of
the virtues closest to his heart. He exalts constancy in the
faith and stability of dogma
4
.
Henri de Lubac also says,
His piety was redoubled by a very strong concern
with orthodoxy. For example, in one of his homilies on
Saint Luke he says: As for myself, my wish is to be truly a
man of the Church, to be called by the name of Christ and
not that of any heresiarch, to have this name which is
blessed all over the earth; I desire to be and to be called, a
Christian, in my words as in my thoughts
5
.
I, myself a man of the Church, living under the faith
of Christ and placed in the midst of the Church, am com-
The Church
589
pelled by the authority of the divine precept to sacrifice
calves and lambs and to offer fine wheat flour with incense
and oil
6
.
If I belong to the Church, no matter how small I
may be, my angel is free to look upon the Face of the Fa-
ther. If I am outside the Church, he does not dare
7
.
That Origen was devoted to the Church is not debated.
What kind of churchman he was is debated. For example, Origen
as a teacher preferred to labor in research and open questions
rather than in the basics of faith. For Origen, to become part of the
church is to think like the Church and to study her theology. But
even during this period of his life we find in his writings echoes of
the baptismal and Eucharistic liturgies
8
.

V V V
Origen
590
CONCEPTS OF CHURCH

1. CHURCH, HOUSE OF THE SON OF GOD
Origen is the first to declare the Church to be the City of
God here on earth
9
, existing for the time being side by side with
the secular state
10
.
It is plain, however, that Christ is describing the
Church, which is a spiritual house and the House of God,
even as Paul teaches, saying: But if I tarry long, it is that
you may know how you ought to behave thyself in the
House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the
pillar and ground of the truth. So, if the Church is the
House of God, then-because all things that the Father has
are the Son's, it follows that the Church is the House of
the Son of God
11
.
St. Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians, pictures the Church
as Christ's building, now growing unto a holy temple in the Lord
(Eph. 2: 21f). Origen speaks of the Church as God's spiritual tem-
ple, saying,
The Spirit of Christ dwells in those who bear, so to
say, a resemblance in form and feature to Himself. And the
Word of God, wishing to set this clearly before us, repre-
sents God as promising to the righteous: "I will dwell in
them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and
they shall be My People" (2 Cor. 6: 16 Cf. Lev. 26: 12; Jer.
3:33; 32:38; Zech. 8:8). And the Savior says: "If any man
hears My words, and does them, I and My Father will come
to him, and make our abode with him (John 14: 23)...
And in other parts of the Holy Scripture where it
speaks of the mystery of the resurrection to those whose
ears are divinely opened, it says that the temple which has
been destroyed shall be built up again of living and most
precious stones, thereby giving us to understand that each
The Church
591
of those who are led by the word of God to strive together
in the duties of piety, will be a precious stone, in the one
great temple of God. Accordingly, Peter says, "You also, as
lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priest-
hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2: 5) and Paul also says, "Being built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ our Lord being the chief comer-stone" (Eph. 2: 20).
And there is a similar hidden allusion in this passage in
Isaiah, which is addressed to Jerusalem: "Behold, I will lay
your stones with carbuncles, and lay your foundations with
sapphires. And I will make your battlements of jasper, and
your gates of crystal, and all your borders of pleasant
stones. And all your children shall be taught of the Lord,
and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteous-
ness shall you be established" (Isa. 54:11-14).
There are, then among the righteous some who are
carbuncles, others sapphires, others jaspers, and others
crystals, and thus there is among the righteous every kind
of choice and precious stone
12
.
Origen could only admire the attitude of the people of God
towards building the tabernacle. Everyone was so eager to offer
generously whatever possible, each according to his ability and
resources. He experienced the urge to participate in establishing
God's spiritual tabernacle within himself, and said:
O Lord Jesus Christ, will you make me worthy to
partake in building Your house.
Come, let us build the tabernacle of Jacob's God,
Jesus Christ our Lord and adorn it...
God's dwelling place is the sanctity that we are re-
quested to attain... Consequently, everybody, can find a
tabernacle for God in his heart. Its ten curtains ( Exod. 26:
1 ) refer to the fulfillment of the ten commandments.
Origen
592
Examining the tabernacle closely, the purple, the
blue, the fine twined linen etc. symbolizes the variety of
good deeds:
Gold refers to faith ~ Rev. 23: 18 ):
Silver to preaching ( Ps. 12: 6 );
Brass to patience
Timber that does not rot to the acquaintance that
the believer gains in the uninhabited wilderness and the
everlasting; chastity;
Linen to virginity;
Purple to loving martyrdom;
Scarlet to the brightness of love
Blue to the hope in the heavenly kingdom;
From all these materials, the tabernacle is built...
The soul should have an altar right in the center of
the heart. On it sacrifices of prayer and burnt offerings of
mercy are offered. Thus, bullocks of pride are slaughtered
with the knife of meekness and rams of anger, goats of
luxuries and passions are killed.
Let the soul know how to establish a permanently
illuminating lampstand, right in the holy of her heart
13
.
Origen calls the Church the "City of God", for she is "the
dwelling of God among His people" (See Rev. 21:3). God builds
His Church, as His own City; builds it not with stones but with His
own elect believers.

2. THE CHURCH, THE ASSEMBLY OF BELIEVERS
Origen describes the Church as the assembly of believers,
or the congregation of Christian people
14
, ministered by the cler-
gymen
15
.
His emphasis, of course, is upon the personal pilgrimage to
God. But he does not forget the communal character of the Chris-
tian life. For example, his treatment of prayer tends to underline
The Church
593
its personal aspects, he remembers that prayer in the community
is more powerful and must be the Christian's joy as well as his
duty. He says, "The angelic powers join the assemblies of the
faithful, whither comes the power of our Lord and Savior Himself,
where the spirits of the saints gather, both those - so I believe - of
the departed who have gone before and, evidently, of those who
are still among the living; though to explain this is not an easy
matter
16
."

3. THE CHURCH, HOUSE OF FAITH
Faith is the core of the church. The Only Begotten Son
Himself admired the faith of men (Matt 8:10), while He was not
admired with gold, wealth, kingdoms etc. Nothing is so precious
to Him like faith
17
. Faith for Him is not just a thought or some
word we utter, but a practical acceptance of God's work in our
lives
18
.

4. THE CHURCH, THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
The Alexandrian Fathers, especially Origen in his Com-
mentary on the Canticle of Canticles, adopted this evangelic con-
cept of the Church as the heavenly Bride of Christ, in which they
found a genuine basis of relationship between God and man.
Do not believe that the Bride, that is, the Church,
has existed only since the Saviors incarnation. She exists
since before the creation of the world (Eph. 1:4). So the
churchs foundations have been laid from the beginning
19
.

5. THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST
The Church is the Body of Christ, animated by Him
as an ordinary body is animated by the soul, and the believer who
belongs to her is his member
20
.
We say
21
that the Holy Scriptures declared the
body of Christ, animated by the Son of God, to be the
Origen
594
whole Church of God, and the members of his body, con-
sidered as a whole, to consist of those who are believers;
since, as a soul vivifies and moves the body, which of itself
has not the natural power of motion like a living being, so
the Word, arousing and moving the whole body, the
Church, to befitting action, awakens, moreover, each indi-
vidual member belonging to the Church, so that they do
nothing apart from the Word.

6. THE HOUSE OF SALVATION
There can be no salvation without this Church. Thus he
states: Extra hanc domum, id est ecclesiam, nemo salvatur
22
. The
church is the ark of salvation, receives light from J esus Christ, has
the ability to interpret the Holy Scripture.
Origen states that there is no salvation outside the Church,
the house of redemption. According to him, Rahab (J osh. 2) mysti-
cally represents the Church, and the scarlet thread the blood of
Christ; and only those in her house are saved.
If anyone wishes to be saved... let him come to this
house where the blood of Christ is for a sign of redemption.
For that blood was for condemnation amongst those who
said, "His blood be on us and on our children" (Matt. 27
25). Jesus was "for the fall and resurrection of many"
(Luke 2: 34); and therefore in respect of those who "speak
against His sign" His blood is effective for punishment, but
effective for salvation in the case of believers.
Let no one therefore persuade himself or deceive
himself: outside this house, that is, outside the Church, no
one is saved... The sign of salvation (the scarlet thread)
was given through the window because Christ by His in-
carnation gave us the sight of the light of godhead as it
were through a window; that all may attain salvation by
that sign who shall be found in the house of her who once
was a harlot, being made clean by water and the Holy
The Church
595
Spirit, and by the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, to whom is glory and power for ever and ever
23
.
For Jesus was set for the falling and rising of
many (Luke 2:34), and hence for those who deny His
sign His blood works punishment, for those who believe,
salvation... Outside this house (i.e. the Church) none is
saved: to leave it makes a man responsible for his own
death
24
.
The church has a power to remit sins.
Ernest Latko says,
A careful study of passages found in Origens earlier
and later works will reveal unmistakably that he maintained
that the Church possessed the power of the keys, or the power
to remit sin. He refers to that power time and again. Not all
authors, however, are agreed that this was his position.
Basing their conclusions on one or another difficult passage,
which can certainly be clarified when compared with the
whole of his doctrine, they come by the conclusion that
Origen denied that power to the Church. Thus Harnack writes
that it was Pope Callistus, who first insisted that the Church
possessed the power to remit sins, and that this edict was a
manifestation of a change taking place in the very concept of
the church. The early church, he says, regarded itself as a
congregation of saints and ascribed the power of remitting
sins to God alone
25
.
Moreover, just as the sun and the moon enlighten
our bodies so also our minds are enlightened by Christ and
the Church
26
.

7. THE COMMUNITY OF LOVE
Origen speaks of the communion of love that unites earth
with heaven:
Origen
596
Now the one great virtue according to the Word of
God is to love one's neighbor. We must believe that the
saints who have died possess this love in a far higher de-
gree towards the ones engaged in the combat of life than
those who are still subject to human weakness and involved
in the combat along with their weaker brethren. The words,
"If one member suffers anything, all the members suffer
with it, or if one member glories, all the members rejoice
with it" (1 Cor. 12:26), are confined to those on earth who
love their brethren...
If the angels of God came to Jesus and ministered
to Him (Matt. 4:11), and if we believe that this ministry of
the angels to Jesus was not limited to just the short time
during His earthly sojourn... then how many multitudes of
angels do you think minister to Jesus to gather together the
sons of Israel one by one, and assemble those of the disper-
sion, and deliver them that are in fear and call upon Him
27
.

8. GATES OF ZION
Origen beholds the Church as the gate of righteousness,
through which J esus Christ, the Righteous One, enters. The
Churchs gates are in the opposite direction of that of death.
Now the gates of Zion may be conceived as opposed
to the gates of death, so that there is one gate of death, dis-
soluteness, but a gate of Zion, self-control. And so a gate of
death, unrighteousness, the gate of Zion is righteousness,
which the prophet shows forth saying, "This is the gate of
the Lord, the righteous shall enter into it (Ps. 118:20)."
And again there is cowardice, a gate of death, but
manly courage, a gate of Zion;
and want of prudence, a gate of death, but its oppo-
site, prudence, a gate of Zion.
But to all the gates of the "knowledge which is
falsely so called (I Tim. 6:20)" one gate is opposed, the
gate of knowledge which is free from falsehood.
The Church
597
But consider if, because of the saying, "our wres-
tling is not against flesh and blood, (Eph. 6:12) etc., you
can say that each power and worlds ruler of this darkness,
and each one of the "spiritual hosts of the wickedness in the
heavenly places (Eph. 6:12) is a gate of Hades and a gate
of death
28
.

9. NEW ISRAEL
The historical Israelites cease to be Israelites, while the be-
lievers from the Gentiles become the New Israel. This involves a
redefinition of Israel
29
.

10. CHURCH, THE ARK OF NOAH AND THE MYSTERY
OF FORGIVENESS
30

Origen interprets the Ark of Noah and its dimensions in a
symbolic manner. He looked to the ark as the Church of Christ:
To the width, we attribute the number 50, which is
the number sacred to forgiveness and remission. According
to the Law, indeed, there was a time for forgiveness of
debts every fifty years...
Now Christ, the spiritual Noah, in His ark, that is to
say, the Church, in which He saves the human race from
destruction, has attributed this number of forgiveness to the
width. For if He had not granted the forgiveness of sins to
believers, the Church would not have spread across the
world
31
.
We have here the application to Christ of the forgiveness
symbolized by the number fifty, but no allusion is made to the li-
turgical Pentecost. This is found elsewhere: The number 50 con-
tains forgiveness according to the mystery of the Jubilee which
Origen
598
takes place every fifty years, or of the feast which takes place at
Pentecost
32
.
This symbolism of Pentecost as signifying forgiveness has
a particular importance for Origen, for in the seven liturgical
weeks he sees the figure of the age-long weeks of weeks through
which is achieved the complete forgiveness of all sins and the res-
toration of all humanity in its perfection through successive exis-
tences: We must examine whether the texts relative to the days, to
the months, to the time and to the years, are not relative to the
ages (aeones). For if the Law is the shadow of future blessings, it
follows that the Sabbaths are the shadow of other Sabbaths. And
what should I say of the feast of the seven weeks of days
33
.
It is interesting also to notice that Origen, in the Homilies
on the Numbers, sought to find in the Gospel the symbolism of
Pentecost as the symbol of forgiveness: The number fifty contains
the mystery of forgiveness and pardon, as we have abundantly
shown in many passages of Scripture. The fiftieth day after Easter
is considered as a feast by the Law. And in the Gospel also, in
teaching the parable of forgiveness and pardon, the Lord speaks of
a debtor who had a debt of fifty denarii
34
.

11. THE CHURCH AS OUR MOTHER
According to the Spirit, your Father is God; your
mother is "the heavenly Jerusalem(Cf. Gal. 4:26; Heb.
12:22). Learn this from prophetic and apostolic witnesses.
This Moses himself writes in a song, Did not your Father
himself acquire you here and possess you?

(Deut. 32:6)
35
.
But the Apostle says about "the heavenly Jerusa-
lem": "she is free who is the mother of us all (Gal. 4:26).
Therefore, first, your Father is God who begot your spirit
and who says, "I have begotten sons and exalted them"
(Isa. 1:2). But the Apostle Paul also says, "Let us submit to
the Father of spirits and we shall live (Heb. 12:9)
36
.

The Church
599
12. THE CHURCH AS AN INTERPRETER OF THE SCRIP-
TURES
On this account we must explain to those who be-
lieve that the sacred books are not the works of men, but
that they were composed and have come down to us as a
result of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by the will of the
Father of the universe through Jesus Christ, what are the
methods of interpretation that appear right to us, who keep
to the rule of the heavenly Church of Jesus Christ through
the succession from the apostles
37
.
Origen believes that our Lord J esus Christ Himself is pre-
sent among His people in the Church to enlighten their inner eyes.
And now if you so wish in this church and in this
congregation your eyes can behold the Lord. For when you
direct your loftiest thoughts to contemplate Wisdom and
Truth, which the Only Son of the Father, your eyes see Je-
sus. Blessed is the community of which it is written that the
eyes of all, catechumens and faithful, men, women, and
children, saw Jesus not with eyes of the flesh, but with
those of the Spirit
38
.

13. THE CHURCH, AN ADORNMENT AND LIGHT OF
THE WORLD
Now, the adornment of the world is the Church,
Christ being her adornment, who is the first Light of the
world
39
.
For the end will come if the salt loses its savor, and
ceases to salt and preserve the earth, since it is clear that if
iniquity is multiplied and love waxes cold upon the earth,
(Matt. 24. 12.) as the Savior Himself uttered an expression of
doubt as to those who would witness His coming, saying,
(Luke 18:8.) "When the Son of man comes, shall He find faith
upon the earth?" then the end of the age will come
40
.
Origen
600
The Church, imitating her heavenly Groom, is the light of
the world. Origen invites his opponent to compare the pagan cities
with the Christian churches established therein
41
.
The churches formed by Christ, if compared to the
assemblies of the cities in which they live appear as lighted
torches in the world. For who will not confess that the least
good members of the Church are often better than many of
those seen in the civil assemblies?
Thus the Church of God which is at Athens is gentle
and constant, doing its best to please the supreme God;
while the assembly of Athens is tumultuous, and cannot in
any way be compared with the Church.
After comparing in the same way the churches of Cornish
and Alexandria with these cities, he adds:
If we compare the senate of the Church of God to
the senate of each city, it will be found that some of the
senators of the Church would be worthy senators of a di-
vine city, if there were such a city of God in the world while
the civil senators in no way deserve by their morals the
eminent place they occupy among their fellow citizens.
Compare, in the same way, the head of each church
to the heads of cities, and you will find that in the
churches of God, even those who are in the lowest rank
among the senators and heads, and who by comparison
seem to be negligent, are yet superior to all the civil mag-
istrates if we put their respective virtues side by side.
V V V
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THE FEATURES OF THE CHURCH

R.P. Lawson says, The exquisite picture that the great Al-
exandrian portrays of his beloved Church is so vivid and so rich in
color... Small wonder that for too many to-day she stands only for
an organization, rather than for what she was familiarly in Origen's
thought of her-Our Lord and Saviors mystical Bride!
42

1. ONE CHURCH
According to Origen, there is only one church on earth,
and it is finally inseparable from the sacramental, hierarchical in-
stitution. This church is, in a striking phrase of Origen, the cos-
mos of the cosmos, because Christ has become its cosmos, he who
is the primal light of the cosmos
43
.
Enlightened by the Logos, the Church becomes the world
of worlds. As he believes in the universal restoration, the Church
for him comprises not only the whole of humanity, but the whole
rational creatures
44
.
Origen sees the unity of the Church based on her one faith,
discipline, and rule.
I bear the title of priest and, as you see, I preach the
word of God. But if I do anything contrary to the discipline of
the Church or the rule laid down in the Gospels-if I give
offense to you and to the Church - then I hope the whole
Church will unite with one consent and cast me off
45
.
In hom. 9 on Joshua, Origen speaks of the temple of God in
which J esus Christ is able to offer a Sacrifice to the Father. It is
built with unbroken stones which not any iron tools was used on
them (Deut. 27.5). These are the pure living stones, the saintly
apostles who constitute one temple through the unity of their hearts
(Acts 1:24) and souls. They pray together in harmony as with one
voice (Acts 1:14). They have one mind. In other words true unity
Origen
602
is based on saintly life, love (unity of hearts), communal wor-
ship (one voice), and oneness of faith (one mind).
Origen looks at the sanctity of every member as a base for
the church unity for what a member commits has its bad effects on
others. He says: a single sinner tarnishes the people
46
, and one
who commits a fornication or another crime, casts a stain on the
whole people
47
.
The victim is eaten in its entirety in a single house,
and no flesh is taken outside. This means that only one
house has salvation in Christ, namely, the Church through-
out the world, hitherto estranged from God but now enjoy-
ing unique intimacy with God because it has received the
apostles of the Lord Jesus, just as of old the house of Ra-
hab, the harlot, received the spies of Joshua, and was the
only one saved in the destruction of Jericho.
So, however numerous the Hebrew houses were,
they were equivalent to a single house, and likewise the
churches throughout town and country, however numerous
they are, constitute but a single Church. For Christ is one
in all of them everywhere, Christ who is perfect and indi-
visible. Therefore in each house the victim was perfect and
was not divided among different houses. For Paul himself
says that we are all one in Christ because there is one
Lord and one faith (Eph. 4:5)
48
.
The unity of the Church is based on its continuity in her
faith which starts by the Old Testament and continues in the New
Testament. Origen summed up the apostolic continuity in the con-
fession "that there is one God, who created and arranged all
things, the God of the apostles and of the Old and New Testa-
ments
49
."
Another form of continuity in the apostolic tradition was
the continuity of the apostles with one another as the faithful
messengers of Christ. Origen spoke in an utterly matter-of-fact
way about "the teaching of the apostles
50
," who, like the prophets
The Church
603
of the Old Testaments, had been inspired by the Holy Spirit. This
definition of apostolic continuity was directed against the isolation
of one apostle from the apostolic community
51
.

2. THE CHURCH ADMITS BELIEVERS OF DIFFERENT
DEGREES
Origen regards all Christians members of the true Church,
though ranked in an ascending scale of faith and knowledge.
Quoting J ohn 14:2 and 1 Cor. 15:39-41, Origen states that
there are degrees among those who receive the salvation. He be-
lieves that the Gibeonites ( J os. 9) refers to the least among them.
They believe in God and His redeeming deeds but they do not
translate this faith in their practical life.
In the Church, there are some Christians who are
real believers. They believe in God and do not discuss His
commandments. They fulfill their religious duties and de-
sire to serve, but they are not pure in their conducts and
private lives. They do not take off the old man with his
deeds (Col. 3:9). They are like the Gibeonites who put on
their old garments and patched sandals...
He found a symbol of this distinction of believers in the
arrangements for carrying the Tabernacle on the march. Aaron
and his sons were to wrap the sanctuary and all the vessels of the
sanctuary in the appointed covering of badgers' skins or cloths of
blue and scarlet; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear
them, but they shall not touch any holy thing lest they die.... they
shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered lest they
die. So in our ecclesiastical observances there are some things that
all must do, but that all cannot understand. Why, for instance, we
should kneel in prayer, or why we should turn our faces to the
East, could not, I think, be made clear to everybody. Who again
could easily expound the manner of celebration of the Eucharist, or
of its reception, or the words and actions, the questions and replies,
of Baptism? And yet all these things we carry veiled and covered
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604
upon our shoulders, when we so fulfill them as they have been
handed down to us by the Great High Priest and his Sons. Only the
son of Aaron, the man of spiritual intelligence, might gaze upon
the holy things naked and unveiled. To the son of Kohath belonged
unquestioning obedience; he carried the burden, but was forbidden
to demand the reason. Nor might the son of Aaron declare it. To
uncover the mystery, to explain that which the bearer was not able
to comprehend, was spiritual homicide
52
.
Origen says that the Church admits the highly spiritual
believers and also the weak ones, calling the former men and the
latter animals.
But the Church also has animals, hear how it says it
in the Psalms: "Lord, you will make men and beasts safe
(Ps. 35:7). These, therefore, who are dedicated to the
study of the word of God and of reasonable doctrine, are
called men. But those who are living without such studies
and do not want exercises of knowledge, but are neverthe-
less faithful, they are called animals, though, to be sure,
clean ones. for just as some are men of God, so some are
sheep of God
53
.
J ean Danilou states that Origen touches on a new subject
of symbolism, the comparison of the animals in the ark and
those who are saved in the Church. The animals are divided
among various degrees of perfection:
As all have neither the same merit, nor is their progress in
the faith equal, so the ark did not offer equal accommodation for
all... and this shows that in the Church also, though all share the
same faith and are washed by the same baptism, all do not equally
advance and each one remains in his own class
54
.
Origen also explains that there are wicked persons in the
church.
Wherefore let us not be surprised if, before the
severing of the wicked from among the righteous by the
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605
angels who are sent forth for this purpose, we see our
gatherings also filled with wicked persons. And would that
those who will be cast into the furnace of fire may not be
greater in number than the righteous
55
!

3. THE CHURCH LOVES ALL MANKIND
Origen who was aflame with the love of all mankind de-
sires the salvation of all men. When Celsus charges the Chris-
tians with believing that God has abandoned the rest of mankind
and is concerned for the Church alone, Origen replies that this is
not a Christian belief
56
.
But since it was God who wished the Gentiles also
to be helped by the teaching of Jesus Christ, every human
plot against the Christians has been thwarted, and the
more kings and local rulers and peoples everywhere have
humiliated them, the more they have grown in numbers and
strength
57
.

THE CHURCH POSSESSES THE RISEN LIFE OF CHRIST
Through unity with the Risen Christ, the Church then is
called to rise in greater brightness and splendor, as though con-
summation had come.
"Arise; come, my neighbor, my fair one, my dove;
for lo, the winter is past; the rain is gone and has departed
to itself; the flowers have appeared on the earth...." (cf.
Song 2 12). We can say that it is a sort of prophecy given
to the Church, to call her to the promised blessings of the
future. She is told to "arise," as though the consummation
of the age were already reached and the time of resurrec-
tion come. And, because this word of command forthwith
seals the work of resurrection, she is invited into the king-
dom, as being now, by virtue of the resurrection, brighter
and more splendid
58
.
Origen explains that Christ is her life:
Origen
606
And the fact that the Church is the aggregate of
many souls and has received the pattern of her life from
Christ
59
.

5. THE CHURCH GRIEVES FOR SINNERS
The Church together with her Head, J esus Christ is in grief
till the return of sinners to their God, and subject to the Father.
Origen comments on the words, Truly I say to you, I will not
drink of the fruit of this vine until I drink it anew with you in the
kingdom of My Father (Matt. 26:29), saying that wine in the holy
Scriptures is a symbol of spiritual joy. God promised His people to
bless their vines, that is to grant them abundance of spiritual joy.
Therefore He prevents the priests to drink wine on their entrance
into the temple, for He wants them to be in grief while the sacri-
fices are offered on behalf of sinners. When all sinners are recon-
ciled with God then their joy will be perfect. Origen believes that
our Lord J esus Christ Himself and His saints are waiting for the
repentance of sinners, therefore, their joy is not yet perfect.
For we must not think that Paul is mourning for
sinners and weeping for those who transgress, but Jesus my
Lord abstains from weeping when he approaches the Fa-
ther, when he stands at the altar and offers a propitiatory
sacrifice for us. This is not to drink the wine of joy when
he ascends to the altar because he is still bearing the bit-
terness of our sins. He, therefore, does not want to be the
only one to drink wine in the kingdom of God. He waits
for us, just as he said, Until I shall drink it with you.
Thus we are those who, neglecting our life, delay his joy
60
.
For now his work is still imperfect as long as I re-
main imperfect. And as long as I am not subjected to the
Father, neither is he said to be subjected (1 Cor. 15:28)
to the Father. Not that he himself is in need of subjection
before the Father but for me, in whom he has not yet com-
pleted his work, he is said not to be subjected, for, as we
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read, we are the body of Christ and members in part (1
Cor. 12:27).
But as long as within me the flesh strives against
the spirit and the spirit against the flesh (Gal. 5:17) and I
have not yet been able to subject the flesh to the spirit, cer-
tainly I am subjected to God, not in whole but in part.
But if I could draw my flesh and all my other members into
harmony with the spirit, then I will seem to be perfectly
subjected.
But he does not drink now because he stands at the
altar and mourns for my sins. On the other hand, he will
drink later, when all things will have been subjected to
him and after the salvation of all and the death of sin is
destroyed (1 Cor. 15:28, 26; Rom. 6:6). Then it will no
longer be necessary to offer sacrifices for sin (Lev. 6:
30). For then there will be joy and delight. Then the hum-
ble bones will rejoice (Ps. 50:10) and what was written
will be fulfilled: Pain, sorrow and sighing flee away
(Isa. 35:10).
For the saints, when they leave this place, do not
immediately obtain the whole reward of their merits. They
also wait for us though we delay, even though we remain,
For they do not have perfect delight as long as they grieve
for our errors and mourn for our sins. Perhaps you do not
believe me when I say this. For who am I that I am so bold
to confirm the meaning of such a doctrine? But I produce
their witness about whom you cannot doubt. For the Apos-
tle Paul is the teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth
(1 Tim. 2:7). Therefore, in writing to the Hebrews, after he
had enumerated all the holy fathers who were justified by
faith, he adds after all that, But those who had every wit-
ness through the faith did not yet obtain the new promise
since God was looking forward toward something better
for us that they might not obtain perfection without us
(Heb. 11:39-40). You see, therefore, that Abraham is still
waiting to obtain the perfect things. Isaac waits, and Jacob
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608
and all the Prophets wait for us, that they may lay hold of
the perfect blessedness with us.
Therefore, you will have delight when you depart
this life if you are holy. But when the delight will be full
when you lack none of the members of the body. For you
will wait for others just as you also are waited for.
Because if the delight does not seem to be complete
for you who are a member, if another member is missing,
how much more does our Lord and Savior, who is the
head (Eph. 4:15-16) and the originator of the whole body,
consider his delight to be incomplete as long as he sees one
of the members to be missing from his body. And for this
reason, perhaps, he poured out this prayer to the Father:
Holy Father, glorify me with that glory that I had with
you before the world was (John 17:5). Thus, he does not
want to receive his complete glory without us, that is, He
Himself wants to live in this body of his church and in these
members of his people as in their soul that he can have all
impulses and all works according to his own will, so that
that saying of the prophet may be truly fulfilled in us, I
will live in them and walk [among them] (Lev. 26:12).
Now, however, as long as we are not all per-
fected, and are still in [our] sins (Phil. 3:15; Rom.
5:8), he is in us in part. For this reason, we know in
part and we prophesy in part (1 Cor. 13:9) until each one
is worthy to come to that measure which the Apostle says,
I live, but it is no longer I, for Christ lives in me (Gal.
2:20), Therefore, in part, as the Apostle says, now we
are his members (1 Cor. 12:27) and in part we are his
bones.
61

You see, therefore, that it is impossible for him to
drink the new cup of the new life who still is clothed by
the old person with his deeds. For no one, it says,
puts new wine into old wine skins. Therefore, if you want
to drink from this new wine, renew yourself and say, If
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609
our outer person is destroyed, the inner person is renewed
from day to day (Col. 3:9; Matt. 9:17; 2 Cor. 4:16). Cer-
tainly this statement is sufficient concerning these things
62
.

6. THE CHURCH LIVES IN UNCEASING VICTORY
In chapter 11 we noticed how Origen praises true believers
for they conquer the devil and all sins. The true churchmen
have trampled upon all the powers by divine grace. Even
the gates of Hades cannot overcome them.
Instead of that, when He has torn (the nets) and
trampled them, He so emboldens His Church that she too
dares to trample now upon the snares, and to pass over the
nets, and with all joy to say: Our soul has been delivered
as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is
broken, and we are delivered (Ps. 123:7).
Who rent the snare, save He who alone could not be
held by it (Acts 2:24)? For, although He suffered death, He
did so willingly, and not as we do, by necessity of sin; for
He alone was free among the dead (Ps 87:6).
And, because he was free among the dead, when He
had conquered him who had the empire of death (Heb.
2:14), He brought forth the captives that were being held
by death. And He did not raise only Himself from the dead;
He also raised, together with Himself, those who were held
by death, and made them to sit with Him in the heavenly
places. For ascending on high, He lead captivity captive
(Eph. 26; 4:8), not only bringing forth the souls, but also
raising their bodies, as the Gospel testifies: Many bodies of
the saints... were raised,... and appeared to many, and
came into the holy city of the living God, Jerusalem (Matt.
27:52; Heb. 12:22)
63
.
The church, as a building of Christ who built His
own house wisely upon the rock (Matt. 7:24), is incapable
of admitting the gates of Hades which prevail against every
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610
man who is outside the rock and the church, but have no
power against it
64
..

8. THE CHURCH NEVER CEASES FROM PREACHING
ALL OVER THE WORLD
The church which Origen sees and loves is ever the ensem-
ble of Christs disciples scattered over the face of the earth. That
great society can never be confused with the rest of the human
race, although it never ceases to attract those who have need of
belief and although the anxious crowds of those who are hearken-
ing to its call surround it as with a radiance
65
.
From the beginning of the church the gospel message was
proclaimed by the faithful wherever they lived or traveled. In his
treatise against Celsus, Origen writes that "Christians do all in
their power to spread the faith all over the world. Some of them
make it the business of their life to wander not only from city to
city but from township to township and village to village, in order
to gain fresh converts for the Lord
66
."

9. THE CHURCH IS ANCIENT AND NEW
The Church of the New Testament has inherited all that
was the Old Testament's Church to enjoy, not literary but spiritu-
ally. St. Paul who describes the Old Testament Church, "to whom
pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the
law, the services of God, and the promises" (Rom. 9:4), confirms
that these privileges have been transferred to the New Testament
Church, because of her belief in Christ, saying: " Therefore, having
these promises..." (Cor. 7:1)
67
.
But do not think that these words are spoken only to
that " Israel " which is " according to the flesh" (cf. 1 Cor.
10:18). These words are addressed much more to you who
were made Israel spiritually by living for God, who were
circumcised, not in flesh, but in heart
68
.
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611
The Church is new in her life in Christ, for she accepts the
work of His Holy Spirit who unceasingly renews our thoughts and
our life. She also is very ancient, for she was in the mind of God
who planned for our salvation, even before the foundation of this
world.
I would not have you suppose that "the bride of
Christ (Rev. 21:2), or the Church is spoken of only after the
coming of the Savior in the flesh, but rather from the be-
ginning of the human race, from the beginning of the hu-
man race, from the very foundation of the world; I may fol-
low Paul in tracing the origin of this mystery even further,
before the foundation of the world. For Paul says," He
chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy..." (Eph. 1:4,5).
The Apostle also says that the church is built on the
foundation not only of the apostles but also of prophets
(Eph. 2:20). Now Adam is numbered among the prophets,
and he prophesied the "great mystery in respect of Christ
and the Church" when he said; "For this reason a man
shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his
wife and the two shall be in one flesh" Gen. 2:24. For the
apostle is clearly speaking of these words when he says:
"This mystery is great; but I am speaking in respect of
Christ and the Church" (Eph. 5:32). Further the apostle
also says: "For He so loved the church that He gave Him-
self for Her, sanctifying her with the washing of water"
(Eph. 5:25,26)... And in this He shows that it is not the case
that she did not exist before. For how could He love her if
she did not exist? without doubt she existed in all the saints
who had been from the beginning of time. Thus loving the
church, He came to her. And as His Children share in
flesh and blood, so He also was made partaker of these
(Heb. 2:14) and gave Himself for them. For these saints
were the Church, which He loved so as to increase it in
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612
number, to improve it with virtues, and by the "Charity of
perfection" (Col. 4:6), transfer it from earth to heaven
69
.

ORIGENS GRIEF ON ACCOUNT OF THE CHURCH (OF
CAESAREA)
It is impossible that the church be fully-purified, as
long as she is on earth.
It is impossible to be pure so that there is no one
sinner or non-believer in her, and all are saints, without
any sin...
70

Many who come to the feast, but little are these who
sit on the table
71
.
1. On many occasions Origen expresses his grief on ac-
count of the Church (of Caesarea), reproving his hearers through
love.
Although all the faithful and the catechumens were ex-
pected to attend the morning assembly each day, many were ap-
parently lax in their attendance, and others were inattentive or
even left after the reading of the scripture. In a petulant mood, Ori-
gen once complained about those who did not come to the Sy-
naxis
72
.
It may perhaps seem very severe, but can I cover
with plaster a wall which is collapsing
73
?
How can I put pearls in deaf ears and those who
turn away?
74

Does it not cause [the Church] sadness and sorrow
when you do not gather to hear the word of God? And
scarcely on feast days do you proceed to the Church, and
you do this not so much from a desire for the word as from
a fondness for the festival and to obtain, in a certain man-
ner, common relaxation
75
.
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613
Tell me, you who come to church only on festal
days, are the other days not festal days?...Christians eat
the flesh of the lamb every day, that is, they consume daily
the flesh of the word
76
.
2. Origen complains that some do not stay for the homily:
Some of you leave immediately as soon as you have
heard the texts which are selected readings... Some do not
even patiently wait while the texts are being read in
church. Others do not even know if they are read, but are
occupied with mundane stories in the furthest corners of
the Lord's house
77
.
Origen's annoyance grew as his congregation became even
more impatient with his explanations of details from the book of
Exodus:
But what would it profit should [other things] be
discussed by our vast toil indeed, but be despised by hear-
ers who are preoccupied and can scarcely stand in the
presence of the word of God a fraction of an hour, and
come to nothing?...there are some who understand in heart
what is read; there are others who do not at all understand
what is said, but their mind and heart are on business deal-
ings or on acts of the world or on counting their profit. And
especially, how do you think women understand in heart,
who chatter so much, who disturb with their stories so
much that they do not allow any silence? Now what shall I
say about their mind, what shall I say about their heart, if
they are thinking about their infants or wool or the needs of
their household?
78

3. Origen was annoyed because some members of the
congregation objected to his method of interpreting the scrip-
tures, in particular to his discovery of a spiritual sense there; bibli-
cal literalism is not only a modern temptation. In one homily Ori-
gen said:
Origen
614
If I shall wish to dig deeply and open the hidden
veins" of living water, " immediately the Philistines will be
present and will strive with me. They will stir up disputes
and malicious charges against me and will begin to refill
my wells with their earth and mud
79
.
Origen is even clearer on the topic of his opponents as he
sets out on one of his most challenging and difficult tasks, preach-
ing on the book of Leviticus:
For if, according to some people, who are even
among our own, I should follow the plain sense [of Scrip-
ture] and understand the voice of the lawgiver without any
verbal trick or clouded allegory thus they usually ridicule
us then I, a man of the church who lives under faith in
Christ and stand in the midst of the church, am compelled
by the authority of God's law to sacrifice calves and lambs
and to offer flour, along with incense and oil. For they who
force us to spend our time on the narrative and to keep the
letter of the law do this. But it is time for us to use the
words of the blessed Susanna against the unprincipled
presbyters, words that they themselves indeed repudiate
when they lop the story of Susanna off from the catalogue
of inspired books. But we accept this story [as scripture]
and conveniently bring its words against them and say:
"Straits are round about me." For if I agree with you and
follow the letter of the law, "death is my lot:" if I do not
agree, "I shall not escape your hands. But it is better for
me to fall into your hands without any act than to sin in the
sight of the Lord" (Dan 13:22-23)
80
.
J .W. Trigg says,
Origen's sermons help us to avoid the all-too-
common tendency to idealize the life of the church during
the pre-Constantinian period; if we are to believe him, the
church in Caesarea was in sorry shape. He complained in
the course of his preaching that relatively few Christians
The Church
615
bothered to attend any but the Sunday services. Some only
came then in order to relax and enjoy the company of their
friends and were chatting in the back of the room during
the sermon
81
. People did not convert to Christianity in
Origen's time for worldly reasons, as they would once
Constantine made Christianity the preferred religion of the
empire, but many belonged to Christian families and con-
tinued in the church out of habit and training rather than
out of zeal. There had been no persecutions for a genera-
tion, so that the winnowing of adversity had not occurred.
Origen found himself looking back wistfully to the heroic
days of persecution in his youth:
Then there were believers, when there were noble
martyrdoms. As soon as we returned from conveying the
martyrs to the cemetery, we gathered together in assem-
bly. The whole church was there, not the least bit an-
guished, and the catechumens were instructed in the midst
of the confessors, and in the midst of the dead who had
confessed the truth unto death, nor were they anxious or
perturbed, because they believed in the living God. Then
we saw great and marvelous signs. Then there were few
believers, but they really did believe, and they traveled the
strait and narrow way that leads to life. But now we have
become numerous...and there are few indeed among the
many who profess Christian piety who will actually attain
divine election and blessedness
82
.
"The church sighs and grieves when you do not
come to the assembly to hear the Word of God. You go to
church hardly ever on feast days, and even then not so
much out of a desire to hear the word as to take part in a
public function
83
." He continues by saying that the greater
part of their time, "nearly all of it in fact," is spent on
mundane things.
In a sermon on Psalm 36 he addressed this issue:
Origen
616
Watch this only, brethren, that no one of you be
found not only not speaking or mediating wisdom, but
even hating and opposing those who pursue the study of
wisdom. The ignorant, among other faults, have this worst
fault of all, that of regarding those who have devoted
themselves to the word and teaching as vain useless; they
prefer their own ignorance to the study and toil of the
learned, and by changing titles they call the exercises of
the teacher verbiage, but they call their own unteachable-
ness or ignorance, simplicity
84
.
The sermon actually represents J esus in the midst of the
congregation. When the hearers contemplate the message in the
service, "your eyes can behold the Lord. For when you direct
your loftiest thoughts to contemplate Wisdom and Truth, which
are in the Only Son of the Father, your eyes see Jesus
85
."

V V V
The Church
617
CHURCH TRADITION

The Churchs traditional rule of faith supplies the founda-
tion for speculation and the main line of his theology. He held fast
to church tradition, and tried to use philosophy to interpret it. He
said, We maintain that that only is to be believed as the truth
which in no way conflicts with the tradition of the Church and the
apostles
86
."
Balthasar says that his Christian gnosis is inseparable from
the practice of ecclesiastical sanctity. The entire weight of his
preaching points to that unity
87
.
Tradition or "the Canon of Faith" is the body of beliefs
currently accepted by Christians. He states that Church tradition is
handed down from the apostles and is preserved publicly in the
churches that stood in succession with the apostles.
The teaching of the Church, handed down in unbro-
ken succession from the apostles, is still preserved and con-
tinues to exist in the churches up to the present day, we
maintain that that only is to be believed as the truth which
in no way conflicts with the tradition of the church and the
apostles
88
.
Together with the proper interpretation of the Old Testa-
ment and the proper canon of the New, this tradition of the
Church was a decisive criterion of apostolic continuity for the de-
termination of doctrine in the Church catholic
89
.
Origen explains the deposit of Church tradition, which St.
Paul refers to in his epistle to Timothy, saying, O Timothy,
Guard the good deposit (1 Tim. 6:20), as receiving Christ Him-
self and the Holy Spirit within him.
Likewise, I add the fact that we received Christ, the
Lord, as a deposit and we have the Holy Spirit as a de-
posit. We must watch, therefore, lest we use this holy de-
Origen
618
posit sacrilegiously and, when sins move us into their as-
sent, we swear that we have not received the deposit.
Certainly, if we have that in us, we cannot consent to sin
90
.
Origen comments on the words, those who from the be-
ginning were eye-witnesses and ministers of the word delivered
them to us (Luke 1:2), saying that there are two important points
concerning the church tradition
91
:
a. By saying eyewitness he does not mean the bodily
eyes, for many saw J esus Christ according to His flesh, ignoring
His Person and His redeeming work, just as Pilate, J ude and the
people who cried Crucify Him! Crucify Him! (J ohn 19:15). The
unbeliever cannot see the word of God, this sight to which Christ
refers by saying: He who has seen me has seen the Father (J ohn
14:9).
b. Beholding the Word of God must be correlated to work:
ministers of the Word. For knowledge and practical life are in-
separable, or as Origen says that deeds are the crown of knowl-
edge.

TRADITION AND SANCTIFIED REASON
Tradition, embodying the teaching of the Apostles, has
handed down certain facts, certain usages, which are to be received
without dispute; but it does not attempt to explain the why or the
whence. It is the office of the sanctified reason to define, to articu-
late, to co-ordinate, even to expand, and generally to adapt to hu-
man needs the faith once delivered to the church
92
.

V V V
The Church
619
CHURCH DISCIPLINE

Origen speaks of a custom, which indicates a longer period of
time. In the Church of Christ there is this custom, that those who
are in notorious sins are dismissed from the common prayer
93
.
Origen states that the custom of dismissing from the common
prayer such as are manifest in great iniquities, lest the little leaven
which would not pray from a pure heart corrupt the whole com-
munity
94
. J .W. Trigg says,
Origen spiritualized ecclesiastical discipline simi-
larly. He readily accepted the right of church leaders to
exclude notorious sinners from the Eucharist, and he
thought that they were betraying their pastoral responsibil-
ity if they failed to exercise that power. His concern was
not that the presence of sinners would, in some mysterious
way, impair the church's standing before God but that they
would set a bad example. The toleration of known sinners,
he thought, demoralizes a congregation, since the simple
think, when they see a Christian sin and remain in the
church, that they ought to be able to sin with impunity
themselves. A good pastor therefore removes the mangy
sheep from the flock, since otherwise its mange will inevi-
tably spread to others
95
. Even so, the church's leaders
should use their authority discreetly. It is best to see if ex-
hortation and admonishment will cure sinners before ex-
cluding them from fellowship
96
...
At the same time, an unjustified excommunication
does not really sever the person excommunicated from the
spiritual fellowship of the church. Since Origen believed
that the Christian was deprived of nothing by not partak-
ing of the Eucharist, such exclusion did no harm.
The church could readmit to its fellowship the ex-
communicated Christian who exhibited genuine repen-
Origen
620
tance and a firm resolve not to sin again. Demonstrating
such moral reformation was a serious process
97
.
We then for whom these things are said to be written
ought to know, that if we shall sin against the Lord, and if we
worship the pleasures of our mind, and the desires of the flesh
as good, we also are delivered, and through apostolic
authority we are delivered to Zabulon. Listen then to him who
says this about the person who had destruction of the flesh,
that the spirit may be saved (1 Cor. 5:5). You see therefore
that not only through his Apostles does God deliver up
sinners into the hands of his enemies, but even through those
who preside over the Church, and possess the power not only
of loosing, but also of binding; sinners are delivered unto
destruction of the flesh, whenever they are separated from the
body of Christ for their sins... whenever they are dismissed
from the Church by the priests
98
.

DISCIPLINE AND RANKS OF BELIEVERS
Discipline must be more strict and firm according to the
responsibility and the role of the believer in the church.
All sinners in the Church... deserve punishment, but
their punishment will depend on the rank they occupy...
A catechumen deserves more mercy than one of the
faithful...
A deacon has a better right to pardon than a priest.
What follows from that you do not need me to tell
you... I fear God's judgment and I keep before my
imagination a picture of what will happen at it... I bear in
mind the saying: If a weight is too heavy for you, do not lift it.
What good is it to me to be enthroned at the master's desk in
the place of honor... if I cannot do the work my position
demands? The torments I shall be punished with will be all
the more painful because everyone treats me with respect, as
though I were good, whereas in fact I am a sinner
99
.
The Church
621
It is to be noted well that the Lawgiver does not add
to the sin of the high priest that he shall have sinned
through ignorance or involuntarily. For he who was ele-
vated to teach others could not fall through ignorance
100
.

ORDER OF DISCIPLINE
For he does not wish you, if perhaps you see the sin
of your brother, to rush out immediately into a public place
and cry out indiscriminately and divulge another's sins be-
cause that certainly would not be the act of one correcting
but rather of one defaming. He says, "Only between you
and him, accuse him (Cf. Matt. 18:15). For when he who
sins sees the secret is kept to himself, he himself will also
keep the shame of correction. But if he sees himself de-
famed, he will immediately be turned to the shamelessness
of denial. Not only will you not have corrected the sin, but
you will have even doubled it. Therefore, learn the proper
order from the Gospels
101
.

NOT TO BE IN A HURRY IN EXCOMMUNICATION
Origen cautions one on using power in excommunicating the
sinner. He says: But this should be done rarely
102
.
Origen states that the Church would cut off, or
excommunicate, from the congregation of saints, those who after
several exhortations to a better life failed to come to repentance for
their sins. Thus in one of his Homilies on Joshua he brings this out
when he remarks
103
:
We do not maintain that one should be cut off for a
light fault; but if for an iniquity one is exhorted and
upbraided once, and again, and even a third time, and does
Origen
622
not show any signs of improvement, let us use the physicians
method...
If the malignancy of the tumor does not respond to the
medications, there remains for us the sole remedy of
excommunication
104
.
Origen stresses the fact that only those whose sins are
manifest are cut off from the Church. Wherever the iniquity is not
evident, one cannot dismiss a person from the community, lest in
eradicating the cockle we eradicate the wheat also
105
. It is humiliating
to be cut off from the congregation of the saints; it is an infamy
106
.
Therefore St. Paul, who knows that these things are
good for the faithful, says of him who sinned: whom I have
given, he says, to Satan unto the destruction of the flesh, to
be punished by death. This shows which are the fruits of this
death, when he says: that the spirit might be saved in the day
of our Lord Jesus Christ! When he says: I have given unto
the destruction of the flesh, that is in affliction of the body,
which is wont to be undertaken by the penitents, he calls this
the death of the flesh, which death of the flesh brings life to
the soul
107
.

REACTION OF SOME OF THE EXCOMMUNICATED ONES
Origen explains that bishops have to expect insults from
those whom they excommunicated; and that we should not listen to
such tales full of malicious exaggeration spread by those who
because they have been excommunicated do great harm to the bishop
with their sinful tongues
108
.
Hence I hold that he who fell into the gravest sin in
Corinth, for that reason obtained mercy, because while he
was upbraided that he was dismissed from the Church, he did
not hate the accuser, but rather he accepted the
animadversion with patience and put up with it with fortitude.
I am of the opinion that he came by an even greater love for
Paul, and for those who were obedient to the decrees of Paul
The Church
623
in their rebuke of him. Therefore Paul revoked his sentence,
and brought the excommunicated one back into the
Church
109
.
Prophets and teachers endure from those who do
not wish to be healed of their sin the same things that phy-
sicians endure from patients unwilling to accept harsh
medical treatment... Such undisciplined patients flee their
physicians or injure and insult them, treating them as if
they were their enemies
110
.
This rebuke should not be difficult to bear. If we find it hard
to put up with it now, what would we do if God would rebuke and
accuse us in His anger? Therefore if we cannot bear the anger of the
bishop who upbraids us, but accept it with indignation, how can we
stand the anger of God?
111

HEAVENLY EXCOMMUNICATION
Origen says that if anyone among us should sin, he is
dismissed; even though he is not excommunicated by the bishop,
because he hides
112
.

NEED OF REPENTANCE
Cleansing from sin is not established through bod-
ily punishments, but through repentance...
113

V V V
Origen
624
PRIESTHOOD AND LAITY

PRIESTS, SUCCESSORS OF APOSTLES
Origen combined the apostolic and the priestly definitions
of the Christian ministry when he said that "the apostles and their
successors, priests according to the great High Priest... know
from their instruction by the Spirit for what sins, and when, and
how, they must offer sacrifice
114
."

PRIESTS AS INTERPRETERS OF THE SCRIPTURES
J oseph W. Trigg clarifies how Origen believes that the
main work of the priests of the Old Testament was ritual service
while that of the New Testament is education. The Old Testament
priesthood was appealing to Origen, in the first place, because
priests were a tribe apart, entirely consecrated to Gods service. On
his return to Alexandria after his first sojourn in Caesarea, Origen
wrote about this at the beginning of his Commentary on John.
Priests, he explains, are persons consecrated to the study of the
word of God, and high priests are those who excel at such study.
There can be no question that these grades correspond to ecclesias-
tical offices. Priests, and the high priest in particular, also have
privileged access to God. Thus Origen follows Clement of Alex-
andria in interpreting the priest as a spiritual man But if the priest
has a privileged access to divine secrets, this is only so that, as a
teacher, he might mediate Gods word to others. Origen transforms
the J ewish ritual legislation into an exposition of the priests voca-
tion as a teacher. For example, removing the skin of the sacrificial
victim symbolizes removing the veil of the letter from Gods word,
and taking fine incense in the hand symbolizes making fine dis-
tinctions in the interpretation of difficult passages. He also inter-
prets sacrifice as the progressive liberation of the soul from the
body that makes possible the apprehension of higher truths. Thus
the Levitical priesthood comes to symbolize a moral and intellec-
tual elite of inspired teachers of scripture. This transformation
The Church
625
culminates in Origens interpretation of the high priests vest-
ments, each item of which symbolizes a spiritual qualification
115
.
If the apostle is an inspired exegete, he is also, like the
priest, a teacher by vocation, responsible for mediating Gods word
to persons at all levels of spiritual progress. J esus made this clear
when he ordered the disciples to allow little children to come to
him, thus signifying that more advanced Christians should conde-
scend to the simple
116
. The works of an apostle are, in fact,
works of teaching. When J esus commissioned his disciples and
gave them power to give sight to the blind and to raise the dead, he
had in mind restoring to sight persons blinded by false doctrines
and raising to life persons dead in their sins
117
. Being an apostle
is not an official position but function verified in the doing. In ar-
guing to this effect Origen cites Corinthians 9:2: If to others I am
not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my
apostleship in the Lord
118
.
Bishops have a special place in the divine economy, since
they share responsibility for their congregations with angelic bish-
ops, with whom they cooperate
119
. As a result of these unique re-
sponsibilities, bishops have more powers granted to them than are
granted to ordinary Christians, though, conversely, more is re-
quired of them
120
... Moses selection of J oshua as his successor is
thus the pattern for the selection of a bishop
121
:
Here is no popular acclamation, no thought given
to consanguinity or kinship;....the government of the people
is handed over to him whom God has chosen, to a man
who...has in him the Spirit of God and keeps the precepts of
God in his sight. Moses knew from personal experience
that he was preeminent in the law and in knowledge, so
that the children of Israel should obey him. Since all these
things are replete with mysteries, we cannot omit what is
more precious, although these things commanded literally
seem necessary and useful
122
.
Origen
626
Today (Christ) is speaking in our congregation, not
only in ours but in other congregations all over the world.
Christ teaches, and He asks instruments which He
uses to spread His teaching. Pray that He may find me
ready to this and I give homage to Him
123
.
J .W. Trigg says,
As with priests, the prime qualification of the apos-
tles was their insight into the mysteries of the Bible. The
''fields... white already to harvest" which J esus called upon
the Apostles to reap were the books of the Old Testa-
ment
124
. When he called upon them to cross the Sea of
Galilee, this symbolized his call to pass from the literal to
the spiritual sense of Scripture
125
. A prime characteristic
of the Apostle's function as an interpreter and teacher of
the Bible was the duty to exercise discretion. Paul, the
greatest of the Apostles, provided Origen with an example
of apostolic discretion. When among spiritual Christians,
Paul boldly imparted "a secret and hidden wisdom of God"
(1 Cor. 2:7), but among the simple he judged it expedient
"to know nothing... except J esus Christ and Him crucified"
(I Cor. 2:2)
126
. Origen was careful in the case of Apostles,
as with priests, to remove any suggestions that those who
fulfilled the apostolic function in the church could be
identified as the holders of particular positions. Apostles
are those who perform the works of an Apostle, works
such as restoring to sight those blinded by false doctrine
and raising to life those dead in their sins
127
. apostleship is
verified in its fruits, or as Paul said: ''If to others I am not
an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my
apostleship in the Lord" ( I Cor. 9:2)
128
.

PRIESTHOOD AND ABILITY OF TEACHING
He must also be able to communicate what he knows. "For
it is not sufficient for the high priest to have wisdom and to per-
The Church
627
ceive all reason unless he can communicate what he knows to the
people
129
."
Origen says that the priest wears the robe of doctrine to
teach the advanced and the robe of the word to teach those who are
beginning in the faith
130
. Origen comments on the clothes of the
priest in and outside the holy of holies saying,
You see, therefore, how this most learned priest
when he is within, among the perfect ones as in the holy of
holies, uses one robe of doctrine, but when he goes out
to those who are not capable he changes the robe of the
word and teaches lesser things and he gives to some
milk to drink as children (1 Cor 3:2, 1), to others
vegetables as the weak (Rom. 14:2), but to others, he
gives solid food, of course, for those who, insofar as
they are able, have their senses trained to distinguish good
or evil (Heb. 5:14). Thus, Paul knew how to change robes
and to use one with the people, another in the ministry of
the sanctuary
131
.

THE PRIESTS AND TEACHERS AS PILLARS OF THE
CHURCH
In the tabernacle of the Old Testament, therefore,
the pillars are joined by interposed bars; in the Church the
teachers are associated by the right hand of fellowship
which is given to them.
But let those pillars be overlaid with silver and
their bases overlaid with silver. Let two bases, however, be
allotted to each pillar; one, which is said to be the
"capital" and is placed over it; another, which is truly
called the "base" and is placed under the pillar as a
foundation.
Let the pillars, therefore, be overlaid with silver
because those who preach the word of God shall receive
Origen
628
through the Spirit "the words of the Lord," which are "pure
words, silver proved by fire" (Ps. 11:7).
But they have the prophets as the base of their
preaching, for they erected the Church "upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Cf. Eph. 2:20),
and using their testimonies they confirm the faith in Christ.
The capital of the pillars, however, I believe, is He
of whom the Apostle says, "The head of man is Christ" (1
Cor. 11:3).
I have already said above that the bars of the
pillars are the right hand of the apostolic fellowship given
to one another. Let the curtains, which after they have been
sewn to rings and suspended in circles and tied with cords,
are stretched out in the manner of curtains twenty-eight
cubits in length and four in breadth, hold the remaining
multitude of believers who cling to and hang on the cords
of faith. For "a threefold cord is not broken" (Eccl. 4:12).
This is the faith in the Trinity, from which the whole
Church hangs and by which it is sustained. I think that the
law introduced in the Gospels is designated by the twenty-
eight cubits in length and the four in breadth which are the
measure of one court
132
. For the number seven usually
signifies the Law because of the many mysteries of the
seventh number. When this number is united with four, four
times seven consequently make the number twenty-eight.
These ten courts, however, were constructed that
they might contain the whole number of perfection and
designate the Decalogue of the Law. But now the
appearance of scarlet and blue and linen and purple set
forth many diverse works. They disclose the curtains, the
exterior and interior veil, and the whole priestly and high
priestly attire joined with gold and gems
133
.

The Church
629
A HIERARCHICAL POWER
134

Origen says that according to the image of Him, who gave
the priesthood to the Church, the ministers also and the priests of the
Church receive the sins of the people, and in imitation of the
Master they grant remission of sin
135
.
Just as the Apostles knew how to use this power, even so they
who like the Apostles are priests, according to the High Priest Christ,
know the meaning of their power
136
.
Elsewhere he is just as emphatic. He says, in one of his
Homilies on Leviticus, that in accordance with the will of Christ, who
instituted the priesthood in the Church, the priests of the Church
receive the sins of the people, and in imitation of the Divine Master
they grant remission of sins
137
..
In his sermon on one of the Psalms, Origen shows the
marvelous power of the bishops in which he says that Christ was the
great Physician who could cure even malady and infirmity. Now His
apostles Peter and Paul, even as the prophets, are physicians; and so
are all those who after the apostles have been placed over the Church,
to whom the art of healing wounds has been given. It is precisely
those ministers whom God has placed as physicians of souls in the
Church, because our God does not want the death of sinners, but their
penance and conversion
138
.
You see therefore that God not only through His
Apostles delivers up sinners into the hands of the enemies, but
even through those who are over the church, and possess the
power not only of loosing, but also of binding
139
.

INNER PRIESTHOOD
The hierarchy of the Church is conceived not as an external
priesthood but in accordance with its interior degrees of perfection.
This idea of a hierarchy according to it has already appeared in the
Eclogae Proplieticae of Clement. We have passed from the official
exegesis of the Church to a private and unofficial one
140
.
Origen
630
What good does it do me that I occupy the first chair
in the congregation, and receive the honor of an elder,
without possessing the works worthy of my dignity?
141

AUTHORITY AND PURITY
Origen affirms on several occasions that the validity of ec-
clesiastical powers depends upon the priests state of soul. If he is
tightly bound with the cords of his own sins, to no purpose does he
bind and loose. The right of forgiving sins committed against God
is reserved to him who is inspired by Jesus, as the apostles were,
and whom we can know by his fruits as having received the Holy
Spirit
142
.
Origen stresses the importance of spiritual qualities in the
bishop. He believes that a sinful bishop looses his power to remit
sins, saying:
After this let us see in what sense it was said to Peter,
and to every believer who is Peter, I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 16:19)... When one judges
uprighteously, and does not bind upon earth according to His
will, the gates of hell prevail against him: but in the case of
him against whom the gates of hell do not prevail, this man
judges righteously; inasmuch as he has the keys of the
kingdom of heaven, opening to those who have been loosed
on earth that they may also be loosed in heaven, and free;
and closing to those who by his just judgment have been
bound on earth that they also be bound in heaven, and
condemned. When those who claim the function of the
episcopate, use this text even as Peter, and having asserted
that they have received the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven
from Christ, teach that things bound by them, that is to say,
condemned, are also bound in heaven, and that those which
have obtained remission by them are also loosed in heaven,
we must say that they speak well if they have the way of life...
and if they are such that upon them the Church is built by
The Church
631
Christ, and to them with good reason this could be referred;
and the gates of hell ought not to prevail against him when he
wishes to bind and loose. But if he is tightly bound with the
cords of his sins, to no purpose does he bind and loose
143
.
He complains that one cannot dismiss such persons whose
sins are doubtful or concealed
144
.
Nor do we say this of those who obviously and no-
toriously are sinful, that they should not be expelled from
the Church... Because we cannot therefore dismiss those
who despise us: let us dismiss those at least whom we can,
whose sins are known. Wherever the sin is not evident, we
cannot throw anyone out of the Church lest perhaps gath-
ering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together
with it
145
.

MISUSING AUTHORITY
Some bishops, particularly in the largest cities, make
themselves as inaccessible as tyrants in order to overawe their con-
gregations
146
.

BISHOPS AND VAINGLORY
And you will say the like in the case of him who
seeks the office of a bishop for the sake of glory with men,
or of flattery from men, or for the sake of the gain received
from those who, coming over to the word, give in the name
of piety; for a bishop of this kind at any rate does not "de-
sire a good work," (I Tim. 3:1) nor can he be without re-
proach, nor temperate, nor sober minded, as he is intoxi-
cated with glory and intemperately satiated with it. And the
same also you will say about the presbyters and deacons
147
.
Origen comments on the behavior of J oshua who received
his lot of inheritance after all the tribes and after Caleb, saying,
Origen
632
Why did he desire to the last of all? To assure that
he became the first of all (Matt. 19:30). He did not receive
his inheritance by his own decision but from the people as
the Scripture says, the children of I Israel gave an inheri-
tance among them to Joshua the son of Nun (Jos. 19:49).
But now all these things happened to them as examples (1
Cor. 10:11)... It is said, Increase in behaving humbly then
you will increase in greatness and receive a favor from the
Lord (Sirach 3:17), and also, If they chose you a presi-
dent dont be proud, but be among them as one of them
(Sirach. 32:10)
148
.
Accordingly, if we do alms before men...we receive
the reward from men (cf. Matt. 6:1-4); in general, every-
thing done with an eye on being glorified by men has no
reward from Him who....rewards those who act in secret.
So, too, those influenced by thoughts of vain glory or love
of gain act with sullied motives. The teaching which is
thought to be the teaching of the church, if it becomes ser-
vile through words of flattery, either when it is used as a
pretext for avarice, or when one seeks human glory be-
cause of ones teaching, it is no longer the teaching of
those who have been set up in the church: first, apostles,
second, prophets, third, teachers (1 Cor. 12:28). And you
will say the same with regard to one who seeks the office of
bishop for the sake of human esteem, or for the sake of gain
received form converts to the word who give in the name of
piety; a bishop of that sort assuredly does not aspire to a
noble task (1 Tim. 3:1), nor can he be irreproachable,
temperate, self-controlled, as he is intoxicated with glory
and intemperately puffed up with it. The same is also appli-
cable to presbyters and deacons
149
.
Origen, in his homilies and commentaries presents himself
as an example for the humbleness of clergymen and teachers.
1. He used to attribute his understanding of the holy Scrip-
tures to the grace of God and to himself.
The Church
633
2. Many times he asked those who attended his speech to
hear those who were more wise than him and attained more grace
of understanding from God.
Probably a man wiser than I and judged by God
worthy of a more penetrating and richer grace-gift of wis-
dom in exposition from the Spirit of God, and of the gift of
knowledge in the word by the Spirit (I Cor. 8:12)...(could
give a better exposition here than mine, but I have done my
best.)
150
.
May God grant to whom He chooses a richer word
of wisdom and a word made more penetrating by the light
of knowledge, that my own exposition compared with one
based on such grace-gifts may resemble a candle in the
light of the sun
151
.
(Origens modest conclusion to his exposition):
This is the best I can do...Let the man who is able to receive
greater grace for the understanding of this passage speak
more and better words
152
.
(None can fully interpret) unless Jesus, who pri-
vately explained everything to His own disciples (Mark
4:34), has made His dwelling in his mind and opens all the
dark, hidden unseen, treasure-chambers in the parable...
Now I have not yet received a mind sufficient and capable
of being mingled with the mind of Christ and thus able to
attain to such things
153
.
Origen asks all clergy to be humble, imitating Moses the
greatest among the prophets who did not dare to chose a successor
to himself, asking God Himself to choose who is fit to this posi-
tion.
Let us admire the greatness of Moses. As he was
about to depart from this life, he prayed God to choose a
leader for his people. What are you doing Moses? Dont
you have sons of your own, Gershom and Eliezer? If you
Origen
634
lack confidence in them, what about your brother, a great
man? Why dont you ask God to make them the leaders of
the people?
Would that the princes of the Church, instead of
designating in their wills those linked to them by ties of
blood or family relationships and instead of trying to set up
dynasties in the Church, might learn to rely on Gods
judgment and far from choosing as human feelings urge,
would leave the designations of their successors entirely in
Gods hands. Could not Moses have chosen a leader for the
people and chosen him by a wise judgment, a right and just
decision...? Who could have chosen a leader more wisely
than Moses? But he did not do so. He made no such choice.
He did not dare.
Why not? In order to avoid giving those who came
after him an example of presumption. Listen: May the
Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, set over the
community a man who shall act as their leader in all
things, to guide them in all their actions... (Num 27.16-17)
If a great man like Moses did not take upon himself the
choice of a leader for the people, the election of his succes-
sor, who then will dare, among this people which gives its
vote under the influence of emotion, or perhaps of money;
who will dare then, even in the ranks of the priests, judge
himself capable of pronouncing on this, unless by means of
a revelation obtained through prayers and supplication
addressed to the Lord?
154

PRIESTHOOD AND TRADING IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD
May every man who sells in the temple, especially if
he was a seller of doves... i.e., he sells what the holy Spirit
(the Dove) reveals to him asked for money and not freely.
As he sells the work of the Spirit he will be moved away
from the altar of the Lord
155
.

The Church
635
TRUE LEADERSHIP
How is it that the church is in such a sorry state? Has God
failed to provide the church with worthy leaders? By no means.
But the church sometimes fails to give such persons their proper
place of honor and responsibility
156
.
For it frequently happens that he who deals in an
humble and abject interpretation and knows earthly things
has the preeminent rank of a priest or sits in the chair of a
teacher, while he who is spiritual and so free from earthly
things that he judges all things and is judged by no one
either holds a lower rank of ministry or is relegated to the
common multitude
157
.
But this anomaly is only external, for on a deeper level the
members of the spiritual elite whom Origen describes as priests
and apostles are the true leaders of the church:
Whoever has in himself those things that Paul enu-
merates about a bishop, even if he is not a bishop before
men, is a bishop before God, since he did not come to his
position by the ordination of men
158
.

PRIESTHOOD AND INNER INCORRUPTIBILITY
The priest must put on the garment of incorruptibility,
instead of that of Adam, the skin tunic. Aaron, the high-priest, was
dressed with garments by Moses ( Lev. 8:7).
Indeed, it is said that God made those. For God
made skin tunics and clothed Adam and his wife. There-
fore, those were tunics of skins taken from animals. For
with such as these, it was necessary for the sinner to be
dressed. It says, with skin tunics, which are a symbol of
the mortality which he received because of his skin and of
his frailty which came from the corruption of the flesh. But
if you have been already washed from these and purified
through the Law of God, then Moses will dress you with a
Origen
636
garment of incorruptibility so that your shame may never
appear and that this mortality may be absorbed by
life
159
.
For, before everything, the priest who assists at the
divine altars ought to be girded with purity, otherwise he
will not be able to cleanse the old and establish the new
unless he has put on the linens. About the linen clothes, it
has been frequently spoken already, and especially when
we were speaking about the priestly garments, that this
kind has the form of purity, from the fact that the origin of
flax is brought forth from the earth so that it conceived
without any mixture
160
.
The portions of the priest in the Peace offerings are the
breast and the right limb (Lev. 7:30,33), for he has to be sanctified
in his heart and in his deeds.
The fatty parts which are above the breast are
placed on the altar, but the breast itself is for Aaron and
his sons (Lev. 7: 30)...
I think that if anyone says he is a priest of God,
unless he has a breast (or the heart as the source of
thoughts) chosen from all the members, he is not a priest...
Such is the limb (Lev. 7: 33) of the priest that the
sons of Israel bring it to him for their salvation by which
they are saved...
In this offering the breast and the right limb
are made part of the priest that it may be a sign that his
breast and heart, which thought evil things before, con-
verted by the labor of the priest, received good thoughts
and thus was cleansed that likewise he may be able to see
God. In like manner also, in the limb is the sign that his
evil and sinister words, which are certainly wicked and not
good, he converts into right that they may be according to
God. This is the right limb, which is said to be the priests
part
161
.
The Church
637
From this I think it is one thing for the priests to
perform their office, another thing to be instructed and
prepared in all things. For anyone can perform the reli-
gious ministry, but few there are who are adorned with
morals, instructed in doctrine, educated in wisdom, very
well adapted to communicate the truth of things and who
expound the wisdom of the faith, not omitting the ornament
of understandings and the splendor of assertions which is
represented by the ornament of gold plate placed on his
head. One then is the name of a priest, but there is not one
dignity either by the worth of his life or by the virtues of his
soul. For this reason, in the things which the divine law
describes, even as in a mirror any priest ought to inspect
himself and to gather from that place the degrees of his
merit, if he sees himself placed in all these high priestly
ornaments, which we explained above
162
.

PRIESTHOOD AND DWELLING IN THE HOUSE OF GOD
The priest does not leave the House of God, i.e., he loves
the heavenly life.
For that reason, if anyone wants to be a high priest
not just in name but in worthiness, let him imitate Moses;
let him imitate Aaron. What is said about them? They did
not leave the Tent of the Lord (Lev. 10:7). Moses was
constantly in the Tent of the Lord. What was his work?
That he should either learn something from God or teach
the people
163
.
It is the duty of the priests to assist the people to attain
the forgiveness of sins by the work of the Holy Spirit through the
Church. They cannot realize this unless they be found in the
Church, the holy place and the spiritual Tent of Witness (Lev.
6:19), i.e., unless they practice the church life as a holy life.
For it is logical that the ministers and priests of
the Church receive the sins of the people according to
Origen
638
the example of the one who gave the priesthood to the
Church ought to be so perfected and learned in the
priestly duties that they consume the sins of the people in
a holy place, in the court of the Tent of Witness, not sin-
ning themselves
164
.

PRIESTHOOD AND LIFE OF PRAYER
The priest is a man of prayer, who assists his people by
his prayers to defeat the unseen enemy.
Thus let the priest of the church also pray unceas-
ingly that the people who are under him may defeat the in-
visible Amalachite hosts who are the demons that assail
those who want to live piously in Christ
165
.

THE PRIESTS FATHERHOOD
Origen in his speech on the authority of priests assures that
they are physicians who take care of the sick people, working hard
for their healing. They are not rulers but fathers.
For in the Church, the priests and teachers can be-
get sons, just as that one who said, My little children, for
whom I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you
(Gal. 4:19). And again in another place he says, Although
you have myriad teachers in Christ, but not many fathers.
For I beget you in Christ Jesus for the gospel (1 Cor.
4:15)
166
.
Origins reminder is always salutary: he who is called to
the episcopacy is called, not to domination, but to the service of
the whole church
167
.
God permits priests to feel weakness, so that they might be
kind with those who are weak. On discovering their own sins they
become decent with the sinners to attract them to repentance.
The Law appoints human priests who have weak-
nesses," (Lev. 7:28) in order that just as they can offer for
The Church
639
their own weakness, so also they can offer for that of the
people...
But what is most to be admired in this kind of
priest? Not that he may not sin-because that is impossible,
but that he knows and understands his own sin. For he who
thinks he has not sinned never corrects himself. In like
manner, he is more easily able to pardon those who sin,
whose conscience is disturbed by his own weakness
168
.

PRIESTS AS PHYSICIANS
In one of his homilies on the Psalms Origen calls the bishops
physicians who know how to heal wounds
169
.

SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP
It is the work of the leaders to create a spirit of leadership
in others, so that ministry might not be concentrated in them alone.
But note that God said to Moses in this place, "Go
before the people and take with you men advanced in years,
that is the elders of the people" (Exod. 17:5). Moses alone
does not lead the people to the waters of the rock, but also
the elders of the people with him. For the Law alone does
not announce Christ, but also the prophets and patriarchs
and all "those advanced in years
170
."

PRIESTHOOD AND GRACE OF GOD
Divine grace prepares the prophets, apostles, evangelists,
shepherds, and teachers to this divine call and works through them.
If one neglects it, he falls from his calling.
The shepherhood (of the ministers of the Church) is
failure unless Christ shepherds with them
171
.
If to be a teacher is a grace gift according to
the measure of the gift of Christ, it is clear that a shep-
herd also, who tends his flock wisely, needs a grace-gift to
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640
do so. And how can one be an evangelist, the feet of
whose soul (if I may put it so) are not beauteous? For
this, God must grant the beauty
172
.
The proper tasks of a priest are twofold: to learn of
God by reading and frequently meditating on Holy Scrip-
ture, and to teach the people. But let him teach what he has
learned from God - not from his own heart (Ezek. 13 2)
or from human understanding, but the things the Spirit
teaches... And so we, meditating on [the Old Testament nar-
ratives], recalling them to mind day and night, and continu-
ing instantly in prayer, should pray God that He may deign
to reveal to us true knowledge of what we read, and to
show us how we may keep the spiritual law, both in our un-
derstanding and in our actions. So may we deserve to ob-
tain spiritual grace, enlightened by the law of the Holy
Spirit
173
.

GENERAL PRIESTHOOD
In his homilies, Origen refers to the general priesthood of
all members of the Church. As an example he says,
Do you want to know the difference between the
priests of God and the priests of Pharaoh? Pharaoh gave
lands to his priests; the Lord says to his own "I am your
lot." Pay attention, readers, all you priests of the Lord....
Let us hear what Christ our Lord enjoins his priests "Every
one of you that does not renounce all that he possesses,
cannot be my disciple." I tremble when I say these words,
for above all it is myself that I accuse, myself that I con-
demn. Christ refuses to regard as his disciple whosoever
possesses something and does not renounce all that he pos-
sesses. What are we doing? How can we read this and ex-
pound it to the people, we who not only do not renounce
that which we have, but also desire to acquire what we
never possessed before we came to Christ? Because our
consciences accuse us, are we able to dissimulate that
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641
which is written? I do not want to make myself doubly
guilty...
174

Origen was training men who would later be the ruling
class in the life of the Church. He himself had not yet been or-
dained to the priesthood but he had long aspired to that grace. In
the meantime he regarded his pedagogical functions as something
sacred, seeing in them an image of the priesthood of Aaron. Let us
remember that St. J ohn represents the Christian people in his vi-
sion of the twelve tribes whom he counted around the Lamb. On
one side he places the virgins, as first fruits of the faithful of
Christ. They are the intellectual elite, the little group of true disci-
ples who, by the study of Holy Scripture, by contemplation as well
as by vigilance and perseverance, guard that purity of body and of
mind by which the perfect are known. They can be called Levites
or priests of Israel because they exercise an inner priesthood
175
.
Do you not know that the priesthood has been given
to you, that is to say, to the whole church of God and to the
people believers? Hear Peter say to the faithful: a chosen
race, a royal priesthood a holy nation, an acquired people
(1 Pet. 2:9). You, then, have the priesthood since you are a
priestly race, and so you ought to offer to God a sacrifice
of praise, (cf. Heb. 13:15), a sacrifice of prayers, a sacri-
fice of mercy, a sacrifice of purity, a sacrifice of sanctity
176
.
Most of us devote most of our time to the things of
this life and dedicate to God only a few special acts, thus
resembling those members of the tribes who had but few
transactions with the priests, and discharged their religious
duties with no great expense of time. But those who devote
themselves to the divine word and have no other employ-
ment but the service of God may not unnaturally, allowing
for the difference of occupation in the two cases, be called
our Levites or priests. And those who follow a more distin-
guished office than their kinsmen will perhaps be high
priests according to the order of Aaron
177
.
Origen
642
In the moral sense, this high priest can be seen as
the understanding of piety and religion, which through the
prayers and supplications which we pour out to God, per-
forms in us, as it were, a kind of priesthood. If this one
should transgress in something, immediately "he makes all
the people sin" against the good acts which are within us.
For we do not do any right deed when the understanding,
the guide of good works, turns aside into wrong. For that
reason, for correction of this, not just any kind of offering
is required but the sacrifice "of the fatted calf" itself. In like
manner, the guilt of the congregation; that is, the correc-
tion of all virtues which are within us, is repaired though
nothing other than by putting Christ to death
178
.
Observe that there always ought to be fire on the
altar. And you, if you want to be a priest of God, as it is
written, For every one of you will be priests of the
Lord (Isa. 61:6). For it is said that you are an elect
race, a royal priesthood, an acquired people (1 Pet. 2:9).
If, therefore, you want to exercise the priesthood of your
soul, let the fire never depart from your altar. This is what
the Lord also taught in the Gospels that your loins be
girded and your lamps burning (Luke 12:35). Thus, let
the fire of faith and the lamp of knowledge always be
lit for you
179
.
As we have already said often, you too can function
as a high priest before God within the temple of your spirit
of you would prepare your garments with zeal and vigi-
lance; if the word of the Law has washed you and made
you clean, and the anointing and grace of your baptism
remained uncontaminated; if you were to be clothed with
two garments, of the letter and of the spirit; if you were
also girded twice so that you may be pure in flesh and
spirit; if you would adorn yourselves with a cape of
works and a breastplate of wisdom; if also he would
crown your head with a turban and golden plate
The Church
643
(Lev. 8:7f.), the fullness of the knowledge of God; although,
I would have you know, you may be hidden and unknown
before men. For you are the temple of the living God if
the Spirit of God lives in you(2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Cor.
3:16)
180
.
Or are you ignorant that to you also, that is, to all
of the Church of God and to the people of believers, the
priesthood was given? Hear what Peter says about the
faithful: You are " an elect race, royal, priestly, a holy na-
tion, a chosen people" (1 Pet. 2:9). Therefore, you have a
priesthood because you are "a priestly nation," and for this
reason "you ought to offer an offering of praise to
God,"(Cf. Heb. 13:15) an offering of prayer, an offering of
mercy, an offering of holiness. But in order to offer these
things worthily, you must have clean clothes separated
from the common clothing of the rest of humanity and have
the necessary divine fire, not one "alien" to God but that
one which is given people by God, about which the Son of
God says, "I came to send fire upon the earth and how I
wish that it be ignited." (Luke 12:49) For if we do not use
that but another, and this an opposing fire, from that one
which transforms itself as "an angel of light" (Cf. 2 Cor.
11:14), without doubt we will suffer the same thing that
"Nadab and Abiud " suffered
181
.
Each (believer), according to the providence and
choice of God, is called apostle, prophet etc. and the say-
ing.. Many are called, but few chosen (Matt 22:14) is
fulfilled in accordance with the divine ways of grace.. It is,
however, possible for a man to be called as an apostle etc...
but to fall from his calling, if he neglects the grace of that
calling...
182

The Word of God is working in the lives of all the mem-
bers, clergy and laymen, so that all may have their active role.
Origen
644
Just as the soul moves the body which has not been
endowed to be moved in a vital manner by itself, so the
Word energizing the whole body keeps the Church in mo-
tion and each of its several parts
183
.

CHURCH DEMOCRACY
Church democracy appears in the relation between clergy-
men and laity which I will speak of on another occasion. Here I
refer to the following points:
a. Origen says: He who is called to the episcopacy is
called, not to domination, but to the service of the whole
church
184
.
b. St. Clement and Origen spoke of the general ( laity )
priesthood
185
.
Do you know that the priesthood has been given to
you that is to say, to the whole church of God and to the
believers? Hear Peter say to the faithful: " a chosen race, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, an acquired people " 1 Pet.
2: 9. You, then, have the priesthood since you are a priestly
race, so you ought to offer to God a sacrifice of praise
(Heb. 13: 15), a sacrifice of prayers, a sacrifice of mercy, a
sacrifice of purity, a sacrifice of sanctity
186
.
R. Cadiou says,
We are told by these historians that, according to a
number of evidences, the most ancient of which is found in
the works of St. J erome, the bishop of Alexandria, from the
earliest times in that church, was one of the members of the
local clergy; that he was chosen and delegated by the
priests in some such way as the emperor was chosen by the
army. This primitive custom, so we are told, ended only
under the successors of Demetrius. Beginning with this
post-Demetrius period, the patriarch was elected and
consecrated by the neighboring bishops according to the
habitual procedure; and they would have been under no ob-
The Church
645
ligation to choose him from the ranks of the clergy of Al-
exandria
187
.
Origen gives some insight into the election of bishops in
his day. Using Origens Homily on Numbers 13.4 as evidence, E.
Ferguson demonstrates that in the third century there were at least
four ways of electing bishops:
1. A popular election.
2. An appointment by a reigning bishop.
3. A testomonium either nominating a person or ratifying
one elected by the people.
4. A presbyterial election, Origins personal preference
188
.
c. Origen asserts that the presence of the people is required
in the ordination of a priest, for they elect him
189
.
For in the ordination of a priest the presence of the
people is also required, that all may know for certain that
the man elected to priesthood is a man of the whole people
the most eminent, the most learned, the holiest, the most
outstanding in every virtue
190
.
He says it should be an open decision lest anyone have sec-
ond thoughts, and he bases this on the fact that "Moses called to-
gether the whole assembly."

V V V
Origen
646

1
Thomas Halton: The Church (Message of the Fathers of the Church, vol. 4, p. 21.)
2
Jean Danilou: Origen, NY, 1955, p. 27.
3
Jaroslav Pelikan: The Christian Tradition, 1. The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600),
Chicago, 1971,p. 3..
4
tion and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. X, XIII.
5
Henri De Lubac: Origen, On First Principles, p. XIII.
6
In Lev. hom. 1:2 (G.W. Barkley - Frs. of the Church).
7
In Luc. hom 1:35.
8
R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 313 .
9
In Jer. hom. 9.2; In Jos. hom. 8.7.
10
Quasten, p. 82.
11
12
Contra Celsus 8:28,29.
13
In Exod. hom. 13:9.
14
In Ezek. hom 1:11; in Exod. 9:3.
15
Against Celsus 8:75; in Jer. hom. 11:3.
16
On Prayer, 31:5; Rowan A. Greer: Origen, p. 27.
17
In Matt 10:19.
18
In John. 19.
19
Comm. on Cant. 11:8 (ACW 26:149; tr. R.P. Lawson).
20
Against Celsus 6:48; in Matt. 14:17.
21
Contra Cels. 6,48 ANF.
22
In Jos. hom. 3,5.
23
In Lib. Issu Nave 3:5(Battenson, p. 3360-7).
24
In Josh. hom 3:5.
25
A. Harnack, Lehrbuch der Dogmengeschichte (4 ed. rev.; Tuebingen: J. Mohr, 1909), p. 439 sq.;
Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 69.
26
In Gen. hom. 1:7.
27
On Prayer 11:2.
28
Commentary on Matthew, Book 12:13 (Cf. ANF).
29
N.R.M. De Lange: Origen and the Jews: Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations in Third-Century
Palestine, 1976, Cambridge, p. 80.
30
Jean Danilou: The Bible and the Liturgy, p.325-7.
31
In Gen. hom. 2:5.
32
In Matt. hom. 11:3; PG 13:908 A.
33
De Oratione 27:14; Koetschau, 373, 14.
34
In Num. hom. 5:2; see also 25:2.
35
36
37
38
In Luc. hom. 32:6 (Thomas K. Carroll; Messages of the Fathers of the Church).
39
Comm. on John, book 6:38.
40
41
Contra Celsum 3:27.
42
R.P. Lawson: Origen, The Song of Songs, Commentary and Homilies, p.7.
43
In John hom. 6:59; Jaroslav Pelikan: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100), p. 160.
44
Hom. in 36 Ps. 2:1.
45
In Jos. hom. 7:6; Jean Danilou: Origen, NY, 1955, p.8.
The Church
647

46
In Jos. hom. 7. PG 12:861, 244.
47
PG 12:244.
48
An anonymous Paschal homily in the tradition of Origen; Thomas Halton, p. 87.
49
De Principiis, Pr. 4.
50
De Principiis, Pr. 4.
51
Jaroslav Pelikan: The Christian Tradition, 1. The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600),
Chicago, 1971, p. 112.
52
Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford 1913, p. 180-181
53
54
Jean Danilou : From Shadows to Reality, Studies in the Biblical Typology of the Fathers, News-
man Press, 1960, p. 106.
55
Comm. on Matt., book 2:13.
56
Contra Celsus 4:28; N.R.M. De Lange: Origen and the Jews: Studies in Jewish-Christian Rela-
tions in Third-Century Palestine, 1976, Cambridge, p. 76..
57
Contra Celsus 7:26.
58
Commentary on the Song of Songs 3.14; ACW 26.239, 245.
59
60
Homilies on Leviticus 7:2. (See Frs. of the Church)
61
62
63
64
65
66
Against Celsus, 3:9; Carl A. Volz: Life and Practice in the Early Church, Minneapolis, 1990, p.
97.
67
Fr. T. Y. Malaty: The Church 1991, p. 7-8.
68
In Exod. hom 7:12
69
Comm. on Cant. Cant. 2[Bettenson: Early Christian Fathers, 1956, p. 338-9]
70
In Jos. hom. 21:1.
71
PG 13:1524.
72
David G. Hunter: Preaching in the Patristic Age, 1989, p. 43ff.
73
In Gen. hom. 10:1.
74
In Gen. hom 10:1
75
Homily on Genesis 10.1 (Heine, 157)
76
Ibid. 10.3 (Heine, 162-63)
77
Homily on Exodus 12.2 (Heine, 369)
78
Ibid., 13.3 (Heine, 378)
79
Homily on Genesis 12.4(Heine, 180-81)
80
Homily on 1 Samuel 28,1.
81
See Hom. on Genesis 10:1.
82
Hom. on Jer. 4:3; Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM Press, 1985, p. 177-178.
83
On Gen. Hom., 10:1; On Jer. Hom., 18:7-10; Carl A. Volz: Life and Practice in the Early Church,
Minneapolis, 1990, p. 115.
84
On Ps. 36, 5:1; Carl A. Volz: Life and Practice in the Early Church, Minneapolis, 1990, p. 114.
85
On Luke hom.; 36:6.
86
De Principiis, I. praef. 2.
87
Rowan A. Greer: Origen, Paulist Press, 1979, page XIII.
88
De Principiis 1:1 (G.W. Butterworth).
89
Jaroslav Pelikan : The Christian Tradition, Chicago, 1971, p. 115.
90
91
In Luc. hom 1:4,5 [Fr. T. Malaty: Luke (in Arabic), P. 21-22.]
Origen
648

92
Charles Bigg: The Christian Platonists of Alexandria, Oxford 1913, p. 191.
93
In Mattthaem Commentariorum Series, 89 PG 13:1740; Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of
penance, Laval 1949, p. 89.
94
Comm. on Matt. PG 13:1740; Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 71.
95
Fragm. on 1 Corinthians, ed. by C. Jenkins, Journal of Theological Studies (1908): 364.
96
Comm. on Matt. 16:8.
97
Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM Press, 1985, p.196-7.
98
In Judices Homilia 3:5 PG 12:960-961.; Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949,
p.93.
99
In Ezech. hom. 5:4; Jean Danilou: Origen, NY, 1955, p. 25.
100
101
102
In Mattaeum Commentarii Liber 25, Liber 16:8 PG 13:1396; Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of
penance, Laval 1949, p. 98..
103
104
In Josh. hom 7:6 PG 12:862.
105
In Jos. hom. 21:1 PG 12:740.
106
In Ezek. hom. 10:1 PG 13.
107
In Lev. hom. 14:4 PG 12:559; Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 70.
108
In Jer. hom. 14:14; Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 94.
109
In Psalmum 37 Homilia 1:1 PG 12:1370.
110
In Jer. hom. 14:1.
111
112
In Lev. hom. 12:6 PG 12:542; Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 100.
113
114
On Prayer, 28:9; Jaroslav Pelikan : The Christian Tradition, Chicago, 1971, p. 59.
115
Church History 50 (1981) : The Charismatic Intellectual: Origens Understanding of Religious
Leadership, p. 111-112.
116
117
In Isaiah hom. 6:4.
118
Comm. on John 32:17; Church History 50 (1981) : The Charismatic Intellectual: Origens
Understanding of Religious Leadership, p. 113-114.
119
De Principiis 1:8:1; In Luke hom. 12:3.
120
In Jerm. hom 11:3; Fragm. 50.
121
Church History 50 (1981) : The Charismatic Intellectual: Origens Understanding of Religious
Leadership, p. 115.
122
In Num. hom. 22:4; Church History 50 (1981) : The Charismatic Intellectual: Origens Under-
standing of Religious Leadership, p. 116.
123
In Luc. hom. 32:2.
124
Comm. on John 13:47.
125
126
See Comm. on John 13:18; Hom. on Lev. 4:6.
127
Hom. on Isa. 6:4.
128
Comm. on John 32:17; Joseph Wilson Trigg: Origen, SCM Press, 1985, p. 142.
129
In Lev. hom. 6:4.
130
In Lev. hom. 4:6.
131
The Church
649

132
Atrii. The word occurs again in this and the next section, each time in a context which suggests
that it has reference to the "curtains" of Exod. 26.1-2 which were ten in number and 26 x 4 in
dimensions. The word in the LXX at Exod. 26, 1-2 is aulaia which the Vulgate renders cortina.
Perhaps Rufinus connected aulaia in Origen's text with aule, which would be correctly rendered
at atrium. Another possibility is that Origen himself connected the two words and used a form of
aule. Fortier translates the word as "vestibule."
133
134
Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 72 f.
135
In Lev. hom 5:3.
136
On Prayer 28; PG 11:527-530.
137
In Lev. hom. 5:3 PG 12:451.
138
In Psalm. 37 hom 1:1 PG 12:1369; Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949,
p.74.
139
140
Jean Danilou: From Shadows to Reality, Studies in the Biblical Typology of the Fathers, p. 107.
141
In Ezek. hom. 5:4 PG 13:707.
142
143
144
145
In Josue Homilia 21:1 PG 12:928; Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p.
102.
146
Comm. on Matt. 16:8; Church History 50 (1981) : The Charismatic Intellectual: Origens
Understanding of Religious Leadership, p. 116.
147
Commentary on Matthew, Book 11:15 ( Cf. ANF).
148
In Jos. hom. 24:2.
149
Commentary on Matthew 11:15; Thomas Halton, p. 21.
150
Comm. on Matt. 15:37 (Drewery).
151
152
153
154
In Num. hom. 22:4 (Robert B. Eno - Massage of the Frs. of the Church, p. 84.)
155
In Luc. hom. 38:5.
156
Cf. Church History 50 (1981) : The Charismatic Intellectual: Origens Understanding of Reli-
gious Leadership, p. 116-117.
157
In Numb. hom. 2:1 Church History 50 (1981) : The Charismatic Intellectual: Origens Under-
standing of Religious Leadership, p. 118.
158
Series Comm. on Matt. 12 Church History 50 (1981) : The Charismatic Intellectual: Origens
Understanding of Religious Leadership, p.
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
In Isa. hom. 6; PG 13.239; Thomas Halton, p. 21.
168
169
170
171
In Luc. hom. 12:2.
Origen
650

172
Comm. on Eph. 17 on 4:11ff.
173
In Lev. hom. 6:6.
174
In Gen. hom. 16:5.
175
176
Homilies on Leviticus 9:1; Thomas Halton, p. 146.
177
In Joan. 1:3 PG 14:25; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 310 .
178
179
180
181
Homilies on Leviticus 9:1 (Cf. Frs. of the Church).
182
Comm. on Rom. 1:2 on 1:2.
183
Contra Celsius 6:48; Thomas Halton, p. 145..
184
In Isa. hom 6 PG 13:239.
185
St. Clement of Alexandria: Who is the Rich Man that shall be Saved?
186
In Lev. hom. 9:1.
187
R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 317-8 .
188
F. Ferguson: Origen and the Election of Bishops. Church History 43 (1974), 27-30, 32.
189
Ep. 48 ad Amun.
190
SC 286, 279; Thomas Halton, p. 21.
661
14

CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
AND
LITURGIES

WORSHIP

ITS MEANING
Origen distinguishes adoration from worship, because
sometimes a person adores an idol or a man against his own will,
while worshipping means subjection of the whole man - inside
and appearance - in the action.
The text goes on to say, "You shall not adore them
nor worship them" (Exod. 20:5). It is one thing to worship,
another to adore
1
. One can sometimes adore even against
his will, as some fawn to kings when they see them given
to fondness of this kind. They pretend that they are
adoring idols when in their heart they are certain that an
idol is nothing. But to worship is to be subjected to these
with total desire and zeal. Let the divine word, therefore,
restrain both, that you may neither worship with desire
nor adore in appearance
2
.

WORSHIP AND RITUALS
In homily 5 on Numbers Origen alludes to various Christian
customs of worship.

1 The same distinction is made in Origen is... in Exodum (PG 17.16D). Cf. also Procopius' Catena in
Baehrens (GCS 29.223f).
2 In Exodus hom 8:4 ( Cf. Ronad E Heine - Frs. of the Church, vol. 71.)
Origen
662
There are things among the Church's observances,
which everyone is obliged to do, and yet not everyone
understands the reason for them; e.g.,... the fact that we
kneel to pray, and that of all the quarters of the heavens, the
east is the one we turn to when we pray... And can you
readily explain the reason for the way we receive the
Eucharist, for the rites it is celebrated with or for the words,
gestures, commands, questions and answers made in
Baptism?
3

1. THE ORIENTATION
I must also say a word or two about the part of the
world we ought to look to when we pray... You will all
immediately point to ... the east as the direction we should
turn to, for reasons of symbolism, when we say our prayers,
since the soul ought to keep its eyes steadily turned towards
the rising of the true Light.
Suppose a man has a house... facing another way
and prefers to turn that way when he says his prayers, on the
ground that where the doors and windows do not face east,
the sight of the sky is more conducive to recollection in the
soul than the sight of a wall. He should be told that... his
house faces this quarter of the globe or that because men
have decided that it should, whereas the superiority of the
east to the other parts of the world comes from nature. What
is of natural law must be considered superior to what is laid
down by positive law
4
.
The interesting thing about the passage quoted is that it
shows that the tradition concerned not only public prayer but private
prayer as well, and thus gives us a glimpse of the private religious
practice of the early Christians, a sphere we have very little
information about. As for the symbolical significance of the custom,

3 In Num. hom. 5:1.
4 On Prayer 32.
The Liturgy
663
Origen says that it was observed because Christ is the Sun of the
new universe, the Church
5
.

2. STRETCHING HANDS AND LIFTING UP THE EYES
There is no limit to the number of postures the body
can take up, but the position to be preferred is
unquestionably the one we adopt when we stretch out our
hands and lift up our eyes, as it is the best bodily expression
of the soul's attitude in prayer.
He also says that we ought, so to speak, to stretch out our
souls before we stretch out our hands and raise our minds to God
before we raise our eyes to him. Before we stand up, we should free
our minds from all preoccupation with the earthly and so stand them
before the God of the universe. We should put aside any resentment
we may feel at wrongs done to us if we want God to forgive us for
the wrong we have done ourselves
6
.
People might be forced by circumstances to pray in some
other position.
I say that this should be observed when there are no
obstacles. But circumstances may sometimes lead you to
pray sitting down, e.g., if you have... bad feet; and if you
have a temperature, you may even have to lie down... for if
your business makes it impossible for you to go to some
quiet place to discharge your debt of prayer, you will not be
able to insist on standing when you pray. As for prayer in a
kneeling position what you must realize is that it is necessary
when we confess our sins to God and beg him to forgive
them and restore us to health. It is a symbol of that
prostration and submission that Paul speaks of when he
says: I fall on my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that Father from whom all fatherhood in heaven and
on earth takes its title (Eph. 3:14). This spiritual bending of

5 Jean Danilou: Origen, NY, 1955, p. 29.
6 On Prayer 31; Jean Danilou: Origen, NY, 1955, p. 30.
Origen
664
the knee, so called because all creatures worship God and
humble themselves before him, when they hear the name of
Jesus, is, to my mind, what the apostle is thinking of when he
says: Everything in heaven and on earth and under the
earth must bend the knee before the name of Jesus (Phil.
2:10)
7
.

3. SPECIAL PLACE FOR PRAYER
As far as place is concerned... any place will become
suitable for prayer if you pray well in it... How-ever, if you
want to say your prayers in greater quiet and without so
much distraction, you may choose a special place in your
own house, if you can have a consecrated place, so to speak,
and pray there.... Special grace and benefit are to be had
from the place of prayer, the place, I mean, where the
faithful assemble; for it is reasonable to suppose that
angelic powers are present when the faithful meet
together; the influence of our Lord and Savior must be there
too and so must the spirits of the saints - the spirits, to my
way of thinking, of the dead who have gone before us and
obviously, too, the spirits of those saints who are still alive,
though how, it is difficult to say
8
.
You may look at the Savior now, if you will, with
your own eyes, in this assembly and in this church; for when
you set the most spiritual part of your eyes they do look on
Jesus. Blessed was that community whose members
Scripture tells us, all had their eyes fixed on Him (Matt.
13:I6). If only this assembly too could deserve the same
testimonial and all of you, catechumens and baptized
Christians, men, women and children, could look at Jesus,
not with your bodily eyes but with the eyes of the soul! When
you look at Him, through His grace and His gift of
contemplation, your faces shine with a clearer light and you

7 On Prayer 31; Jean Danilou: Origen, NY, 1955, p. 30-1.
8 On Prayer 31, 4.
The Liturgy
665
can say: 'The light of Your countenance, O Lord, is signed
upon us (Ps. 4:7)
9
."

4. THE GREAT LENT
Origen touches on the practice of Lent, which is dedicated
to fasting
10
; the ordination of the priest, in whose selection all the
people participate
11
; and on the process of Christian discipline,
based on Matthew 18.15-17
12
.
However, we do not say this that we may loosen
the restraints of Christian abstinence. For we have forty
days dedicated to fasting; we have the fourth and the sixth
day of the week on which we regularly fast. There is cer-
tainly freedom for the Christian to fast at all times, not by
an excessive regard of an observance but by virtue of
moderation
13
.

5. CONCEPT OF FASTING
Do you still want me to show you what kind of fast
it is appropriate for you to practice?
Fast from every sin, take no food of malice, take no
feasts of passion, do not burn with any wine of luxury.
Fast from evil deeds, abstain from evil words, hold your-
self from the worst evil thoughts.
Do not touch the secret loaves of perverse doc-
trine.
Do not desire the deceptive foods of philosophy
which seduce you from truth.
Such a fast pleases God.
But "to abstain from the foods which God created
to be received with thanksgiving by the faithful" (1 Tim.

9 In Luc. hom. 32.
10 In Lev. hom. 10:2
Origen
666
4:3) and to do this with those who crucified Christ, cannot
be acceptable to God. Once the Pharisees were indignant
with the Lord because his disciples were not fasting. He
responded to them, "The sons of the Bridegroom cannot
fast as long as the Bridegroom is with them (Cf. Matt.
9:15). Therefore, let them fast when they lose the Bride-
groom; but we, who have the bridegroom with us, cannot
fast
14
.

6. TRUE FEASTS
We must acknowledge that he who is interested in feasts
and temporary cares cannot ascend to the upper-room, nor have a
share with J esus in keeping the Pasch
15
.

7. THE LORD'S DAY
The perfect man is he who is involved in the words of the
Lord, His deeds and His thoughts. Thus he lives in the Lord's days
constantly, and all his days become the Lord's days
16
.

8. OFFERING THE SACRIFICE OF PREACHING THE
GOSPEL
To announce the Gospel is a sacerdotal office.
Even as the Priest had to see while officiating that the vic-
tim was without blemish, and hence agreeable to God, so
he who carries out this sacrifice of the Gospel and an-
nounces the words of God must watch that his preaching
is without blemish, his instruction without fault, and his
magisterial perfect. But that means that he is, as far as
possible, first to offer up himself in sacrifice and to make
his members dead to sin, so that, not only through his doc-
trine, but also by the example of his life, he shall ensure

15 In Matt. 26:18..
16 In Jos. hom 5:2.
The Liturgy
667
that his oblation, in being accepted by God, wins the sal-
vation of those who hear him
17
.

9. THANKSGIVING
Preaching the Gospel is a kind of worship and a sacrifice.
This is the sacrifice that is called salutary (Lev.
7:28-34). No one offers that sacrifice to the Lord unless
one who, healthy and conscious of his salvation, renders
thanks to the Lord. Thus, no one who is sick in spirit and
feeble in works can offer a salutary sacrifice
18
.

9. WOMENS HEADS ARE COVERED THROUGH PRAY-
ERS
I do not hesitate to say it: in our congregation an-
gels too are present. If we say anything consonant with the
Word, they rejoice and pray with us. And it is because an-
gels are present in Church, in that Church at least which
is Christs, that women are called upon to have their
heads covered and men are bound to bow in veneration
19
.

17 Comm. on Rom., Book 10:11. (Thomas K. Carroll; Messages of the Fathers of the Church).
18 Homilies on Leviticus 5:12. (See Frs. of the Church)
19 In Luc. hom. 23:8 (Thomas K. Carroll; Messages of the Fathers of the Church).
Origen
668
THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Origen depicts a living picture of the Liturgy of Eucharist
in his days.

THE EUCHARIST, THE BODY OF CHRIST
20

Origen told Celsus that we consume bread which by virtue
of prayer has become body, which sanctifies those who use it with
a sound purpose. The Eucharist is "a certain holy body which
sanctifies those who partake of it with a pure intention
21
." He re-
fers to the reverence shown to the Eucharist
22
. He designates the
Eucharist the Logos Himself
23
. In the Contra Celsus he writes
thus: "We give thanks to the Creator of all and, along with
thanksgiving and prayer for the blessing we have received, we
also eat the bread presented to us; and this bread becomes by
prayer a sacred body, which sanctifies those who sincerely par-
take of it
24
."
He is more explicit in the following passage: "You who
are wont to assist at the divine Mysteries, know how, when you
receive the body of the Lord, you take reverent care, lest any par-
ticle of it should fall to the ground and a portion of the conse-
crated gift (consecrati muneris) escape you. You consider it a
crime, and rightly so, if any particle thereof fell down through
negligence
25
."
Origen in the Commentary on St. John writes thus of the
Last Supper: "As he who unworthy eats the bread of the Lord or
drinks His chalice, eats and drinks to his judgment, as the greater
force, which is in the bread and the chalice, effects good things in

20 See Michael O'Carroll: Corpus Christi, An Encyclopedia of the Eucharist, p. 147-9
21 Contra Celsus 8: 33.
23 In Matt. 11:14.
24 PG 11:1566 C.
25 In Exodum Hom. 13:3.
The Liturgy
669
a good soul and evil things in a bad, the morsel given (to Judas)
by Jesus was of the same kind; that which He gave to the other
apostles saying Take and eat was salvation for them, but judg-
ment for Judas, so that after the morsel Satan entered into him.
The bread and chalice are understood by the more simple people
in the ordinary meaning of Eucharist, but by those who have ac-
quired a higher knowledge in the more divine meaning of the
nourishing truth of the Word
26
."

EUCHARIST AND ALLEGORISM
Here we enter the realm of allegory, well-known to stu-
dents of Origen. For both St. Clement and Origen, the bodily
feeding of the Eucharist becomes a symbol of spiritual feeding of
the Word, which is then equated with intellectual and moral nour-
ishment found particularly in Scripture, right doctrine and mysti-
cal contemplation. When the sacrament is received in the right
frame of mind, it feeds both body and soul, nourishing both parts
of the composite being, Man; but Origen quite explicitly stated
that, without spiritual awareness, participation in the communion-
sacrifice has no effect, the food just passing through the material
body like any other. The spiritual food which brings immortality
to those who partake with faith, cannot be eaten by unworthy per-
sons, since it depends on spiritual participation in the Divine
Word
27
.
That bread which God the Word (deus verbum)
owns to be His body, is the Word which nourishes the
soul, the Word which proceeds from God the Word, and
that bread from heavenly bread which is placed upon the
table, of which it is written: 'You have prepared a table
before me, against them that afflict me' (Ps. 22:5). And
that drink, which God the Word owns to be His blood, is
the Word which saturates and inebriates the hearts of

26 In Johannem 32:24.
ment to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 252ff..
Origen
670
those that drink it, they drink in that cup of which it is
said: How goodly is Your inebriating chalice (Ps. 22)....
Not that visible bread, which he held in His hands, did the
divine Logos call His body, but the word, in the mystery of
which the bread was to be broken . Not that visible drink
did he call his blood, but the word, in the mystery of which
this drink was to be poured out. For the body of the divine
Logos or His blood, what else can they be than the word
which nourishes and the word which gladdens the heart?
28

About this passage G. Bareille thinks that it shows that
Origen had not sought to make a synthesis of his ideas in this
whole theological domain, while P. Batiffol thinks that his doc-
trine is here incomplete. Passages as the following must be noted:
If you go up with him to celebrate the Pasch, He
gives you the chalice of the New Testament, He gives you
the bread of the blessing, He dispenses His body and His
blood
29
.
Formerly in figure baptism was in the cloud and
the sea, but now regeneration is in water and the Holy
Spirit. Then in figure the manna was food, but now dis-
closed the flesh of the Word of God is true food, as he
Himself said, For My flesh is food indeed and My blood
is drink indeed
30
.
What it means to approach such great and such
wondrous sacraments?!
31

Till now (Christ) enters under our food through the
leaders of the church the saints, of whom God is pleased...
When you receive the body and blood of the Lord, He him-

28 In Mattthaeum comment. ser 85.
29 In Jeremiam Hom. 19:13.
30 In Numeros Hom. 7.
31 In Ps. 37 Hom. 2 PG 12:1386D.
The Liturgy
671
self enters under your roof. In humility say, O Master, I
am not worthy...
32

We are said to drink the Blood of Christ, not only
in the rite of the mysteries, but also when we receive His
words in which life consists, just as He says, The words
which I have spoken are spirit and life (John 6:63)
33

Origen clearly believed that what he received in
the Eucharistic communion, was the Word of God which enlight-
ens the ignorance of the world. The communion-sacrifice has thus
been intellectualized as well as individualized, and the fellowship-
meal uniting the church as communion with the Risen Christ, is
completely submerged
34
.

MERIT OF RECEIVING THE EUCHARIST
The fact that the Eucharist can be eaten to ones condem-
nation (a fact well illustrated by the Last Supper, of which the dis-
ciples all partook for their salvation, except J udas who partook for
his condemnation), is interpreted by Origen to mean that the
Word which brings salvation to the soul which is basically
healthy, may be a stimulant to worse evil if given to a sick soul.
In his comment on Matt. 26:23 He who dips his hand into
the dish with Me, he will betray Me, Origen explains that those
who receive the Communion while they plot against their brethren,
imitates J udas the betrayer.
Such are all in the church who plot against their
brothers in whose company they have been frequently at
the same table of the body of Christ and at the same cup of
His blood
35
.

32 Catena Aurea, Fr. Malaty: Luke, p. 196.
33 In Num. hom. 7:2. (Daniel J. Sheerin: The Eucharist, p. 180. Message of the Fathers of the
Church)
ment to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 252ff..
35 Daniel J. Sheerin: The Eucharist, p. 176-7 (Message of the Fathers of the Church).
Origen
672
BAPTISM

Origen praises Baptism as a new birth, participation in the
divine nature, acceptance of membership in the body of the
church, return to Paradise and receiving a general priesthood.
Baptism is the indispensable first stage in the journey to
God. It purifies, regenerates, initiates one into Christ, and endows
with the Holy Spirit. But as the Homilies on Exodus and the Homi-
lies on Joshua make clear, baptism and its preparations are the
fledgling stage of a long and dangerous journey
36
.

CHRISTS BAPTISM
For Origen and the Alexandrian Fathers generally, how-
ever, the focus is squarely on Christs own baptism: What hap-
pened at the J ordan happens also in the baptismal font
37
.
The Events of the Jordan are the icon of the mys-
tery which is accomplished in baptism
38
.

PREPARATION FOR BAPTISM
Origen lays great stress on the spiritual efficacy of bap-
tism. He insists on penitence, sincere faith and humility as its pre-
requisites
39
.
But you, too, who desire to receive holy baptism
and to obtain the grace of the Spirit, first you ought to be
cleansed by the Law. First, having heard the word of God,
you ought to restrain your natural vices and to set right
your barbarous and wild nature, having taken on gentle-

36 Cf. Thomas Finn: Early Christian Baptism and the Catechumenate, Minnesota 1992, Message of
the Fathers of the Church, p.193-194.
37 Cf. Thomas Finn: Early Christian Baptism and the Catechumenate, Minnesota 1992, Message of
the Fathers of the Church, p. 11,12.
38 In Jos 5:1.
39 Levet. hom. 6:2; Lucan hom. 21; Exod. hom. 10:4,
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673
ness and humility, you can receive also the grace of the
Holy Spirit
40
.
Not all are washed unto salvation. Those of us
who have received the grace of baptism in the name of
Christ are washed, but I cannot tell which are washed
unto salvation. Simon was washed... but because he
was not washed unto salvation he was condemned by the
one who said to him in the Holy Spirit your money perish
with you (Acts 8:20). It is tremendously hard for him who
is washed to be washed unto salvation. Hearken, you cate-
chumens... and prepare yourselves while you are still
catechumens and unbaptized...: he who is washed but not
unto salvation receives the water but not the Holy spirit.
He who is washed unto salvation receives both
41
.
The benefit from baptism depends on the intention of the
person baptized. If he repents he receives it: if he comes for bap-
tism without repenting the benefit becomes a judgment.

BLESSINGS OF BAPTISM
1. Origen sees the baptismal font as a tomb, where the can-
didate participates in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ
(Rom. 6:1-11). He calls baptism the mystery of the third day
42
.
For those who have been taken up into Christ by baptism have
been taken up into His death and have been buried with Him, and
will rise with Him
43
.
2. Baptism is the new or second circumcision
44
.
3. Baptism is a mystery of illumination.

41 In Ezek. hom. 6:5 on 16:4.
42 Thomas Finn: Early Christian Baptism and the Catechumenate, Minnesota 1992, Message of the
Fathers of the Church, p. 9.
43 In Exod. hom . 5:2.
44 In Luc. hom. 14.
Origen
674
Blessed are those who become near (to Him)! They
became near the fire which illuminates them and does not
burn them
45
.
4. Baptism is a mystery of the unity of earth and heaven.
Origen believes that passing the Red Sea under the leader-
ship of Moses was a symbol of baptism in the Old Testament,
while passing the J ordan River under the guidance of J oshua was
a symbol of baptism in the New Testament. The Red Sea was di-
vided and the people passed among the waters, while in the J or-
dan River water was only on one side. It refers to the unity of the
two (earth and heaven) and the destruction of the dividing wall
46
.
5. Baptism is the mystery of purification from all sins.
It is not said that Joshua seized one (king) and left
another through the war, but he seized all and killed them.
For the Lord Jesus purified us from all kinds of sins which
were in man before his faith... Do you not believe with me
that all sins with all their kings have been removed from
us in the waters of baptism? This is what the apostle Paul
desired to say for after numerating all kinds of sins he
adds, And such were some of you, but you were washed,
but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor.
7:11)
47
.
(Baptism) is named "the washing of generation,"
being accompanied by the renewing of the Spirit, who still
broods over the water
48
.
When you come to Jesus and receive the grace of
Baptism for the remission of sins... you yourself shall rest
from war (Jos 11:23), on condition that you carry in the

45 In Jos 4:3.
46 In Jos. 1:4.
47 In Jos. hom. 12:5.
48 In Joan. t. 6:33.
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body the mortification of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of
Jesus may appear in our body (2 Cor. 4:10). Thus the war
ends in you, and you become a peace-maker, and are
called a child of God (Matt. 5:9)
49
.
6. Baptism sets aflame the soul with the fire of the Holy
Spirit.
Christ, then, does not baptize with water, but His
disciples. He reserves for Himself to baptize with the Holy
Spirit and with fire
50
.
For His baptism is not that of the body only; He fills
the penitent with the Holy Spirit, and His divine fire does
away with everything material and consumes everything that
is earthly, not only from him who admits it to his life, but
even from him who hears of it from those who have
51
.
For my part, I cannot speak thus, for I know that,
when I go hence, my wood will have to be burned in me
52
.
But if there is a sinner like me, he will come to this
fire like Peter and Paul, but he will not be able to cross it
like Peter and Paul
53
.
7. Origen frees us from the power of the Devil.
8. Baptism makes us members of the Church as Christs
body
54
.
The Holy Spirit creates for Himself a new people
and renews the face of the earth; when through the grace
of the Spirit, men "put off the old man with his doings,"
Col 3:9, and begin to walk in the newness of life (Rom.
6:4)
55
.

49 In Jos. hom. 15:7.
52 In Jer. hom. 20:3
53 Hom. on Ps. 36 (3:1); Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 246.
54 Exod. hom. 5:5; Rom. hom. 8:5.
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676
Let us consider that perhaps we have been pre-
served so that baptized with our own blood and washed
from every sin we may pass our existence with our fellow
contestants near the altar in heaven (Rev. 6:9)
56
.

BAPTISM AND THE ADOPTION TO THE FATHER
Through Baptism we receive the adoption to the Father by
the grace of the Holy Spirit. On our part we must call our God,
"our Father," not only by our lips but through our whole saintly
life, which fits our adoption to the Father.
Because of the "Spirit of sonship" we have learned,
in the general letter of John concerning those born of
God, that "no one born of God commits sin, for His seed
remains in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of
God," 1 John 3:9..., they may not say "Our Father" only
half way. Such people add to their works their hearts,
which are the fountain and origin of good works which
lead to righteousness, while the mouth joins in harmony
and confesses to achieve salvation (Cf. Rom. 10:10)
57
.

THREE KINDS OF BAPTISM
Now, it may very well be that some one not versed in
the various aspects of the Savior may stumble at the
interpretation given above of the Jordan; because John says,
"I baptize with water, but He that comes after me is stronger
than I; He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit." To this we
reply that, as the Word of God in His character as
something to be drunk is to one set of men water, and to
another wine, making glad the heart of man, and to others
blood, since it is said, "Except you drink My blood, you have
no life in you," (John 6:53) and as in His character as food
He is variously conceived as living bread or as flesh, so also

56 An Exhortation to Martyrdom, 39 (Greer).
57 On Prayer 22:2, 3.
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He, the same person, is baptism of water, and baptism of
Holy Spirit and of fire, and to some, also, of blood. It is of
His last baptism, as some hold, that He speaks in the words
"I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I
straitened till it be accomplished?" (Luke 12:50). And it
agrees with this that the disciple John speaks in the Epistle (I
John 10:8) of the Spirit and the water, and the blood, as
being one
58
.

BAPTISM OF BLOOD
Let us remember the sins we have committed, and
that it is impossible to receive forgiveness of sins apart
from baptism,
that it is impossible according to the laws of the
Gospel to be baptized again with water and the Spirit for
the forgiveness of sins,
and that the baptism of martyrdom has been given
to us. This is what it is called, as is evident from the fact
that, "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?" is fol-
lowed by "or to be baptized with the baptism with which I
am baptized?" (Mark 10:38). And in another place it is
said, "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am
constrained until it is accomplished!" (Luke 12:50)
59
.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BAPTISM OF MOSES AND
THAT OF JOSHUA
And Joshua, who succeeded Moses, was a type of
Jesus Christ, who succeeds the dispensation through the
Law, and replaces it by the preaching of the Gospel. And
even if those Paul speaks of were baptized in the cloud and
in the sea, there is something harsh and salty in their
baptism. They are still in fear of their enemies, and crying to
the Lord and to Moses, saying, (Exod. 14:11) "Because there

59 An Exhortation to Martyrdom, 30 (Greer).
Origen
678
were no graves in Egypt, have you brought us forth to slay
us in the wilderness? Why have you dealt thus with us, to
bring us forth out of Egypt?" But the baptism of Joshua,
which takes place in quite sweet and drinkable water, is in
many ways superior to that earlier one, religion having by
this time grown clearer and assuming a becoming order...
And, in the former case, they kept the Passover in
Egypt, and then began their journey, but with Joshua, after
crossing Jordan on the tenth day of the first month they
pitched their camp in Galgala; for a sheep had to be
procured before initiations could be issued to the banquet
after Joshua's baptism
60
.

BAPTISM OF INFANTS
The early church insisted on the baptism of children, so
that grace touches their own salvation. Every human being is born
in sin and for this reason it is an apostolic tradition to baptize the
newly born. Origen is a witness to infant baptism.
The Church has received a tradition from the
Apostles to give baptism even to little ones. For since the
secrets of divine mysteries had been entrusted to them,
they know that there are in all people genuine defilements
of sin, which ought to be washed away through water and
Spirit
61
.
If you like to hear what other saints have felt in re-
gard to physical birth, listen to David when he says, I was
conceived, so it runs, in iniquity and in sin my mother has
borne me (Ps. 50,7), proving that every soul which is born
in the flesh is tainted with the stain of iniquity and sin.
This is the reason for that saying which we have already
quoted above, No man is clean from sin, not even if his
life be one day long (Job 14,4). To these, as a further

61 In Romans, book 5:9.
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point, may be added an inquiry into the reason from
which, while the churchs baptism is given for the remis-
sion of sin, it is the custom of the Church that baptism be
administered even to infants. Certainly, if there were noth-
ing in infants that required remission and called for leni-
ent treatment, the grace of baptism would seem unneces-
sary
62
.
For those who have been entrusted with the secrets
of the divine mysteries, knew very well that all are tainted
with the stain of original sin, which must be washed off by
water and the Spirit
63
.
J aroslav Pelikan says,
In the writings of Origen the custom of infant bap-
tism was taken to be of apostolic origin. He maintained
that there was a tradition of the church from the apostles
to administer baptism also to infants. But even though it
was apostolic, the custom remained problematical for him.
If infants were completely devoid of anything that called
for forgiveness and pardon, baptismal grace would seem
superfluous. Why, then, was it the custom of the church to
administer baptism to them? Attempting to draw together
these various considerations, he proposed as a tentative
answer: Infants are baptized for the remission of sins.
Of which sins? Or at what time have they sinned? Or how
can there exist in infants that reason for washing, unless in
accordance with the idea that no one is clean of filth, not
even if his life on earth has only been for one day? And
because the filth of birth is removed by the sacrament of
baptism, for that reason infants, too, are baptized; for
unless one is born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot
enter the kingdom of heaven.
64

62 In Lev. hom. 8,3 SPCK.
63 In Rom. hom. 5,9.
64 Jaroslav Pelikan: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100), p. 290-1.
Origen
680

BAPTISM AND CONSTANT SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE
Origen states that the Risen Christ is an Energizing Light.
Christ's "energy" as risen is present to the believer not only at his
baptism, but also at his consistent walking and struggling in
"newness of life."
Now he is called the light of men and the true light and the
light of the world because he brightens and irradiates . . . all rea-
sonable beings. And similarly it is from and because of the energy
with which he causes the old deadness to be put aside, and causes
life par excellence to be put on, so that those who have truly re-
ceived him rise again from the dead, that he is called the resur-
rection. And this he does not only at the moment at which a man
says, "We are buried with Christ through baptism and have risen
again with him" [cf. Rom 6:4], but rather when a man, having
laid off all about him that belongs to death, walks in the newness
of life which belongs to him the Son, while here. We always
"carry about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus," and thus
we reap the vast advantage, "that the life of the Lord Jesus might
be made manifest in our bodies" (2 Cor. 4:10)
65
.

SINNING AFTER BAPTISM
Who recites: Our Father who are in heaven,
and has not the Spirit of Adoption lies
66
.
If you commit new sins you return to your ancient
reproach, nevertheless you will be in more evil condition
as if you have "trampled the Son of God underfoot, count-
ing the blood of the covenant by which (you) were sancti-
fied a common thing"(Heb. 120:29)....
Yes, who presents himself to adultery after receiv-
ing the Gospel, his reproach becomes greater than he who
does thus while he is under the law. For it is said, " shall I

65 Commentary on John [25]: based on ANF 9.312
66 PG 13:1599.
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then take the members of Christ and make them members
of a harlot?! (1 Cor 3:17)
67
.
It seems to me that there is a difference between
those who are baptized ... There are some who receive the
holy baptism and return to push themselves to the cares of
the world and the passions, drinking again from the salted
cup of the lusts
68
.

67 In Jos. hom 5:5.
68 In Jos. hom. 4:1.

672
15

SPIRITUAL LIFE

MASTER OF SPIRITUAL LIFE

R. Cadiou who writes four chapters on the Spirituality of
Origen says, Origen was, above everything else, a man devoted to
the things of the spirit
1
.
Like J ohn the Evangelist, he reclined at the breast
of J esus. The one for whom he as a boy would have
wished to meet martyrdom had forever enraptured the
depths of his soul
2
.
J ean Danilou
3
says,
Gregory of Nyssa
4
and Evagrius Ponticus, the two
great theorists who wrote on mystical theology in the fourth
century, were both disciples of his (writings), and if
Gregory went further than Origen in stressing the part
played in the mystical union by love without light, he still
was closely dependent on him. The line of thought started
by Origen was carried on in the spirituality of the east by
the Pseudo-Dionysius, who was a disciple of Gregory of
Nyssa. Maximus the Confessor depends on him either
directly or through Evagrius and the Pseudo-Dionysius, as
Fr. Von Balthasar has shown
5
. In addition, his spiritual

introduction and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. XIII.
4 Jean Danilou: Platonisme et theologie mystique. Essai sur la doctrine spirituelle de saint
Gregoire de Nysse, Paris, 1943.
5 H.Urs von Balthaster, Kesmische Liturgie, Freiburg in Breisagau, 1941.
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673
teaching was transmitted to the West through Evagrius
Ponticus, who handed it on to Cassian
6
.
Walter Volker
7
, whose interest is in spirituality,
regards Origen as a master of spiritual life and a great
mystic.
Fr. Aloysius Lieske accuses Volker of failing to see that
Origens mystical theology is rooted in dogma and the Church
8
. In
fact, Origen uses some of the concepts found in the Platonist
mystical writings in circulation at the time, just as St. Clement of
Alexandria had done before him, but his theology of spiritual life
struck a chord in the hearts of so many Christians, because it is
first and foremost a product of the Bible. In Origens opinion there
was no book equal to the holy Bible.

6 Cf. D. Marsili, Giovanni Cassiano e Evgario Pontico, Rome, 1936.
7 Das Volkommenheitsideal des Origene, Tubingen, 1931.
8 Cf. Jean Danilou: Origen, NY, p. 336-7.
Origen
674
SPIRITUAL LIFE
OR
A JOURNEY OF THE SOUL

Origen considers spiritual life as a serious journey of the
soul. Through this journey the soul returns by divine grace to her
original nature, and becomes an icon of God. Thus, she can be
raised up through canonical struggling till her return to the bosom
of God.
It is a dangerous trip, or it is a continuos battle, but it has its
sweetness through unceasing victory over the evil world, sin and
demons. Believers examine the work of the Holy Trinity while
they are struggling.
Through His grace God leads the soul on and on, from a
knowledge of ones self to the struggle against sin, to practices of
asceticism, to the mystical ascent, until at last she is admitted to
the mystical (spiritual) union with the Logos
9
:
The soul is moved by heavenly love and longing
when, having clearly beheld the beauty and the fairness of
the Word of God,
it falls deeply in love with His loveliness and
receives from the Word Himself a certain dart and wound
of love...
If, then, a man can so extend his thinking as to
ponder and consider the beauty and the grace of all the
things that have been created in the Word, the very charm
of them will so smite him, the grandeur of their brightness
will so pierce him as with a chosen dart, as the prophet
says (Isa. 49:2), that he will suffer from the dart Himself a

9 R.P. Lawson: Origen, The Song of Songs, Commentary and Homilies, p.15-6.
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saving wound, and will be kindled with the blessed fire of
His love.
This trip of the souls is the ladder of Paradise, which the
patriarch J acob saw, being traversed by those spirits that fall away
or by those other spirits that are restored, in the course of several
lives, to the dignity they had at the beginning. The poem of heaven
unrolls according to the same law. Heaven is peopled by souls that
have fallen away but are more meek and mild than the others to
wisdom, and they take part in the splendid liturgy of the celestial
city. Moreover, a more perfect universe, is to come, in which
matter, having become pure and ethereal, will form the new
world
10
.

DISCOVERING ONESELF
11

The first stage of spiritual life is that in which a believer
returns to himself, acknowledges himself, and discovers world in
miniature within himself.
Origen understands that the real world is the world inside
man, or his spiritual being, which in a sense partakes of the nature
of God. His concept originated in the meeting of two great
doctrines:
1. The biblical one that man was created as an icon of God.
To be more precise, man was made not just in Gods icon but in
the icon of the Logos
12
. It is said in the Book of the Song of Songs,
If you know not yourself, O fairest among women, go forth and
follow after the steps of the flocks (Song 1:7).
2. The Platonist one that mans perfection depends on his
likeness to God.

11 Jean Danilou: Origen, NY, p. 294-5.
12 In Gen. hom 1:15.
Origen
676
Man is also involved in the life of the senses, which is
foreign to his essence. he loses Gods icon in so far as he molds
himself to the pattern of animal life. Spiritual life will therefore
consist of the process by which he returns to his true nature, his
efforts first to realize what he is and then to try and recover his real
nature by destroying the power of his corrupt animal life. To the
extent to which he succeeds, he will recover the image of God that
once was in him and in it will see God.
In other words, a believer in acknowledging his inner-self
feels two realities:
1. His need to returning to his original nature by divine
grace.
Who, although they have been given by God the
grace of thinking on and understanding many things,
neglect other spheres of knowledge and give no heed to
self-knowledge
13
.
He who does not realize his own weakness and the
divine grace, even if he receives a benefit before he has
come to know himself and condemn himself, will come as
his own achievement what has actually been freely supplied
him from the heavenly grace. This produces pride and
arrogance, and will be a cause of his downfall
14
.
2. The real world is within him.
Understand that you are another and that there is
within you the sun, the moon, and the stars...
Do you doubt that the sun and the moon are
within you to whom it is said that you are the light of the
world?
15

13 Comm. on Song Songs 2.
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SOUL'S JOURNEY AND RETURN TO GOD
16

Origen explains spiritual life and progress, using different
metaphors:
I. A Journey.
2. Growth to maturity .
3. Struggling in a spiritual battle.

I. A JOURNEY
Origen sees that all Church worship and liturgies are a
divine journey. Baptism, for example is presented as the exodus
and entrance to the true promised land, as the restoration of
Paradise, and as entrance into the heavenly J erusalem
17
.
According to Rown A. Greer, Origens writings reveal that
his primary interest lies in the drama of the soul's struggle to
return to God or to attain unity with God. Origen's views of
martyrdom, prayer and Scripture merge into one vision of the
Christian life as a movement towards a perfect knowledge of God
and perfect fellowship with Him through Christ.
J ean Danilou in his book, Origen, says that the spiritual
journey begins with the advances made by the Word, our Savior.
The souls response is her conversion: she sets out after Him as the
Hebrews in Egypt did after the pillar of cloud, which was a figure
of the Word or of the Holy Ghost. Origen then goes on to describe
the successive stages in the journey, the various places where the
soul stops and rests
18
.
Origen finds this journey in the symbol of the crossing of
the desert by the children of Israel
19
.

16 See Rown A. Greer: Origen, Paulist Press, 1979, p. 17f.; Jules Lebreton: The History of the
Primitive Church, p. 958f.; Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty: Commentaries of the Early Fathers; Exodus,
Alexandria 1980 (in Arabic).
19 In Num. hom., 27.
Origen
678
The stages of this journey through the desert are figures
of the mystical stages of our spiritual pilgrimage
20
.

STAGES OF THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
I give here a summary of some stages of this journey which
Origen presents in his Homilies on Exodus.
I. Entering the desert, leaving Raamses and every earthly
thing.
We have to leave Pharaoh, the symbol of the devil, and his
land. He does not want us to leave him, for he wants us to have the
image of the man of dust and not bear the image of the Heavenly
One (1 Cor. 15:49)
21
.
Those alone will have the courage to do this who desire no
other lot here below but God. Moreover, it is possible only if we
are upheld by Christ "who is our strength," and if we are guided by
Moses (a symbol of faith) and Aaron (a symbol of works of
worship). Moses himself did not know whither he was going, but
"the Lord Himself became his guide," for the pillar of fire and the
cloud were the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The devil begins to tremble when souls start their journey
under the guidance of Christ, the Word and High-Priest, saying
with Pharaoh, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of
war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go
up off the land (Exod. 1:10).
Souls must leave Raamses (Exod. 1:11), which means
city of corruption or agitation
22
. The enemy wants the souls to be
in Raamses, in hard bondage and in confusion,, making bricks by
mud, instead of contemplating on heavenly things..

20 The History of the Primitive Church, p. 958ff.
21 In Exod. hom. 5 .
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If you wish to be perfect, sell all your possessions
and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
and come, follow Me (Matt. 19:21).
This is to depart from Raamses, and to follow
Christ
23
.

II. Celebrating the Pasch
The Hebrews celebrated the Pasch in Egypt, and the next
day set out on their journey.
Origen states that the lamb of the Pasch must be roasted in
fire (Exod. 12:9), for the believer is in need of the fiery spirit,
holding the fiery words of God, as it is said to J eremiah Behold, I
will make My words in your mouth fire (J er. 5:14). Thus on
hearing Christ speaking in us, we say, Did not our heart burn
within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He
opened the scriptures to us?
24
.
We go out of a world which is upset and agitated
(Raamses), and we arrive at Sochoth, which means "the tents," for
the soul is now a stranger here below. She lives in tents till she
arrives to the everlasting house.

III. Camping in the third station: Etham (Exod. 13:20)
On the third station, which is a symbol of the resurrection
of Christ on the third day, the soul encamps in Etham, which
means sign. It is the Mystery of the Third Day, by which the
Lord guides the believer and reveals to him the beginning of the
way of salvation
25
.
A believer cannot enter the wilderness of temptations and
troubles, unless he has the experience of the risen life in Christ.
There the Lord goes before the believer by day in a pillar of cloud

24 Comm. on John 13.
25 In Exod. hom. 5:2 .
Origen
680
to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give him light, so
as to go by day and night (Exod. 13:21).
Origen refers to the mystery of the third day on many
occasions, for he believes that a believer cannot realize the trip of
his soul unless he is supported by the resurrection of Christ, which
had been realized on the third day.
I have mentioned this mystery in the previous book
26
.
* Through the risen life of Christ, our thoughts, words and
deeds (3) are sanctified, also the three elements of a believer would
be sanctified.
* Abraham after the arrival of the appointed place on the
third day (Gen. 22:4) offered joyfully his son Isaac as a burnt
offering, as he beheld the sign of the resurrection of Christ
27
.
* Moses asked Pharaoh to permit the people to go for three
days in the desert to offer sacrifices to God (Exod. 3:18).
* Before entering the Promised Land God asked J oshua to
tell the people that they have to be sanctified for three days before
passing the J ordan River.

IV. Continuos ascent in the narrow and hard way of virtues
The Lord asked the people to go to Pi Hahitoth (Exod.
14:1), which means the winding ascent.
Perhaps you used to think that the way which God
shows would be level and easy and certainly would involve
no difficulty or labor. It is an ascent and a winding ascent.
For it is not a downhill way on which one strives towards
virtue, but it is ascended and it is ascended with great
difficulty. Hear also the Lord saying in the Gospel how
straight and narrow is the way which leads to life (Matt.
7:14)
28
.

26School of Alexandria, Book 1, NJ 1994, p 42-3 .
27 In Gen. hom. 8:1,4.
28 In Exod. hom. 5:3 (Heine) .
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V. Facing bitter trials and troubles
The following stage in the spiritual life is reached when the
soul embarks on its passage through the period of a kind of
purgation. This stage, with its trials and its occasional flashes of
light, is figuratively represented by the crossing of the Red Sea,
and approaching the "Bitter Waters": it is a hard trial to cross the
sea with its storms, and to hear the noise and booming of the
furious waves, but if we follow Moses, the Law of God, we shall
cross the sea with dry feet. As for the "Bitter Waters," we must not
be afraid of these:
If you enter upon the path of virtue, do not refuse to
approach the bitter waters.
Origen explains how the children of God can walk on dry
ground in the midst of the sea
29
, attaining victory over the waters
of sins and lusts, while the wicked people sink like lead in the
mighty waters (Exod. 15:10).
It can happen that marching in the midst of sinners
the liquid of sin may not pour over you;
it can happen that no wave of lust sprinkle you as
you pass through this world, that no surge of desire strike
you
30
.
Origen also comments on the first hymn which the people
sang after their victory (Exod. 15), saying It is the custom of the
saints to offer a hymn of thanks to God when an adversary is
conquered
31
.
How can we face the bitterness of the commandments of
the Law and that of temptations and troubles?

29 In Exod. hom. 6:14 .
30 In Exod. hom. 6:14 .
31 In Exod. hom. 6:1 .
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682
Origen answers, that there is a need of the wisdom of
Christ which is declared through the wood of the Cross, as it
happened in Marah (Exod. 15:23-25)
If God shows a tree which is thrown into this
bitterness so that the water of the Law becomes sweet,
they can drink from it...
The tree of the wisdom of Christ has been thrown
into the Law..., then the water of Mara is made sweet and
the bitterness of the letter of the Law is changed into the
sweetness of spiritual understanding and then the people of
God can drink...
Whence it is established that if anyone without the
tree of life, that is without the mystery of the cross,
without faith in Christ, without spiritual understanding
should wish to drink from the letter of the Law, he will die
from too much bitterness.

VI. Arriving to the Desert of Sin (= Vision and Temptation)
They journeyed from Elim and came to the desert of Sin
(Exod. 16:1), which name signifies bush and temptation; the
bush is the vision of God, but visions are not unaccompanied by
temptation. The soul comes to the desert of Sin. The word means
both vision and temptation. And there are in fact, Origen says,
visions which are also temptations, for sometimes the wicked
angel transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).
For sometimes the angel of darkness transforms
himself into an angel of light; watchful attention is
therefore necessary in order to discern the different
visions. Thus Joshua, seeing a Vision and knowing that it
might be a temptation, said to the one who appeared to him
"Are you a friend or a foe?" In the same way the soul which
makes progress when she begins to discern between
visions, shows that she is truly spiritual if she always
knows how to discern them. That is why amongst the
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spiritual gifts is included that of the discernment of
spirits
32
.
Where a storm blows, it can not shake the building
which is established on a rock, but it reveals the weakness
of the buildings stones which is built on the sand
33
.
The Christian pilgrim must choose the narrow and
straitened road that leads to his destiny. His travel is in winter
where there is hardship and persecution.
All the blessed will first be obliged to travel the
narrow and hard way in winter's storm (Matt. 7:14) to
show what knowledge he had acquired for guiding his life,
so that afterwards they will realize the words of the Song of
Songs to the bride when she has safely passed through the
winter. For she says, "My beloved answers and says to me,
"Arise and come away, my love, my fair one, my dove; for
lo, the winter is passed, the rain is over and gone" Songs
2:10-11... And after the winter is past and the rain is over
and gone, the flowers will appear that are planted in the
house of the Lord and flourish in the courts of our God (Ps.
92:13)
34
.
Moreover, when the soul sets out from Egypt of this
life to go to the promised land, she necessarily goes by
certain roads.. and observes certain stages that were made
ready with the Father from the beginning... Who will be
found worthy and so understanding of the divine mysteries
that he can describe the stages of that journey and ascent
of the soul and explain either the toils or the rest of each
different place? For how will he explain that after the first
and second stages Pharaoh is still in pursuit?...
35

32 In Number. hom. 11.
33 In Luc. hom. 26:4.
34 An Exhortation to Martyrdom, 31.
35 In Number. Hom 27:4.
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VII. Passing from Sin (Temptation) to Dophkah (Num. 33: 12;
Dophkah means Health)
The next stages are taken as relating to the souls recovery
of health and the destruction of concupiscence. Now that the soul
is cured and her strength restored, she begins to enter the
specifically mystical region. That brings us to the knowledge
(gnosis), the object of which is the knowledge of the things of
God. Yet the fact that the soul has reached these heights does not
mean that she escapes temptation.
Temptations are given her to guard her and keep
her safe
Dophka signifies health. There are many illnesses
of the soul. Avarice is a malady, and a detestable one; then
there are pride, anger, boasting, fear, inconstancy,
pusillanimity and all the others. When, O Lord Jesus, will
You cure me from all my maladies? When shall I be able to
say "O my soul, bless the Lord, who cures all your
diseases?" When shall I also be able to establish myself in
Raphaca, in health?
36

VIII. Arriving to Rephidim (meaning sound judgment)
The man has attained soundness of judgment who
rightly departs from temptation and whom temptation
renders approved. For in the day of judgment he will be
sound, and soundness will be with him who has not been
wounded by temptation, as it is written in the Apocalypse,
But to him who has overcome I will give of the tree of life
which is in the paradise of my God. (Rev. 2:7).
For the first time the people enter in a war against another
nation Amalek. Victory had been realized by the shadow of the
cross, for Moses lifted his hands up while he was on the top of the

36 Ibid.
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hill. Our Lord J esus lifted His hands up, overcoming all nations
through His love.
Jesus had been exalted on the Cross and was about
to embrace the whole earth with His arms
37
.

IX. Respecting the wisdom of others, even if they are pagans.
Origen admires Moses who was full of God and spoke with
God face to face but he did not despise the counsel of J ethro
(Exod. 18).
Moses who was meek above all men (Num. 12:3),
accepted the counsel of a lower man both that he might
give a model of humility to the leaders of people and
represent an image of the future mystery. For he knew that
at some future time the Gentiles would offer good counsel
with Moses, that they would bring a good and spiritual
understanding to the Law of God
38
.

X. Receiving the Law of God on Sinai
Through this divine trip we receive the Law of God on
Sinai, when the soul has become able to receive the divine secrets
and the heavenly visions." Next comes the grave of lusts, then the
open spaces of perfection and beatitude.
Notice well, O pilgrim, the law of your progress:
when you have buried and mortified the concupiscence of
the flesh, you will arrive at the wide open spaces of
beatitude. Thence you pass on to Rathma and Pharan
Rathma signifies "consummated vision;" Pharan "visible
mouth." The soul has to grow that it be no longer
importuned by the flesh, and that it may have consummated
visions and grasp the perfect knowledge of things, that is,
the causes of the Incarnation of the Word of God, that it

37In Exod. hom. 11:4.
38 Ibid. 11:6.
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may understand more fully and more deeply the reasons of
his dispensations
39
.

XI. Last station of perfection (Promised Land)
Finally, after further stages, the soul arrives to its
destiny.
When the soul has passed through all these virtues
and reached the summit of perfection, it leaves this world
and goes away, as was written of Henoch "He was found
no more, for God took him." Such a man seems still to live
in this world and in the flesh; and yet he is no longer to be
found. Where is he no longer found? In any worldly action,
in any carnal thing, in any matter of vanity. For God has
taken him away from all these, and has established him in
the region of virtues. The final stage is in the west, in the
land of Moab, opposite the Jordan For all this journey has
no other end than to lead us to the river of God, to bring us
to the flowing stream of wisdom, to bathe us in the waters
of divine knowledge, so that, being purified by all these
trials, we may be able to enter into the promised land
40
.
Origen explains that through love the soul ascends on the
mountain of Beauty
41
, and realizes her journey. The longing of the
soul for God is like the longing of Israel for the promised land. It is
a yearning for Paradise and when purified allows the soul to pass
the flaming swords of the cherubim and gain access to the tree of
life
42
. Or it is the pilgrim's desire for his true city, the heavenly
J erusalem
43
.
Origen explains that this journey is realized by the divine
grace and in the company of Christ who strengthen the soul in her

39 In Num. hom. 27:12.
40 In Num. hom. 27:12.
41 On Prayer, 17:2].
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travel, at the same time it needs the courage and endurance of the
soul's believer.

2. THE GROWTH TO MATURITY
Believers are called to participate in the divine journey, so
that their souls might leave Raamses and enter the Promised Land,
or they attain a kind of maturity. Their souls grow from spiritual
childhood to spiritual manhood.
(It is possible to be a child in the outer man but a
man in the inner). Such was Jeremiah, who already
possessed grace from God when he was still physically in
the age of childhood
44
.
Origen explains the need of the believers soul for spiritual
food to grow up to maturity. He arranges these foods in a
hierarchical order
45
:
a. "Milk" by which the babes in Christ are nourished (Heb.
5:12-14).
b. "Vegetables" (Romans 14:2ff) for the weak.
c. "Solid food" (Heb. 5:12-14) for the mature or perfect.
All these different foods are to be equated with the Word of
God (J ohn 6:32-33), who accommodates his nourishing revelation
to the condition of the one receiving It. This is how we receive our
"daily" bread, which strengthens us to grow to maturity, and to
become in the likeness of Christ.
The true bread is that which nourishes the true man, the
man created after the image of God, and through which he who is
nourished by it is made to the image of Him that created Him.
What is more nourishing for the soul than the Word? And what is
more precious for the mind of him that understands it than the

44 In Jer. hom. 1:13 on 1:6.
45 Comm. on Songs: prologue.
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Wisdom of God? And what is in better accord with rational nature
than Truth?
46

Our responsibility for seeking the right food is never
forgotten, but Origen's emphasis is upon God's gift and his
providential guidance of our growth towards perfection.
It must be emphasized that Origen does not mean to
distinguish different natures of Christians, as the Gnostics did. On
the contrary, all are destined for perfection and maturity. But
Origen realizes that this growth to perfection can not be
accomplished for most Christians within the confines of this
present life. Growth continues after this life and before the
apokatastasis during which the simple are enabled to grow until
they can receive solid food.
This concept of spiritual progress and of its stages has been
set forth above according to Homily 27 of the Book of Numbers,
because it is here that we best see it as a whole and in its details.
But it is mentioned also very often in Origen's works. Some
historians make this a matter for criticism. For St. Paul, they say,
what appears in the moral life of a Christian is mainly the rupture
with the past, accomplished once for all by the new birth; for
Origen, on the contrary, it is a progressive development, a gradual
ascent by which we successively climb the degrees of the perfect
life
47
.
Lebreton explains the difference between St. Pauls
doctrine and Origens in the following points:
a. It is noteworthy that St. Paul himself also indicates the
various stages of the Christian life, for instance in I Cor. 3:1-2,
Gal. 4:19.
b. Moreover, the readers of the epistles of St. Paul were just
emerging from paganism; they still retained a painful memory of

46 On Prayer, 27:2, ACW, vol 19.
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the darkness in which they had so long lived, and the joy of the
wonderful light which had suddenly shone upon them. Origen's
hearers, on the other hand, had for the most part been Christians
for a long time. They were already children of light, and they were
bound to live as such, having no more darkness, but being wholly
transparent and shining forth with the light of Christ.
c. There is another contrast, which is deeper and more
instructive. If we compare the doctrine of Origen with the
speculative teaching of the Gnostics, we are the better able to
realize their character by the contrast between them. One of the
fundamental dogmas of Gnosticism is the essential distinction
between the different races of men, the hylicals, the psychicals,
and the pneumaticals: by natural necessity a man belongs to one of
these classes, and it would be in vain to endeavor to change it. In
Origen, the degrees of religious knowledge are certainly far
removed from each other, but there is no abyss separating them;
the whole effort of the preacher is aimed at leading Christians on
to the highest union with God, for all God's children can and
should aspire to this.

3. STRUGGLING IN A SPIRITUAL BATTLE
The pilgrim soul on its journey encounters war and must be
ready for it. His comment of the arrival of the J ews to Sochoth
(Num. 33) is:
The first progress of the soul is to be taken away
from earthly agitation and to learn that she must dwell in
tents (for Sochoth is interpreted "tents) like a wanderer, so
that she can be, as it were, ready for battle and meet those
who lie in wait for her unhindered and free
48
.
Life is a battle in which are engaged the soldiers of God,
and the soldiers of Satan
49
. No neutrality is possible
50
: Every man

48 In Number. Hom 27:9.
49 In Ps. 36; hom. 2:8.
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endowed with reason is either a child of God or a child of the
devil; for either he commits sin or he does not commit it; there is
no middle course. If he sins, he is of the devil; if he does not sin, he
is of God
51
.
Through the believer's spiritual struggle against bodily lusts
he expects temptations and he must acknowledge their advantages.
Growth is a painful process, and that temptation and struggle never
leave us until we have attained the maturity of perfection. He sees
that "Sin" (Num. 33:36) means temptation, and that there is no
other way of embarking on our journey to the Promised land
except passing through it. For Origen a temptation is as a testing of
gold in fire. It is also a providential process by which we are
fashioned into what we should be. God is a divine goldsmith who
brings us as vessels to the fire, strikes us with His hammers into an
object of beauty suitable for his grandeur
52
.
Origen says that there are two kinds of spiritual
struggles
53
:
I. A struggle of the saints, such as St. Paul and the
Ephesians, as it is said, For we do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against spiritual
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12).
II. A struggle of those who are weaker and have their own
faults; they wrestle against flesh and blood, for they are
surrounded with vices and corporeal lusts. Their struggle is
through their bodys senses. The five kings who fought with the
Gibeonites (J os 9:1) are symbols of the war through the senses.
It is much better that the sinner should be in torment than
that his mind should be at ease. I wish to God I could feel a fire
scorching my heart and burning my bones [cf. Jer. 20:. 9] the

50 Lebreton, p. 955
51 In Joann. 20:13:107
52 Ibid. 27:12.
53 In Jos. hom. 11:4.
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minute I committed any sin or said anything I deserved to be
blamed for
54
.
Origen and Gregory concentrate on the gradual
development of the human soul, which is freed from bondage to
earthly delights and rises to union with God
55
.
Rown A. Greer says,
The journey, the growth to maturity, and the
warfare or contest are all dependent on the freedom of the
Christian. But as has been suggested, they are also placed
within the context of Gods providence, which continually
trains our freedom. Christ accompanies the Christian on his
journey, feeds him with true bread, and assists him in his
struggle. Moreover, providence assists the Christian
through the saints, both departed and present and through
the angels. The Christian life is thereby given a wider
setting...
If our warfare is against Satan and his hosts, we
have spiritual powers for good on our side so that the
conflict is not unequal
56
.

POSITIVE ATTITUDE OF STRUGGLES
Our struggle has two aspects: negative and positive. For we
have not only to leave evil (negative) but also to do what is good
(positive).
Origen explains how J oshua conquered the pagan cities not
by the aim of destroying them, but of sanctifying them.
1. For example one of these cities was Libnah (Num.
33:21) which means white. Origen says that these are two kinds
of white, the white of leprosy and the white light. The city was

54 In Jer. hom. 19:8 ; Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 279.
55 Theological Studies 37 (1976): J. Patout Burns, S.J.: The Economy Of Salvation: Two Patristic
Traditions, P. 599.
56 Rown A. Greer: Origen, Paulist Press, 1979, p. 22.
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692
white because it was suffering from the leprosy of the pagan kings.
J oshua destroyed this whiteness to grant it the whiteness of light
under his reign
57
.
2. The same thing happened to Lachish (J os. 10:32)
which means way. It was the way of the evildoers which has to
be destroyed (Ps. 1:6) and through J oshua because it was the right
way (Ps. 107:7). Lachish was the way of the evildoers, after it was
conquered and robbed it was established anew as a right way,
under the reign of Israel
58
.
3. Also Habron which means marriage.
The soul married at first the Devil as an evil
husband. After the death of this congest husband and her
freedom of his rule she married the Man of Righteousness,
the legal husband of whom the apostle Paul says, For I
have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you
as a chaste virgin to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2)
59
.
4. Origen says that the first war of the Word is uprooting
the evil which the Father did not plant, and burning it. The second
work is to plant what is good in the souls of the believers every
day.
(Christ) uproots the auger and plants calmness,
uproots pride and plants humbleness, uproots the
defilements and plants chastity, uproots ignorance and
plants knowledge...
60

GRACE AND SPIRITUAL STRUGGLING
It is the journey of the soul under the guidance of divine
grace which grants her zeal for struggling against evil and
practising the good life, granting her virtues..

57 In Jos. hom. 13:2.
58 In Jos. hom. 13:2.
59 In Jos. hom. 13:2-3..
60 In Jos. hom. 13:3-4.
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Gods grace is not given to those who lack zeal in
the cause of good, nor can human nature achieve virtue
without help from above
61
.
For he who has achieved virtue from his toil and sweat
receives an addition from God: for example, when a man has
achieved faith by the exercise of his own free will, who will be
granted a grace-gift of faith [I Cor. 12:9], and (in sum) a man who
has improved some one of his natural resources by care and
attention will be granted what is still lacking from God
62
.

STRUGGLING WITHOUT DESPAIR
63

Origen compares the rise of the fallen Christian to the
splendid display of power of a combatant in the public games who
had the misfortune to fall first but who arose and with renewed
energy won over his adversary. Our combat, he continues, is much
the same. If one of us has had the misfortune to fall into sin, one must
not give up all hope, because
it is possible for one to regain ones composure, and
to shudder at the evil, which one has committed; and
furthermore, it is possible not only to restrain oneself, but
also to satisfy God, in tears and lamentations... If you should
see that someone has fallen into some sin, and that after his
fall he is in despair about his conversion, repeating, as he
does: how can I be saved, I who have fallen? There is no
longer any hope for me; my sins hinder me. How can I even
dare to approach the Lord? How can I return to the
Church?... Let him not remain on the ground after his fall. Let
him not lie prostrate; but rather let him arise and amend his
fault. Let him wipe out the sin by the satisfaction of his
penance
64
.

61 Comm. Ps.
62 In Luke hom. 39.
63 Earnest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 85.
64 In Psalm. 36 hom. 4:2 PG 12 1353.
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694
But if anyone returns to his conscience, I do not
know if we are able to excuse some member of the body
which was not in need of fire. And since the prophet was
indeed clean from all things, therefore, he deserved that
"one of the seraphim be sent to him " (Cf. Isa 6.6), who
would purify only his lips. But I am afraid that we merit
fire not only for individual members but for the whole
body. For when our eyes lust either through illicit passions
or through devilish spectacles what else do they gather for
themselves except fire? When our ears are not turned from
hearing vain and derogatory things of neighbors, when our
hands are by no means restrained from murder and from
robberies and from plundering, when our "feet are swift to
shed blood," (Cf. Ps 13.3.) and when we hand over our
body not to the Lord but to fornication, what else do we
hand over "into Gehenna" (Cf. Matt 5.29.) except our
whole body?
65

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SPIRITUAL LIFE
AS A
FESTIVAL AND JOYFUL LIFE

Origen speaks of spiritual life as a hard and dangerous trip
of the soul and as a continuos battle, but its atmosphere is
heavenly, for even through struggle a believer practices the
fellowship with Christ, acknowledging the dwelling of the Holy
Spirit within himself, attaining the knowledge of the mysteries of
the Father. His life becomes a festival and Sabbatical day.

1. PRACTISING HEAVENLY LIFE
The prophet says, "You brought over a vine from
Egypt; you drove out nations and planted it. You made a
passable way before it; you planted its roots and it filled
the earth. Its shade covered the mountains and its branches
the cedars of God."(Cf. Ps. 79.9-11.)
Do you perceive now how God plants and where he
plants? He does not plant in the valleys, but on the
mountains in high and lofty places. He does not wish to
place again in lowly places those whom he led out of
Egypt, whom he led from the world to faith, but he wishes
their mode of life to be uplifted. He wishes us to dwell in
the mountains, but also in these very mountains no less
does he not wish us to crawl all over the ground, nor does
he wish further that his vine have its fruit cast down to the
ground, but he wishes its shoots to be led upwards, to be
placed aloft. He wishes that there be vine branches not in
just any lowly trees, but in the loftiest and highest cedars of
God. I think the "cedars of God" are the prophets and
apostles. If we are joined to them as the vine which "God
brought over from Egypt" and our shoots are spread along
their branches and, resting on them, we become like vine
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696
branches bound to one another by bonds of love, we shall
doubtless produce very much fruit. For "every tree which
does not produce fruit is cut down and cast into the
fire"(Luke 3:10)
66
.
It is not because of the place where he dwells, but
because of his dispositions, that he who is still on earth has
his citizenship in heaven and lays up treasures in heaven
(Phil. 3:20; Matt. 6:20f.), Having his heart in heaven and
bearing the image of the Heavenly One (1 Cor. 15:49), he
is no longer of the earth nor of the lower world (John 3;31;
8:23;18:36), but of heaven and the heavenly world that is
better than this
67
.
It says, He went up to the higher place to pray and
he saw the heavens open (Acts 10:9, 11). Does it not yet
appear to you that Peter had gone up to the higher, not
only in the body but also in mind and spirit? It says, he
saw the heaven open and a certain vessel descending to the
earth like a sheet in which were all quadrupeds, reptiles,
and fowls of the sky. And he heard a voice saying to him,
Arise, Peter, kill and eat (Acts 10:11-13)
68
.
What happens after this? Go, the text says, into
the high land, to one of the mountains which I shall show
you, and there you shall offer him for an holocaust (Gen.
22.2)... He is sent, therefore, into the high land and the
high land is not sufficient for a patriarch about to
accomplish so great a work for the Lord, but he is also
ordered to ascend a mountain, of course that, exalted by
faith, he might abandon earthly things and ascend to things
above
69
.

67 On Prayer 26:5(ACW).
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Believers attain this heavenly life through the work of the
cross.
For Christ, through His blood has made peace
with things on earth and things in heaven (Col. 1:20) so
that the earthly might have fellowship with the heavenly
70
.
Just as the sun and the moon are said to be the
great lights in the firmament of heaven, so also are Christ
and the Church in us. But since God also placed stars in
the firmament, let us see what are also stars in us, that is,
in the heaven of our heart
71
.
Origen comments on the words ...divides the water which
is above heaven from the water which is below heaven Gen. 1:7,
saying,
Therefore, by participation in that celestial water
which is said to be above the heavens, each of the faithful
becomes heavenly, that is, when he applies his mind to lofty
and exalted things, thinking nothing about the earth but
totally about heavenly things, seeking the things which
are above, where Christ is at the right hand of the Father
(Col. 3:1). For then he also will be considered worthy of
that praise from God which is written here when the text
says: And God saw that it was good (Gen. 1:8)
72
.

2. SPIRITUAL LIFE AS A FESTIVAL LIFE
St. Clement, as we have seen, considers the Christian life as
an unceasing feast, asking us: "holding festival... in our whole
life
73
." To him the true Gnostic attains the new life in Christ as a
Festival. Origen has the same idea, for to him the Christian
celebrates the Passover both at Eastertime as a memorial of

73 Stromata 7:7.
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698
Christ's death, and at all times by feasting with the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth and the bitter herbs of sorrow and
repentance
74
. His life is a Paschal or unceasing feast, full of
spiritual joy through repentance.
Tell me, you who come to church only on festive
days, are the other days not festive days? Are they not the
Lords days?
75

For Origen, Every day is the Lords Day... therefore
Christians eat the flesh of the Lamb daily; they consume each day
the flesh of the Word, for Christ our Passover has been scarified (1
Cor. 5:7)
76
.

3. SPIRITUAL LIFE AS A JOYFUL LIFE
Origen comments on the words of the Psalmist: "Blessed
are the people who know the joyful sound" (Ps. 89: 15), saying:
He does not say: Blessed are the people who
practise righteousness, or who have the knowledge of
heaven, earth and stars, but who know the joyful
sound! Sometimes the fear of God grants man a joy...
Here blessedness is presented in abundance, why?
For all the people participate in it, and all know the
companionship in joyful sound!
77

Isaac, scripture says, grew and became strong,
that is, Abrahams joy grew as he looked not at those
things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen. (Cf. 2 Cor. 4:18) For Abraham did not rejoice about
present things nor about the riches of the world and the
activities of age. But do you wish to hear why Abraham
rejoiced? Hear the Lord saying to the Jews: Abraham

74 Contra Celsus 8:22-3; Comm. on John. 10:13.
76 In Gen. hom. 10.
77 In Jos. hom 7:2.
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your father desired to see my day, and he saw it and was
glad (John 8:56) in this way, therefore, Isaac grew;
(Cf. Gen. 21:8) that vision of Abraham, in which he saw the
day of Christ, and the hope which is in Christ were
increasing his joys. And would that you too might be made
Isaac and be a joy to your mother the church
78

4. SPIRITUAL LIFE AS A SABBATICAL LIFE
In his Contra Celsus, Origen states that a Christians soul
has its true rest (Sabbath), in the contemplation of divine things,
and thus she examines the Sabbath of eternity. In other words, as
God has His rest on the seventh day, not in terms of inactivity, but
in terms of contemplating in His works which He had done, so the
believers life becomes Sabbatical, not by abstention from good
works, but by contemplation on God, His works, and His heavenly
glory
79
.
Everyone... who lives in Christ lives ever on the
Sabbath: and rests in peace from evil works, but does the
works of righteousness without ceasing. But many who
have the name of Christ but not His grace, live in
sabbatical holiday from good works and do bad ones
80
.

79 Sorce Chritiene 147:330.
80 Comm. Ser. Matt. 45 on 24:20ff.
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CHRISTIAN VIRTUES

JESUS CHRIST IS OUR VIRTUE
Virtue according to Origen is to be one with Christ, for He
is the Virtue that fills Him
81
. He is the J ustice, Wisdom, Truth. He
who practices virtue shares in the divine nature
82
.
To seek Jesus is the same as to seek the Word,
Wisdom, Justice, Truth, and the almighty power of God, as
Christ is all these
83
.
I think, therefore, that Sara, which means prince or
one who governs empires, represents arete, which is the
virtue of the soul. This virtue, then, is joined to and clings
to a wise and faithful man, even as that wise man who said
of wisdom: I have desired to take her for my spouse.
(Wis 8.2.) For this reason, therefore, God says to
Abraham: In all that Sara has said to you, hearken to her
voice. (Gen. 21.12.) This saying, at any rate, is not
appropriate to physical marriage, since that well known
statement was revealed from heaven which says to the
woman of the man: In him shall be your refuge (This
rendering is based on the LXX apostrophe. Rufinus text
has conversion.) and he shall have dominion over you.
(Gen. 3.16.) If, therefore, the husband is said to be lord of
his wife, how is it said again to the man: In all that Sara
has said to you, hearken to her voice? (Gen. 21.12.) If
anyone, therefore, has married virtue, let him hearken to
her voice in all which she shall counsel him
84
.
And indeed the Scripture designates the progress of
the saints figuratively by marriages. Whence also you can,

81 Fragmenta in Ioanem. 9.
82 Cf. H. Crouzel: Theologie de limage de Dieu chez Origen, Pains, 1956, p. 239f..
83 Comm. on John 32:19; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 131-2.
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if you wish, be a husband of marriages of this kind. For
example, if you freely practice hospitality, you will appear
to have taken her as your wife. If you shall add to this care
of the poor, you will appear to have obtained a second
wife. But if you should also join patience to yourself and
gentleness and the other virtues, you will appear to have
taken as many wives as the virtues you enjoy
85
.
Just as the Savior is Righteousness, Truth and
Sanctification in person, even so is He endurance(Jer.
17:3 LXX) in Person. It is impossible to be righteous or
holy without Christ: and impossible to endure unless one
possesses Him. For He is the endurance of Israel
86
.
You are Righteousness, we have followed You as
Righteousness: and in the same way as Sanctification,
Wisdom, Peace, Truth, the Way leading to God, the true
Life
87
.

GOD, THE SOURCE OF VIRTUES
God is the source of our virtues, which grow in us
gradually. No virtue, no perseverance, is immune to the possibility of
change unless it is of Christ, whose human soul chose the good
without any resort to that libertas indifferentiae which would have
confronted Him with a choice between good and evil. This is true for
men, for angels, for every creature. Creatures are divine in that
degree only in which God is present within them, and, in the
absence of divine Wisdom, they are counted as nothing. Their
goodness does not belong to them, and only through trials and
afflictions do they obtain perseverance. We cannot speak of self-
control or of indifference to suffering without remembering that they

86 In Jer. hom. 17:4.
87 Comm. on Matt. 17:22 on 19:27.
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702
come from the grace of God, to which are added the efforts of
man
88
.
In God all these virtues exist for ever; and they can
never come to Him or depart from Him, whereas men
acquire them gradually and one by one
89
.
In this way, then, through the ceaseless work on our
behalf of the Father, the Son and the holy Spirit, renewed
at every stage of our progress, we may perchance just
succeed at last in beholding the holy and blessed life; and
when after many struggles we have been able to attain to it
we ought so to continue that no satiety of that blessing may
ever possess us; but the more we partake of its blessedness,
the more may the loving desire for it deepen and increase
within us, as ever our hearts grow in fervor and eagerness
to receive and hold fast the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit
90
.
But, if Christ is Righteousness, he who has received
righteousness confesses not himself but Christ; so also he
who has found wisdom, by the very possession of Wisdom,
confesses Christ. And such a one indeed as, "with the heart
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth makes
confession unto salvation (Rom. 10:10), and bears
testimony to the works of Christ, as making confession by
all these things of Christ before men, will be confessed by
Him before His Father in heaven (Matt. 10:32). So also he
who has not denied himself but denied the Christ will
experience the saying, "I also will deny him (Matt. 10:33)

91
."

88 In Psalm., 17:21 PG 12:1232; cf. ibid. 1:1 PG 12:1086; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder 1944,
Chapter IV.
91 Commentary on Matthew, Book 11:6 Cf. ANF).
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For perhaps also each of those who have been
crucified with Christ puts off from himself the principalities
and the powers, and makes a show of them and triumphs
over them in the cross; or rather, Christ does these things
in them
92
.
Therefore, the soul conceives from this seed of the
word and the Word forms a fetus in it until it brings forth a
spirit of the fear of God. For so the souls of the saints say
through the prophet, "By your fear, Lord, we conceived in
the womb and brought forth in labor and gave birth; we
have made and brought forth in labor and gave birth; we
have made the spirit of your salvation upon the earth" (Isa.
26:18). This is the birth of the holy souls, this is
conception; these are holy unions which are convenient
and apt for the great high priest, Christ Jesus our Lord, "to
whom is glory and power forever and ever. Amen!

(Cf. 1
Pet. 4:11; Rev. 1:6)
93
.
But do you want me to show you from the Scriptures
that trees or wood are given the name of individual virtues,
which we mentioned above? I turn to the most wise
Solomon as a witness when he said about wisdom, "The
tree of life is for all who embrace it (Prov. 3:18).
Therefore, if "wisdom is the tree of life, " without a doubt,
there is another tree of prudence, another of knowledge,
and another of justice. For logically it is not said that only
wisdom, of all the virtues, was worthy to be called "the tree
of life" but that the other virtues by no means received
names of a similar sort. Therefore, "the trees of the field
will give their fruit (Lev. 26:4)
94
.
(Paul in Romans 12) ties up with the gift of grace
moral precepts, to show that to Christians these too are

94 Homilies On Leviticus 16:4. (Cf. Frs. of the Church)
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704
given by the grace of God. For there are many Gentiles
whose moral standards are orderly and whose institutions
are honorable, who never ascribe the merit of these to God
or confess that they received grace from Him; they lay
them to the credit of their own industry, or preen
themselves on their masters and legislators. But the apostle
makes clear to us that everything that is good comes from
God and is given through the Holy Spirit (and Origen
quotes James 1:17, I Cor 1:31)
95
.
The truth may be that each virtue is a kingdom of
heaven, and that all together are the kingdom of the
heavens. This would mean that the man who lives by the
virtues is already in the kingdom of the heavens, and (for
example) that the saying repent, for the kingdom of the
heavens is at hand (Matt. 3:2) has no temporal reference,
but a reference to actions and purpose. For Christ, who is
each and every virtue, has come to dwell with us and
speaks-and therefore the Kingdom of God is within His
disciples and not here or there (Luke 17:21)
96
.
If a branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the
vine, it is clear that the disciples of the Word, the spiritual
branches of the true vine (the Word), cannot bear the fruits
of virtue unless they abide in the true vine, the Christ of
God...
Virtue, by definition, is a spiritual battle, it is the activity
by which the soul, by divine grace, governs the body and its
motions; vice, an activity in which the motions or passions of the
body wrongfully gain control of the governing mind and the
servant becomes master.
Precepts are given to pay debts. But what we do
over and above what we owe we do not do by precept. For

96 Comm. on Matt. 12:14 on 16:13ff.
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instance, virginity is not a payment of debt, nor is it
demanded by a precept, but it is offered over and above
what is owed
97
.
The verse says, To those that love God all things
collaborate unto good. The Christian must conform
himself to the image of Christ; the Christian becomes
Christs spirit when he has so attached himself to the Word
and Wisdom of God in all things that in no way is the
image and likeness discolored. And thus if one wishes to
attain to the summit of perfection and beatitude one seeks
after the likeness of Christs image, the image of the Son of
God
98
.
Lack of God is never natural to any human soul. For the
soul to be re-established, it is enough that the light comes to it.
Always the light can come without harm or loss to itself, for it
comes only in the measure of the needy souls capacity to receive
it. When it has once been received, it must be kept alive by holy
practices and by attendance at salutary instructions, for all around
it there is the darkness of evil thoughts affecting even the actions.
This explains why the light is wisdom first and justice afterward
99
.
There is work for those who dig the wells of living
water, wherever they labor; that is, for those who teach the
word of God to every soul and draw from it its salutary
fruit... Let us dig those wells that were within us and throw
out the earth that chokes them. We shall make the waters
come forth again, even unto overflowing, because the Word
of God is within us
100
.

97 Comm. on Matt. 15:16; Thomas Halton, p. 160.
98 Comm. on Rom. 7:7; Thomas Halton, p. 154.
100 In Gen. Hom. 13:3f.; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p.
Origen
706
THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SENSES
In the spiritual battle, mans senses are sanctified, not by
destroying them as evil things, but destroying what is evil so that
they might be directed towards worshipping God, edification of the
soul, and serving others.
Commenting on the five Amorite Kings who were executed
by J oshua (J os. 10:16-27), Origen says
This, in my opinion, means that the five carnal
senses, after being conquered by Jesus and deposing them
from their denial of faith, and after the death of sin in them
as they become free from the servitude of sin, these senses
become in the service of the spirit in doing righteousness.
Thus Jerusalem who was ruled by a king who was
not noble became ruled by David the strong king and the
wise Solomon
101
.
Do you wish that I show you from the Scriptures
how the devil opens the mouth of men of this kind who
speak against Christ? Note what has been written about
Judas, how it is reported that "Satan entered him," (John
13.27.) and that "the devil put it in his heart to betray
Him." (Cf. John 13.2.) He, therefore, having received the
money, opened his mouth that "he might confer with the
leaders and the Pharisees, how he might betray him." (Cf.
Luke 22.4.) Whence it seems to me to be no small gift to
perceive the mouth which the devil opens. Such a mouth
and words are not discerned without the gift of the Holy
Spirit. Therefore, in the distributions of spiritual gifts, it is
also added that "discernment of spirits" is given to certain
people (Cf. 1 Cor 12.10.) It is a spiritual gift, therefore, by
which the spirit is discerned, as the Apostle says elsewhere,
"Test the spirits, if they are from God" (Cf. 1 John 4.1.)

101 In Jos. hom. 11:5.
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But as God opens the mouth of the saints, so, I
think, God also may open the ears of the saints to hear the
divine words. For thus Isaiah the prophet says: "The Lord
will open my ear that I may know when the word must be
spoken"(Cf. Is 50.4-5.) So also the Lord opens eyes, as "the
Lord opened Agar's eyes and she saw a well of living
water" (Gen. 21:19). But also Eliseus the prophet says:
"Òpen, O Lord, the eyes of the servant that he may see that
there are more with us than with the enemy.' And the Lord
opened the eyes of the servant and behold, the whole
mountain was full of horses and chariots and heavenly
helpers."(Cf. 4 Kings 6.16-17.) For "the angel of the Lord
encircles those who fear him and will deliver them" (Ps.
33:8)
102
.
You see (Lev. 14:17) how by the last and highest
purification the ear is to be purified that the hearing may
be kept pure and clean; Or at least since the Lord in the
gospel testifies that the hearts of sinners are besieged by
"seven demons, "the priest" appropriately "sprinkles seven
times before the Lord" in purification that the expulsion "of
the seven evil spirits" from the heart of a person purified
may be shown by "the oil shaken seven times from the
fingers
103
."

THE INNER SENSES
Origen who believes in the world of the inner man as the
true world, concentrates on the inner senses. As the body has its
sense by which it can acknowledge what is visible and earthly, the
soul also has its senses through which she can see God and His
heaven, hear Him, and keep in touch with Him.
And to these let us add five others which are the
senses of the inner man, through which either is made

Origen
708
"pure in heart we see God" or "have ears to hear" the
things which Jesus teaches. Or, we take that "odor" about
which the Apostle says, "for we are the pleasing odor of
Christ (2 Cor. 2:15). Or we even take that taste about
which the prophet says, "Taste and see that the Lord is
sweet" (Ps. 33:9), or that touch which John mentions, "We
have seen with our eyes and have touched with our hand
concerning the Word of Life (1 John 1:1). But to all of
these we add one more so that we may refer all these things
to the one God. And indeed, these things were spoken
concerning the restoration of those things which had been
removed from the sanctuary by any fault
104
.

HUNGER FOR THE WORD OF GOD
The believer whose soul desires her restoration as an icon
of God, and her return to God, is hungry for the word of God.
For the Word of God is adjusted to the needs of
human souls and is to be measured by the desire of him
who enjoys it. It is like the bread which does not change,
but the taste of which depends on the hunger of him who
eats it.
Here was Origens notion of the work of transformation,
the labor of love, where the Christian soul measures its own
spiritual progress
105
.
I beseech you, therefore, be transformed (cf. Eph.
4:20-24, Rom. 12:1-2).
Resolve to learn that you can be transformed and
put aside the form of swine, which describes the impure
soul, and the form of dog, which describes the person who
barks and howls and speaks abusively.

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It is possible to be transformed (even) from
serpents. For he wicked person is addressed: You serpent
and brood of vipers! (cf. Matt. 23:33).
If, then, we are willing to hear that it is in our
power to be transformed from serpents, from swine, from
dogs, let us learn from the apostle the transformation that
depends on us. This is how he puts it We all, with unveiled
face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed
into His likeness (2 Cor. 3:18).
If you were a barker and the Word molded you and
changed you, you were transformed from a dog to a human
being.
If you were impure, and the Word touched your
soul, and if you offered yourself to be shaped by the Word,
you were changed from a swine into a human being.
If you were a wild beast, on hearing the Word
which tames and domesticates, which changed you by the
will of the Word into a human being, you will no longer be
addressed: You serpent and brood of vipers! (cf. Matt.
23:33)
106
.
When we neglect study, the truths that we already know
lose their appeal, as the psalmist warns us
107
.
In his commentary on the Psalms, he wrote to Ambrose in
these terms:
Under the pretense of seeking the knowledge of
God, the heretics rise against the church, bringing forward
their works composed of numerous books in which they
claim to explain the Gospels and the apostolic writings. If I
remain silent and fail to put forward the true and real
doctrines of Christ, they will then proceed to conquer the
greedy souls who, in default of healthy food, grasp at the
filthy and abominable foods that are forbidden... With

106 Dialogue with Heraclides 13, 14 (translated by Robert J. Daly)..
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710
regard to you, this was indeed your own history. Unable to
find masters capable of giving you the higher knowledge
and captured by an unenlightened and ignorant form of
belief, you sought the love of Christ in opinions you had
formerly abandoned. But you subsequently renounced those
opinions, by abjuring them as soon as you made use of the
intelligence which has been given to you. I speak thus in
order to defend those who know how to teach and to write.
But if I must speak for myself, I will confess that I am not
perhaps such a man as God renders capable of being His
minister of the New Testament. I may be so according to
the letter, but not according to the spirit. So I have been
guilty of presumption in devoting myself to the work of
scriptural exegesis
108
.

MEDITATING IN THE NEW AND OLD TESTAMENT
We must endeavor, therefore, in every way to gather in our
heart, "by giving heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching," (1 Tim.
4:13) and by "meditating in the Law of the Lord day and night," (Ps.
1:2), not only the new oracles of the Gospels and of the apostles and
their Revelation, but also the old things in the Law "which has the
shadow of the good things to come" (Heb. 10:1), and in the prophets
who prophesied in accordance with them
109
.

SPIRITUAL LOVE
May the way of the Lord be prepared in our hearts,
for the heart of man is so great and wide, as if it was the
world.
Look to its greatness not into a bodily quantity, but in the
power of the mind which gives it the ability to embrace
very great knowledge of the truth.

108 R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 133-134.
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Then, let the hard way be prepared in your hearts
through a suitable life, and in good and perfect works, so
this way will preserve your lives in righteousness, and the
words of the Lord enter into you without obstacle
110
.

LOVE OF ENEMIES
As our Lord J esus Christ, who is Love, is our Virtue, and
our soul asks Him to be transformed unto His icon, therefore we
practice love to all creatures, except the devil, for he alone is the
true enemy of God and His children.
We dont hate our persecutors as our enemies, but through
love we pray for them, knowing that the only enemy is the devil
who urges men to be cruel.
If, then, you ever see your persecutor raging very
much, know that he is being urged on by a demon as his
rider and, therefore, is fierce and cruel
111
.
"And you will pursue your enemies (Lev. 26:7).
What "enemies" except "the devil" himself "and his angels"
(Cf. Lev. 26:3) and evil spirits and "unclean demons" (Cf.
Luke 4:33). We will pursue them not only to drive them
from ourselves but also from others whom they attack, if we
keep the divine precepts. It says, "You will pursue your
enemies and they will fall dead in your sight (Lev. 26:7).
If "God grinds Satan swiftly under our feet (Cf. Rom.
16:20),"the enemies will fall dead in our sight (Cf. Lev.
26:7)
112
.

HUMBLENESS

Origen
712
He (Origen) wants us to humble ourselves deeply so
that we may deserve to hear the sweetness of His voice. He
declares that all the good things which man can expect and
which God can give are summed up in Jesus. He praises
those who contemplate Christ and who remain bound to
him by a bond of tender affection, and those who prefer
to put their trust in His words rather than in their own
conscience. Even as Origen smiles at Jesus childhood, so
he suffers with Him the suffering and humiliation of his
Passion which he at times evokes with startling realism. He
admires the majesty of his silence. He also meditates on the
first pages of the gospel; and from Jesus submission to
Joseph he learns that, no matter how great one may be,
there is no better thing than to live in humble submission.
He announces that there is no true Christian life in
separation from the man who was the Christ and from
Mary his mother. He often speaks of my Jesus, my
Lord, my Savior. This personal touch had become so
much a habit with him that he at times slipped into
introducing it even into his quotations from Scripture. It is
a Pauline trait; but Origens insistent usage makes
something new of it, a sort of conquest of Christian piety
113
.
If you are not humble and peaceful, the grace of
the Holy Spirit cannot live within you, if you do not receive
the divine words with fear. For the Holy Spirit departs
from the proud and stubborn and false soul
114
.

HELPING WEAKER PERSONS
Note this, too, that Mary being the greater comes to
Elisabeth, who is the less, and the Son of God comes to the
Baptist; which should encourage us to render help without

introduction and notes by G.W. Butterworth, p. XII.
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delay to those who are in a lower position, and to cultivate
for ourselves a moderate station
115
.

SOBRIETY
Sobriety is the mother of all virtues just as, on the
other hand, drunkenness is the mother of all vices
116
.

HOSPITALITY
He escapes the flames, he escapes the conflagration
for this reason alone: because he opened his house to
strangers. Angels entered the hospitable house; fire entered
the houses closed to strangers
117
.

ALMSGIVING
If, then, any one in our time who has the bag of the
Church speaks likes Judas on behalf of the poor, but takes
away what is put therein, let there be assigned to him the
portion along with Judas who did these things
118
.

OVERCOMING TEMPTATIONS
The Savior then compels the disciples to enter into
the boat of temptations and to go before Him to the other
side, and through victory over them to go beyond critical
difficulties; but when they had come into the midst of the
sea, and of the waves in the temptations, and of the
contrary winds which prevented them from going away to
the other side, they were not able, struggling as they were
without Jesus, to overcome the waves and the contrary
wind and reach the other side. Wherefore the Logos, taking
compassion upon them who had done all that was in their

115 Comm. on John, book 6:30..
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714
power to reach the other side, came to them walking upon
the sea, which for Him had no waves or wind that was able
to oppose if He so willed; for it is not written, "He came to
them walking upon the waves,: but, "upon the waters;"
(Matt. 14:25)
119
.
Then when we see many difficulties besetting us,
and with moderate struggle we have swum through them to
some extent, let us consider that our boat is in the midst of
the sea, distressed at that time by the waves which wish to
shipwreck us concerning faith or some one of the virtues;
but when we see the spirit of the evil one striving against
us, let us conceive that then the wind is contrary to us.
When then in such suffering we have spent three watches of
the night - that is, of the darkness which is in the
temptations - striving nobly with all our might and
watching ourselves so as not to make shipwreck concerning
the faith or some one of the virtues, - the first watch against
the father of darkness and wickedness, the second watch
against his son "who opposes and exalts himself against all
that is called God or any thing that is worshipped" (2
Thess. 2:4), and the third watch against the spirit (The
conception of Origen seems to be that opposed to the
Divine Trinity there is an evil trinity. Cf. book 12:20) that
is opposed to the Holy Spirit, then we believe that when the
fourth watch impends, when "the night is far spent, and the
day is at hand," (Rom. 13:12) the Son of God will come to
us, that He may prepare the sea for us, walking upon it
120
.
SIN

CONCEPT OF SINNING
What is the meaning of sinning in the mind of Origen?

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1. As our virtues is Christ Himself, so lacking of the
fellowship with Christ and unity with the Father is sinning.
2. Virtue is restoring the nature of the soul to be the icon of
the Logos, and sinning is a lack of this icon.
3. Virtue is attributing the soul to God as one of His
children, and sinning is attributing to the devil. A soul who
refuses her Father, and Heavenly Groom, becomes widowed and
desolate like J erusalem. Such a soul readily becomes the prey of its
enemies. Indeed, its distress only adds to the strength of its foes.
As progress in virtue on the part of the soul weakens the devil and
dissipates his power as the wind carries away the dust in the road,
so sin on the contrary encourages him and makes him daring. He
then hurls himself at the noblest part of the soul and despoils it.
Thus confusion takes the place of order in the life of the soul. My
sins, says the sinner, weigh heavily on my shoulders and my
strength is gone. Sin takes possession of the soul and rules it
completely. The soul is thus held in bondage without ever being
able to realize commensurably its own desires or to satisfy them in
any degree. Origen began to view evil as boundless, and passion as
a kind of infinity
121
.
4. Virtue is attaining the enlightenment of our inner man
by the work of the Word of God, the Truth, who reveals the divine
knowledge to His bride, and sinning is ignorance which is realized
by the devil who endeavors to destroy every divine knowledge, so
that we may be admitted to his kingdom of darkness.
Sin obscures the vision of God, but not entirely for all:
Certain reminiscences remain - knowledge, of whose primal source
the soul is not aware
122
.
Sins are harlotry and attack the virginity of Christs
bride, the soul, and even more, the Church
123
.

122 John J. O,Meara: Origen, ACW vol. 19, p. 216..
123 John J. OMeara: Origen, ACW vol. 19, p. 232..
Origen
716

BITTERNESS OF SINS
As sinning is a lack of fellowship with Christ, the
sweetness of the soul, the Nourisher, and Source of her freedom,
therefore sin is very bitter. It is a servitude to the severe devil, who
strips her from all inner beauty and glory.
Truly all kinds of sins are bitter. There is nothing
more bitter than them, even if these sins have a kind of
sweetness at first, as Solomon says...
On the contrary righteousness seems to be at first
bitter, but at the end it is more sweet then honey, when it
produces the fruit of virtue
124
.
How speedy is the banishment of the pleasures!
How its annihilation is very soon!
This which the sinners think that is remaining for
good!
125

FIRE OF SINS
Origen distinguishes between the divine fire inflamed
within us through the word of God which enlightens our inner
man, and that inflamed through sin which destroys our inner
beauty and goodness. On the first fire he says,
The declaration of the Lord has set him on fire
(Cf. Ps. 118:140). And again in the gospel it was written,
after the Lord spoke to Cleopas, "Was not our heart
burning within us when he opened the Scriptures to us?
(Luke 24:18, 32)... On the other fire he says, This fire is
not from the altar of the Lord, but it is that which is called"
an alien fire" and you heard a little earlier that those who
brought " a foreign fire before the Lord were destroyed
(Cf. Lev. 16:1). You also burn when wrath fills you and

124 In Jos. hom. 14:2..
125 In Jos. hom. 14:3..
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when rage inflames you; meantime you burn also with the
love of the flesh and you are cast away into the fires of
most disgraceful passions. But all this is "an alien fire" and
contrary to God, which, without a doubt, whoever burns
will endure the lot of Nadab and Abiud (Cf. Lev.
10:1,2)
126
.
It says, "And he will take a censor filled with coals."
(Lev. 16.12.) Not all are cleansed by this fire which is taken
"from the altar." (Cf. Lev 16.12.) Aaron is cleansed by that
fire, so is Isaiah, and any who are like them. But others
who are not of this kind, among whom I also reckon myself,
shall be cleansed by another fire. I fear it is the one about
which it was written, "A river of fire was flowing before
him." (Dab 7.10.) This "fire" is not "from the altar." The
fire that is "from the altar" is the fire of the Lord. But that
which is outside the altar is not of the Lord but is properly
of each one who sins, about whom it said, "Their worm will
not die, and their fire will not be extinguished." (Isa 66.24.)
Therefore, this "fire" is of those who have ignited it just as
it also was written in another place, "Walk in your fire and
in the flame which you kindled for yourselves." (Isa 50.11)

127

We can also add the fact that the nature of sin is
like the material which is consumed by fire, which the
Apostle Paul says is built upon by sinners who "upon the
foundation" of Christ "build wood , hay and straw" (Cf. 1
Cor. 3:12) In this it is shown openly that there are certain
sins so light that they are compared "to straw," on which
the fire, when brought, cannot last long; but that there are
others like "hay" which the fire also consumes easily, but
which lasts a little longer than "the straw
128
."

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718
FRUITS OF SINS
Sin makes man small and petty; virtue keeps him
distinguished and great. For just as bodily sickness makes
the human body feeble and poor, but good health renders it
joyful and strong, so understand that the sickness of sin
also certainly makes the soul lowly and small, but good
health of the inner person and works of truth make it great
and distinguished and to the degree that it grows in virtues,
it yields a larger greatness. That is how I understand what
was written about Jesus, "He grew in wisdom and in age
and in grace before God and men (Luke 2:52)
129
.
Each sin by its nature and extent pays its due
penalties...
130

EVIL SOUL AND THE TEN PLAGUES
The ten plagues inflicted upon Pharaoh and his people are
symbols of the effects of sin on the soul.
But now if we are also to discuss the moral nature,
we will say that any soul in this world, while it lives in
errors and ignorance of the truth is in Egypt.
1. If the Law of God begins to approach this soul it
turns the waters into blood for it, that is, it changes the
fluid and slippery life of youth to the blood of the Old or
New Testament.
2. Then it draws out of the soul the vain and empty
talkativeness and complaining against the providence of
God which is like the noise of frogs.
3. It also purifies its evil thoughts and scatters the
stinging mosquitoes which have the power of craftiness to
sting.

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4. It also removes the bites of the passions which
are like the stings of the fly and destroys the foolishness
and brutish understanding in the soul, by which "Man when
he was in honor, did not understand, but has been
compared to stupid beasts, and make like to them" (Ps.
48:21).
5. And in respect to the sores on the cattle, the Law
censured the soul's swelling arrogance and extinguished
the mark of madness in it.
6. After this, moreover, it employs the sounds of
"the sons of thunder" (Cf. Mark 3:17), that is the teachings
of the Gospels and apostles.
7. But it also attends to the chastening of hail, that
is it might restrain the luxury of pleasure. At the same time
it also employs the fire of penance, that the souls also
might say: "Was not our heart burning within us?" (Luke
24:32)
8. Nor does the Law of God take away the example
of the locusts from the soul by which all its restless and
disturbed motions are devoured and eaten up, whereby it
too learns what the Apostle teaches: "That all its activities
be according to order."(Cf. 1 Cor 14.40.)
9. But when the soul has been sufficiently restrained
for morals and constrained to make its life more faultless,
when it has perceived the author of the blows and has now
begun to confess that "it is the finger of God"(Cf. Exod.
8.19.) and it has acquired some understanding, then
especially the soul sees the darkness of its own conduct,
then it perceives the gloom of its own errors.
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10. And when the soul has reached this point, then
it will deserve that the firstborn of the Egyptians in it be
destroyed
131
.

ESCAPE FROM EVIL
Origen asks us to escape from sin as J oseph did with his
mistress.
But if we have the disposition of continence, even if
have we an Egyptian mistress love us deeply, we become
birds and, leaving the Egyptian garments in her hands, will
fly away from the indecent snare
132
.
In his Commentary on Psalms, Origen held that the soul must
endeavor, not to isolate itself from sin, but to destroy sin utterly. We
must study the tactics of spiritual science in the school of Christ if we
would annihilate sin and crush within our hearts the carnal temper
and the passions which cling to the soul, no matter how wholesome
their activities may seem to be
133
. The choice is between sacrificing
oneself and becoming as nothing: there is no other alternative
134
.
For He does not wish us to sin further after
recognition of Himself, after the illumination of the divine
word, after the grace of baptism, after the confession of
faith and after the marriage has been confirmed with such
great sacraments.
He does not permit the soul whose Bridegroom or
Husband He Himself is called to play with demons, to
fornicate with unclean spirits, to wallow in vices and
impurities. But even if this sometimes unfortunately should
happen, He wishes, at least, that the soul be converted and
return and repent
135
.

132 In Gen. hom. 1:8. (Cf. Ronald E. Heine).
133 In Psalm. 2;9.
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Goats' hair is also offered (Exod. 35). This kind of
animal is ordered in the Law to be offered for sin. Hair is a
dead, bloodless, soulless form. He who offers this animal
shows that the disposition to sin is already dead in himself,
nor does sin further live or rule in his members.
The skins of rams are also offered. Some before us
suggested that the ram represents madness. And because a
skin is an indication of a dead animal, he who offers the
skins of rams to the Lord shows that madness is dead in
himself
136
.
With regard to the fact that he is ordered "to shave
off all his hair (Cf. Lev. 14:9), I think that each work of
death placed in the soul which originated in sins is ordered
to be cast away - for now they are called the hairs. For its
preferable for the sinner to set right everything that is born
in him either in counsel or in word or in deed if he truly
wants to be cleansed, to remove it and cast it off and not
allow anything to remain. But the saint ought to preserve
every hair, and if it is possible, " a razor" ought not "pass
over his head" that he be not able to cut off anything from
his wise thoughts either in words or deeds. Whence, of
course, it is that " a razor" is said "not to have passed over
the head" of Samuel (1 Sam. 1:11); but also from all the
Nazarites (Cf. Num. 6:5), who are the just because of the
just it has been written, "whatever he does will prosper,
and his leaves will not fall (Cf. Ps. 1:3). Whence also,
"the hairs of the head" of the Lord's disciples also are said
"to be numbered (Cf. Matt. 10:30), that is, all their acts,
al their words, all their thoughts are kept before the Lord
because they are just, because they are holy. But every
work, every word, every thought of sinners ought to be cut
off. And this is what is meant: That every hair of his body
is shaved off and then he will be clean (Cf. Lev. 14:9)
137
.

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And as the seed of God, which abides in him who is
born of God, makes it impossible for him who is formed
according to the Only-Begotten Word (Gal. 4:19) to sin, so
in every man that commits sin the seed of the devil is
present, and as long as it remains in his soul, it makes it
impossible for the soul so afflicted to reform. But since for
this purpose the son of God appeared, that He might
destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8)), it is possible
through the indwelling of the Word of God in our soul to
destroy the works of the devil, to root out the evil seed
placed in us, and to become children of God
138
.
"They sank in the depth like a stone," (Exod. 15.5.)
Why "did they sink in the depth like a stone?" Because they
were not the kind of "stones from which sons of Abraham
could be raised up," (Cf. Matt. 3.9.) but the kind which love
the depth and desire the liquid element, that is, who seize
the bitter and fluid desire of present things. Whence it is
said of these: "They sank like lead in very deep water."
(Exod. 15.10.) They are serious sinners. For iniquity also is
shown "to sit upon a talent of lead," as Zachariah the
prophet says: "I saw a woman sitting upon a talent of lead,
and I said, `Who is this'? And he answered, Ìniquity,'" (Cf.
Zech 5.7.) Hence it is, therefore, that the unjust "sank in the
depth, like lead in very deep water." (Cf. Exod. 15.5,10.)
The saints, however, do not sink, but walk upon the
waters, because they are light and are not weighed down
with the weight of sin. Indeed our Lord and Savior "walked
upon the waters,"(Cf. Matt. 14.25.) for it is he who truly did
not know sin.(Cf. 2 Cor 5.21.) His disciple Peter also
"walked," although he was somewhat anxious,(Cf. Matt.
14.29-30.) for he was not so great and of the same quality

138 On Prayer 22:4.
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as the one who has no lead at all mixed in himself. He had
some, though very little
139
.
But hear what the prophet says, "You have been
sold for your sins and for your iniquities I sent your mother
away."(Is 50.1.) You see, therefore, that we are all
creatures of God. But each one is sold for his own sins and,
for his iniquities, parts from his own Creator. We,
therefore, belong to God in so far as we have been created
by him. But we have become slaves of the devil in so far as
we have been sold for our sins. Christ came, however, and
"bought us back"(Cf. Gal 3.13.) when we were serving that
lord to whom we sold ourselves by sinning. And so he
appears to have recovered as his own those whom he
created; to have acquired as people belonging to another
indeed those who had sought another lord for themselves
by sinning
140
.
Sin deprives the soul from the presence of Christ
"The soul that sins, it shall die" (Ezek. 18:4)
Therefore, Christ does not come upon this dead soul
because He is "Wisdom" (1 Cor. 1:24) and wisdom does
not enter into a malevolent soul. For this one is dead
because sin is in it, malice is in it. "For when sin was
completed, it begot death (Jas. 1:8). And for this reason,
Jesus "does not enter a dead soul. But if the soul is living,
that is, if it does not have a mortal sin in it, then Christ,
who is "Life (John 11:25), comes to the living soul;
because just as "light cannot exist with darkness nor justice
with iniquity (2 Cor. 6:14), so life cannot exist with death.
And therefore, if anyone is aware that he has a mortal sin
within himself and does not reject it by repentance of a
most full reparation, he shall not hope that Christ "will

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enter" his "soul," because he is "the great priest" who
"does not enter into any dead soul (Lev. 21:10)
141
"
If a spirit of wrath or envy or pride or impurity
should enter your soul and you receive it, if you should
assent when it speaks in your heart, if you should take
pleasure in these things which it suggests to you according
to its mind, then you have prostituted yourself with it
142
.

CUTTING SIN AT ITS BEGINNING
Suppose a feeling of anger arises in my heart. This
feeling will not be changed into a deed if I am afraid of the
future punishment. This is not enough, but according to the
Scripture (Josh 11:1) I have to do my best that I will not
leave any movement of anger in me.
If the soul is in trouble even if the thought had not
become a deed, this trouble itself is not fit with the soldier
of Christ . The soldiers of Joshua must believe in a way
that does not leave anything to embitter their hearts. If
anything is left, just as a custom or even an evil thought,
this can grow up through time, increase, strengthen and at
last guides us to return to our own vote (Prov. 26:11), and
thus the last stale becomes worse than the first (Luke
11:26. this is what the prophetic psalm means, Blessed
shall he be who takes and dashes your little ones against
the rock Ps. 137:9. Here he means by the little ones
the evil thoughts. . . . . , if we feel that these thoughts are
little and in the beginning we must seize them, cut them and
dash them against the rock, i. e. against Christ (1 Cor.
10:4). We must kill them according to the Lords
commandment, and not leave a breath of them in us
143
.

143 In Jos. hom. 15:3.
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ADULTERY
The priest who has power to offer sacrifice for
certain voluntary and involuntary transgressions does not
offer a holocaust (cf. Lev. 7:37; Ps. 39:7 etc.) for sin in the
case of adultery, deliberate murder, and other serious
sins. In the same way the apostles also and their
successors, priests according to the great High Priest,
having received the science of divine therapy, know from
their instruction by the Holy Spirit for what sins, when, and
how they must offer sacrifice
144
.

PRIDE
Pride is the principal sin of Satan
145
..

DRUNKENNESS
Drunkenness of wine is destructive in all things, for
it is the only thing which weakens the soul along with the
body...
But in the illness of drunkenness the body and the
soul are destroyed at the same time; the spirit is corrupted
equally with the flesh
146
.
Drunkenness deceives him whom Sodom did not
deceive. He whom the sulfurous flame did not burn is
burned by the flames of women
147
.

LIE
If the truth is the gird of the soldiers of Christ (Eph.
6:14), then every time we lie... we take off the gird of the

144 On Prayer, 28 (ACW).
145 In Ezek. hom. 9:2. PG 13:734 CD.
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726
soldiers of Christ. If we deal falsely, we become in lack of
armor
148
!

ANGER
Origen states that anger is the cause of the fall of Satan. If
we don't overcome anger we will not receive the peace of angels as
our inheritance.
The same thing applies to other vices, such as pride, envy,
selfishness and impurity. These vices have their own harmful
angels who incite us to do evil. If we don't overcome them,
purifying our hearts from them, the hearts which have been
purified already by baptism cant receive the promised
inheritance
149
.
Anger inebriates the soul, but rage makes it more
than drunk, if indeed anything can surpass drunkenness.
Cupidity and avarice make a person not only drunk, but
enraged.

ENVY
Envy and spite weaken it more than any
drunkenness. One cannot enumerate how many things there
are that afflict the unfortunate soul by the vice of
drunkenness
150
.

WICKED WORDS
The mouths of such as bring forth words of death
and destruction are called sepulchers, as also are all that

148 In Jos. hom. 4:1.
149 In Jos. hom. 1:6.
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speak against the true faith or make any opposition to the
discipline of chastity, justice, and sobriety
151
.
We must struggle with all our strength to free
ourselves from the preoccupations of the world and from
mundane activities, and even, if it is possible, leave behind
us the useless talk of our companions, and devote ourselves
to God's word and "meditate on His law day and night"
(Ps. 1:2), so that our conversion might be wholehearted
and we might be able to look upon Moses' unveiled face
152
.

151 Comm. on Cant. 3:5
152 In Lev. hom. 6:1.
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PENANCE AND CONFESSION
153

PENANCE AND THE HOLY TRINITY
The course of this purification, that is, conversion
from sin, is divided into three parts. First is the offering by
which sins are observed; second is that by which the soul is
turned to God; the third is that of the fruitfulness and fruits
which the one who is converted shows in works of piety.
And because there are these three offerings, for that
reason, it adds also that he must take "three tithe measures
of fine wheat flour" (Cf. Lev. 14:10) that everywhere we
may understand that purification cannot happen without
the mystery of the Trinity
154
.

MODERATE WAY OF PENANCE
Origen believes in the practice of penance to a moderate
extent, for excess and lack of measure in abstinence are
dangerous to beginners
155
.

UNCEASING REPENTANCE
Origen states that believers are in need of unceasing
repentance all their life.
Therefore the day of atonement remains for us until
the sun sets; (Cf. Lev 11.25) that is, until the world comes
to an end. For let us stand "before the gates" (Cf. Jas. 5.9)
waiting for our high priest who remains within "the Holy of
Holies," that is, "before the Father" (Cf. 1 John 2.1-2); and
who intercedes not for the sins of everyone, but "for the
sins" of those "who wait for him" (Cf. Heb 9.28)
156
.

153 Quasten, p. 84.
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First is the one by which we are baptized "for the
remission of sins (Cf. Mark 1:4).
A second remission is in the suffering of
martyrdom.
Third, is that which is given through alms for the
Savior says, "but nevertheless, give what you have and,
behold, all things are clean for you (Luke 11:41).
A fourth remission of sins is given for us through
the fact that we also forgive the sins of our brothers. For
thus the Lord and Savior himself says, "If you will forgive
from the heart your brothers' sins, your Father will also
forgive you your sins. But if you will not forgive your
brothers from the heart, neither will your Father forgive
you (Matt. 6:14-15). And thus he taught us to say in
prayer, "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
(Matt. 6:12).
A fifth forgiveness of sins is when "someone will
convert a sinner from the error of his way. For thus the
divine Scripture says, "Whoever will make a sinner turn
from the error of his way will save a soul from death and
cover a multitude of sins (Jam 5:20).
There is also a sixth forgiveness through the
abundance of love as the Lord himself says, "Truly I say to
you, her many sins are forgiven because she loved much
(Luke 7:47). And the Apostle says, "Because love will cover
a multitude of sins (1 Pet 4:8).
And there is still a seventh remission of sins
through penance, although admittedly it is difficult and
toilsome, when the sinner washes "his couch in tears" (Cf.
Ps. 6:7) and his "tears" become his "bread day and night"
(Cf. Ps. 41:4) when he is not ashamed to make known his
sin to the priest of the Lord and to seek a cure according to
the one who says, "I said, 'I will proclaim to the Lord my
injustice against myself,' and you forgave the impiety of my
heart (Ps. 31:5).

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REPEATED PENANCE
Origen insists that penance for some serious sins cannot
be repeated.
There is always an opportunity for recovery where,
for example, some mortal guilt (culpa mortalis) has found
us out, one which does not consist in a mortal crime
(crimen mortale), as blasphemy of the faith, which is
surrounded by the wall of ecclesiastical and apostolic
dogma, but either in some vice of speech or habit... Such
guilt can always be repaired, nor is penance ever denied
for sins such as these. In more grievous sins, only one
opportunity for penance is granted. But the common sins,
however, which we frequently incur,-these always allow of
penance and at all times are redeemed
157
.

CONFESSION
Origen reasons that the two sanctuaries found in the Tent of
Witness are to be interpreted according to a mystical
understanding. According to this understanding, the first sanctuary
represents the Church. The second is the heavenly sanctuary where
Christ continues to serve as High Priest
158
.
See what holy Scripture teaches us, that it is not
right to bury sin in our hearts.... But if a man become his
own accuser, in accusing himself and confessing he vomits
out his sin, and dissipates the whole cause of his sickness.
But observe carefully to whom you confess your
sins; put the physician to the test, in order to know whether
he is weak with the weak, and a mourner with those that
mourn. Should he consider your disease to be of such a
nature that it must be made known to, and cured in the

157 In Lev. hom. 15:2 PG 12:560-561; Earnest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p.
103.
158 In Lev. hom. 9:9.
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presence of the assembled congregation, follow the advice
of the experienced physician
159
.
The Israelite, if he should happen to fall into sin, that
is, a layman, cannot remit his own sin; but he needs a levite,
a priest, indeed he seeks out someone who holds an even
more eminent position: it is the prerogative of the bishop, that
he should receive remission of his sins
160
.
If we do this, and reveal our sins not only to God, but
also to those who can heal our wounds and sins, our sins will
be wiped away by Him, who says: I have blotted out your
iniquities as a cloud, and your sins as a mist.
161

CONFESSION OF SECRET SINS
Even when the sin is secret ought one to enter into penance,
such as is customarily imposed on sinners. He says in the
fourteenth homily on Leviticus: Wherefore now if anyone of us is
conscious of a grievous sin, let him fly to penance and voluntarily
take upon himself the destruction of the flesh
162
.

PUBLIC CONFESSION
In earlier years confession was made publicly, and
Ambrose recommends that it be made before the people, but he
also permitted a private confession. Origen also allowed the
penitent to confess privately to the pastor, "to declare his sin to a
priest of the Lord and to ask for the cure," St. Augustine
recommends that confession "be made to the bishop
163
."
This public procedure was participated in by the whole
community. It was a solemn function, and all took part in it. In his

159 Hom. on Ps. 37, 2:6.
160 In Numb. hom 10:1 PG 12:635.
161 In Lucan Homilia 17 PG 13:1846.
162 In Lev. hom. 14:4.
163 Sermon on Lev. 2:4; Carl A. Volz: Life and Practice in the Early Church, Minneapolis, 1990,
p.165.
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Homily on Psalm 37, he says that he who has sinned must suffer
much when he converts to penance and to the amending of his life;
and he must remember that his friends and neighbors will leave him.
But if he is sincere he will not mind the shame before his friends. The
shaming of the penitent before the congregation was considered not
only necessary but even advantageous, in that it worked conversion
and complete repentance. Origen calls on sinners to come out into the
open and confess their sins: if therefore there is some one so faithful
that he is conscious of some sin, let him go out into the middle and let
him become his own accuser
164
.
Such a person disregards human respect and confesses his sin,
even before the assembled congregation
165
.
A study of Origins words will show that all grievous sins
had to be submitted to the public penance. In one of his homilies
on the Psalms he seems to indicate just that, when he says
166
:
There is something marvelous in this mystery when
it commands "to confess sin. And indeed, everything we
do of any kind is to be proclaimed and brought out in
public. If "we do anything in secret" (Cf. John 7:4), also if
we commit anything secretly either in a single word or even
an inward thought, this is necessary for everything to be
revealed, for everything to be confessed. Indeed, it is to be
confessed by that one who is the accuser and inciter of sin.
For now this one urges us to sin and also accuses us when
we do sin. If, therefore, in this life we anticipate him and
are ourselves our own accusers, we escape the wickedness
of the devil, our enemy and accuser. For elsewhere, the
prophet also speaks thus: "first tell your injustices in order
that you may be justified (Isa. 43:26). Does he not
evidently show the mystery which we are dealing with when

164 In Judices Homilia 2:5 PG 12:961; Earnest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p.
91-92.
165 In Psalmum 37 Homilia 2:1 PG 12:1381
166 Earnest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 103.
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it says, "you speak first" to show you that you ought to
anticipate him who was prepared to accuse you?
167

He who for his sins makes confession to God, and in
Spirit he is sorry while he does penance, knowing what
punishment awaits the sinner after death says these things,
explaining how much a man must suffer when he turns to
penance and improvement of life, how his friends and
neighbors desert him and stand away from him because he
turns to exomologesis and sorrow for his sin... If therefore
such a man, mindful of his sin, confesses the sins he
committed and with human confusion he little regards those
who abuse him while he confesses... and sneer at him; he
however realizes that in this way he will receive pardon... so
that he refuses to hide and conceal his stain, but he
pronounces his sin; nor does he desire to be a whited
sepulcher, which without appears beautiful to men, that is,
that he might appear just to such as behold him, but within is
full of every uncleanness and of dead mens bones. If
therefore there is someone so faithful that if he is conscious of
some sin, let him come forth before the congregation and let
him be his own accuser
168
.
Elsewhere Origen speaks of public confession. He says:
Consider then a man who is faithful but sick, who
could be overcome by some sin, and because of this
lamenting for his iniquities, and seeking however a cure
and to recover his health. If therefore such a man,
conscious of his iniquity, confesses whatever he has
committed... disregards those who abuse him... so that he
refuses to hide and conceal his stains, but he confesses his
sin, that he might not be a whited sepulcher, which without
appears beautiful to men... within however he is full of

168 In Psalmum 37 Homilia 2:1 PG 12:1380-1381; Earnest Latko: Origens Concept of penance,
Laval 1949, p. 70.
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734
every uncleanness and dead mens bones. If therefore there
is someone so faithful that if he is conscious of a sin, let
him come out before the community and let him be his own
accuser
169
.
Further in the same homily Origen seems to demand public
confession. He says:
Consider therefore what Sacred Scripture teaches
us, that we must not conceal our sins in our heart. For as
they who are troubled with indigestion and have something
within them which lies heavy upon their stomachs, are not
relieved unless it be removed; in like manner sinners, who
conceal their practices and retain their sin within their
hearts, feel in themselves an inward disquietude and are
almost suffocated with the malignity which they thus
suppress. But if he will only become his own accuser, while
he accuses himself and confesses, he at the same time
discharges himself of his iniquity and digests the whole
cause of his disease... If he shall judge your disease to be
such as should be laid open and cured before the whole
assembly of the Church, for the possible edification of
others and for your own ready healing, this should be done
deliberately and discreetly
170
.
There is in the works of Origen another allusion to public
confession. In one of his homilies on J eremiah he says:
Consider therefore how candid the prophets are:
they do not conceal their sins, as we do, but openly they
proclaim their sins, not only to the men of their age, but to
all generations. Indeed even I do not dare here to confess
my sins before a few, because they who hear me would
condemn me. But Jeremiah, when he had transgressed, is

169 In Psalmum 37 Homilia 2:1 PG 12:1281; Earnest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval
1949, p. 102.
170 In Psalmum 37 Homilia 2:6; Earnest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 103.
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not ashamed, but rather puts his sin down in his
writings
171
.

EXOMOLOGESIS
In one of his earlier works on the Psalms he says in his
Commentary on Psalm 135, that exomologesis signifies a
thanksgiving and glorification. But it is also used for the confession
of sins, as in this place
172
.
The word exomologesis has a threefold meaning.
The first is a confession of sin to God alone.
The second is an avowal of ones sins before men, in order to
receive divine pardon.
The third is the exomologesis of the public and solemn
penance as imposed on sinners by the Church. This is the type Origen
refers to so often when he says that chains are also the bonds of
sins: which bonds are broken not only by divine baptism, but also by
martyrdom suffered for Christ and through the tears of penance
173
.
He mentions the severest penance, and describes how the soul is
converted to peace, either through baptism, or through tears and
penance
174
.

BAPTISM AND FORGIVENESS OF SINS
175

Origen stresses on different accessions that strictly
speaking there is only one forgiveness of sins, that of baptism
(Mark 1:4), because the Christian religion gives the power and
grace to overcome sinful passion
176
. However, there are a
number of means to obtain remission even of sins committed

171 In Jer. hom. 19:8 PG 13:517; Earnest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 103.
172 In Psalmum 37 Homilia 2:1 PG 12:1380-1381; Earnest Latko: Origens Concept of penance,
Laval 1949, p. 70.
173 Selecta in Psalmos PG 12:1577.
174 Ibid. 1576; Earnest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 90.
175 Quasten, p. 84.
176 Exhort. ad mart. 30.
Origen
736
after baptism. Origen lists seven of them: martyrdom, almsgiving
(Luke 11:41), forgiving those who trespass against us (Matt. 6:14-
15), conversion of a sinner (according to J am. 5:20), fullness of
love (according to Luke 7,47) and finally through penance and by
a confession of sins before a priest. The latter decides whether the
sins should be confessed in public or not.
That the thoughts out of many hearts may be
revealed..." Luke 2:35.
There were evil thoughts in men, and they were
revealed for this reason, that being brought to the surface
they might be destroyed, slain, put to death, and He Who
died for us might kill them. For while these thoughts were
hidden and not brought into the open they could not be
utterly done to death. Hence, if we have sinned we also
ought to say," I have made my sin known to You, and I
have not hidden my wickedness. I have said I will declare
my unrighteousness to the Lord against myself" (Ps. 32:5).
For if we do this and reveal our sins \not only to God but
also to those who can heal our wounds and sins, our
wickedness will be wiped out by Him who says, "I will
wipe out your wickedness like a cloud," Isa. 44:2..
Certainly, the Christian should be under strict
discipline (more than those men of the Old Testament
times), because Christ died for him... Now listed to all the
ways of remission of sins in the Gospels:
First, we are baptized for the remission of sins.
Second, there is the remission in the suffering of
martyrdom.
Third, the remission given in return for works of
mercy (Luke 11:44).
Fourth, the forgiveness through out forgiveness of
others, (Matt. 5:14, 15)...
Fifth, the forgiveness bestowed when a man "has
converted a sinner from the error of his ways," James
5:20.
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Sixth, sins are remitted through abundance of love
(Luke 7:4).
In addition, there is also a seventh way of
forgiveness which is hard and painful, namely the
remission of sins through penitence when "the sinner
washes his bed with tears, and tears are his bread by day
and night," Ps. 6:6, 42:3; and when he does not hold back
in shame from declaring his sin to the priest of the Lord
and asking for medicine (James 5:14)...
177
.

Origen
738
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF
BELIEVERS

1. PARTICIPATING IN THE DIVINE NATURE
Origen takes the petition of the Lords Prayer for daily
bread to mean that those who were nourished by God the Logos
would thereby be made divine. In many other places, too, he
defined salvation as the attainment of the gift of divinity.
Identification with Christ would lift the believer through the
human nature of Christ to union with his divine nature and thus
with God and thus to deification
178
.
It is evident, therefore, that the angels to whom the
Most High entrusted the nations to be ruled are called
either gods or lords; gods as if given by God and lords as
those who have been allotted power from the Lord. Whence
also the Lord said to the angels who did not preserve their
preeminence: "I said, `You are gods and are all sons of the
Most High. But you shall die like men and shall fall like
one of the princes'" (Ps. 81:5-7), imitating, of course, the
devil who became the leader of all to ruin. Whence it is
evident that violation of duty, not nature, made those
accursed. You, therefore, O people of Israel, who are "the
portion of God," who were made "the lot of his
inheritance" (Cf. Deut. 32:9), "shall not have," the text
says, "other gods besides me" (Exod. 20:3), because God is
truly "one God" and the Lord is truly "one Lord." But on
the others who have been created by him he bestowed that
name not by nature but by grace
179
.

178 De Oratione 27:13; Contra Celsus 3:28; Jaroslav Pelikan: The Emergence of the Catholic
Tradition (100-600),p. 155.
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2. A BELIEVER ESTABLISHES AN INNER TABERNACLE
FOR GOD
A believer contributes in the Lords spiritual tabernacle, by
divine grace.
Let what has been said about the tabernacle suffice
for the present, being all we have been able to discover
cursorily and direct to the ears of our hearers, that each of
us also might be zealous to make a tabernacle for God
within himself. For it was not said in vain that the fathers
dwelt in tabernacles.
I understand that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dwelt
in tabernacles as follows. For those men who adorned
themselves a tabernacle for God.
For the royal purple was notably resplendent
among them, because of which the sons of Heth said to
Abraham: "You are a king from God among us" (Gen.
23:6).
The scarlet also shone, for Abraham held his right
hand disposed to slay his only son for God.
The blue shone when he always looked to heaven
and followed the Lord of heaven. But he was also likewise
adorned with the other things.
I also thus understand the feast of the tabernacles
which the Law commands, that the people might go out a
certain day of the year and dwell in the tabernacles made
of palm branches and the foliage of the willow and poplar
and the branches of leafy trees. The palm is a sign of
victory in that war which the flesh and spirit wage between
themselves: but the poplar and the willow tree are
branches of purity as much in virtue as in name. If you
preserve these things entire, you can have the branches of
the bushy and leafy tree which is the eternal and blessed
life when "the Lord places" you "in that green place upon
the water of refreshment" (Cf. Ps. 22:2, 1:3), through
Origen
740
Christ Jesus our Lord, "to whom belongs glory and the
sovereignty forever and ever. Amen" (Cf. 1 Pet. 4:11)
180
.

3. FEELING THE PRESENCE OF GOD
A believer continuously has the feeling of the presence of
God.
And Aaron came," the text says, "and all the elders
of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law in the
presence of God" (Exod. 18:12). but those who are
"elders," those who are older, who are perfect and
approved in merits, eat bread "in the presence of God";
they are the ones who observe what the Apostle says,
"Whether you eat or drink or whatever else you do, do all
to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Everything, therefore,
which the saints do, they do "in the presence of God." The
sinner flees from the presence of God. For it has been
written that Adam, after he sinned, fled "from the presence
of God." When he was asked about it he answered, "I heard
your voice and I hid myself because I was naked" (Cf. Gen.
3:10). But Cain also, after he had been condemned by God
for parricide, "went out," the Scripture says, "from the face
of God and dwelt in the land of Nain" (Gen. 4:16). He,
therefore, who was unworthy of the presence of God "went
out from the face of God." The saints, however, both eat
and drink "in the presence of God" and do everything they
do "in the presence of God." In discussing the present
passage, I see, even further, that those who receive a fuller
knowledge of God and are imbued more fully with the
divine disciplines, even if they do evil, do it before God and
in his presence just as a man who said: "To you only have I
sinned and have done evil before you" (Ps. 50:6). What
advantage, then, does he have who does evil before God?
That he immediately repents and says, "I have sinned." He,

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however, who departs from the presence of God does not
know how to be converted and to purge his sin by
repenting. This, then, is the difference between doing evil
before God and to have departed from the presence of God
when you sin
181
.
But further the disciples who are always with Jesus
are not sent away by Him; but the multitudes after they
have eaten are sent away. Likewise, again, the disciples
who conceive nothing great about the Canaanitish woman
say, "Send her away, for she cries after us" (John 6:13);
but the Savior does not at all appear to send her away; for
saying unto her, "O woman, great is your faith, be it done
to you even as you wilt," (Matt. 14:14) He healed her
daughter from that hour: it is not however written that He
sent her away. So far at the present time have we been able
to investigate and see into the passage before us
182
.

4. BELIEVERS ARE THE LORDS LOT
Believers acknowledge that that they are the Lords lot.
But do you still want to see another form of the two
lots (Lev. 16:8)? Consider those two "robbers" who at the
time of his crucifixion "were suspended one at his right
hand and one at his left." (Cf. Luke 23.33.) See that the one
who confessed the Lord was made "a lot of the Lord" and
was taken without delay "to paradise." But the other one
who "reviled" him (Cf. Luke 23.39-43.) was made " the lot
of the scapegoat" that was sent "into the wilderness" of
Hell
183
.
The Levites did not receive an inheritance from
Moses nor from Joshua, for the Lord, God of Israel, is their
inheritance. . . .

Origen
742
Many of the people of God have the simple faith in
Gods fear, they please God with their good deeds and
genuine customs, Very little and rare are those who are
gifted with wisdom and knowledge, and keep their hearts
pure, and plant in their souls the most beautiful virtues,
and their knowledge has the power to enlighten the way to
others. . . . . These without doubt is said- that they are
Levites and priests, their lot is the Lord, who is the wisdom
which they chose above everything
184
.

5. A BELIEVER HAS A KIND OF SPIRITUAL
PARENTHOOD
A believer has a kind of spiritual parenthood, or in other
way he always brings forth new members of the Church through
his love and witnessing to Christ.
The soul which has just conceived the Word of God
is said to be a woman with child. We read about such a
conception also in another passage: "From your fear,
Lord, we conceive in the womb and gave birth" (Cf. Isa.
26:17-18).
Those, therefore, who conceive and immediately
give birth are not to be considered women, but men, and
perfect men. For hear also the prophet saying, "Was the
earth brought forth in one day, and the nation born at
once?" (Cf. Isa. 66:8) That is the generation of perfect men
which is born immediately on the day that it was conceived.
But lest it appear strange to you that we said men
give birth, we have set forth already earlier how you ought
to understand the names of the members, that you might
abandon the corporeal significations and take the meaning
of the inner man. But if you wish to have further
satisfaction from the Scriptures on this, hear the Apostle
saying, "My little children of whom I am in labor again

184 In Jos. hom. 17:2.
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until Christ be formed in you" (Gal. 4:19). They, therefore,
are perfect men and strong who immediately when they
conceive give birth, that is, who bring forth into works the
word of faith which has been conceived.
The soul, however, which has conceived and retains
the word in the womb and does not give birth is called
woman, as also the prophets says, "The pains of birth have
come upon her and she does not have the strength to give
birth" (Cf. Isa. 37:3). This soul, therefore, which is now
called a woman because of its weakness, is stricken and
made to stumble by two men quarreling between
themselves and bringing forth stumbling blocks in the strife
- which is customary in verbal dispute - so that it cast out
and loses the word of faith which it had slightly conceived.
This is a quarrel and contention "to the subversion of the
hearers." If, therefore, the soul which has been made to
stumble cast off the word yet unformed, he who made it
stumble is said to suffer loss
185
.

6. PARTICIPATION IN THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST
A believer participates in the crucifixion of his Christ,
by being despised by others. Origen states that in the Old
Testament sacrifice was offered at the door of the tabernacle (Lev.
1:3) and not inside the door but outside the door.
"At the door of the tabernacle" (Lev. 1:3) is not
inside the door but outside the door. For Jesus was outside
the door, "for he came to his own and his own did not
receive him" (John 1:11) Therefore, he did not enter into
that tabernacle to which he had come but " at the door of
it" he was offered for a whole burnt offering, since he
suffered "outside the camp" (Lev. 4:12). For also those evil
"husbandmen cast out the son form the father's vineyard
and killed him when he came" (Matt. 27:1; John 18:13f.).

Origen
744
This, therefore, is what is offered "at the door of the
tabernacle, acceptable before the Lord" (Lev. 1:3). And
what is as "acceptable" as the sacrifice of Christ "who
offered himself to God?" (Heb. 9:14).
Therefore, he who zealously imitates the prophetic
life, and attains to the spirit which was in them, must be
dishonored in the world, and in the eyes of sinners, to whom
the life of the righteous man is a burden
186
.

7. BELIEVERS ARE KINGS AND PRINCES
This prince can be seen as the power of reason
which is within us. If this [reason] sins in us and we do
something foolish, then we must be fearful of that statement
of the Savior which says, "You are the salt of the earth. But
if the salt has lost its taste, it is of value for nothing except
to be thrown out and walked on by men" (Matt. 5:13).
Therefore the prince also has his offering
187
.
But if there are some who have come out of Egypt
and, following the pillar of fire and cloud, are entering the
wilderness, then He comes down from heaven to them and
offers them a small, thin Food, like to the food of angels; so
that man eats the bread of angels
188
.
For, if the heavenly Jerusalem is the mother of
souls, and the angels equally are called heavenly, there
will be no inconsistency in her calling these who like
herself are heavenly, her mother's sons. It will, on the
contrary, seem supremely apt and fitting that those for
whom God is the one Father should have Jerusalem for
their one mother
189
.

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8. BELIEVERS BECOME EQUAL TO ANGELS
When we are somewhat more advanced, we shall be
equal to the angels. (Matt. 22:30)
190
.

9. ORTHODOXY IN KNOWLEDGE AND LIFE
The true believer has pure and straight doctrines or
knowledge and life.
But you who want to be pure, hold your life in
conformity and harmony with knowledge, and your deeds
with understanding, that you may be pure in each, that
you apply the cud and divide the hoof (Lev. 11) but
also that you may produce or you may cast away the
hoofs
191
.
But our earth, that is, our heart, receives blessings
if it receives "the rain" of the doctrine of the Law "which
frequently comes upon it" and brings forth the fruit of
works. But if it does not have spiritual work, but "thorns
and thistles, " that is, cares of the world or the desires of
pleasures and riches," it is false and near to the curse,
whose end will be burning." For that reason, each one of
the hearers when he assembles to hear, receives " the
shower " of the word of God; and if he indeed brings forth
the fruit of a good work, he will obtain "a blessing." But if
he disdains the received word of God and frequently
neglects to hear it and to subject himself to the care and
passion of secular affairs, then one who would suffocate
the word "with thorns" he will procure "a curse" for a
blessing and find instead of the blessing "an end in
burning
192
."

Origen
746
10. WITNESSING TO CHRIST
A believer witnesses to J esus Christ not only by his words,
but also by his life.
But nevertheless, this leprous one is ordered only to
cover his mouth (Lev. 13:45).
Why is it that he is instructed to have all parts of his
body naked and is ordered only to cover his mouth?
Is it not also evident that the word is closed to him
who is in the leprosy of sin; that the mouth is closed to
him that he may be excluded from the assurance of the
word and the authority of the teaching?
For God said to the sinner, Why do you expound
my justices and take my covenant in your mouth? (Ps.
49:16) Therefore, let the sinner have a closed mouth
because he who does not teach himself, cannot teach
another; and for this reason he is commanded to cover his
mouth, who by doing evil lost the freedom of speaking
193
.

11. BELIEVERS ARE ROCKS
Believers, especially the apostles and disciples, are rocks.
For a rock (or a Peter) is every disciple of Christ of
whom those drank who drank of the spiritual rock which
followed them (1 Cor. 10:4), and upon every such rock is
built every word of the church, and the polity in
accordance with it; for in each of the perfect, who have the
combination of words and deeds and thoughts which fill up
the blessedness, is the church built by God
194
.
But if you suppose that upon that one Peter only the
whole church is built by God, what would you say about
John the son of thunder or each one of the apostles? Shall
we otherwise dare to say, that against Peter in particular

193 Homilies on Leviticus 8:10 (See Frs. of the Church)
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the gates of Hades shall not prevail, but that they shall
prevail against the other Apostles and the perfect? Does
not the saying previously made, "The gates of Hades shall
not prevail against it," (Matt. 16:18) hold in regard to all
and in the case of each of them? And also the saying,
"Upon this rock I will build My church" (Matt. 16:18)?
Are the keys of the kingdom of heaven given by the Lord to
Peter only, and will no other of the blessed receive them?
But if this promise, "I will give unto you the keys of the
kingdom of the heaven" (Matt. 16:19), be common to the
others, how shall not all the things previously spoken of,
and the things which are subjoined as having been
addressed to Peter, be common to them?
195

12. BELIEVERS ATTAIN THE TRANSFIGURATION OF
CHRIST.
For when he has passed through the six days, as we
have said, he will keep a new Sabbath, rejoicing in the lofty
mountain, because he sees Jesus transfigured before him;
for the Word had different forms, as He appears to each as
is expedient for the beholder, and is manifested to no one
beyond the capacity of the beholder
196
.
But when He is transfigured, His face also shines as
the sun, that He may be manifested to the children of light,
who have put off the works of the darkness, and put on the
armor of light (Rom. 13:12), and are no longer the children
of darkness or night, but have become the sons of day, and
walk honestly as in the day (Rom. 13:13); and being
manifested, he will shine unto them not simply as the sun,
but as demonstrated to be the sun of righteousness
197
.

Origen
748
13. FULL OF STRENGTH
The true believer never has the weakness of the elders, but
always full. of strength
a. The saint has power in every moment of his life, even
when he becomes very old (J os. 14:11)
198
.
b. Believers live in the spiritual heights.
The king of J ericho hated the two spies and planed for their
killing, but he could not fulfill his plan for they went to the
mountain (J osh. 2:22).
The prince of this world (John 12:31) persuade the
spies of Jesus, and he would get rid of them, but he could
not put his hands on them, for they went to the mountain,
and asked for the highest of the hills and tops of the
mountains....
The prince of this world can't go to these places,
nor reach Jesus who is on the highest.....
He likes those who fall down in the depth, for there
he can reign over them, and there he establishes his
dwelling place, and from there , he descends to the hell
199
.
The saint does not ask for what is low in the bottom
of the valleys, but he asks for a high mountain, a mountain
on which there are great and fortified cities. The book in
truth says, the Anakim were there, and that the cities were
great and fortified Jos. 14:12
200
.
They (Mary and Joseph) did not acknowledge the
meaning of Jesus Words, Did you not know that I must be
about my Fathers business ( house). , i. e. , to be in the
Temple. . . . .

198 In Jos. hom. 18:2.
199 In Jos. hom. 1:5.
200 In Jos. hom. 18:3.
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The highest are the houses of Jesus. As Joseph and
Mary had not yet arrived to the perfect faith they could not
soar in the highest, therefore it is said, He went down
with them (Luke 2:51). Many times Jesus goes down with
His disciples and does not remain always on the
mountain
201
.
Mary became worthy to be called the Theotokos,
therefore she should ascend the mountains and remain in
the lights (Luke 1:39)
202
.
c. The believer is so very strong in J esus Christ, that he
would tread upon the serpent.
Origen comments on the words, "And they struck them
down, so that they let none of them remain or escape" (J os. 8:22)
saying: We must not leave any demon alive, but we have to kill
them all till the end
203
. Here he speaks of sins as if they are
demons.
Let us then pray that our souls become strong and
good, and have the power to tread upon the necks of our
enemies and bruise all the heads of the serpent so that it
cannot bruise our heel
204
.
May the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, grant me the
grace of crushing the spirit of evil, the tendency of anger,
violence, and the demons of greed and pride
205
.

201 In Luc. hom. 20:2.
202 In Luc. hom. 7:2.
204 In Jos. hom. 12:2.
205 In Jos. hom. 12:3.
Origen
750
SPIRITUAL SACRIFICE
AND CULT
206

SACRIFICE IN THE WRITING OF ORIGEN
207

Origen mentions sacrifice so frequently that Harnack calls
him "the great theologian of sacrifice
208
." Continuing the openness
of Clement, Origen has a basically positive attitude toward Old
Testament sacrifice which he repeatedly uses as the basis for
spiritual or allegorical interpretations.
Of the roughly 550 passages in Origen which speak of
sacrifice or related subjects, about 340 occur in the Latin
translations, some 20 in the unreliable Greek fragments of the
Commentary on the Psalms, and about 190 in well-attested Greek
texts. Fortunately, these Greek texts alone are sufficient to
demonstrate the major aspects of Origen's thought on sacrifice.
The most important sources are, from the Greek: Commentary on
Matthew, Exhortation to Martyrdom, Against Celsus, and. above
all, the Commentary on John; and from the Latin: the homilies,
particularly Rufinus' translation of the Homilies on Leviticus.

SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES AND CULTS
Origen had certain arguments for spiritualizing
sacrifice.
1. Origen states that God should be worshipped not with
blood and carnal sacrifices but in Spirit. The Supreme God should

206 Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers from the New
Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia, 1979.
207 Cf. Fobert J. Daly: The Origins of the Christian Doctrine of Sacrifice, Fortress Press,
Philadelphia, 1978, p. 122f.
208 A. Harnack, Lehrhuch der Dogemengeschichte (3 vols.: 4th ed.; Tubingen Mohr [Siebeck],
1909-10; repr. Darmstadt Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1964), 1. 477. P. Nautin, Origene.
Sa vie et son oeuvre (Paris Beauchesne, 1977) is the best key to Origen studies.
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be worshipped by means of piety and every virtue
209
, by spiritual
sacrifices
210
.
2. Origen argues from the fall of the Temple within a few
years of the crucifixion
211
.
3. He also argues from the word of Scripture, in this case
the Epistle to the Hebrews, that literal sacrifices were meant to
cease and be replaced by the realities which they symbolized. He
says, "If anyone reads the whole of the Epistle to the Hebrews... he
will find how the whole of this part of the Apostle's writing in the
Law are types and forms of things that are living and true
212
."

1. CHRISTS SELF-SACRIFICE
J esus Christ, the High Priest and Victim at the same time, is
the true Paschal Lamb who is led to the slaughter, who takes away
the sins of the world, who by His own blood reconciles us to the
Father. He emptied Himself, bearing our infirmities and
chastisements out of His own love for us and in obedience to the
Father. He is perfect and unique in sacrificing Himself willingly to
the Father and realizing the will of the Father which is one with
His will.

2. BELIEVERS SELF-SACRIFICE
Origen's main concern seems to be to teach how the Church
and her members share in the sacrifice of Christ
213
. For the true
J erusalem, he explains, is the Church, built of living stones (cf. 1
Pet 2:5), where there is a holy priesthood and where spiritual

209 Contra Celsus 6:70; 7:44; 8:64; Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek
Christian Writers from the New Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 115.
211 In Lev. Hom. 10:1; 3:5; 4:10.
212 Ibid., 9:2; 10:1.
213 Cf. Fobert J. Daly: The Origins of the Christian Doctrine of Sacrifice, Fortress Press,
Philadelphia, 1978, p. 122f.
Origen
752
sacrifices are offered to God by those who are spiritual and who
have come to the knowledge of the law of the spirit
214
.
Origen states that every true believer must offer a self-
sacrifice. He is his own burnt sacrifice, if he renounces his
possessions, takes up his cross and follows our Lord J esus Christ,
having charity, by loving his brethren, and fighting for justice and
truth, even unto death; by dying to all desire of the flesh, as the
world is crucified to him, and he to the world, and fulfilling
martyrdom.
In the Homilies on Leviticus, Origen allegorizes the
sacrifices "Pro Peccato" in terms of the sacrifice of Christ, and the
sacrifices "Pro munere" as the offering of Christians
215
: The gift-
sacrifices of worship and thanksgiving are still to be offered by
Christians, even though sacrifices for sin have been perfected and
annulled by the offering of Christ
216
.
Origen stresses the need for unceasing sacrifice by
repeatedly referring to or expanding on Ps 44:22: "For your sake
we are slain all the day long, and accounted as sheep for the
slaughter"
217
. Origen sees the whole of Christian life in terms of
sacrifice
218
.

MARTYRDOM AND PURITY AS THE BEST SACRIFICES
The best sacrifice for the Christian that pleases God is
martyrdom. A martyr is considered as if he offers his body to be
burned for the sake of Christ
219
.

214 Cf. Commentary on John 6:9 (38) and 13:13.
215 In Lev. 2:4 is the only place where he speaks of the offerings of Christians as being Pro
Peccato.
217 Commentary on John 6:52, Against Celsus 8;21, Homilies on Joshua 9, 1; Commentary on the
Psalms, PG 12, 1428A-B; Commentary on Romans 8, PG 14, 1132; Exhortation to Martyrdom 21.
218 Cf. Homilies on Leiticus 2:4; Homilies on Joshua 2:1: Commentary on the Psalms 49:5.
219 In Lev. 9:9.
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As with most early Christian writers, martyrdom is the
most perfect way to unite oneself to Christ and His sacrifice. The
following sequence of ideas (from the Commentary on John 6:54)
is typical of Origen: The blood-shedding of the martyrs is the
sacrifice which is related to that of the Lamb. In the Book of
Revelation, J ohn sees the martyrs standing next to the heavenly
altar of sacrifice. Then - after searching for the spiritual meaning
of the sacrifice of J ephthah's daughter, which he finds in the
vicarious nature of Christian sacrifice - Origen concludes that
through the death of the pious martyrs many others receive
blessings beyond description.
After martyrdom comes virginity as a self-sacrifice, then
refraining from pride, avarice, lying etc.
220
. Origen assures that
only when a believer is purged of sin, he can offer sacrifice
pleasing to God
221
.

SPIRITUAL WORSHIP AS A SELF-SACRIFICE
By constant prayer that we become living stones from
which J esus builds the altar on which to offer spiritual victims.
The spiritual cult is the sacrifice of prayers
222
;
The spiritual altar is the mind of faithful Christians;
Spiritual images of God are the virtues implanted in men
by the Logos
223
.
On this internal altar the believer must offer without
ceasing. Truly celebrating a continuos feast, serving God
faithfully, living ascetically and prayerfully, and continually
offering to God bloodless sacrifices in prayer.
The Body of Christ is a spiritual temple
224
,

220 Comm. Rom. 9:1.
221 In Lev. 5:4.
222 Contra Celsus 3:81; 7:44,46.
224 Contra Celsus 8:19..
Origen
754
and the Christian people continually celebrate spiritual
feasts and fasts by constant prayer and abstention from
wickedness
225
.
Above all Christ Himself is the Perfect Sacrifice, and He is
the High Priest through whom Christian prayers are offered
226
.
Origen realized that the "burnt offering" in the Old
Testament meant the highest sacrifice of praise, not an offering of
placation as in Greek religion; so his exposition of Christian burnt
offering implies the same thing
227
.

OUR BODY, THE TEMPLE OF GOD
Origen sees it, the altar on which Christian sacrifice takes
place is the altar within us. Our body is a temple of God, and the
best of these temples is the body of J esus Christ. The temple which
has been destroyed will be rebuilt of living and most precious
stones, with each of us becoming a precious stone in the great
temple of God. As living stones we must also be active. For if,
says Origen, I raise my hands in prayer, but leave hanging the
hands of my soul instead of raising them with good and holy
works, then the raising of my hands is not an evening sacrifice. In
a concrete application, Origen remarks that good and holy speech
is an offering to God, but bad speech is an offering to idols; and
whoever listens to bad speech eats what has been offered to
idols
228
.
True to the central Christian mystery of the incarnation
Origen also emphasizes the importance of the body in the sacrifice
of the Christian; for no one weak in soul and slow in words can
offer the saving sacrifice. Thus, following the New Testament,
Origen sees the gift worthy of God not in sacrifices or holocausts,

225 Contra Celsus 8:22ff.
226 Contra Celsus 1:69; 3:34; 5:4; 8:13,26;. Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in
Greek Christian Writers from the New Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 97.
228 Against Celsus 8:19; Dialogue with Heraclides 20; Homilies on Numbers 20:3.
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755
but in the very life itself of the Christian. As he comments on the
widow's offering, he reminds us that it is not what or how much we
offer that is important, as long as it consists of all that we are and
have, and as long as we offer it with our whole strength
229
.

SUFFERING AS A SPIRITUAL SACRIFICE
The Lamb takes away the sins only of those who suffer. If
we want to offer to God our proud flesh as a sacrificial calf, we
must first mortify our members and live ascetically lest, after
preaching to others, we fall away ourselves. Contact with Christs
sacrifice is saving, but only if one draws near to J esus, the Word
made flesh, with full faith and obedience as did the woman with
the hemorrhage who was healed by touching Christ's robe (Mark
5:25-34)
230
.

OFFERING SPIRITUAL SACRIFICE IN THE SIGHT OF
GOD
The true believer must not only offer his own-self as a
sacrifice to God, but also he must do that in the sight of the Lord
(Lev. 6:18),and not to go out of His sight as Cain did (Gen.
4:16,14.
If there is anyone who has faith to stand in the
sight of the Lord and does not flee from his face and
the knowledge of sin does not turn his gaze aside, this one
offers a sacrifice in the sight of the Lord (Lev. 6:18).
Therefore, he said this offering which is offered for
sins is very holy (Lev. 6:18)
231
.

229 Commentary on Romans 9 (on Rom 12 1); Homilies on Leviticus 5:12; Commentary on the
Psalms 115; Homilies on Numbers 24:2; Commentary on John 19:7 (2)-8.
230 Homilies on Jeremiah 18:10, Commentary on John 6:58 (7); Homilies on Leviticus 1:5; 4:8,
Homilies on Numbers 24:2; Commentary on the Lamentations of Jeremiah Fragment 49; Against
Celsus 8:17; Homilies on Leviticus 5, 3-4.
Origen
756
MYSTICISM

Origen is one of the creators of the language of mysticism.
He created some of his themes by starting from Scripture and also
using philosophic data and Hellenistic imagery
232
.
The knowledge which the mystic receives is in its essence
inexpressible: it is a direct contact between the divine Spirit and
the human spirit by-passing to a certain extent a mediating tractor,
whether concept, sign or word. And yet the beneficiary tries to
describe it in order to communicate it
233
.
It gives the impression that divine grace and man
work together like two men pulling a cart together. As the
themes that we have been studying and the ones we are
about to study show, it is God and his Christ who are
working: man's role is to let God act in him or to stop Him
doing so
234
.

MYSTICISM AND THEOLOGY
The soteriological attitude of Origen, as of all other
Alexandrian Fathers, destroys the contrast between mysticism and
theology. For the term mysticism denotes no more than a
spirituality which expresses a doctrinal attitude
235
; this spirituality
is the main line in Origens theology, cosmology, ecclesiology,
anthropology, angelogy, eschatology etc. His main purpose in all
his works is the restoration of the souls nature to be perfected so
that she may become an icon of God, and to attain mystical union
with God.

235 Vlademir Lossky: The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, 1976, p. 7.
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Origen, who is considered as the first Eastern theologian, is
at the same time one of the great leaders in spirituality. This
confirms that mystics are not set against theologians, as some
scholars believe. On the contrary, mysticism and theology support
and complete each other. One is impossible without the other. A
theologian must express and reveal truth through his practical life.
Unlike gnosticism, in which knowledge for its own sake
constitutes the aim of the Gnostic, Origen was eager to
acknowledge his hunger for discovering his inner man,
transforming his soul, attaining mystical union with God, and
practicing the heavenly life in the inner kingdom. Thus theology
has an eminently practical significance; it is the royal way for
mysticism.

IS ORIGEN A MYSTIC?
Rowan A. Greer presents three points
236
:
First, Origen believes that in the highest aspect of the
Christian life we shall know God, see Him face to face, and be
joined with Him in a union of love.
Second, this destiny represents the completion of our
nature; we were created after God's image in order to have
perfected knowledge of and fellowship with him.
Third, our natural destiny is merely potential until God
rouses our minds and empowers them to become what in principal
they are.
Therefore, if one defines mysticism as a state in which we
are somehow enabled to transcend ourselves, Origen is a mystic
only in a qualified sense. From one point of view the highest
aspect of the Christian life simply completes our nature. But from
another point of view, since only God can give us this power,
Origen may properly be regarded as a mystic.

Origen
758

THE MYSTICAL THEMES
I have already referred to these themes throughout the
previous chapters, for in all his works Origen is absorbed in the
restoration of the soul.

1. Mystical Marriage
Origen presents the mystical marriage between Christ
and the soul as a present experience. He repeatedly refers to the
ascent of the soul, by the work of the divine grace, to the heavenly
nuptial chamber. There she practices mystical union with the
Heavenly Groom, the Word of God, who reveals the divine
mysteries, or the Truth, to His bride.
Christ is called the Bridegroom of the soul, whom
the soul espouses when she comes to the faith
237
.
In his Commentary on the Song of Songs, Origen states
that the bride who is wounded by the divine arrow is the faithful
soul. This arrow represents above all love, or Christ Himself who
is Love. On the contrary, wicked people are wounded by the
flaming darts (the sins and the vices) of the Evil one which he
produces, and they are accepted by those who receive them.
The archer is either the Father or the Son; the arrow is
obviously the Son; but the latter also becomes the wound which
the arrow inflicts on the soul according to a passage of the Contra
Celsus: the impress of the wounds that are marked on each soul
after the Word, that is the Christ in each individual, derived from
Christ the Word.
As a churchman, Origen speaks of the Church also as the
bride of Christ, through her, every faithful soul enjoys a personal
experience of the mystical or spiritual union or marriage.

237 In Gen. Hom. 10:4.
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759
2. Mystical Motherhood of the Soul
If the soul is to give birth to the Word, then Mary is its
model: And every soul, virgin and uncorrupted, which conceives
by the Holy Spirit, so as to give birth to the Will of the Father, is
the Mother of J esus
238
.
This birth of Christ in the soul is essentially bound up with
the reception of the Word and in a certain way J esus is thus being
continually born in souls. The Father originates this generation. It
first becomes apparent in the virtues, for Christ is all virtue and
every virtue, the virtues are identified with Him as it were in an
existential way. But if the Christ is not born in me, I am shut out
from salvation
239
.
Such is 'the Christ in each individual, derived from Christ
the Word'
240
. When J esus from the Cross said to St. Mary,
indicating St. J ohn: Behold your son, He did not mean that He
was in this way making St. J ohn another son of his mother, for St.
Mary never had more than one son, but that St. J ohn was in this
way becoming as if he was J esus Himself, so much so that it is
impossible to understand the Gospel of J ohn unless one has the
mind, the nous, of Christ
241
.
The righteous man is begotten by God, begotten in his
Son, in each of his good deeds
242
. And the result will be the
condition of blessedness in which all men, having become in a way
inferior to the Only Begotten Son, will see the Father as the Son
sees Him
243
.
But this J esus who is born in us is killed by sin: He cannot
be contained in souls which sin renders too narrow and He is
barely alive like an anemic baby in lukewarm souls: in the others

238 Fragm. Matt. 28; Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 124.
240 Contra Celsus 6:9; Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 125.
241 Comm. on John 1:4 (6);Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 125.
242 In Jerem. hom. 9:4.
243 Comm. on John. 10:16; Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 125.
Origen
760
He grows
244
. It can even happen that some accord Him such a
place within them that He walks in them, lies down in them, eats in
them, with the whole Trinity
245
. It is in our hearts that we must
prepare a way for the Lord, both by the purity of our moral life and
by the development of contemplation
246
. In each of us J esus can
grow in wisdom and stature and in grace
247
.
The soul which has just conceived the Word of God
is said to be a woman with child. We read about such a
conception also in another passage: "From your fear,
Lord, we conceive in the womb and give birth" (Cf. Isa.
26:17-18)
248
.

3. The Inner world
Origen considers the inner world is the true world,
therefore the first step for ascending to heaven is discovering ones
self, as we have mentioned before.

4. The Inner Jerusalem
For Origen, Christ desires to enter our inner J erusalem, to
reign there. There His heavenly kingdom is established.

5. The Inner Altar and Temple
We noticed that Origen exhorts us to offer our inner man to
J esus Christ to establish His temple by the work of His Holy Spirit,
and to reveal Himself as the High Priest who serves therein and
offer Himself as the Victim.
It is just, indeed, that each one be found to have his
own portion in the Lord's tabernacle. For what each one
offers does not escape the Lord's notice.

245 Comm. on Cant. 2.
246 In Luc. hom. 21:5, 7.
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761
How glorious it is for you if it be said in the Lord's
tabernacle: "That gold," for example, "with which the ark
of covenant is covered, is his; the silver from which the
bases and the columns are made is his; the bronze from
which the rings and laver and some bases of the columns
have been made is his; but also those stones of the cape
and breastplate are his; the purple with which the high
priest is adorned is his; the scarlet is his" and so on for the
other things.
And again how shameful, how miserable it will be if
the Lord, when He comes to inquire about the building of
the tabernacle, should find no gift from you in it; if He
should perceive nothing offered by you. Have you lived so
irreligiously, so unfaithfully that you have desired to have
no memorial of your own in God's tabernacle?
For just as "the prince of this world" (Cf. John
12:31), comes to each one of us and seeks to find some of
his own deeds in us and if indeed he find anything he
claims us for himself, so also, on the contrary, if the Lord,
when He comes, should find something of yours in His
tabernacle, He claims you for Himself and says you are his.
Lord Jesus, grant that I may deserve to have some
memorial in Your tabernacle.
I would choose, if it be possible, that mine be
something in that gold from which the mercy seat is made
or from which the ark is covered or from which the
candlestick and the lamps are made.
Or it I do not have gold, I pray that I be found to
offer some silver at least which may be useful in the
columns or in their bases. or may I certainly deserve to
have some bronze in the tabernacle from which the loops
and other things are made which the word of God
describes.
Would that, moreover, it be possible for me to be
one of the princes and to offer precious stones for the
adornment of the cape and breastplate of the high-priest.
Origen
762
But because these things are beyond me, might I certainly
deserve to have goats' hair in God's tabernacle, lest I be
found barren and unfruitful in all things
249
.

6. The Inner Transfiguration
For Origen, the transfiguration of Christ within us is the
favorite subject of this theme: comment on this is found in the
works of Origen's old age, Commentary on Matthew, Contra
Celsus and homilies
250
.
Man receives true life from his participation in Christ, who
is Life, and who transmits to man the life that He eternally and
unceasingly receives from the Father
251
.

7. The Inner Senses
Before Origen, Theophilus of Antioch
252
spoke of the eyes
of the soul and the ears of the heart, but Origen was to use
this theme on a great scale
253
.
For Origen the humanity of J esus was like a screen hiding
His divinity from the eyes of men. What hides the divinity of J esus
from the eyes of men is first the will of J esus not to reveal it so,
since a divine Person is only seen when He reveals Himself: and
second, man's unpreparedness in ascetic terms to perceive it, the
lack of spiritual eyes
254
.
The risen J esus, manifesting Himself in His divinity
through his glorified body, only showed Himself to his apostles
and not to Pilate, to Herod, to the chief priests, who had had Him
crucified, for they were incapable of perceiving his divinity
255
.

250Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 130.
252 Ad Autolycos 12.
254 Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p.130-131.
255 Contra Celsus 2:63-64; Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 131.
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In the Song of Songs, the Heavenly Groom praises His
bride, for having doves eyes, that is a spiritual perception of the
meaning of the Scriptures, through the inner eyes
256
.
But "blessed are those eyes" (Luke 10:23) which
inwardly see the divine Spirit that is concealed in the veil
of the letter; and blessed are they who bring clean ears of
the inner person to hear these things. Otherwise, they will
perceive openly "the letter which kills" in these words
257
.
Simon didnt enter the temple by chance, but he was
led by the Spirit of God...
You also, if you want to receive Christ, embrace
him among your hands and be ready for freedom from
prison, endeavor to be led by the Spirit who enters you into
the temple of God. There is Jesus inside the church, in the
temple which is established by the living stones
258
.

8. The Inner Ascent
For Origen every going up mentioned in the holy books,
for example from Egypt to Palestine or from Galilee to J udaea,
symbolizes a spiritual ascent, and every going down a decline.
Thus Mary, after the annunciation, goes into the hill country (Luke
1:39) to meet Elizabeth and in her presence to give vent to an
outburst of joy: in this she is fulfilling an apostolic mission, in that
she is allowing the J esus she carries in her womb to 'form'
(morphoun) the J ohn that is in Elizabeth's
259
.
The inner ladder which the soul uses to ascend from day to
day to heaven is love. J .W. Trigg says,
Like Plato in the Symposium, Origen identified love
as the power that leads the soul from earth to heaven by

256 Comm. on Song, 3:1.
257 In Lev. hom. 1:1 (G.W. Barkley - Frs. of the Church).
258In Luc. hom. 15:3.
259 Comm. on John 6:49 (30); Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 130.
Origen
764
enabling it to concentrate all its energies on the attainment
of the beloved object. God the Creator, Origen argued, is
love, and had made us kindred with God by implanting
that love in us.
It is, nevertheless, our duty to direct the love God
has given to us to its appropriate object... The prime object
of our love should be God, who is ever the same. Our
neighbors are also appropriate objects of our love since
insofar as they are rational creatures they also were
created in incorruption...
We must not love earthly and corruptible things but
use them to further our legitimate love. Love thus
motivates ethics and mystical contemplation
260
.

9. The Inner Treasure
In Chapter nine we noticed that our Lord J esus Christ
offers Himself to the soul to possess Him as her Treasure. He
enriches her and satisfies all her needs.
And perhaps, as the Apostle says, for those who
have their senses exercised to the discerning of good and
evil (Heb. 5:14), Christ becomes each of these things in
turn, to suit the several senses of the soul.
He is called the true Light, therefore, so that the
souls eyes may have something to lighten them.
He is the Logos, so that her ears may have
something to hear.
Again, He is the Bread of life, so that the souls
palate may have something to taste.
And in the same way, He is called the Spikenard or
Ointment, that the souls sense of smell may apprehend the
fragrance of the Word.
For the same reason He is said also to be able to be
felt and handled, and is called the Logos made flesh, so

260 Origen, p. 203.
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that the hand of the interior soul may touch concerning the
Word of life (John 1:1-4; 1 John 1:1).
But all these things are the One, Same Logos of
God, who adapts Himself to the sundry tempers of prayer
according to these several guises, and so leaves none of
the souls faculties empty of His grace
261
.

10. Inner Joy
The presence of the Groom in the heart of the bride
changes all her life unto an unceasing feast, He offers Himself as
her Feast and eternal joy.
Through the co-operation and presence of the Word
of God encouraging and saving us, our mind is made joyful
and courageous in the time of trial, and this experience is
called "enlargement
262
."
The tones of joy over the revelation of glorious and eternal
life, victory over sin, evil world, demons and death, and the
unceasing ascent of the soul towards heaven ring through Origens
writings. The mood of exalted joy crystallized into his outlook
upon divine grace cooperating with mans free-will.

11. The Inner Light
Light that shines in our inner man symbolizes the graces of
knowledge
263
.
Each of the divine Hypostasis has His part to play in the
giving of this light.
In Your light do we see light
264
: for Origen that means:
we shall see the Light that is the Father through the Light that is
the Son. The Son is called: Light of the World, True Light, Light

261Comm. on the Songs of Songs, book 2:9 (ACW).
262 On Prayer 30:1.
264 Ps. 35 (36):10; De Principiis 1:1:1.
Origen
766
of men, Light of the Nations, Sun of Righteousness, Rising Sun.
Also the Holy Spirit is called Light, for illumination is attributed to
Him.
The Church has also been called, in the persons of the
apostles, the Light of the World. She is the moon passing on to
men by her teaching the brightness given her by the Sun. For the
light of Christ becomes inward in the one who receives it: the latter
himself becomes light as he conforms to Christ. In the Beatitude
all the saints will become one single solar light in the Sun of
Righteousness
265
.

12. The Mystical food
Origen often recalls the threats God made through Amos
(8:11) that He would send on earth a hunger and thirst to hear the
Word of God. This is a matter of punishment: the hunger and thirst
are not a desire for the Word, but famine and drought, God having
deprived His people of all the ministers of His word
266
.
Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, is the Heavenly food,
offered as milk to the weak souls, and as strong meat to the
mature ones.
He also, as the True Vine produces wine which rejoices the
souls
267
, while the bad wine of false doctrine takes one out of the
intellect
268
.
Drunkenness by the Wine of the True Vine is not
irrational but divine
269
. It is joy, delight, consolation, the pleasure
felt by the five spiritual senses, a participation here below in the
Beatitude. Knowledge of the mysteries causes our hearts to burn
within us, like the hearts of the two disciples on the road to
Emmaus. It brings rest and peace, but an active rest impelled by

267 Comm. on John 1:30 (33).
268 In Jer. hom. 2:8; Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 129.
269 Comm. on John 1:30 (33).
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the fire that it lights in the soul. It is also sweetness. But the most
characteristic quality attributed to it is 'enthusiasm', that is to say
the feeling that God is present by which the inspiration of the
sacred author becomes in a way perceptible to the reader
270
.
The action of the Holy Spirit is also marked in the gift of
the living water
271
.

13. The Inner Battle
The Incarnation, the Passion, the Crucifixion, and the
Resurrection of the Logos are not illusion, nor deception, as the
Gnostics taught, but reality. He became true man so that he might
enter in an actual battle with the Devil, and thus He gains victory
over Him as over death, on our account. Thus in Him we gain daily
victory in our battle, whose arena is our heart.
Through this inner battle, we are transformed every day to
a kind of glorious nature, as we might be made divine by growing
in bearing the image of the Logos.

14. Education of Wilderness
Moses also lived in the wilderness after his flight
from Egypt, while he was 40 years old... But John went to
the wilderness after his birth, of whom it is said that he was
the greatest among those who was born from men. He was
worthy to have an excellent education
272
.

ASCETICISM
273

1. We are aware of the life of poverty and mortification
which Origen had imposed upon himself from his youth; he tried
to lead his disciples and his hearers along the same road. In this

271 Comm. on John 2:16-19; Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 128.
272 In Luc. hom. 10:7.
273 The History of the Primitive Church, p. 956f.
Origen
768
matter especially the prophets and the apostles were his
masters.
The life the prophets chose is "difficult to imitate, hard,
free, invincible in face of death and danger." Such were Moses,
J eremiah, Isaiah, "who went beyond all asceticism, living for three
years naked and without shoes," and Daniel with the young men
who were his companions, who would live only on water and
vegetables. Compared with these examples, the strength of
Antisthenes, Diogenes or Crates was but child's play
274
.
The apostles themselves are also our models, especially St.
Paul. He brought his body into subjection; he found strength in his
weakness
275
. Christians often ask God to grant them the lot of the
prophets and the apostles: let them understand what this prayer
means.
Give us to suffer what the prophets suffered, grant
us to be hated as the prophets were hated, give us to preach
a doctrine, which shall make us hated; give us as many
trials as the apostles. But to say: 'Give us the lot of the
prophets' if we do not wish to suffer what the prophets
suffered is an unjust pretense
276
."
2. Origen acknowledges asceticism without implying
hostility to the body, for he considers it as a fitting vehicle during
our life on earth to ascend to God. This acceptance of the body
and the sense of wholeness that it provided is what separated
previously Christians and Platonists from the Gnostics
277
.

274 Contra Celsius 7:7.
275 Comm. on Matt. ser. 94.
276 In Jerem. hom. 16:14.
277 Trigg: Origen, p. 165.

769
16

PRAYER

ON PRAYER (De Oratione)
1

This is a treatise addressed to his friend Ambrose and an
unknown lady, Tatiana, perhaps the sister of Ambrose, written in
233 or 234 A.D. Origen wrote this work, which is the oldest sci-
entific discussion of Christian prayer in existence. It is a gem
among the writings of Origen. This treatise was written after a long
period of peace, and contains many allusions to martyrdom, and
his enthusiasm glows in it so brightly that we are tempted to be-
lieve it was written in the period when the persecution was raging
2
.
1. J ohn J . OMeara says that, it is not merely a treatise on
prayer; it is a prayer in itself. For the spirit of Origen which, as
Erasmus says, is everywhere aflame, is burning here with such in-
tensity as to make it impossible for the reader to remain untouched.
A glance at the Table of Contents will tell the reader of the topics
treated; but he must read the text itself to feel its power and the ir-
resistible charm of Origen's use of Holy Writ
3
. J .W. Trigg says, It
is the first clear and thoroughgoing exposition, within the Christian
tradition, of prayer as the contemplation of God rather than as a
means of achieving material benefits
4
.
2. It reveals more clearly than any of his other writings the
depth and warmth of Origen's religious life. The ideas of this trea-
tise have had a far-reaching effect in the history of spirituality. Ori-
gen's writings were read by some early monks of Egypt.

1 Origen: Prayer, Exhortation To Martyrdom, Translated and Annotated by John J. OMearea
(ACW); Quasten, vol. 3, p. 66ff.
3 Origen: Prayer, Exhortation To Martyrdom, Translated and Annotated by John J. OMearea
(ACW), p. 8.
4 Joseph W. Trigg: Origen, SCM 1985, p. 157.
Origen
770
3. In it, J ob is held up as "the athlete of virtue."
4. Origen gives a beautiful interpretation of the opening
address Our Father, who art in heaven. He points out that the
Old Testament does not know the name 'Father' as an alternative
for God in the Christian sense of a steady and changeless adoption.
Only those who have received this spirit of adoption and prove that
they are children and images of God by their actions can recite the
prayer rightly. Our entire life should say: 'Our Father who art in
heaven,' because our conduct should be heavenly, not worldly.
5. The advice which he gives in the first part of his treatise,
not to ask for things of this earth but for supernatural treasures ex-
plains his interpretation of the fourth petition: Since some are of
the opinion that this must be understood as if we should ask for
bread for our body, it will be worth to refute their wrong idea and
find out the truth about the daily bread. One ought to tell such
people how is it possible that He, who demands that one ought to
pray for heavenly and great things, could forget His own teaching,
according to their opinion, and order them to ask the Father for a
worldly and small cause
5
. The food is the Logos, who calls Him-
self 'the Bread of life.'
6. Origen took this word, epiousios, as cognate to ousia, the
philosophical term for the substance of things, incorporeal in itself,
that makes possible whatever attributes they have. The term also
refers to the future. The bread we request in the Lords Prayer can
thus be the bread of the Word of God, which is Wisdom and
Truth
6
.
Since this is the case, and the difference between
nourishments is as we have said, the supersubstantial bread
which is unique and above all those that are mentioned. We
must pray to be made worthy of it, and to be nourished by the
Word of God, which was in the beginning with God, so that
we may be made divine...

5 On Oratione 27:1.
Prayer
771
Some state that the term epiousios is formed from the
verb epienai: that is to say, that we are bidden to ask for the
bread that properly belongs to the age that is to come
7
.
7. Origen explains Forgiving our debtors, mentioned in the
Lords Prayer, saying:
But towards ourselves also we have debts: we must
use our body in such a way as not to waste its substance in
our love of pleasure; and we owe it to our soul to look after it
carefully, to provide that the mind retain its keenness, and
that our speech may never be barbed, but always helpful, and
never given to vain talk. And again, if we do not discharge
our debts towards ourselves, our debt becomes all the
heavier
8
.
8. Origen tried to define prayer and argued with those who
denied freedom of will, and who gave the following objections to
prayer
9
:
a. First, if God foresees everything that will happen, and
these things must happen, prayer is useless.
b. Second, if everything happens according to the will of
God, and His decisions are firm, and nothing that He wills can be
changed, prayer is useless.
c. What is the use of praying to Him who knows what we
need even before we pray?
For them, either our prayer is superfluous because God has
already determined to grant our request, or it is vain because God
has determined not to grant it. Either God has predestined us to
salvation, in which case it is unnecessary to pray for salvation or to
receive the Holy Spirit, or God has predestined us for damnation,
in which case such prayer is futile
10
.

7 On Prayer !7:13 (ACW).
8 On Prayer 28:2 (ACW).
9 On Prayer 5:6,2.
Origen
772
If we are satisfied about our freedom of will, which
manifests innumerable tendencies to virtue or vice, or
again to ones duty or the opposite of ones duty, it follows
that God necessarily knew what form it would take before it
took that form along with all the other things that were to
be from the creation and foundation of the world (Rom.
1:20; Matt. 25:34). And in all the things which God prear-
ranges according as He has foreseen each of our free ac-
tions, He prearranged according to the requirements of
each of our free actions both that which was to happen as a
result of His Providence and that which was to happen in
the sequence of events that were to be. Yet the foreknowl-
edge of God is not a cause of everything that is to be and of
the effects of our free actions resulting from our own im-
pulses
11
.
Origen argues in such a way as to insure both human free-
dom and divine providence; for divine foreknowledge is not the
cause of mans actions, which he performs in freedom and for
which he is accountable.
Origen rejected the opinion of those who said that tempta-
tions to sin could not be resisted. Refuting various Greek doctrines
about the cyclical nature of history, he asserted the Christian teach-
ing that the universe is cared for by God in accordance with the
conditions of the free will of each man, and that as far as possible
it is always being led on to be better, and ... that the nature of our
free will is to admit various possibilities
12
.
If then God knows the free will of every man, there-
fore, since He foresees it, He arranges by His Providence
what is fair according to the deserts of each, and provides
what he may pray for, the disposition of such and such thus
showing his faith and object of his desire
13
.

12 Jaroslav Pelikan, p. 282.
Prayer
773
9. Origens On Prayer provides us with a number of in-
sights, unusual in his work, into the conventional religious prac-
tices of Christians in his day
14
.

Its contents
The introduction opens with the statement that what is im-
possible for human nature becomes possible by the grace of God
and the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in our prayers and lives.
Such is the case with prayer. We pray to the Father through the
Son in the Holy Spirit.
The treatise consists of two parts:
The first part (Chs. 3-I7) deals with prayer in general.
The second part (Chs. I8-30) deals with the Lord's Prayer
in particular.
An appendix (Chs. 3I-33), which makes additions to the
first section, deals with the attitude of the body and soul, gestures,
the place and the direction of prayer, and finally the different kinds
of prayer.
At the end, Origen begs Ambrose and Tatiana to be content
with the present writing for the time being until he could offer
something better, more beautiful and more precise. Apparently
Origen was never able to fulfill this promise.

THE WORK OF THE HOLY TRINITY IN PRAYERS
Since then to expound prayer is such a difficult task
that one needs the Father to shed light upon it and the
Word Himself, the firstborn, to teach it, and the Spirit to
work within us that we may understand and speak worthily
of so great a theme, I beseech the Spirit, praying as a man
(for I do not lay to my own credit the capacity for prayer),

Origen
774
before I begin to speak of prayer, that it may be granted me
to speak fully and spiritually (etc.)
15
.

PRAYER AND RENEWAL
St. Clement and his disciple, Origen, as preachers and
teachers at the same time, look up to the Savior as the Teacher
who grants us Himself the Truth. He is the Medicine for igno-
rance and grief. Therefore St. Clement calls our Savior the New
Hymn
16
, while Origen calls the new life in Christ prayer. St.
Clement considers Christ the source of joy, for in Him we attain
knowledge and are healed from any serious sickness, ignorance, or
any other source of inner grief. Origen believes that the Christian
life is a prayer, or a close contact with Christ, the Source of sweet-
ness arising from true Knowledge.
In other words, the two deans of the School of Alexandria
have the same insights towards divine knowledge. St. Clement
states that Christ changes everything in a believers life into a con-
stant feast, in which he has no other hymn to sing except that of
Christ Himself. Origen expresses the same feeling when he de-
scribes his entire life as a prayer, and stresses that Christ alone is
the source of an unceasing stream of knowledge.
According to Origen, prayer is not just a part of communal
and personal worship that we have to exercise. A Christians entire
life is a prayer in which the exercise commonly called prayer is
only a part.
Rather, if we understand the earlier discussion of
praying constantly (1 Thess. 5:17), then let our whole
life be a constant prayer in which we say Our Father who
art in heaven, and let us keep our commonwealth (Phil.
3:20) not in any way on earth, but in every way in heaven,
the throne of God, because the kingdom of God is estab-

15 On Prayer 6.
16 Protrepticus 1.
Prayer
775
lished in all those who bear the image of the Man from
heaven (1 Cor. 15:49) and have thus become heavenly
17
.
We are on the road to perfection, if straining for-
ward to what lies ahead we forget what lies behind. The
kingdom of God will be established for us when the Apos-
tles word is fulfilled, when Christ with all His enemies
made subject to Him will deliver the kingdom to God the
Father.... constantly(1 Thess. 5:17) with a character be-
ing divinized by the Word, and let us say to our Father in
heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come
18
.
Origen asks us to pray without ceasing to sanctify the
whole cycle of the day, by practicing good deeds, considering
them as prayer.
It is only in this way that we can understand the in-
junction to pray without ceasing as some thing that we
can carry out all the time. We can say so if we regard the
whole life of a saint as one great continuous prayer. What
is usually termed "prayer" is but a part of this prayer, and
it should be performed not less than three times each day
19
.
Although Origen considered a virtuous life one unbroken
prayer, he recommended specifically praying to God at least three
times a day: in the morning, at noon, and in the evening
20
.

HOW GREAT IS PRAYER?!
For what better gift can a rational being send up to
God than the fragrant word of prayer, when it is offered
from a conscience untainted with the foul smell of sin?
21

17 On Prayer 22:5 (Rowan A. Greer).
Origen
776

THE BLESSINGS OF PRAYER
1. Origen, depending on the holy Scriptures, states that
prayer is the act of lifting up unceasingly the soul to attain a vision
of divine beauty and majesty. We attain the open gates of heaven,
or we have their keys: Again, Elijah, when the heavens had been
closed to the impious for three years and six months, they were
later opened by the word of God, (1 King. 17, 18). This can always
be brought about by anyone who receives rain upon his soul
through prayer, whereas formerly because of sin he was deprived
of it
22
.
2. The utility and advantage of prayer is that it enables us
to enter into a union with the Spirit of the Lord, who fills heaven
and earth. Repeated conversation with God has a sanctifying effect
on the believers entire existence. Prayers real purpose is not to
ask advantages from God or to influence Him but to share in His
life, and to communicate with heaven. Origen admonishes those
who long for a spiritual being in Christ but ask for small and
worldly things in their intercourse with God rather than for great
and heavenly values. The best example is given by Christ, our
High-Priest. He offers up our worship together with that of the an-
gels and the souls of the deceased, especially the guardian angels,
who carry our invocations to God.
3. Through prayer we enjoy the Presence of God. It is evi-
dent that the man who prays thus, even while he is still speaking
and contemplating the power of Him who is listening to him, will
hear the words:` Behold, I am here
23
.
4. Through prayer we ask God that we, together with our
brothers, might be changed from earth into heaven.

22 On Prayer 13:5
23 Ibid. 10:1.
Prayer
777
If then we are earth because of sin, let us pray
that also for us Gods will may be disposed for correction,
just as it overtook those before us who became or were
heaven. And if we are reckoned by God not earth but
heaven, let us ask that the will of God may be fulfilled on
earth as in heaven, I mean for the baser people so that they
may, so to speak, make earth heaven with the result that
there will no longer be any earth, but all will become
heaven. For if the will of God is done on earth as in
heaven, understood as I have said above, then earth does
not remain earth. Let me put it more clearly by using an-
other example
24
.
Your will be done on earth as in heaven... And
those who come after us on earth will pray to be made
like us who have come to be in heaven
25
.
5. Through prayer we are surrounded by angels of God
who do their best for our progress: At the time of prayer itself the
angels are reminded by him who is praying of the things which he
needs, and they do what they can for him acting according to the
general injunction which they receive
26
.
6. In this work, as in all his works, especially his Homilies
on Leviticus, Origen explains the advantages of temptation.
The use of temptation is as follows. What our soul
has received is unknown to all save God - is unknown even
to ourselves; but it is manifested by means of temptations:
so that it may be no longer unknown what kind of persons
we are, but rather that we should also know ourselves and
be aware, if we will, of our faults and give thanks for the
good results manifested to us of temptations
27
.

26 On Prayer 11:4.
27 On Prayer 29:17 (trans. Oulton, p. 319).
Origen
778
He also gives an answer to the question: Why do we pray
to God that we may not enter in a temptation, if it is useful to our
spirituality? Origen says that when we pray that God may not lead
us into temptation, this must really mean that we pray that God
will enable us to overcome temptation when it comes and allow us
to profit by the experience
28
.
Prayer fortifies the soul against temptations and drives
evil spirits away. By prayer we close the mouths of lions, or of evil
spirits
29
. For this reason we should engage in it at certain times
during the day. Through prayer we discover our Lord who went
into the nets of temptation by His own will for our sake to deliver
us from them.
The whole life of man on earth is, then, as has been
said, temptation. Accordingly, let us pray to be delivered from
temptation, not that we should not be tempted - which is im-
possible, especially for those on earth - but that we may not
yield when we are tempted. He who yields to temptation en-
ters, I believe, into temptation because he is entangled in its
nets. Our Savior, going into these nets on behalf of those who
had been caught in them before, and looking through the nets,
as is said in the Canticle of Canticles (2:9 LXX), speaks to
those who have been previously caught by them and have en-
tered into temptation, saying to them as to His bride: Arise,
come, my neighbor, my beautiful one, my dove
30
.
7. By prayer we attain purity:
Those who give themselves continually to prayer
know by experience that through this frequent practice they
avoid innumerable sins and are led to perform many good
deeds
31
.

29 On Prayer 13:3.
31 Ibid. 8:2.
Prayer
779
And to this the Savior said, teaching us that abso-
lute chastity is a gift given by God, and not merely the fruit
of training, but given by God with prayer, All men cannot
receive this gift, but they to whom it is given
32
.
Through the very act of prayer, the soul becomes more
spiritual. It separates itself from bodily concerns, and turns entirely
to spiritual things. Origen presented prayer thus, not as a duty we
owe to God, but as an exercise conductive to the transformation of
the entire personality
33
.
8. Origen gives many examples of the power of prayer:
Hannah gave birth to Samuel, who was reckoned
with Moses, because when she was barren she prayed to
the Lord with faith (1 Sam. 1; Jer. 15:1; Ps. 99:6).
And Hezekiah, being still childless and having
learned from Isaiah that he was about to die, prayed and
was included in the genealogy of the Savior (Matt. 1:9-10;2
Kings 20:1ff; Isaiah 38:1ff).
Again, when, as a result of a single order arising
from the intrigues of Haman, the people were about to be
destroyed, the prayer and fasting of Mordecai and Esther
were heard, and hence there arose, in addition to the feasts
ordained by Moses, the festival of Mordecai for the people
(Esther 3:6,7; 4:16,17; 9:26-28).
And Judith , too, having offered holy prayer, over-
came Holofernes with the help of God, and so a single
woman of the Hebrews brought shame to the house of Ne-
buchadnezzar (Judith 13:4-9).
Further, Ananias and Azarias and Misael became
worthy to be heard and to be protected by the blowing of a
wind bringing dew, which prevented the flame of the fire
from being effective (Song of Three Children 27).

32 Commentary on Matthew, book 14:25 (Cf. ANF).
Origen
780
And the lions in the den of the Babylonians were
muzzled through the prayers of Daniel.
And Jonah, too, not having despaired of being
heard from out of the belly of the whale that had swallowed
him, escaped from the belly of the whale and thus fulfilled
the remainder of his prophetical mission to the men of
Niniveh
34
.
9. Besides the material benefits which we may attain
through prayer there are spiritual ones, which are more important.
And so it was more the soul of Hannah that was
cured of barrenness and bore fruit than her body when she
conceived Samuel.
Hezechiah begot divine children of the mind rather
than such as are born of the body from the seed of the
body.
Esther and Mordecai and the people were delivered
even more from spiritual attacks than from Haman and the
conspirators.
Judith cut off the power of the prince who wanted to
destroy her soul rather than the head of Holofernes.
And who will not admit that on Ananias and his
companions descended the spiritual benediction that is
granted to all the saints and is spoken of by Isaac when he
says to Jacob:` God give you the dew of heaven, rather
than the physical dew which quenched that flame of Nebu-
chadnazar?
And they were invisible lions that were muzzled for
the prophet Daniel so that they could do no hurt to his soul,
rather than the lions that were seen and to whom we all re-
ferred the passage when we met it in the Scriptures.
And who has escaped from the belly of that beast
subdued by Jesus our Savior and that swallows down eve-

34 On Prayer 13:2.
Prayer
781
ryone that flies from God, as had Jonah, who as a holy man
was receptive of the Holy Spirit?
35
.
10. Through constant prayers God establishes His temple in
us
I believe that anyone among you who is a "living
stones," is able to be a temple. He cares with prayer, offer-
ing his supplications at night and day, and offers the sacri-
fice of his petitions. Thus God builds His temple
36
."

ANSWERS TO PRAYER
1. God who watches over our salvation may postpone or
prevent certain material benefits, which are the shadow of spiritual
ones, so that we may not be absorbed in earthly things.
As he, then, who seeks the rays of the sun neither rejoices
nor grieves whether the shadow of bodies be present or ab-
sent, seeing that he has what is most necessary as long as
he receives the light, whether there is no shadow or more
or less of it, so if we be given spiritual gifts and receive il-
lumination from God are in full possession of the things
that are truly good, we shall not waste word over such an
insignificant thing as a shadow
37
.
We must pray for the essentially and truly great and
heavenly things, and leave to God what is concerned with
the shadows that accompany the essential gifts, He under-
stands what is needful for us, because of our mortal body,
before we ask Him (Matt. 6:8)
38
.
(God in His dealings with us works slowly but
surely. J ust as the wise farmer will not value rocky ground
and quick results that wont last) even so the great Farmer

35 On Prayer 16:3
36 In Jos. hom 9:1.
37 On Prayer 17:1.
38 On Prayer 17:2.
Origen
782
of all nature delays the blessing which might be expected
sooner, for fear it prove superficial
39
.
2. If we want to find a heavenly response to our prayers we
must know what we ought to pray for.
And he (St. Paul) confessed that he did not know
how to pray as we ought. For he says, what we ought
to pray for as we ought we do not know (Rom. 8:26). It is
necessary not only to pray, but also to pray as we ought
and to pray for what we ought
40
.
And it is useful to know what it is to ask, and what it
is to receive, and what is meant by Every one that asks,
receives, and by I say unto you though he will not rise
and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his
importunity, he will arise and give him as many as he
needs
41
.
3. The effects of prayer depend on our interior preparation.
The better the soul is prepared the sooner its petitions will be an-
swered by God and the more will it benefit from the dialogue with
Him.
4. God hears the voice of the believer who prays with his
whole soul:
God therefore will give the good gift, perfect purity
in celibacy and chastity, to those who ask Him with the
whole soul, and with faith, and in prayers without ceas-
ing
42
.
5. Quoting the words of our Lord J esus Christ in Matthew
18:19, Origen states that our harmony and agreement with each
other is a secure way of having our prayers answered, for through
unity and love Christ Himself dwells in us.

Prayer
783
Origen notices that the Greek word which is translated
agree in this verse (Matt. 18:19) is symphonsusin. It means that
Christ asks us to be united together in harmony so that we may be
considered as a symphony which delights God Himself. Origen
gives an interpretation of the verse on three levels:
a. Church symphony, when the members of the church be-
come one in mind and one in spirit, therefore Christ dwells among
them. The two who are one in symphony are the divine and spiri-
tual.
In his speech on the power of harmony in relation to prayer
he comments on the words, Again I say unto you that if two of
you shall agree (be in symphony) on earth as touching anything
that they shall ask, it shall be done for them (Matt. 18:19).
The word symphony is strictly applied to the har-
monies of sounds in music. And there are indeed among
musical sounds some accordant and others discordant. But
the Evangelic Scripture is familiar with the name as ap-
plied to musical matters in the passage, He heard a sym-
phony and dancing (Luke 15:25). For it was fitting that
when the son who had been lost and found came by peni-
tence into concord with his father a symphony should be
heard on the occasion of the joyous mirth of the house. But
the wicked Laban was not acquainted with the word sym-
phony in his saying to Jacob, And if you had told me I
would have sent you away with mirth and with music and
with drums and a harp (Gen. 31:27). But akin to the sym-
phony of this nature is that which is written in the second
Book of Kings when the brethren of Aminadab went be-
fore the ark, and David and his son played before the Lord
on instruments artistically fitted with might and with
songs (2 Sam. 6:4, 5); for the instruments thus fitted with
might and with songs, had in themselves the musical sym-
phony which is so powerful that when two only, bring along
with the symphony which has relation to the music that is
Origen
784
divine and spiritual, a request to the Father in heaven
about anything whatsoever, the Father grants the request
to those who ask along with the symphony on earth,- which
is most miraculous, - those things which those who have
made the symphony spoken of may have asked. So also I
understand the apostolic saying Defraud you not one the
other except it be by agreement for a season that you may
give yourselves unto prayer (1 Cor. 7:5). For since the
word harmony is applied to those who marry according to
God in the passage from Proverbs which is as follows:
Fathers will divide their house and substance to their
sons, but from God the woman is married to the man, it is
a logical consequence of the harmony being from God, that
the name and the deed should enjoy the agreement with a
view to prayer, as is indicated in the word, unless it be by
agreement (Matt. 18:20)...
But if you wish still further to see those who are
making symphony on earth look to those who heard the ex-
hortation, that you may be perfected together in the same
mind and in the same judgment (1 Cor. 1:10), and who
strove after the goal, the soul and the heart of all the be-
lievers were one (Acts 4:32), who have become such, if it
be possible for such a condition to be found in more than
two or three, that there is no discord between them. just as
there is no discord between the strings of the ten-stringed
psaltery with each other
43
.
b. Family symphony, when a husband and his wife are liv-
ing in harmony in their spiritual life.
Let us also touch upon another interpretation which
was uttered by some one of our predecessors, exhorting
those who were married to sanctity and purity; for by the
two, he says, whom the Word desires to agree on earth, we
must understand the husband and wife, who by agreement

43 Commentary on Matthew, book 14:1 (cf. ANF).
Prayer
785
defraud each other of bodily intercourse that they may give
themselves unto prayer (1 Cor. 7:5); when if they pray for
anything whatever that they shall ask, they shall receive it,
the request being granted to them by the Father in heaven
on the ground of such agreement
44
.
c. Personal symphony, when the spirit and the body of the
believer are working together in harmony under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit. Christ dwells in this believer as if He is the Third.
In the wicked, sin reigns over the soul, being settled
as on its own throne in this mortal body, so that the soul
obeys the lusts thereof; but in the case of those, who have
stirred up the sin which formerly reigned over the body as
from a throne and who are in conflict with it, the flesh
lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; but
in the case of those who have now become perfected, the
spirit has gained the mastery and put to death the deeds of
the body, and imparts to the body of its own life, so that al-
ready this is fulfilled, He shall quicken also your mortal
bodies because of His Spirit that dwells in you; and there
arises a concord of the two, body and spirit, on the earth,
on the successful accomplishment of which there is sent up
a harmonious prayer also of him who with the heart be-
lieves unto righteousness, but with the mouth makes con-
fession unto salvation, so that the heart is no longer far
from God, and along with this the righteous man draws
nigh to God with his own lips and mouth. But still more
blessed is it if the three be gathered together in the name of
Jesus that this may be fulfilled, May God sanctify you
wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be pre-
served entire without blame at the coming of our Lord Je-
sus Christ. But some one may inquire with regard to the
concord of spirit and body spoken of, if it is possible for
these to be at concord without the third being so,- I mean

44 Commentary on Matthew, book 14:1(cf. ANF).
Origen
786
the soul,- and whether it does not follow from the concord
of these on the earth after the two have been gathered to-
gether in the name of Christ, that the three also are already
gathered together in His name, in the midst of whom comes
the Son of God as all are dedicated to Him,- I mean the
three, and no one is opposed to Him, there being no an-
tagonism not only on the part of the spirit, but not even of
the soul, nor further of the body
45
.
Besides these three levels, Origen speaks of the harmony
of the two covenants (the New and the Old Testaments), as if they
were two and the Holy Spirit who united them is the Third. In
many occasions Origen assures the unity of the Scriptures, if we
understand them spiritually, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
And likewise it is a pleasant thing to endeavor to
understand and exhibit the fact of the concord of the two
covenants, of the one before the bodily advent of the Savior
and of the new covenant; for among those things in which
the two covenants are at concord so that there is no dis-
cord between them would be found prayers, to the effect
that about anything whatever they shall ask it shall be done
to them from the Father in heaven. And if also you desire
the third that unites the two, do not hesitate to say that it is
the Holy Spirit, since the words of the wise, whether they
be of those before the advent, or at the time of the advent,
or after it, are as goads, and as nails firmly fixed, which
were given by agreement from one shepherd. And do not
let this also pass unobserved, that He did not say, where
two or three are gathered together in My name, there
shall I be in the midst of them, but there am I. not go-
ing to be, not delaying, but at the very moment of the con-
cord being Himself found, and being in the midst of them
46
.

Prayer
787
KINDS OF PRAYER
According to the words of St. Paul (1 Tim. 2:1), Origen
sees that there are four kinds of prayers: supplications, prayers,
intercessions and thanksgiving:
I believe that supplication is offered by one who
needs something, beseeching that he receive that thing;
prayer is offered in conjunction with praise of God by one
who asks in a more solemn manner for greater things; in-
tercession is the request to God for certain things made by
one who has greater confidence ; and thanksgiving is the
prayer with acknowledgment to God for the favors received
from God: either the one who acknowledges and under-
stands the greatness of the favor done him, or he who has
received it attaches such greatness to it
47
.

PRAYER AND TEARS
48

The constant prayer and the abundant tears attract
God towards mercy!
Weeping alone guides to the blessed laughing.
Jesus Christ desired to reveal all blessedness in
Himself. He says, Blessed are those who weep, and He
Himself to put a base on this blessedness well!

PRAYER AND PIETY
We must then seek the favor of the one God over
all and pray that He may be gracious, seeking His favor by
piety and every virtue
49
.

PRAYING THROUGH SILENCE
How does Moses cry out (Exod. 14:15)?

47 On Prayer 14:2. (ACW)
48 In Jer. hom. 3:49; In Luc. hom. 18.
Origen
788
No sound of his cry is heard and yet God says to
him: Why do you cry out to Me?
I should like to know how the saints cry out without
a sound. The apostle teaches, God has given the Spirit of
His Son in our hearts crying: Abba, Father! (Gal. 4:6)
and he adds, The Spirit Himself interceded for us with in-
describable groans and again he who searches the heart
knows what the Spirit desires because He pleads for the
saints according to God (Rom. 8:27). So therefore, when
the Holy Spirit interceded with God the cry of the saints is
heard through silence
50
.

PREPARATION FOR PRAYER
1. As our entire life should be a prayer, we must prepare
ourselves to prayer by the purity of our inner life in Christ so that
it might be powerful and acceptable. We must turn away from all
disturbing impressions and thoughts, whether they have their cause
in the surrounding world or in ourselves. There cannot be any true
worship unless a continuous war against sin is waged in order to
cleanse the heart, and to free the spirit of disordered affections,
with a struggle against all passions
51
. This preparation itself has its
sweetness.
2. Commenting on Matthew 5:22, Origen makes it clear
that only those who are entirely reconciled with their neighbors
are able to converse with God
52
.
Nor can one think of devoting time to prayer unless
one is purified. For he who prays will not obtain remission
of his sins unless he forgive from his heart his brother who
has offended him and ask for his pardon (Matt. 6:12; Luke
11:4)
53
.

50 In Exod. hom. 5:4 (Cf. Heine) .
51 Cf. Quasten: Patrology, vol. 3, p. 68.
Prayer
789
I wonder why anyone should doubt that when she
(the soul) so prepares herself for prayer she is happy in the
very preparation itself
54
.
3. Origen states that prayer is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who
prays in us and leads us in prayer.
4. Origen as a man of the holy Bible acknowledges that
there is no separation between prayer, reading the Scriptures,
and exercising ones daily life. In a fragment from a letter written
by Ambrose to Origen from Athens and quoted by St. J erome in
Letter 43 to Marcella the writer reports that he never took a meal
in Origens presence without reading: that he never went to bed
before one of the brethren had read aloud the sacred writings: that
it went on like this day and night, so that reading followed prayer
and prayer followed reading
55
.
5. Origen notes that the posture of the body images the
qualities of the soul in prayer, and he says that standing with hands
extended and eyes elevated is by far the best way to offer prayer
56
.
He could approve of prayer while sitting or even lying down if a
believer was sick
57
.
For under certain circumstances it is allowed to
pray properly sometimes sitting down because of some dis-
ease of the feet that cannot be disregarded or even lying
down because of fever or some such sickness. And because
of circumstances, for example, if we are at sea or if affairs
do not permit us to withdraw to offer the prayer that is
owed, it is right to pray acting as though we were not doing
it
58
.

54 Ibid. 9:1.
56 On prayer 31:2.
57 On Prayer 31:2.
Origen
790
6. For prayer, Origen recommends a special corner in
one's own house that could serve as a sanctuary. At the same time
he writes:
Now concerning the place, let it be known that
every place is suitable for prayer if a person prays well.
For in every place you offer incense to me..... says the
Lord, (Mal. 1:11); and I desire then that in every place
men should pray (1 Tim. 2:8). But everyone may have, if I
may put it this way, a holy place set aside and chosen in his
own house, if possible, for accomplishing his prayers in
quietness and without distraction. In addition to the gen-
eral considerations he will use in assessing such a place,
he should examine whether any transgression or anything
contrary to right reason has been done in the particular
place where he prays
59
.
7. Origen who concentrates on the personal contact be-
tween the believers soul and her Heavenly Groom believes that
the best place to pray is "where the faithful meet together
60
." He
also assures that a believer can practice communal prayers even in
his private room. There the spirits of the departed believers as well
as the guardian angels of those who are present gather. It is an as-
sembly whose prayers are all the more effective for their being so
numerous
61
.
8. Origen asks us to pray in spirit:
This is how he should come to prayer, stretching
out his soul, as it were, instead of his hands, straining his
mind toward God instead of his eyes, raising his governing
reason from the ground and setting it before the Lord of all
instead of standing. All malice toward any one of those who
seem to have wronged him he should put away as far as
any one would wish God to put away His malice toward

60 On Prayer 31:5.
61 On Prayer 31:5-7.
Prayer
791
him, if he had wronged and sinned against many of his
neighbors or had done anything whatever he was conscious
of as being against right reason
62
.
9. Besides praying in spirit we have to pray also in mind, as
St. Paul said. When we pray with understanding we shoot the
Devil as with a fiery arrow:
In addition, I believe that the words of a saints
prayers are filled with power, especially as praying with
the mind is like light rising from the understanding of the
one who prays (cf. Ps. 96: 11; Is. 58:10; Rom. 3:13; Jas.
3:8)...
For it goes forth from the soul of the one praying
like an arrow shot from the saint by knowledge and reason
and faith; and it wounds the spirits hostile to God to de-
stroy and over throw them when they wish to hurl round us
the bonds of sin (cf. Ps. 8:3; Prov. 5:22)
63
.
10. In speaking about attitudes during prayer, Origen states
that all worship should be directed towards the East, in order to
indicate that the soul is looking towards the dawn of the true Light,
the Sun of justice and of salvation, Christ
64
.
Now concerning the direction in which one ought to
look when he prays, a few things must be said. Since there
are four directions, north, south, west, and east, who would
not immediately acknowledge that it is perfectly clear we
should make our prayers facing east, since this is a sym-
bolic expression of the souls looking for the rising of the
true Light. But suppose someone wishes instead to offer in-
tercessions in whatever direction the doors of the house
face according to the opening of the house, saying that
having a view into heaven is more inviting than looking at
a wall; and suppose it should happen that the opening of

64 Ibid. 32.
Origen
792
the house is not toward the east. In this case let the person
be told that the buildings of men arbitrarily face in certain
directions or have openings in certain directions, but by
nature the east is preferred over the other directions, and
what is by nature must be ranked ahead of what is arbi-
trary
65
.

THANKSGIVING
According to Origen, a believer should begin and end ones
prayer glorifying God; in between one should in turn give thanks
for Gods blessings
66
. Origen comments on the song which Moses
sang with the people and Mariam (Exodus 15), saying:
It is the custom of the saints to offer a hymn of
thanks to God when an adversary is conquered, as men
who know the victory came about not by their own power
but by the grace of God
67
.
Thanksgiving is realized not only through words and
hymns, but also through an inner life and behavior, it must be
brought about by our own hands.
I believe that one to be he who praises God in all
his actions and fulfills through him what our Lord and Sav-
ior says: That men may see your good works and praise
your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, this one offered
a sacrifice of praise for whose deeds, doctrine, words,
habits, and discipline, God is praised and blessed...
His hands will bring an offering to the Lord. Does
the Lawgiver evidently not say that it is not a person who
brings an offering but his hands (Lev. 5:30). that is, his
works? For truly, it is works that commend an offering to
God. For if your hand was closed to giving and opened to

66 J .W. Trigg: Origen, SCM, p.158.
Prayer
793
receiving, your leprosy is still within you and you cannot
bring an offering of salvation
68
.

ANGELS PRAY WITH US
And he (the angel) prays with us and does all he
can to work with us for what we pray
69
.

THE CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE AND THE ACTIVE LIFE
70

For Origen the word contemplation means religious
knowledge, the interpretation of difficult texts of Holy Scripture, and
the theological conclusions that flow therefrom, all of which things
are acquired only after much effort and are granted to the virtuous
man exclusively. Although contemplation, like activity, is a matter of
effort, yet the two are divine gifts. We are in need of the grace of God
to contemplate as well as to behave as children of God who have the
image of God and become in His likeness.
Origen believes in the oneness of the new life in Christ,
which is expressed by action and contemplation without separa-
tion. He recognizes no boundary between contemplation and action.
Holy reflections have their own work, a ceaseless inquiry in
which the sense of their visible world is sharpened and without which
the souls grasp of Gods truth becomes weaker and weaker. But his
will is the law of the Lord, and on His law he shall meditate day and
night.
An action is born of every genuine thought. The soul that
meditates on the law of the Lord is not a soul that undertakes to re-
view in memory the words of the law apart from the works of right-
eousness which are in agreement with the law; but it is the soul that
succeeds in doing the works of righteousness from continually medi-
tating on them. By reason of this continual meditation on the works
prescribed by the law, the soul acquires a certain facility in fulfilling

70 Cf. R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder 1944, Chapter IV.
Origen
794
all the obligations that can bind the man who lives perfectly accord-
ing to the law. This is the way the soul becomes capable of meditat-
ing on the law of the Lord day and night.
Origen is the first to identify this unity of contemplation
and action with the story of Martha and Mary. The apostolic life of
the preacher and teacher only has value if its aim is contemplation;
and contemplation blossoms into apostolic action. To see our Lord
J esus transfigured on the mountain, and thus to contemplate the
divinity of the Word seen through his humanity - the Transfigura-
tion is the symbol of the highest knowledge of God in his Son
which is possible here below- one must, with the three apostles,
make the ascent of the mountain, symbolizing the spiritual ascent.
Those who remain in the plain see J esus with no form nor come-
liness (Isa. 53:2), even if they believe in his divinity: for these
spiritual invalids He is simply the Doctor who cares for them. Or
to use another image from the Gospels J esus speaks to the people
in parables out of doors; He explains them to the disciples indoors:
so one must go into the house in order to begin to understand
71
.
Origen as a man of the Bible spent almost all his life con-
templating on it, considering that the most valuable divine gift to
the soul, as the bride of the Heavenly Groom, is to be lifted up by
the Holy Spirit and to enter in His chamber and receive His divine
knowledge. This is the pledge of eternal glory. But we must be-
ware of supposing that he gives priority to the contemplative over
the active life. For him, even the contemplation of prayer includes
"deeds of virtue," and one can say "our Father" or "J esus is Lord"
only if actions as well as words make the affirmations
72
. Moses
and Aaron symbolize the one "hand," which includes faith and
knowledge of the law together with works
73
. From one point of
view the active life prepares the soul for the contemplation of God.
But from another point of view contemplation empowers the soul

71 Cf. Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p.101.
72 On Prayer 12:2.
73 In Num. hom 27:6.
Prayer
795
to act. Like Plato's philosopher, the soul that has glimpsed God
must return to the cave and work
74
.
Cadiou says,
Clements ideal of the perfect Christian as one who is
both active and contemplative was now being taught to the
students at the Academy in a new way. The Christian Gnostic
of the Stromata had been a man utterly devoted to prayer, un-
blemished in all his thoughts and actions, sharing in some
measure the mind of God. In Origens hands, that lofty ideal
was transformed, being fashioned into something real and
concrete; the Gnostic became the ascetic and the contempla-
tive, the first model of what was later to be the Christian
monk...
When we meditate on the law of God we must not for-
get the different applications to that holy law. In the same
spirit we must not neglect prayer on special occasion, be-
cause prayer, like meditation, consists of fulfilling the law of
the Lord in everything
75
.
In Origens view, the contemplative prays at the ris-
ing of the sun, and before retiring to rest at night he examines
his conscience
76
.

PRAYER AND READING THE BIBLE
Diligently apply yourself to the reading of the Sacred
Scriptures, Origen said to Gregory Thaumaturgus, with faithful
pre-judgments such as are well pleasing to God. Prayer is of all
things indispensable to the knowledge of the things of God
77
.

75 In Psalm, 1:2 PG 12:1088; Cf. ibid. 5:5 PG 12:1169; ibid. 4 ;5; PG 12 ;1144.
77 R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 57
Origen
796
PRAYER AND PREACHING
According to Origen, reading the Bible and interpreting it
is a sacramental act in which God answers mans prayer
78
. The
preacher and congregation have to seek after the voice of God
through mutual prayers. They pray together for the Holy Spirit to
give them understanding. Accordingly, Origen sometimes pauses
in a homily to invite the community to join with him in prayer that
the Holy Spirit might enlighten him:
On that question, if the Lord in answer to your
prayers grants me understanding, and if at least we are
worthy to receive the Lords meaning, then I shall say to
you a few words...
79

This act of praying while preaching expresses the very
heart of Origens thought and occurs again and again throughout
his homilies:
No one can find it easy to discover all the allegories
contained in this story of Abimelech and Sara. All the same
we must pray that the veil covering our hearts (as they
strive to turn to the Lord) may be removed by the Spirit. We
must pray Him to lift from us the veil of the letter and show
us the brightness of His Spirit
80
.
Through prayer our Lord J esus Christ Himself becomes
present among His people, reads and interprets the word of God.
We shall understand the meaning of the Law if it is
Jesus who reads it to us and makes its spiritual significance
clear. Do you not believe that in this way the meaning was
grasped by those who said: did not our hearts burn within
us while He talked with us along the way and while He
opened to us the Scriptures?
81

79 In Ezek. hom 4:3 (Thomas K. Carroll; Messages of the Fathers of the Church).
80 In Gen. 6:1(Thomas K. Carroll; Messages of the Fathers of the Church).
81 In Jos. hom. 9:8 (Thomas K. Carroll; Messages of the Fathers of the Church).
Prayer
797
No wonder then that at times during the homily Origen
pauses to pray:
O Lord Jesus come again to explain these things to
me and to those who are here in quest of spiritual nourish-
ment
82
.

82 In Jer. hom. 19:14 (Thomas K. Carroll; Messages of the Fathers of the Church).
798
17

THE JEWS
in the Writings of Origen

THE JEWS
In chapter two we noticed that Origen was in good contact
with some J ewish leaders. In the course of his biblical studies
Origen found it advisable to become acquainted with the leaders of
J ewish thought in Alexandria. He mentions those whom he
consulted, and he also makes use of J ewish traditions in
expounding the Scriptures. They helped him also in learning their
literal commentaries on the Old Testament and Hebrew.
R. Cadiou says,
He had no intention of engaging in controversy with
them, nor did he propose to adopt their methods of
exegesis. His approach to them shows that an author does
not always borrow from his contemporaries what is in
harmony with his own type of mind. In spite of his own
interest in the allegorical method he did not go to the rabbis
for any lessons in its use. He sought from them something
he himself lacked: a literal or literary commentary of the
Bible
1
.
G. Bardy, in an article in the Revue Biblique for 1925
entitled Les traditions juives dans loeuvre dOrigne, collected
some seventy passages of Origen which he thought represented
borrowings of J ewish traditions
2
.
This relationship shows the normal relations between J ews
and Christians in his time
3
. On the other side, there is a fascinating

2 Origen and the Jews: Nicholas De Lange, Cambridge University Press, p. 2
3 Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, p. 107-8.
The Jews
799

passage in his Commentary on the Psalms which shows how utter
and complete was the breakdown in communication between J ews
and Christians by the third century. Commenting on the passage in
Deuteronomy: They have stirred me to jealousy with what is no
god; they have provoked me with their idols. So I will stir them to
jealousy with those who are no people; I will provoke them with a
foolish nation, Origen sees its fulfillment in the contemporary
scene.
That is why even now the Jews are not roused
against the Gentiles, against those who worship idols and
blaspheme God. No, they do not hate them, nor does their
indignation blaze against them. But it is against the
Christians that they are consumed with an insatiable
hatred, Christians who have abandoned idols and are
converted to God!
4

Origen records how in his day J ews told him that
As they had no altar, no temple, no priest, and therefore
no offerings of sacrifices, they felt that their sins remained
with them, and that they had no means of obtaining
pardon.
5

1f he who is commonly called a Jew murdered the
Lord Jesus and is still today responsible for that murder, it
is because he has not understood the Law and the prophets
in a hidden manner
6
.

DIALOGUE WITH THE JEWS
Origen remarks, commenting on Isaiah 53,
I remember that once in a discussion with some
whom the Jews regard as learned (i.e. Rabbis) I used these

4 Hom. on Psalm 36:1.
5 In Num. Num. 10:2; Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, p. 111.
6 In Jer. hom. 12:13; J.W. Trigg: Origen, SCM, p. 185.
Origen
800
prophecies. At this the Jew said that these prophecies
referred to the whole people as though of a single
individual, since they were scattered in the dispersion and
smitten, that as a result of the scattering of the Jews among
the other nations many might become proselytes. In this
way he explained the text: Your form shall be inglorious
among men and those to whom he was not proclaimed
shall see him and being a man in calamity. I then
adduced many arguments in the disputation which proved
that there is no good reason for referring these prophecies
about one individual to the whole people. And I asked
which person could be referred to in the text: This man
bears our sins and suffers pain for us and but he was
wounded for our transgressions and he was made sick for
our iniquities; and I asked which person fitted the words
by his strips we were healed. Obviously, those who say
this were once in their sins, and were healed by the passion
of the Savior, whether they were of the Jewish people or of
the Gentiles: the prophet foresaw this, and put these words
into their mouths by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But
we seemed to put Him in the greatest difficulty with the
words because of the iniquities of my people he was led to
death. If according to them the people are the subject of
the prophecy, why is this man said to have been led to
death because of the iniquities of the people of God, if He
is not different from the people of God? Who is this if not
Jesus Christ, by whose strips we who believe in Him were
healed, when he put off the principalities and powers
among us, and made a show of them openly on the cross?
7
.
O Jews, when you come to Jerusalem and find it
destroyed, it had been changed into dust and ashes, dont
weep as a child (1 Cor. 4:20), dont be in grief but ask for
a city in the heaven instead of that which you search here
on earth.

7 Contra Celsus 1:55; Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, p. 83.
The Jews
801

Lift up your sight, you will find the Jerusalem
above is free, which is the mother of us all (Gal. 4:26).
Dont be in grief for the temple (here) is left, and
dont be in despair as you dont find a priest . For in
heaven there is an altar and the priests of the future goods
passing before the Lord according to the order of
Melchizedek (Heb. 5:10). It is Gods love and mercies that
He removed the earthly inheritance from you that you may
ask for the heavenly one
8
.
R. Cadiou says,
A J ewish rabbi who had been converted to
Christianity asked himself why the king of Moab employed
this figure of speech, as the ox is wont to eat the grass to
the very roots. The reason was, he said, that the ox in
brewing uses its tongue like a scythe to cut what it finds.
Thus the Israelites use their mouths and their lips as
fighting weapons, destroying their enemies by borrowing
the words of their challenge and using them for a means of
offense
9
.

THE JEWS AND THE GENTILES
Our Lord J esus Christ came to this world not for rejecting
the J ews, but through their unbelief He opened the gates of faith to
the Gentiles.
He did not come with the aim of bringing about the
unbelief of the Jews, but by His foreknowledge He foretold
that this would happen and He used the unbelief of the
Jews to call the Gentiles

.
Gods providence has been wonderful: it has used

Origen
802
the sin of the Jews to call the Gentiles into the kingdom of
God by Jesus, strangers though they were to the covenants
and alien to the promises (Eph. 2:12)
10
.
It is clear that although the Jews saw Jesus they did
not know who He was, and although they heard Him they
did not understand from His sayings the divinity within
Him, which was transferring Gods care of the Jews to
those Gentiles who believe in Him. Hence we may see how
after the advent of Jesus the Jews have been entirely
forsaken, and retain none of their traditionally sacred
possessions, nor even a hint of the divine presence among
them
11
.
(Origen asks the meaning of the twin signs obtained
by Gideon): I remember one of our predecessors saying in
his commentaries that the fleece of wool was the people of
Israel, while the rest of the ground was the rest of the
nations, and the dew which fell on the fleece was the Word
of God, because divine indulgence was shown to that
people alone... But the second sign, the opposite of the first,
is understood like this: observe the whole people of the
Gentiles, gathered throughout all the world, possessing
now within itself the divine dew-see it sprinkled with the
dew of Moses, bedewed with the writings of the prophets;
see it green with the watering of the Gospel and the
apostolic (writings); while the fleece, the people of the
Jews, is left to suffer in dryness, barren of the Word of
God
12
.
The J ews ought to have been the closest to the truth for
they had the "types" of the truth but they rejected it
13
. Those who
truly understand the Law, offer spiritual sacrifice, not physical,

12 In Judg. hom. 8:4 on 6:36-38.
13 In Lev. hom. 12:1.
The Jews
803

sacrifices
14
. The offering of incense in Leviticus 16:12 is what is
offered by each church.
No prophet is accepted in his own country (Luke
4: 24).
Anothoth, the country of Jeremiah did not receive
him well (Jer. 11:21), and Isaiah and the rest of the
prophets were refused by their country, i.e. the circumcised
people... while we who are not attributed to the country,
and were foreigners from the promise received by Moses
and Prophets who reveal Christ. We received Him from all
our hearts more than the Jews who refused Christ and did
not witness to Him
15
.
The true Israelite, then, is everyone who knows
Christ; if a man does not know Christ he is no Israelite, for
Israel means the mind that sees God. The glory of
the Jews, then, is to believe in Christ whom their prophets
predicted-the glory, that is, of encountering the One they
had awaited
16
.
For how was the Bridegroom, the Logos, not going
to leave the adulterous generation and depart from it? But
you might say that the Logos of God, leaving the synagogue
of the Jews as adulterous, departed from it, and took a wife
of fornication, namely, those from the Gentiles; since those
who were "Zion, a faithful city" (Isa. 1:21), have become
harlot Rahab, who received the spies of Joshua, and was
saved with all her house (Josh. 6:25); after this no longer
playing the harlot, but coming to the feet of Jesus, and
wetting them with tears of repentance, and anointing them
with the fragrance of the ointment of holy conversation, on

14 In Lev. hom. 9:8
15 In Luc. hom. 33:3.
16 In Luke hom. 15 on 2:30f.
Origen
804
account of whom, reproach Simon the leper, the former
people, He spoke those things which are written (Josh.
6:25)
17
.
When (God) rejected Israel.. grace was poured out
on the Gentiles. The calling of the Gentiles took its start
f.rom the fall of Israel. [Hence Origen himself, a Gentile,
can converse about the promises of God-can have faith in
the God of Israel,] and by the grace of God can accept
Jesus Christ, who was heralded aforetimes by the
prophets
18
.
Before the advent of Christ God was known only in
Judea; since then the whole earth is the Lords. Before that
advent fullness was not to be found anywhere on earth,
and most of the earth was.. emptiness; since then many
would say from among the Gentile believers from his
fullness have we all received... (John 1 16), and thus
themselves, they have become His fullness - for those
who are empty of the ordering of the gospel, cannot be
the fullness of Christ
19
.
The passion of Christ brings life to believers... and
death... to unbelievers. For although salvation and
justification come to the Gentiles through His cross, to the
Jews come death and condemnation
20
.
After many prophets who administered correction
to Israel, Christ came to correct the whole world
21
.
From the ruins of Jerusalem there came a cry of
hope. I am abandoned to my sufferings, she said to the
nations of the world, in order that you should find your
place. Because of you I have become an enemy of God
although He had chosen me to be His beloved because of

18 In Jer. hom. 3.
19 Sel Ps. 24:1.
The Jews
805

my fathers. Hear my sigh and understand why I weep...
Blessedness is primarily the avoidance of sin, but in the
second place it is the confession to God of the sins we have
committed. When the rest of the nations of the world will be
saved, I in my turn, Lord, shall obtain salvation according
to Your just judgments.

THE JEWS AND THE CHURCH
Concerning Origen and the J ews, the debate between the
Church and synagogue can be reduced to the question of Scripture.
Whose Bible is it? The Churchs? The synagogues? This question
is answered by Origins claim that the Scripture is the churchs and
it is the supreme authority for the Church
22
.
We Christians say that although (the Jews)
enjoyed the favor of God and were loved by Him more
than any others, yet this dispensation and grace changed
over to us when Jesus transferred the power at work among
the Jews to the Gentile believers
23
.
Commenting on this verse, He shall not be reckoned
among the nations (Numbers 23:9) Origen adds that if Israel
abandons his privileged position he is no longer Israel. Therefore
no one from Jacob or Israel who sins can be called Jacob or
Israel, and equally no Gentile who has once entered the Church of
the Lord will ever again be reckoned among the nations
24
.
Lest it should be doubted that God has warned the J ews of
what would befall them, there was the prophecy of Moses himself
(Deuteronomy 32:21), I will move them to jealousy with those

24 In Num. hom 15:3; N.R.M. De Lange: Origen and the Jews: Studies in Jewish-Christian
Relations in Third-Century Palestine, 1976, Cambridge, p. 80.
Origen
806
who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish
nation. The Church, composed of elements of various peoples but
itself not a people, is clearly a strong candidate for the title of
those who are not a people; as for the foolish nation, the key lies
in I Corinthians 1:27, God has chosen the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise
25
.

JUDAISM IN ALEXANDRIA
Nicholas De Lange in his book Origen and the J ews says,
We know hardly anything of J udaism in Alexandria
at this time, and any information Origen could offer would
be most welcomed. He knew the city well, having been
born and brought up there, and having lived there for the
greater part of his life. In the works produced before he left
Alexandria there are some interesting remarks about J ews
and J udaism. What is to be made of these? We know that in
the great revolt of 115-17 so many of the J ews of Egypt
were killed. In Alexandria, where the revolt was crushed in
its early stages, some of the J ews survived, but J ewish
community life appears to have come to an end and the
power of the J ews in Alexandria was destroyed
26
.

JEWISH PROPHETS
(The J ewish prophets) were chosen by providence
to be entrusted with the divine Spirit and with the words
proceeding from Him, because of their quite exceptional
qualities-courage, independence, fearlessness in face of
death and danger
27
.
God... taught men by the prophets to hope for the
advent of Christ, who would save them
28
.

25 E.g. Contra Celsus 2:78; De Principiis 4:1:4; N.R.M. De Lange: Origen and the Jews: Studies in
Jewish-Christian Relations in Third-Century Palestine, 1976, Cambridge, p. 81.
26 Origen and the Jews: Nicholas De Lange, Cambridge University Press, p.8.
The Jews
807

JEWISH SCRIPTURE
When Jesus said to the Jews, the Kingdom of God
shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing
forth the fruits thereof (Matt. 21 43), what other
dispensation was He giving than to bring forth to light by
divine power the whole Jewish Scripture, which contains
the mysteries of the Kingdom of God?
29

JEWISH FEASTS
When Origen interprets the meaning of J ewish festivals, he
does so on two levels. One level is the interpretation which is
based on the literal meaning. The second level of understanding is
based on illumination of the Spirit. Origen contends that Moses
saw heavenly things and passed on to Israel types and images of
what he had seen
30
. Furthermore, Origen suggests that if the
teaching of Moses is not understood spiritually, then Moses cannot
be called a prophet
31
.
Thus, Origen, in his Homilies on the Numbers (hom. 23),
treats of the symbolism of the J ewish feast, and interprets the feast
of first-fruits (nova) as expressing the renewal of the interior
man
32
.

JEWISH SACRIFICES
We mentioned that Origen accepts the tradition that J ewish
sacrifices foreshadowed the sacrifice of Christ. Therefore, we must
carefully draw a distinction between the sacrificial practices of the

30 In Lev. hom. 13:1
31 In Lev. hom. 10:1.
32 Jean Danilou: The Bible and the Liturgy, p.322; In Num. hom. 23:8; PG. 12:753 A.
Origen
808
J ews and of other nations
33
.

33 Contra Celsus 5:44; Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers
from the New Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia, 1979, p. 118.
The Jews
809

MOSES LAW
In a fragment of his Commentary on Romans preserved in
the Philocalia, Origen shows great acuity in handling St. Pauls
use of the word law, ultimately distinguishing six different
usages of the word. Origen suggests that the presence or absence
of the article can be helpful in distinguishing St. Pauls two most
important usages of law, the use of it to mean the law of Moses
and the use of it to mean natural law. Here, and in several other
cases, Origen still provides a helpful commentary on Pauls
notoriously obscure use of language
34
.
The Mosaic law needed to be brought up to date, and at the
same time it was wrong that it should be limited to one alone of all
the peoples of mankind
35
.
Origen states that God closes their eyes as unworthy to see,
and the eyes of their prophets and of their rulers who profess to see
the hidden things of the mysteries in the divine Scriptures; and
when their eyes are closed, then shall the prophetic words be
sealed to them and hidden, as has been the case with those who do
not believe in J esus as the Christ. And when the prophetic sayings
have become as the words of a sealed book, not only to those who
do not know letters but to those who profess to know, then the
Lord said, that the people of the J ews draw nigh to God with their
mouth only, and He says that they honor Him with their lips,
because their heart by reason of their unbelief in J esus is far from
the Lord
36
.
If anyone reads the whole of the Epistle to the
Hebrews... he will find how the whole of this part of the
Apostles writing shows that those things written in the law

34 J.W. Trigg: Origen, SCM, p.172-3.
36 Commentary on Matthew, Book 11:11 ( Cf. ANF).
Origen
810
are types and forms of things that are living and true
37
.
Jewish Christians still lived according to the literal
law
38
, but for the Church this could only be a shadow of the
spiritual law. Expounding the journey of the Israelites,
Origen explains the tree thrown into the waters of Marah
as an allegory of the Christian spiritualization of the law of
Moses, and he adds, 'the Jews are still at Marah, still
dwelling by bitter waters; for God has not yet shown them
the tree by means of which the waters are sweetened
39
.
The Lord... threw a tree in the water and the water
became sweet:; but when the tree (cross) of Jesus comes
and the teaching of my Savior makes its dwelling with me,
the Law of Moses is sweetened- its taste to one who thus
reads and understands it is sweet indeed
40
.

CIRCUMCISION
When the J ew sins his circumcision shall be reckoned for
uncircumcision, but when one of the Gentiles acts uprightly his
uncircumcision shall be reckoned for circumcision (Rom. 2:25-26),
so those things which are thought to be pure shall be reckoned for
impure in the case of him who does not use them unfittingly, nor
when one ought, nor as far as he ought, nor for what reason he
ought
41
.
Origen identifies the uncircumcised with those who
disobey the commands of God:
God does not wholly abandon either the
circumcised or the uncircumcised, because He loves every

37 In Lev. hom. 9:2; 10:1.
39 In Exodus hom. 7:3.
40 In Jer. hom. 10:2.
41 Commentary on Matthew, Book 11:12 ( Cf. ANF).
The Jews
811

soul. For He has sent Jesus to circumcise everyone,
worthy and unworthy: Jesus -not the son of Nun, whose
circumcision of the people was not the true and perfect
one-but our Lord and Savior. For it is He who has truly cut
away the pollution in our flesh and purged the stains of our
sins from our heart and soul
42
.
We who have been transferred from the Law and
Prophets to the Gospel are circumcised again (Jos. 5:7) by
the Rock which was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4), then the word of
the Lord to Joshua is realized in us, i.e., "this day I have
rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you" Jos. 5:9
43
.
Jesus came and gave us the second circumcision
by the washing of regeneration (Tit. 3:5), purified our
spirits and took away our reproach, grouting us instead the
promise of the good conscious towards God.
Then the second circumcision takes away the
reproach, and purifies us from our vices and sins... If by
faith we passed over the stream of the Jordan by the virtue
of the Gospel, and purified by the second circumcision,
then we must not be afraid from the reproach of our
previous sins. Do you hear: "I have rolled away the
reproach of Egypt from you"?
44

JEWISH WARS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Commenting on the wars in which J oshua was involved,
Origen says:
The Jews who read these events, I am speaking of
the Jews according to the appearance, who is circumcised

42 In Jos. hom. 6:1 on Josh 5.
43 In Jos. hom 5:5.
44 In Jos. hom 5:5.
Origen
812
in his body, and ignores the true Jew who is circumcised in
his heart; this Jew does not find except description of wars,
killing of enemies, and victory of the Israelites who
plundered the possession of the foreigners and pagans,
under the guidance of Joshua. While the Jew according to
the heart, that is the Christian who follows Jesus, the Son
of God, and not Joshua the Son of Nun, understands these
events as representing the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven. He says, Today also my master Jesus Christ fights
the powers of the evil and derives them out from the towns
which they occupied before. He drives them out of our
souls. He kills the kings who reigned over them, so that sin
will not reign over us. As our souls become free from the
reign of sin they become a temple of the Lord and of the
Gods Kingdom, hearing the words, The kingdom of God
is within you...
Let us then understand well, that if Joshua had
killed the kings of Jericho, AI, Libnah, Lachish, and
Habron, this all happened so that these cities would be
subject to the oracles of the Lord instead of their subjection
to the law of sin, to evil kings
45
.
Unless those carnal wars (of the Old Testament)
were a symbol of spiritual wars, I do not think that the
Jewish historical books would ever have been passed down
by the apostles to be read by Christ's followers in their
churches... Thus, the apostle, being aware that physical
wars have become personal battles of the soul against
spiritual adversaries, gives orders to the soldiers of Christ
like a military commander when he says, "Put on the armor
of God so as to be able to hold your ground against the
wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11)
46
.

45 In Jos. hom. 13:1.
46 In Jos. hom. 15:1.
The Jews
813

JEWISH ALLEGORIES
Origens free and independent methods of study had the
unexpected result of putting him in touch with J ewish publications
comparable with the words of the outstanding philologists of
Alexandria
47
.
The J ewish allegories had little influence on Origen. His
work on Philo, however, shows some traces of them, but we should
remember that his interest lay in Philos system of thought rather
than in his exegesis. With his Christian viewpoint he found J ewish
allegories cold and lifeless. They lacked what the emerging
Christian exegesis possessed, something that would have imparted
to them the warmth of life. They needed a view of the Bible as a
whole, a general system of interpretation, an ideal that would rouse
the ancient texts from slumber, an inspiration that would given
them a new sense of authority in the consciousness of a long-
cherished hope at last realized
48
.
He became a sincere admirer of the rabbinical custom of
comparing different biblical passages with one another and,
wherever possible, of establishing connections between them. This
was merely one of a number of the exegetical methods in use
among the J ews. Origen drilled himself in the application of it, and
it later became the principal instrument of Christian exegesis
49
.

JEWISH PASCH AND CHRISTIAN PASCHA
Origen's fullest treatment of the Pascha, next to his treatise
On the Pascha, is found in His Commentary on John 10:13-19,
Homilies on Exodus 5:2; 7:4; Homilies on Numbers 23:6;
Homilies on Jeremiah 19:13, and Against Celsus 8:22.

Origen
814
In his Commentary on John he finds the spiritual meaning
of the Old Testament descriptions of the Exodus and prescriptions
of the Pascha. Eating the whole of the roasted lamb, for example,
means understanding the Scriptures and all of creation under the
influence of the Spirit, while the unleavened bread symbolizes the
Christian's repentance and salutary trials. These exercises prepare
one to receive the manna, which he explains elsewhere
50
as the
Word of God incarnate and immolated as our paschal victim. The
three foods given successively in the course of the Exodus - the
lamb, the unleavened bread, and the manna - represent three
phases of the spiritual life, but it is not said that they follow one
another in that order
51
. He frequently says that the spiritual
nourishment is to be taken in the form that suits one's degree of
advancement in the spiritual life
52
.
THE MEANING OF THE PASSOVER
Now this should be enough comment on the mere
name to teach us the meaning that comes from the word phas
(fas) and to warn us against rashly attempting to interpret
things written in Hebrew without first knowing the Hebrew
meaning. We come now to an examination of the text itself,
knowing that the Passover (Pascha) means passage
53
.

KIND OF PASCHAS
Origen refers to three kind of Paschas:
I. The historical Pascha of the Old Testament.
II. The Pascha as celebrated by the Church.
III. The heavenly Pascha: "Raising our minds to the third
Pascha, which will be celebrated among myriads of angels in the
most perfect festivity (cf. Heb. 12:22) and with the happiest
exodus, is not necessary at the same time, especially since we

50 Homilies on Exodus 7:4.
51 Raniero Cantalamessa: Easter in the Early Church, The Liturgical Press, Minnesota, p. 151.
52 Raniero Cantalamessa: Easter in the Early Church, The Liturgical Press, Minnesota, p. 152.
The Jews
815

have spoken more fully and lengthily than the text required
54
."
For the Christian Pasch is a yearly and daily feast; it is
celebrated both at Easter time as a memorial of Christs death and
resurrection, and at all times by feasting with the unleavened bread
of sincerity and truth and the bitter herbs of sorrow and
repentance
55
.
For Origen, the Pasch means Christ, our Passover Lamb,
the Eucharist, and study of the Divine Word, but for Philo, it
represents the journey of the soul from the body and its passions
56
.
THE PASSOVER (EXEGESIS OF EXODUS 12)
1. First month of the year.
But when Christ came not to abolish the law or the
prophets but to fulfill them (Matt. 5.17), he showed us what
the true Passover is, the true "passage" out of Egypt. And for
the one in the passage, the beginning of the months is when
the month of passing over out of Egypt comes around, which
is also the beginning of another birth for him - for a new way
of life begins for the one who leaves behind the darkness and
comes to the light (John 3:20-21) - to speak in a manner
proper to the sacrament through water given those who have
hoped in Christ, which is called the washing of regeneration
(Titus 3:5). For what does rebirth signify if not the beginning
of another birth?
57

2. This month is for you the beginning of months.
It is clear that it is not for the whole people that the

54 Comm. on John 10:18:111.
Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 155.
Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 122.
Origen
816
month was then the beginning of months, but only for Moses
and Aaron to whom it was spoken...
For the fact that the perfect man has the beginning of
another birth and becomes other than what he was, this is
what the Apostle is teaching us when he says: The old man in
us was crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6), and again: If we
have died with Him we shall also live with Him (2 Tim. 2:11;
cf. Gal. 2:19), and then speaking boldly of himself: It is no
longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20)
58
.
3. Receiving Christ in our senses.
When one has taken the true Lamb, that is, Christ,
one does not immediately sacrifice and eat Him but after an
interval of five days from His taking. For when someone
hears about Christ and believes in Him he has taken Christ,
but he does not sacrifice or eat Him before five days have
gone by (cf. Exod. 12:3,6). For since there are five senses in
the human being, unless Christ comes to each of them, He
cannot be sacrificed and after being roasted, be eaten. For
it is when he made clay with His spittle and anointed our
eyes (John 9:6-7) and made us see clearly (Mark 8:25),
when He opened the ears (cf. Mark 7:33-35) of our heart so
that having ears we can hear (cf. Matt. 11:15; 13:19), when
we smell His good odor (cf. Eph. 5:2; 2 Cor. 1:15),
recognizing that His name is a perfume poured out (Cant.
1:3; cf. Phil. 2:7), and if, having tasted, we see how good
the Lord is (cf. 1 Peter 2:3; Ps. 34[33]:8), and if we touch
Him with the touch of which John speaks: That which was
from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have
seen with our eyes and touched with our hands concerning
the word of life (1 John 1:1), then it is that we will be able
to sacrifice the Lamb and eat it and thus come out of
Egypt
59
.

59 Peri Pascha 18,19 (Translated by Robert J. Daly - ACW).
The Jews
817

4. On the fourteenth day of the month, between the two
evenings.
For the lamb was sacrificed on the fourteenth day of
the month, between the two evenings, when, beginning with
the fifteenth day, the sphere of the moon reaches its fullest
plenitude in the opinion of the experts. And for our part,
unless the perfect, true Light (cf. John 1:9) rises over us and
we see how it perfectly illumines our guiding intellect, we
will not be able to sacrifice and eat the true Lamb
60
.
In his Homilies on Genesis, Origen says, Since the paschal
Law prescribes that the lamb should be eaten in the evening, the
Savior suffered in the evening of the world, so that you might
always eat the flesh of the Word, you who live always in the
evening until the morning shall come
61
.
5. A lamb without blemish, a male, and a year old.
A lamb without blemish, a male, a year old. For
Christ is a perfect being, since there is nothing lacking or
deficient in Him. Male indicated his firmness and courage.
And it is said to be a year old because the year signifies a
completed number since the sun returns to its own place
after an interval of twelve months
62
.
6. The whole assembly of the sons of Israel shall kill it towards
evening.
It is towards evening (cf. Exod. 12:6b) that we are
ordered to kill the lamb, since it is at the last hour (1 John
2:18) that the true Lamb, the Savior, has come into the world

61 In Genesis 10:3.
62 Peri Pascha 22, 23 (Translated by Robert J. Daly - ACW).
Origen
818
(cf. John 1:9)
63
.
7. The application of blood to the houses.
The application of blood to the houses which we
sacrifice, and which we anoint with blood, our houses, which
is to say, our bodies, which anointing is the faith we have in
Him, by which faith we have confidence in the destruction of
the power of the destroyer (cf. Exod. 12:23)
64
.
8. Eat the flesh roasted with fire
To eat the lamb roasted with fire means to feed upon Gods
word once the preacher has interpreted it with the assistance of the
fire par excellence, the Holy Spirit. To eat the lamb raw means
attempting to feed on the word when it has been presented with the
inadequate literal interpretation of the J ews. To eat the lamb boiled
in water means attempting to feed on the word when it has been
misinterpreted by heretics, who contaminate the word with their
own non-biblical doctrines, much as boiled meat is mixed with
water, a substance foreign to it
65
.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is rightly called fire, which
it is necessary for us to receive in order to have converse
with the flesh of Christ, I mean the divine Scriptures, so that,
when we have roasted them with this divine fire, we may eat
them roasted with fire. For the words are changed by such
fire, and we will see that they are sweet and nourishing
66
.
9. Not raw or boiled with water.
We are commanded not to cook the flesh of the
Savior, that is, the word Scripture, with such a water, and
not to mix with the words of Scripture another material
which could water it down in the cooking, but to partake of it
by cooking it with fire alone, that is, with the divine Spirit,

The Jews
819

and not eat it raw or cooked with water
67
.
10. The head with the feet and the entrails.
...some partake of its head, others of its hands, others
of its breast, others also of its entrails, still others of its
thighs, and some even of its feet, where this is not much
flesh, each partaking of it according to his own capacity.
Thus it is that we partake of a part of the true Lamb
according to our capacity to partake of the Word of God.
There are some who partake of the head and, if you wish, of
each part of the head, for example, of the ears so that,
having ears, they can hear his words (cf. Matt. 11:15; 13:9,
43). Those who taste of the eyes will see clearly (cf. Ps 34
[33]:9; Heb. 6:4-5) lest you dash your foot against a stone
(cf. Ps 91[90]:12; Jer. 13:16; Matt. 4:6; Luke 4:11). Those
who taste the hands are the workers (cf. John 9:4) who no
longer have drooping hands (Heb. 12:12) which are closed
against giving (cf. Sir. 4:31), the ones who accept correction
before the Lord become angry with them (cf. Ps. 2:11).
Others, resting on its breast (cf. John 13:25), will even
recognize from this food who the betrayers of Christ are (cf.
John 13:21-26). The studious who eat of the entrails will see
even to the depths of God - for the entrails have a certain
harmony of twists and turns and they also make for the body
everything needed for life; and such function of one initiated
in the mysteries - or rather they see the hidden ratio of the
Incarnation situated as it were in the middle, at least if we
take the head to be the divinity...
Varied indeed is the food of those who eat the
Passover, but they are all one (cf. Acts 2:44); even he who
eats the head is one with whoever eats the feet, since the

Origen
820
head cannot say to the feet: "I have no need of you." For the
members eaten are many but the body of Christ is one (1
Cor. 12:20-21). Let us preserve, then, as well as possible the
harmony of the members in order not to incur the reproach
of dividing the members of Christ (1 Cor. 6:15)
68
.

11. Leave nothing until morning
Just as the mysteries of the Passover which are
celebrated in the Old Testament are superseded by the truth
of the New Testament, so too will the mysteries of the New
Testament, which we must now celebrate in the same way,
not be necessary in the resurrection, a time which is signified
by the morning in which nothing will be left, and what does
remain of it will be burned with fire
69
.
12. You shall break no bone of it.
The words becoming His bones, the flesh becoming
the meaning from the text, following which meaning, as it
were, we see in a mirror dimly (1 Cor. 13:12) the things
which are to come, and the blood being faith in the Gospel of
the new covenant (cf. 1 Cor. 11:25; Luke 22:20)
70
.
13. Your loins girded.
We are ordered, when we eat the Passover, to be
pure of bodily sexual union, for this is what the girding of the
loins means. Thus Scripture teaches us to bind up the bodily
source of seed and to repress inclinations to sexual relations
when we partake of the flesh of Christ
71
.
14. Sandals on your feet.
It is that the flesh itself also goes out with us as we

The Jews
821

depart from Egypt. For we must put to death what is earthly
in us: immortality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, and so
forth (cf. Col. 3:5; Gal. 5:19-20) and thus depart from
Egypt
72
.
15. Your staff in your hand
They should henceforth also have staffs in their
hands (cf. Exod. 12:11) as ones who are to share henceforth
in the task of training, because the staff is a symbol of
training. For he who spares the rod hates his son, but he
who loves him is diligent to discipline him, as we have read
in Proverbs (Prov. 13:24)
73
.

V V V

822
18

MARTYRDOM

All through his life, Origens thoughts ran on Martyrdom. He
was a martyr by race; yearned in his youth to be martyred with his
father Leonides. The exaltation of martyrdom was the core of Ori-
gens training in the Christian life, and cornerstone of his teaching.
When he received the School of Alexandria, Origen coura-
geously assisted many of his students who were martyred, and he
assisted them in their last moments
1
. He considered himself that he
was called to the task of preparing Christians for martyrdom. He
prepared not only the hearts of believers but also those of the cate-
chumens to receive martyrdom joyfully. He breathed his own spirit
into them. He visited them in prison, acted as their advocate, and
gave them the brotherly kiss in open court.
Every person who came to him for instruction in the faith
was liable to the penalties of the law. Liable also were his more
advanced pupils who had submitted to baptism in spite of the im-
perial edict against it. But in the eyes of the law the born Christian
who lived by his faith was not as much a criminal as the Christian
who made converts of others, and it is probable that Origen owed
his immunity to the tolerance of the local administration at Alex-
andria
2
. It is probable that the edict of Severus, which was directed
against converts only, did not touch him, and that so long as he ab-
stained from formal defiance he was personally safe
3
.
While he was old, he recorded his feelings concerning a
persecution occurred at Alexandria from about forty years. In his
Homilies on Jeremiah he describes the glorious persecuted Church

Martyrdom
823
of Alexandria.
This happened when man (a Christian) was a true
believer. In courage he used to go to the church to be mar-
tyred.
We usually returned from the cemetery, in compan-
ion with the bodies of the saints, to our meetings, where the
church in steadfast assembles.
The catechumens heard sermons amongst martyr-
dom. They overcame suffering, and confessed the Living
God without fear.
Truly we behold marvelous and heroic deeds!
The believers were little in number, but they are
believers in truth, they had progress in the straight and
narrow way which leads to life
4
.

EXHORTATION TO MARTYRDOM (Exhortatio ad Mar-
tyrium)
5

During the persecution of Maximinus
6
, he wrote the Exhorta-
tion to Martyrdom, has the same message of his letter to his father
while he was a child, with the amplifications that seemed necessary
to the mature man. He wrote it in Caesarea of Palestine in 235 A.D,
to Ambrose and Protocotius the priest of Caesarea, who were cast
in prison. He declares martyrdom as his sweet desire that his soul
demanded.
Origen stands with St. Ignatius of Antioch by reason of his
desire for martyrdom, and with St. Clement of Alexandria because he
taught that martyrdom was the perfection of love. He regarded it as
one of the proofs of the truth of Christianity, not merely because it
showed that Christians were capable of dying for their faith - other
people die too, for their country or their ideas - but because in the

4 In Jer. hom. 4:3.
5 Origen: Prayer, Exhortation To Martyrdom, Translated and Annotated by John J. OMeara
(ACW); Quasten, vol. 3,p. 69ff.
6 Maximin was proclaimed emperor at Mainz in 235 A.D. He remained in Germany till winter of
that year.
Origen
824
Christian martyrs contempt for death was a sign that they had already
defeated the powers of evil that use death as their instrument of tor-
ture (I Cor. 15:55). Martyrdom brought the resurrection, in a way,
into the present as a living reality; the martyrs charismata, impass-
ability in particular, were a sort of foretaste of the resurrection. Mar-
tyrdom was thus a continuation of the work of redemption.
Apart from the fact that this treatise is of great historical
value as a first-class source for the persecution of Maximinus, it
remains an important document of Origens own conviction and
courage, his faith and his religious loyalty. It reveals the hopes and
fears of the Egyptian Christians in the first half of the third cen-
tury
7
.
This work shows that he had lost nothing of his enthusiasm.
However, in chapters 45 and 46, he mentions, not without purpose,
that this desire for martyrdom was not shared by all. There were
some who regarded it as a matter of indifference if a Christian sac-
rificed to the demons or directed his invocation to God under an-
other name than the correct one. There were others who thought it
no crime to agree to the sacrifice which the pagan authorities de-
manded, since it would be enough to believe in your heart. It
was for such circles that Origen wrote his treatise.

ITS CONTENTS
This work may be divided into five parts:
a. Exhortation to martyrdom:
It is a short work of great vigor and immense assurance. He
is like someone standing at the elbow of Ambrosius, saying: The
time has come. Put away all other thoughts. There is need for mar-
tyrdom. Origen regards martyrdom as the most holy profession of
the Christian. By martyrdom the Christian shows with his whole
soul the desire to be united with God. It is best to die righteously,

7 Origen: Prayer, Exhortation To Martyrdom, Translated and Annotated by John J. OMeara
(ACW),p. 11-12.
Martyrdom
825
best to depart from life with the single purpose of entering the
kingdom of Heaven: all other purposes are meaningless in com-
parison with this. He believes the martyrs received a special and
greater fullness of beatitude than any holy men, they were the elect
of God, sitting by Gods side on the Throne of J udgment, and
therefore themselves beyond judgment; and their blood has the
power to obtain remission of sins for others. All through the book
there breathes the quiet assurance in the supreme validity of the
martyr
8
.
Origen asks: What greater joy there can be than the act of
martyrdom? A great multitude is assembled to watch the last hours
of the martyr. And let each of us remember how many times we
have been in danger of an ordinary death, and then let us ask our-
selves whether we have not been preserved for something better,
for the baptism in blood which washes away our sins and allows us
to take our place at the heavenly altar together with all the com-
panions of our warfare
9
.
Have faith, have courage, above all prepare yourselves for
the blessedness of martyrdom. We are the sons of a patient God,
the brothers of a patient Christ, let us show ourselves patient in all
that befalls us
10
. And the best that can befall us is a martyrs
death
11
.
* Remaining steadfast in tribulation, because after a short
time of suffering our reward will be eternal (Chs. 1-2).
* Martyrdom is a duty of every true Christian because all
who love God wish to be united with Him (Chs. 3-4).
* Only those can enter eternal happiness who courageously
confess the faith (ch. 5).

b. Warning against apostasy and idolatry:
* To deny the true God and to venerate false gods is the

8 Robert Payne: Fathers Of The Eastern Church, Dorset Press, New York, 1985, P. 63-4.
9 De Martyr., 39.
10 De Martyr., 43.
Origen
826
greatest sin (ch. 6), because it is senseless to adore creatures in-
stead of the Creator (ch. 7). God intends to save souls from idola-
try (Chs. 8-9).
* Those who commit this crime enter into a union with the
idols and will be punished severely after death (ch. 10).

c. Carrying ones cross with Christ in perseverance:
* The real exhortation to martyrdom (ch. 11).
* Only those will be saved who take the cross upon them-
selves with Christ (Chs. I2-I3).
* The reward will be greater in proportion to the earthly
possessions left behind (ch. 14-I6).
* Since we renounced the pagan deities when we were
catechumens, we are not permitted to break our promise (ch. I7).
* The conduct of the martyrs will be judged by the whole
world (ch. I8).
* We must take every kind of martyrdom upon ourselves in
order not to be numbered with the fallen angels (Chs. I9-2I).

d. Scriptural examples of perseverance and endurance:
* Eleazar (ch. 22) and the seven sons with their heroic
mother of which the second Book of the Maccabees reports (ch.
23-27).

e. The necessity, the essence and the kinds of martyrdom:
* The Christians are obliged to suffer such a death in order
to repay God for all the benefits He bestowed upon them (Chs. 28-
29).
* Serious sins committed after the reception of the baptism
of water can only be forgiven by the baptism of blood (ch. 30).
* The souls of those who withstand all temptations of the
evil one (ch. 32) and give their lives for God as a pure oblation, not
only enter eternal bliss (ch. 3I) but can procure forgiveness for all
whom they pray (ch. 30).
* As God extended His help to the three youths in the fiery
furnace and to Daniel in the lions den, so His support will not be
Martyrdom
827
lacking to the martyrs (ch. 33).
* Not only God the Father, Christ, too, demands this sacri-
fice. If we deny Him, He will deny us in heaven (Chs. 34-35).
* He will lead the confessors of the faith to Paradise (ch.
36) because only those who hate the world shall be heirs of the
kingdom of heaven (Chs. 37, 39).
* They will bestow blessing on their children, whom they
have left behind here on earth (ch. 38).
* Whosoever denies the Son, denies God the Father also
(ch. 40); but if we follow the example of Christ and offer our life-
for the kingdom of God, His consolation will be with us (ch 3. 41-
42). For this reason the Christians are urged to be ready for mar-
tyrdom (ch. 43-44).
* Chapters 45 and 46 deal with a side issue, the veneration
of the demons and the question with what name to invoke God.
The last part of the essay summarizes the exhortations and admoni-
tions for courage perseverance, emphasizing the duty of every
Christian to stand the test in times of persecution (Chs. 47-49).

MARTYRDOM ACCORDING TO ORIGEN AND ST.
CLEMENT
St. Clement attacks those who rashly incite the rulers,
statesmen and soldiers to persecute them. He clarifies that the true
Christian does not fear death, but he must not be in a rush asking
for his death. It is not a martyrdom but committing a kind of sui-
cide, against God
12
. He looks like the Indian ascetics who throw
themselves in fire
13
. For St. Clement, martyrdom is a daily experi-
ence, a good witness to Christ by words and work and by all mans
life
14
.
Origen, on the contrary to St. Clement, asks believers to
seek for martyrdom as a precious chance for the soul to attain free-
dom and for the church to be glorified. Origen always desired mar-

12 Strom. 4:10:76,77.
13 Ibid., 4:14:17,18.
14 Stromata 4:14; 2:104.
Origen
828
tyrdom and constantly made clear, in his Exhortation to Martyr-
dom as well as in his homilies, the esteem in which he held this
crowning testimony to our belonging to Christ. However, he is far
from being a fanatic about it.

MARTYRDOM ACCORDING TO ORIGEN AND TERTUL-
LIAN
Tertullian, when a Montanist, refuses in his De Fuga any
kind of flight from persecution, but the Alexandrian in his Com-
mentary on John
15
not only condemns any courting of martyrdom
but also makes it a Christian duty to escape confrontation with the
authorities, if this can be done without recantation: and he enjoins
this in the name of the charity a Christian ought to show to the
enemies of his faith, for it saves them from committing a crime
16
.
Tertullian and Origen exhort believers to martyrdom, but
everyone of them has his own view. Fr. Gregory Dix states that
Tertullian concentrates on the resurrection of the body and deliver-
ing it from the eternal punishments, while Origen concentrates on
the freedom of the soul and her progress through her learning by
the Logos, so that she may be risen with Him.
While Tertullian looks to martyrdom as a way for the glori-
fication of our risen body, Origen looks to it as a royal way
through which J esus Christ, the Logos, the Educator of the soul
enters with her into the bosom of the Father, and there He reveals
to her the divine mysteries. For Origen revealing the mysteries or
attaining the true knowledge of God is the real eternal glory to the
soul who becomes a friend of the Heavenly Father. Origen says,
Then you will know as friends of the Father and
Teacher in heaven, since you have never before known face
to face (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12). For friends learn not by enigmas,
but by a form that is seen or by wisdom bare of words,
symbols, and types; this will be possible when they attain to

15 28:23 (18)
Martyrdom
829
the nature of intelligible things and to the beauty of truth.
If, then, you believe that Paul was caught up to the third
heaven and was caught up into Paradise and heard things
that cannot be told, which man may not utter (2 Cor.
12:2,4), you will consequently realize that you will pres-
ently know more and greater things than the unspeakable
words then revealed to Paul, after which he came down
from the third heaven. But you will not come down if you
take up the cross and follow Jesus, whom we have as a
great High Priest who has passed through the heavens (cf.
Heb. 4:14). And if you do not shrink from what following
Him means, you will pass through the heavens, climbing
above not only earth and earths mysteries but also above
the heavens and their mysteries
17
.

ORIGENS LONGING FOR MARTYRDOM
Martyrdom seemed to Origen to be a means of attaining the
perfect purity which even personal holiness was unable to give; it
was the final preparation for the right to stand on the heavenly al-
tar. This was the view of martyrdom that he wished every member
of the Christian to have. The church without martyrs, he used to
say, is as desolate as a J erusalem without victims for the sacrifice
in the temple
18
.

CONCEPTS OF MARTYRDOM
1. Origen believes that Christ Himself, the Lord of the
martyrs, is the true Martyr who works in the lives of His believ-
ers. He lived in more than one epoch of martyrdom, declaring that
Christ allows the martyr to suffer, and He Himself suffers in His
martyrs; He grants the martyr the victory and the crown and He
accepts this crown in him
19
. He understands that the absolute loy-
alty of the Christian martyr holds a persuasive power to bring pa-

19 In Ioan, hom. 14;17.
Origen
830
gans to the vision of the truth
20
.
2. Martyrdom is the work of every true Christian, who de-
sires to be united with God, and to struggle for His righteousness.
I beseech you to remember in all your present con-
test the great reward laid up in heaven for those who are
persecuted and reviled for righteousness sake, and to be
glad and leap for joy on account of the Son of Man (cf.
Matt. 5:10-12; Luke 6:23), just as the apostles once re-
joiced when they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor
for His name (cf. Acts 5:41). And if you should ever per-
ceive your soul drawing back, let the mind of Christ, which
is in us (cf. Phil. 2:5), say to her, when her wishes to trou-
ble that mind as much as she can, Why are you sorrowful,
my soul, and why do you disquiet me? Hope in God, for I
shall yet give Him thanks (Ps. 42:11). I pray that our
souls may never be disquieted, and even more that in the
presence of the tribunals and of the naked swords drawn
against our necks they may be guarded by the peace of
God, which passes all understanding (cf. Phil. 4:7), and
may be quieted when they consider that those who are for-
eigners from the body are at home with the Lord of all (cf.
2 Cor. 5:8)
21
.
I think that just as he who joins himself to a prosti-
tute becomes one body with her (1 Cor. 6:16), so the one
who confesses some god, especially in the time when faith
is being tried and tested, is mingled and united with the god
he confesses. And when he is denied by his own denial,
which like a sword cuts him off from the One he denies, he
suffers amputation by being separated from the One he de-
nies
22
.
Martyrs are lovers of God, who express their love by sacri-

20 Rowan A. Greer: Origen, Paulist Press, 1979, page 5.
21 An Exhortation to Martyrdom,, 4.
22 Ibid., 8.
Martyrdom
831
ficing every earthly pleasure on behalf of their dwelling with God
in His glory, they sacrifice even their temporal life. The opening
lines of his Exhortation to Martyrdom give us an echo of the exal-
tation which lifted up his mind and his heart in those days of mar-
tyrdom.
3. Martyrdom is necessary for our salvation. It is a partici-
pation with Christ in His crucifixion, and a practice of the evan-
gelic life.
Among our agreements with God was the entire
citizenship of the Gospel, which says, If anyone would
come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross
and follow Me. For whoever would save his soul would
lose it, and whoever loses his soul for My sake will save it
(Matt. 16:24-25). And we often come more alive when we
hear, For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole
world and forfeits his soul? Or what ransom shall a man
give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is to come
with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will
repay everyone for what he has done (Matt. 16:26-27)...
Long ago, therefore, we ought to have denied our-
selves and said, It is no longer I who live (Gal. 2:20).
Now let it be seen whether we have taken up our own
crosses and followed Jesus; this happens if Christ lives in
us. If we wish to save our soul in order to get it back better
than a soul, let us lose it by our martyrdom
23
.
4. True Christians suffer persecution for the sake of Christ
as a sign of their sincere love. They respond to His love by their
practical love.
We can also learn from this what martyrdom is like
and how much confidence toward God it produces. Since a
saint is generous and wishes to respond to the benefits that
have overtaken him from God, he searches out what he can
do for the Lord in return for everything he has obtained

23 Ibid., 12.
Origen
832
from Him. And he finds that nothing else can be given to
God from a person of high purpose that will so balance his
benefits as perfection in martyrdom
24
.
5. Martyrdom is a precious death, which is granted to
those who are elected by our Savior.
Clearly the cup of salvation in Psalms is the
death of the martyrs. That is why the verse I will take the
cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord is fol-
lowed by Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of
His saints (Ps. 116:13, 15). Therefore, death comes to us
as precious if we are Gods saints and worthy of dying
not the common death, if I may call it that, but a special
kind of death, Christian, religious, and holy
25
.
6. Through martyrdom we become brothers of the apostles
and are numbered with them.
The following exhortation to martyrdom, found in
Matthew, was spoken to no others but twelve. We, too,
should hear it, since by hearing it we shall be brothers of
the apostles who heard it and shall be numbered with the
apostles. This is the passage: Do not fear those who kill
the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who can
destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28)...
And notice that this commandment is given not to
Jesus servants but to His friends (cf. John 15:15), Do not
fear those who kill the body, and after that have no more
that they can do (Luke 12:4)
26
.
7. Martyrdom is the way of eternal glory.
Who would ponder these considerations and not
utter the apostolic cry: The sufferings of this present time
are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be re-
vealed to us! (Rom. 8:18). For how can the confession

24 Ibid., 28.
25 Ibid., 29.
26 Ibid., 34.
Martyrdom
833
before the Father fail to be much greater than the confes-
sion before men? And how can the confession made in
heaven by the One who had been confessed fail to exceed in
the highest degree the confession made by the martyrs on
earth of the Son of God
27
?
God once said to Abraham: Go forth out of your
country. Soon perhaps we shall hear it said to us: Go
forth out of every country. It would be well if we were to
obey, and come to see in the heavens the place which is
known as the kingdom of the heavens
28
.
8. Martyrdom is a baptism of blood, and a source of for-
giveness of sins. He mentions the idea that ones own sins could be
washed by Baptism in blood
29
, and the virtue of the martyrs death
was still considered to atone not merely for oneself but for many
30
.
Let us each remember how many times he has been
in danger of dying an ordinary death, and let us consider
that perhaps we have been preserved so that baptized with
our own blood and washed of every sin we may pass our
existence with our fellow contestants near the altar in
heaven (cf. Rev. 6:9)
31
.
9. Origen in his work Exhortation to Martyrdom explains
that by martyrdom, a believer can offer himself as a true priest in
sacrifice to God, for Just as Jesus redeemed us by His precious
blood, so by the precious blood of the martyrs others may also be
redeemed. Martyrdom is a golden work, the cup of salvation.
The martyr offers himself to God as a sacrifice, as a priest, in un-
ion with the sacrifice of Christ: he offers, with himself, all that he
has on earth, fortune, family, children
32
.
10. Early Christians believed that Christ, by triumphing

27 Ibid., 35.
28 De Martyr., 51.
29 Exhort. Mart. 30.
31 Ibid., 39.
32 Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989.
Origen
834
over death on the Cross, broke Satans most effective weapon, the
fear of death
33
. According to Origen, the martyr joins Christ in
warfare against the devil and his hosts
34
. This idea of imitating
Christ in fact dominates Christian literature on martyrdom, and it
becomes determinative of the ideas expressed
35
.
A martyr is a wrestler, an athlete, and his martyrdom is a
fight, in an arena, at grips with the diabolical powers which want
to make him sacrifice to idols in order to recover their strength in
his defeat: he is encompassed with heavenly witnesses who await
his triumph, for his victory defeats the principalities and powers of
the demonic world. This fight is a test, showing whether the Chris-
tian has built his house on the rock or on the sand, whether the
seed of the word has in him fallen upon good ground or on stony
ground where it cannot take root
36
.
The martyr especially is regarded as continuing what Christ
achieved when he mastered death and the devil and gave the hu-
man race its freedom. He despoils the principalities and powers
with Christ and triumphs with Him, because he shares in His suf-
ferings and in the victories springing from them
37
. That is what
crushes the devils power
38
. The evil spirits are well aware of the
blessings martyrdom brings to Christians; they dread it so much
that they strive to slow down persecution
39
.
For it is likely that the nature of things allows, in a
mysterious manner that most people cannot understand.
The possibility that the voluntary death of one righteous
man for the community will avert by expiation evil demons
who cause plagues or famines or tempests at sea etc.
40
.

33 J. W. Trigg: Origen, p. 20.
35 St. Gregory of Nyssa: PG 46:781; St. Gregory Nazianzen: De Oratione 4:67-71; 5:6,24ff.;
Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers from the New Testa-
39 Contra Celsus 8:44; Jean Danilou: Origen, p. 273..
Martyrdom
835
We must regard the blood of the holy martyrs as
freeing us from harmful powers; their endurance, for ex-
ample, and their confession even unto death, and their zeal
for religion serve to blunt the edge of the plots the powers
lay against a man in his sufferings... Such is the kind of
service that the death of the most pious martyrs must be
understood to do, many people receiving benefits from
their death by an efficacy that we cannot explain
41
.
It is worthy to note that Origen in his Exhortation to Mar-
tyrdom does not mention a single example of the philosophers
who received sufferings and death in courage for the sake of their
own beliefs, as St. Clement does. He gives examples from the Old
and New Testaments. Origen desires to declare the relationship
between martyrdom and the sacrifice of the Cross.
11. Martyrdom, for Origen, is the ultimate test of the Chris-
tians willingness to prefer spiritual to corporeal realities.
I think that they love God with all their soul who
with a great desire to be in union with God, withdraw and
separate their souls not only from the earthly body but
also from every material thing that can keep them from
God. Such men accept the putting away of the body of hu-
miliation without distress or emotion when the time comes
for them to put off the body of death by what is commonly
regarded as death.
12. According to Origen, the best rational sacrifice is mar-
tyrdom, then virginity, then refraining from pride, avarice, lying
etc.
42

13. Commenting on Psalm, he wrote that we must offer a
sacrifice of denying our own wisdom. It is a kind of martyrdom.
There is within us a mentality which we must de-
stroy, to the end that thus it may become a sacrifice to

41 Comm. on John 6:53 on 1:29.
42 Comm. on Rom. 9:1; Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers
from the New Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p.
Origen
836
God
43
.

MARTYRDOM AND EVANGELISM
In the same way the martyrs bear witness for a tes-
timony to the unbelieving, and so do all the saints whose
deeds shine before men. They spend their lives rejoicing in
the Cross of Christ and bearing witness to the true Light
44
.
Martyrs encourage believers and catechumens to witness to
Christ without fear.
When the Christians came back from the cemeteries
after bearing the bodies of the holy martyrs to their burial
and assembled in the church for prayer, we used to see the
evidence of their holiness. The whole Christian body was
there, and no member of the flock showed fear. The cate-
chumens learned a lesson in those assemblies when they
heard the report of what the holy martyrs had said to their
judges and of the steadfastness with which they confessed
the faith up to the moment of their death. I know Christian
men and women who saw strange things happen in such
assemblies, and even real miracles
45
.

REWARDS OF MARTYRDOM
1. The martyr carries his cross with Christ renouncing his
own life that Christ may live in him. He follows Christ in His suf-
ferings, and then in His glory, seated at the right hand of the Fa-
ther, for communion in the passion leads to communion in the tri-
umph
46
. His reward is glorification with Christ and eternal union
with Him
47
. The reward of martyrdom is, as all Christians be-
lieved, unspeakable joy, but for Origen that joy was distinctly in-
tellectual:

43 In Ps., 2; PG 12:1109 .
44 Comm. on John 2:28; PG 14:89..
45 In Jer. hom. 4; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder, 1944, p. 17.
Martyrdom
837
Just as each of our members has some ability for
which it is naturally fitted, the eyes to see visible things,
and the ears to hear sounds, so the mind is for intelligible
things and God who transcends them. Why, then, do we
hesitate and doubt to put off the corruptible body that hin-
ders of and weighs down the soul?... For then we may en-
joy with Christ Jesus the rest which accompanies blessed-
ness and contemplate Him in His wholeness, the living
Word. Fed by Him and comprehending the manifold wis-
dom in Him,... we may have our minds enlightened by the
true and unfailing light of knowledge..
48
.
We are, therefore, led to believe that the powers of
evil do suffer defeat by the death of the holy martyrs; as if
their patience, their confession, even unto death, and their
zeal for piety blunted the edge of the onset of evil powers
against the sufferer, and their might being thus dulled and
exhausted, many others of those whom they had conquered
raised their heads and were set free from the weight with
which the evil powers formerly oppressed and injured them
49
.
In some such way must we suppose the death of the
most holy martyrs to operate, many receiving benefit from it
by an influence we cannot describe
50
.
2. Origen looks to persecution as the Christians cheerful
lot, saying, We are only persecuted when God allows the tempter
and gives him authority to persecute us... If it is His will that we
should again wrestle and strive for our religion... we will say, I
can do all things through Christ Jesus our Lord who strengthens
me.
51

3. Origen is repeating that martyrs were not judged by God,

48 In Jos. hom. 8:2; J.W. Trigg: Origen, SCM, p.164.
Origen
838
but rather sat in judgment with Him
52
.
He calls martyrdom a chalice, as is evident again
from the words: Father, if it be possible, let this chalice
pass from Me. Nevertheless not as I will but as You will.
And again we learn that he who drinks the chalice that Je-
sus drank will sit, reign, and judge beside the King of
Kings
53
.
4. Since the martyrs are victims offered by the Church, we
can obtain through their intercession the remission of our sins
54
.
These sacrifices of the Church are joined to the unique sacrifice of
Christ. They offered their life as a sacrifice of love, which has its
effect even on others. In some such way must we suppose the
death of the most holy martyrs to operate, many receiving benefit
from it by an influence we cannot describe.
Frances M. Young says,
The idea that the martyrs sacrifice is expiatory
never entirely disappears, though it is related closely to the
far more efficacious death of Christ which atoned for the
sins of the whole world. In fact, the J ewish martyr tradition
probably provided the earliest means of interpreting the
death of Christ. However, once Christ crucified was con-
sidered the one and only sacrifice for the sins of the whole
world, the persistence of belief in the atoning efficacy of a
Christians martyrdom is hard to explain unless the idea
had already entered Christian thinking independently. The
problem of obtaining forgiveness for post-baptismal sins,
admittedly, ensured the continuance of the idea that ones
own sins could be washed by the Baptism in blood, but the
virtue of the martyrs death was still considered to atone

52 Cf. Hippolytus, In dan. 2.37; Tertullian, De res. carn. 43; Cyprian, Ad Fort. I3; Eusebius, H. E.
6.42.5 (quoting Dionysius of Alexandria); etc., Cf. J.P. Kirsch, The Doctrine of the Communion of
Saints in the Ancient Church (London I9I0) 82.
53 Exhortation to Martyrdom, 28 (ACW).
Martyrdom
839
not merely for oneself but for many
55
.
Let us also remember our sins, and that without
baptism it is impossible to obtain remission of sins (cf. Acts
2:38), and that according to the precepts of the Gospel one
cannot be baptized a second time in water and the Spirit
for the remission of sins, but that we are given the baptism
of martyrdom... And you must consider if, just as the Sav-
iors baptism of martyrdom cleanses the world from guilt,
ours too may work for the healing of many by such clean-
sing. For as those who served at the altar set up by the Law
of Moses were thought to procure through the blood of
goats and bulls remission of sins for the people, so the
souls of those who have been beheaded for their testimony
to Jesus (Rev. 20:4) do not serve in vain at the altar in
heaven but procure for them that pray remission of sins.
We learn too that just as Jesus Christ the High Priest of-
fered Himself as a sacrifice, so the priests, whose High
Priest He is, offer themselves as a sacrifice (Heb. 5,7,8,10),
for which reason they are seen at their rightful place - the
altar. But while some of the priests were without blemish
and offered in their divine service sacrifices that were
without blemish, others were sullied with such blemishes as
Moses listed in Leviticus (21:17ff) and were kept away
from the altar. Who then is the priest without blemish, if
not he who upholds the confession to the last and who ful-
fills in every detail what we mean by martyrdom?
56
.

THE ARENA OF THE BATTLE
Origen comments on the destruction of J erichos walls (J os.
6), saying:
May we go to the war and attack the most danger-
ous city in the world, i.e., the evil.

56 Martyrdom 30.
Origen
840
May we destroy the proud walls of the sin...
The battle in which you are involved is within you.
There is the building of evil which must by destroyed.
May your enemy be kicked out from the depth of
your heart!
57

MORTIFICATION AND MARTYRDOM
Mortification and martyrdom are one and the same thing. If
a Christian fails to accustom himself to consider all human life as a
testing wherein all his reserves of courage must ultimately be
called into play, he is likely to find himself exposed to the danger
of apostasy in his hour of trial
58
.
Origen realized that the burnt offering in the Old Testa-
ment meant the highest offering of praise, not an offering of placa-
tion as in Greek religion; so his exposition of the Christian holo-
caust implies the same thing. The Christians holocaust is himself,
and he keeps the sacrifice burning on the altar by renouncing his
possessions, taking up his Cross and following Christ; by giving
his body to be burned, and following the glory of the martyr, hav-
ing charity; by loving his brethren, and fighting for justice and
truth, even unto world is crucified to him, and he to the world
59
.

MARTYRDOM AS A VERSION SACRIFICE
Frances M. Young says,
The martyrs sacrifice has to be seen then in the
context of this same duelist picture, and it would not be
surprising to find that, like the death of the greatest martyr,
Christ, his sacrifice should be interpreted as a means of
averting the evil demons. Clements use of the analogy
with the death of patriotic pagan citizens to avert plague
etc., suggests that this was the kind of terms in which the

57 In Jos. hom 5:5.
59 In Lev. hom. 9:9; Frances M. Young: The Use of Sacrificial Ideas in Greek Christian Writers
from the New Testament to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 131.
Martyrdom
841
sacrifice could be understood. Origens Exhortation to
Martyrdom confirms this, which is hardly surprising,
since we found he was the chief exponent of the aversion
sacrifice as a means of understanding the atoning death of
Christ. Origen exhorts his readers to persevere in the war
against the demons, insisting that idolatry is the only alter-
native to martyrdom. He describes as the rewards of mar-
tyrdom, the attaining of sinlessness and the bliss of heaven.
But he also describes the atoning value of the martyrs sac-
rifice, and sets before him the joy of imitating and partici-
pating in the sufferings of Christ. The work of the martyr in
Christ in despoiling with him the principalities and powers
and triumphing with him, by partaking in his sufferings and
the great deeds accomplished in his sufferings. For it may
be that as we have been purchased by the precious blood of
J esus..., so some will be ransomed by the precious blood of
martyrs... The martyrs sacrifice is exactly analogous to
the sacrifice of Christ and therefore to be interpreted as the
same kind of sacrifice - that is, in the case of Origen, as a
sacrifice offered as a ransom to avert the power of the evil
one, as part of the warfare against the devil in which Christ
had already won the ultimate victory. Like Christ, the mar-
tyr glorified God simply by his willing self-sacrifice to the
cause of dealing with the sin and evil of the world
60
.

V V V

ment to John Chrysostom, Philadelphia 1979, p. 228-229.

841
19

MARRIAGE AND VIRGINITY
1

SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE
Origen, like his teacher St. Clement of Alexandria, defends
the lawfulness of marriage against the Encratites
2
who are mostly
the Marcionites and the Montanists
3
. He refers to them in the
words of St. Paul in 1 Tim. 4:3 as attaching themselves to demonic
doctrines
4
. Several times allusions were made to them as they for-
bid marriage and preach abstinence
5
. We read in Origens writings
against the Marcionites that nothing created by God is impure in
itself, and that nothing can be defiled except by the evil thoughts
and intentions of humans. They forbid marriage which is realized
by the providence of God
6
. He also opposed their distinction of
the Creator God of the Old Testament and God the Father of
Christ, refuting their allegation that marriage and procreation are
cooperation with the former
7
.

1 See Fr. Metthias F. Wahba: The Doctrine of Sanctification in relation to marriage according to St.
Athanasius, Ottawa, 1993, ch. II.; Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989.
2 Tatian, a former pupil of the apologist Justin, stood at the head of a long line of Christians who
were called "Encratites" (the "Chaste Ones," from the Greek word enkrateia, meaning "chastity"
or "self-control"). The Encratites interpreted the stories about Adam and Eve in the opening chap-
ters of Genesis as an account of the fall of humanity from a pristine, Spirit-filled existence into the
sinful, mortal condition now epitomized by human sexuality. Only by rejecting marital intercourse
and procreation, the Encratites taught, could people be restored to their original, spiritual condi-
tion intended by God the Creator. (David G. Hunter: Marriage in the Early Church, Minneapolis,
1992, p13.)
3 H. Crouzel, Virginite et Marriage selon Origene, Paris, Desclee de Brower, 1963, pp. 132-134.
4 Com. in Rom., 1X.2; Com. on Matt., X1V.6, X11.27, in H. Crouzel, op. cit., p. 133.
5 De. Principiis., 11.7; Hom on Lev., X.2; Com. in Matt. Xv.4; Frag. on Rom, 5; in H. Crouzel, op.
cit., p. 133.
6 Frag. on 1 Cor., XXX1V, XXXV11, edited by Jenkins in Journal of Theological Studies, 1X (1908),
pp 500-514, mentioned by Crouzel, op. cit., p. 133.
7 Frag. on 1 Cor., XXX1V, XXXV11, edited by Jenkins in Journal of Theological Studies, 1X (1908),
pp 500-514, mentioned by Crouzel, op. cit., p. 133.
Origen
842
Origen defends Christian marriage, as a type of unity of the
Church with Christ.
Since God has joined them together (a man and a
woman in marriage), for this reason there is a gift for those
joined together by God. Paul knowing this declares that
equally with the purity of the holy celibacy is marriage ac-
cording to the Word of God a gift, saying, But I would
that all men were like myself; howbeit, each man has his
own gift from God, one after this manner, and another after
that (1 Cor. 7:7). Those who are joined together by God
obey in thought and deed the command "Husbands, love
your wives, as Christ also the Church" Eph 5:25
8
.

CONCEPT OF MARRIAGE
1. St. Clement speaks of marriage as co-operation among
the couple, and leads to a kind of harmony
9
; Origen, his disciple,
sees in marriage a mutual giving
10
.
2. He urges that the true Christian has intercourse with his
wife only to have offspring, and he cautions married people
against having relations once the wife has conceived. Using Se-
necas argument from the conduct of animals, he says, "Some
women serve lust without any restraint." indeed I would not com-
pare them to dumb beasts; for beasts, when they conceive, know
not to indulge their mates further with their plenty. Intercourse
must be suspended until the woman can conceive again
11
.
3. Marriage is a safety valve for those who are not gifted
with continence.

8 Comm. Matt. 14:16 on 19:3-12.
9 Fr. Malaty: School of Alexandria, NJ. 1994, book 1,p. 265.
10 Origen, Hom. on Num. 24:.2, in H. Crouzel, Virginite et Marriage selon Origene, p. 105.
11 In Gen. 3:6; 5:4.
Marriage and Virginity
843
God has allowed us to marry wives, because not
everyone is capable of the superior condition, which is to
be absolutely pure
12
.
Do not think that just as the belly is made for food
and food for the belly, that in the same way the body is
made for intercourse. It was made that it should be a tem-
ple to the Lord. Adam had a body in Paradise, but in Para-
dise he did not know Eve
13
.
To live in marriage as a perfect Christian, with the reserve
and self-control which conjugal love demands, in self-giving to the
partner and the children and not in the desire to enjoy the other, is
difficult for one who, like every other man, has to overcome the
trend of a nature marked by selfishness. Marriage is a way of per-
fection that is far from easy and the grace of the sacrament is very
necessary for that
14
.

SECOND MARRIAGE
15

Origen does not forbid absolutely second marriages after
widowhood, for the apostle permitted them (1 Cor. 7:39-40). He
even harshly blames the rigorists who exclude the remarried from
the assemblies as if they were open sinners. But he is far from en-
couraging second marriages for the following reasons:
1. His argument depends on St. Pauls refusal to ordain
those who remarried as clergymen. According to St. Paul (1 Tim.
3:1-2, 12; Tit 1:5-6), clergyman should be the husband of one
wife; he cannot remarry if he is widowed and remarried men must
not be ordained.

12 Against Celsus 8:55; Carl A. Volz: Life and Practice in the Early Church, Minneapolis, 1990, p.
78.
13 Frag. on 1 Cor., 29, in P. Brown, The Body and Society, p. 175.
14 Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989..
15 Origen, Hom. on Luc., XV:11, in H. Chadwick, Alexandrian Christianity, p.38.
Origen
844
2. To take a second wife is not in conformity with the
primitive law of Gen. 2:24, for one cannot be one flesh with a sec-
ond woman.
3. Origen sees no better reason for those who get remarried
than inability to live continentally and to control one's instincts.
It is astonishing that Origen, like many other Fathers, never
mentions any other motives for remarriage such as economic fac-
tors or the requirements of childrens education. Marriages are pre-
sented only as an extreme concession to weakness: it is better to
marry than to live in sin when one cannot put up with continence.
What about the multiple unions of the patriarchs, which
were even simultaneous? They symbolize mystical economies.
Paul wishes no one of those of the church, who has
attained to any eminence beyond the many, as is attained in
the administration of the sacraments, to make trial of a
second marriage
16
.
Origen permits remarriage and even harshly blames the rig-
orists who excluded the remarried from the assemblies as if they
were open sinners.

MARRIAGE AND THE FALL
Origen insists that marriage came into existence as a result
of the Fall. He believes that human beings come into existence as
angelic spirits that fall from beatitude into human bodies. Sexual-
ity, then, is an unfortunate instrument of providing bodies for the
fallen spirits
17
. St. Peter of Alexandria (c. 300-311 A.D), protested
against Origen's opinion that the union of pre-existent souls with
bodies was a consequence of their sin. He adds that the idea was a
Greek doctrine, foreign to Christianity
18
.

16 Comm. Matt. 14:22.
17 De Principiis, 1.5, 11.8.
18 J. Tixeront, History of Dogma, St. Louis, MO, B. Herder Book, 1930, vol. 1, pp. 391-392.
845
SEXUAL RELATIONS
Origen is one of the Christian authors who developed the
idea of an impurity inherent in sexual relationships
19
. The only dif-
ference between the impurity of carnal conditions and that of sex-
ual relations is one of intensity. As an ascetic and mystic, Origen
was very sensitive to the danger of enjoyment of sexual relations
20
.
The defilement of marriage can be overcome to a certain extent if
the love of the spouses imitates that of Christ for the Church, and
avoids all selfish passion
21
. Carnal love is only an abuse of the
love which God has put in our hearts in order that we should love
him
22
. Conjugal love, though carnal, must tend more and more to-
ward the spiritual by the harmony between the spouses which
would be disturbed by passion, a selfish love seeking the satisfac-
tion of enjoyment, not the good of the partner
23
.
Origen considers the physical pleasure of sexual bonding in
marriage as a bland displacement of true feeling, a deflection of
the spirits capacity for delight into the dulled sensation of the
body
24
.
Several of Origens writings point to an impurity in sexual
relations, even through legitimate marriage. The child is impure at
birth; this original impurity is transmitted by generation as linked
to the sexual intercourse of the parents with the passion which ac-
companies it. Origen's idea to the impurity of even lawful sexual
relations is derived from his interpretation of 1 Cor. 7:5; abstention
from conjugal relations for the sake of prayer is temporary, to be
sure, and agreed between them, but is understood as an annihila-
tion
25
.

19 H. Crouzel: Origen, p. 138.
20 Ibid., 139.
21 H. Crouzel: Marriage and Virginity, p. 59.
22 Comm. on Songs, Prol.
23 Ibid., 3.
24 Hom. on Cant. Cant. 2.9; P. Brown: The Body and Society, NY 1988, p. 173..
25 Frag. on 1 Cor. 7:5; H. Crouzel, Origen, pp. 138.
Origen
846
The idea is drawn also from his own understanding of pas-
sages of the Old Testament. The woman who has given birth is
impure because of the flow of blood, whereas she was not impure
during nine months as she was far from the sexual relationships
which took place previously
26
. Elsewhere, Origen directs that the
conjugal bedroom is not a convenient place for prayer, because
"those who indulge in the pleasures of love are to some extent de-
filed and impure
27
." One cannot think of the Holy Spirit during the
conjugal relation. Origen says, "Lawful marriages are not sinful;
but at the time when the sex act is performed, the Holy Spirit will
not be present, even if it were a prophet doing the act of genera-
tion
28
."
Origen, however, endeavors to distinguish the impurity of
conjugal relations from sin. It only exists "in some way", and it is
only "a certain" impurity. This kind of impurity does not prevent
married people from offering to God their bodies as a living sacri-
fice, holy and pleasing to God (Rom. 12:1).
Carnal love is only an abuse of the love which God has put
in our hearts so that we should love Him
29
. To be sure, Origen
scarcely distinguishes between the movement of the gift from the
movement of the desire, the distinction that our contemporaries
denote by the Greek words agape and eros
30
.

SEXUAL RELATIONS AND DEVOTION TO WORSHIP
The impurity of even lawful sexual relations also emerges
from Origen's interpretation of 1 Cor. 7:5: that which is in Paul a
piece of advice or a permission aimed at the withdrawal of the
married couple for prayer becomes for Origen an obligation, tem-

26 On Lev. 12:2-7.
27 De Orat., 31:4.
28 Hom. in Num., 4:3.
29 Comm. on Cant., Prol.
847
porary, to be sure, and agreed between them, but extended to reli-
gious fasts and to the reception of the Eucharist.
MARRIAGE AND ORDER OF LOVE
Love must be ordered: this theme is developed in the Com-
mentary on the Song of Songs at Cant. 2, 4 LXX Order the love
that is in me, and likewise in the Homily on Luke 25 and is the
beginning of a whole tradition.
1. Only God and His Christ, who are subjects and objects
of the same love, must be loved with all our heart, with all our
soul, and with all our strength (Matt. 22:37): to love a creature
like that is to confer on it what must only be given to God, it is
idolatry. God alone is to be loved without limit.
2. The neighbor must be loved as ourselves (Matt.
22:39).
First among neighbors is the wife whom the husband must
love as his own body, just as Christ loves the Church: this love is
of a particular nature and is separate from all other'
31
. Next come
the other affections in the family. But none of these loves are to be
preferred to the love of God, when the choice must be made, for
example by the martyr: to put those one loves before God would
not be truly to love them
32
.

EQUALITY OF HUSBANDS AND WIVES
R. Crouzel says,
In Hebrew legislation and in Roman law there was
no equality of the spouses in the matter of adultery. A mar-
ried man who allowed himself extramarital relations with
an unmarried girl was not an adulterer; he in no way
wronged his wife, who had no rights over him. On the con-
trary, the married woman who did the same was an adulter-
ess and was punished severely by the law as was her ac-

31 Comm. on Cant. 3.
Origen
848
complice, for she was her husband's property. While in
Roman circles the wife could take the initiative to end the
marriage, in J ewish circles she could not. When Paul
writes: For the wife does not rule over her own body, but
the husband does; likewise, also, the husband does not rule
over his own body, but the wife does (1 Cor. 7:14), he is
re-establishing equality, giving the wife a right over her
husbands body similar to the one he has over hers
33
.
This equality in respect of the fundamental rights
which is to be found fairly clearly in the works of Origen
does not prevent the man from remaining the head of the
family nor from being likewise within the family the one
who leads prayer. Pauls rule That the women should keep
silent in the churches (1 Cor. 14:35)
34
is used by Origen
against the Montanists, by reason of their prophetesses,
Priscilla and Maximilla, to show that their Church was not
the Bride of Christ
35
.
Let the wives learn from the examples of the patri-
archs, let the wives learn, I say, to follow their husbands.
For not without cause is it written that Sara was standing
behind Abraham, but that it might be shown that if the
husband leads the way to the Lord, the wife ought to follow.
I mean that the wife ought to follow if she see her husband
standing by God
36
.

MIXED MARRIAGES
R. Crouzel says,
Origen is strongly opposed to unions between be-
lievers and unbelievers. They are unequally yoked to use
a Pauline term, heterozygountes
37
, and Origen cannot see in

33 Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 144..
34 Fragm. 1 Cor. 74.
37 2 Cor. 6:14; Fragm. 1 Cor. 35.
849
that a true marriage of which God is the author: the accord
that comes from the Lord is lacking. Some Christians con-
sider themselves authorized to marry pagans by what Paul
says in I Cor. 7, 14: they will sanctify their partners. But
for one thing the case envisaged by the apostle is not the
same: it is that of a marriage between two unbelievers, one
of whom is converted subsequently, and not that of an in-
ter-faith marriage contracted between a Christian and a
non-Christian. For another thing, when he said that the be-
liever would sanctify his partner, Paul only mentioned the
more favorable solution, for the other possibility also ex-
ists: that the Christian is soiled by the pagan partner and
that there ensues a struggle starting from the 'abundance of
the heart
38
, that is to say from the strength of the convic-
tions of each; it is not certain that the Christian will win
and keep his faith. As Paul requires of the widows
39
, mar-
riage must be 'in the Lord', which Origen, in common with
most but not all the Fathers, interprets to mean with a
Christian partner
40
.

DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE
Origen assures that marriage cannot be dissolved by every
cause, but only by committing fornication (Matt. 19:3).
We must say that Christs saying, What God has
joined together let no man put asunder (Matt. 19:6), did
not put away the former synagogue, His former wife, for
any cause than that wife committed fornication, being made
an adulteress by the evil one, and along with him plotted
against her husband and slew Him, saying, Away with
such a fellow from the earth, crucify Him (John 19:6,15;
Luke 23:18)
41
.

38 Matt. 12:34; Fragm. 1 Cor. 36.
39 1 Cor. 7:39; Fragm. 1 Cor. 36.
41 Comm. Matt. 14:17.
Origen
850
VIRGINITY
42

To express Origens view on virginity, I quote almost R.
Crouzel who deals with this topic in two of his works
43
.
Origen did not write a treatise on virginity: his teaching
about it is scattered through his works and contained especially in
the fragments that survive of his exegesis of the first Epistle to the
Corinthians.

HOW GREAT IS VIRGINITY!
Origen considers virginity as the most perfect gift after
martyrdom. In the sacrifice of virginity, man is at once, by his in-
tellect, the priest, and in his flesh the victim, like Christ on the
Cross. Virginity is presented as a privileged link between heaven
and earth; for God was able to unite Himself to humanity only
through a "holy" body of a virgin woman without marital rela-
tions
44
.

ST. MARY, THE PATRONESS OF THE VIRGINS
St. Mary among women is the first fruit of virginity as the
Lord J esus is among men
45
.
Origen affirms St. Mary's perpetual virginity in his Homi-
lies on Leviticus
46
. In another place he says:
A certain tradition has come to us to this effect...
Mary, after giving birth to the Savior, went in to adore
and stood in that place for virgins (in the Temple). Those
who knew that she had borne a son tried to keep her away,

42 Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 141ff.
43 Virginit et Marriage selon Origne, Museum Lessianum, section theologique 58, Paris, Descle
de Brower, 1963; Origen, Translated by A,S. Warrall, 1989.
45 Com. on John, 1.4, Hom. on Luke 7:4; in H. Crouzel, Origen, p. 141.
46 In Lev. hom. 8:2. PG 12:493f.
851
but Zachary said to them: She is worthy of the place of
virgins, for she is still a virgin
47
.
In Homily VII on Luke, preserved in a translation by St.
J erome and in several Greek fragments which correspond closely
to the translation and cover more than half of it, Origen is incensed
against a heretic who, probably on account of Matt. 12:46-50,
maintained that Mary had been renounced by J esus for having had
children by J oseph after his birth. Where Origen simply says:
Some one dared to say' (etolmese tis eipein), J erome translates:
'Some one, I know not who, let himself go to such a point of mad-
ness that he said: (In tantum quippe nescio quis prorupit insaniae,
ut assveveret . . .)
48
.
Origen represents St. Mary as the patroness of the virgins,
or the Virgin of the virgins: "It would have been unbecoming to
attribute to anyone other than Mary the title of 'The First of Vir-
gins
49
.'"

VIRGINITY AND SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE BETWEEN
CHRIST AND THE SOUL
Origen as an Alexandrian explains virginity as a royal inner
way, through it the believers soul examine the union with her
Heavenly Groom, J esus Christ
R. Crouzel says,
Virginity makes the union of Christ and the soul
more possible. It is thus a witness both to the first and the
last things because it evokes the perfect marriage of Christ
and Church which was present in the pre-existence and will
be again at the Resurrection. The Church, Bride and Virgin,
holds her virginity from the chastity of her members lead-
ing a life either of virginity or of chastity according to the

47 Comm. in Mat. 25.
49 Comm. in Mat. 10:17 PG 13:878A.
Origen
852
state in which they find themselves. So chastity appropriate
to the state of marriage is an element in the virginity of the
Church.

VIRGINITY OF FAITH AND HEART
Virginity of the body is not desired for its sake, but as a
way that leads the soul to practise the inner virginity, that is to de-
vote herself as a pure bride to her Heavenly Groom. This is what
Origen assures in his speech on virginity.
R. Crouzel in his book on Origen says,
Virginity of faith is more important than virginity of
morals, which has no value if the doctrine is false
50
.
Virginity of body only has meaning where there is
virginity of heart: violation of the first is important when
there is also violation of the second. Finally, Christian vir-
ginity is a voluntary decision: it must not be confused with
the factual virginity of a woman who has not found a hus-
band or a man incapable of marriage, unless that factual
virginity has been freely undertaken from a religious mo-
tive. Christian virginity is a deliberate decision to preserve
celibacy for the service of God
51
.
J ust as marriage involves a mutual giving of the spouses to
one another, so virginity takes its place in the theme of mystical
marriage because there is a mutual self-giving between God and
His creature
52
.

VIRGINITY AS A DIVINE GIFT
Perhaps some men can live in celibacy, as they refuse mar-
riage for a reason or other. But inner virginity is a divine gift, and
nobody can practice it without Gods help. R. Crouzel says,

853
Virginity is then a gift of God to the soul which
must receive it in faith and prayer. But virginity is also a
gift that the soul makes to God, the most perfect after mar-
tyrdom, a gift made in response to the first gift which
comes from God. In the sacrifice of virginity the man is at
once by his intellect the priest who immolates, and in his
flesh the victim which is immolated: thus he imitates Christ
on the Cross, at once priest and victim. A fragment of Ori-
gen's exegeses of the first Epistle to the Corinthians clearly
distinguishes two kinds of commandments, the kind im-
posed on all and necessary to salvation, and the kind, in-
cluding virginity and poverty, which go beyond what is
imposed and necessary for salvation. Such was the celibacy
lived by Paul out of devotion to the Church. If chastity ap-
propriate to one's state of life is a commandment imposed
on all, virginity goes beyond what is imposed on all
53
.

VIRGINITY AS A SACRIFICE
We mentioned before that for Origen all Christian life is
interpreted as a holy sacrifice, for it is a new life in the Crucified
and Risen Christ. Virginity as a high Christian life is a true spiri-
tual sacrifice, acceptable to God.
R. Crouzel says,
Virginity imposes a sacrifice, a mortification of the
flesh which does not consist in refusing it what is needful,
but not serving its evil desires. The measure and the man-
ner of this mortification are not the same for all, for all do
not have the same difficulties. Some are naturally chaste
and have little difficulty in keeping themselves free of evil
imaginations; with others this is not so, and they have to
struggle constantly. The means vary, but in no way can one
attain here below a chastity which would take away all
danger of falling and make precautions unnecessary. The

Origen
854
actions of the saint, even the best of them, are not exempt
from stain. Closely linked with chastity are the keeping of
the heart and the senses, consisting in the avoidance of
dangerous thoughts and sensations, flight from occasions
where that could happen, fasting with abstinence from cer-
tain kinds of food and drink considered particularly rous-
ing, prayer in the Storm of temptation with the effort to
keep calm and confident. However, temptation is normal
for man in this lower world: it takes many forms and spares
no age or state of life, the healthy no more than the sick. It
is for the Christian yet another opportunity to offer to God
his chastity
54
.

VIRGINITY AND MARRIAGE
Origen believes that Christian marriage and virginity are
divine grace, granted to believers according to their gifts, and have
the same spiritual aim.
R. Crouzel says,
With J esus, all the virtues that are identified with
Him grow in the soul. Unlike the married person, who is in
a sense, the slave of his partner, for he has surrendered
rights over his own body, the virigin is free, not with a free-
dom to give rein to selfishness, but with a freedom that
finds its justification in a more complete service of God.
We saw above that we must distinguish in Origen free-will,
that is the power of choice, from freedom
55
.
Thus it can be understood how the freedom of vir-
ginity undertaken for God's sake is identified with the ser-
vice of God
56
.

855
20

ESCHATOLOGY

ESCHATOLOGICAL ATTITUDE
As the return of the soul to God is the main line in Origens
thought, therefore his writings almost have an eschatological atti-
tude.
Origen looks to the spiritual meaning of the Scriptures as a
participation in heaven itself. St. Gregory expresses the attitude of
his teacher by saying, To our mind, it was really... an image of
Paradise
1
." It is the first resurrection which we enjoy here, till we
attain the second or last one (Rev. 20).
With joy we celebrate the eighth day (Sunday), the day of
the resurrection, as a pledge of the world to come
The number eight, which contains the virtue of the
Resurrection, is the figure of the future world
2
.
When Christ shall have delivered up the kingdom
to God, even the Father, then those living beings, because
they have before this been made part of Christs kingdom,
shall also be delivered up along with the whole of that
kingdom to the rule of the Father; so that, when God shall
be in all, they also, since they are a part of all, may have
God even in themselves, as he is in all things
3
.
Origen assures that we here attain by divine grace a kind of
perfection, but we have to grow in this perfection all our lives in
this world till we meet our Lord face to face on the Last Day.

1
Or. Paneg. 15.
2
Sel. Psalm. PG 12:1624 B-C.
3
Origen
856
As long as we are in this world, the words I shall
be safe cannot be completely fulfilled - only when we live
with the angels of God, when Gods statutes will be
practiced face to face with Him, in true reality, not a
shadow thereof
4
.
J ean Danilou states that Origen in his teachings of escha-
tology has almost his own personal system, saying,
When we come to the Last Things, we find our-
selves in the same sort of country as we did when we stud-
ied the beginnings of things, eschatology corresponds to
archaeology. Scripture has little information to give
about it. We shall thus be faced once more with Origens
personal system in its most characteristic forms
5
.
I have mentioned his eschatological attitude in our speech
on apokatastasis, that is the return of all rational creatures to their
original nature; also on the destiny of mans body. Here I will try
to explain Origens view on:
1. The resurrection of Christ as the source of our resurrec-
tion.
2. Death.
3. Transformation and final unity of the universe.
4. The kingdom of God.
5. Outer darkness and eternal fire.
6. Knowledge after death.
7. Mans rank in heaven.
In all these elements we have to know that two main axes
that rule Origens system: Divine Providence and mans free-will.

4
Sel Ps. 119:117.
5
Origen, P. 276.
Escatology
857
1. THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
6

CHRISTS RESURRECTION AND THE RESURRECTION
OF BELIEVERS
1. As Origens theology is soteriological, he states that the
holy Scripture emphasizes Christs resurrection for the resurrection
of believers, that is the practice of the risen life, which is the
pledge of the future resurrection, or attaining the present first res-
urrection as a way to attain the second one.
We have a pledge of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor.
1;22), whom we shall receive in His fullness when that is
perfect is come (1 Cor. 13:10): and likewise we have a
pledge of the resurrection, the fact being that none of us
has yet risen in the perfection of resurrection
7
.
If you believe that Christ has risen from the dead,
you must believe also that you yourselves have likewise
risen with him; and if you believe that he is seated at the
right hand of the Father in heaven, you must also believe
that you yourselves are situated no longer in the earthly but
the heavenly scene; and if you believe yourselves dead with
Christ, you must believe that you will also live with him;
and if you believe that Christ is dead to sin and lives to
God, you too must be dead to sin and alive to God... This is
because the man who (sets his mind on things above) shows
his belief in him who raised up Jesus... from the dead, and
for this man faith is truly counted for righteousness... And
if we have risen with Christ who is righteousness, and walk
in newness of life, and live according to righteousness,
Christ has risen for us, that we might be justified... who

6
Cf. Thomas P. Collins: The Risen Christ in the Fathers of the Church, Paulist Press, Glen Rock,
N.J., 1967, p. 42f.
7
In Ezek. hom. 2:5.
Origen
858
have undertaken a new life on the model of his resurrec-
tion...
Evoking the Genesis account of J acobs blessing on J udah,
Origen pictures the buried Lord as a sleeping lion. Aroused by the
Father in the resurrection, the Lord J esus is instrumental in making
those who (in this life) "have been made conformable to His resur-
rection" fully authentic persons. It appears that for Origen confor-
mity to Christs resurrection makes people "like gold" in the pre-
sent existence, and that their quality as "true gold" awaits a further
"spiritualization" and fuller identification with the Lord.
So have the things delivered through our Lord Jesus
Christ himself been set in true gold and in solid silver....
For when he has laid him down and slept "as a lion and as
a loins whelp" (cf. Gen 49: 9), and afterward the Father
has aroused him, and he has risen from the dead, if then
there be such as have been made conformable to his resur-
rection, they will continue no longer in the likeness of gold,
that is, in the pursuit of bodily things, but will receive the
true gold from him
8
.
But when the resurrection itself takes place of the true
and more perfect body of Christ, then those who are now the
members of Christ, for they will then be dry bones, will be
brought together, bone to bone, and fitting to fitting (for none
of those who are destitute of fitting approval) will come to the
perfect man), to the measure (Ephes. 4:13) of the stature of
the fullness of the body of Christ. And then the many
members (1 Cor. 12:12 sq.) will be the one body, all of them,
though many, becoming members of one body. But it belongs
to God alone to make the distinction of foot and hand and eye
and hearing and smelling, which in one sense fill up the head,
but in another the feet and the rest of the members and the
weaker and humbler ones, the more and the less honorable.
God will temper the body together, and then, rather than

8
Commentary on the Song of Songs [2.8]: ACW 26.153-55.
Escatology
859
now, He will give to that which lacks the more abundant
honor, that there may be, by no means, any schism in the
body, but that the members may have the same care for one
another, and, if any member be well off, all the members may
share in its good things, or if any member be glorified, all the
members may rejoice with it
9
.
Origen believes that there are two kinds of regeneration, one
is called washing of generation, realized in this world through
baptism, as a pledge of the other regeneration which will be realized
in the world to come, and is called regeneration by the Holy Spirit
and Fire.
This is the Regeneration of that new coming-into
being when a new heaven and earth is created for those
who have renewed themselves, and a new covenant and its
cup is given. Of that Regeneration what Paul calls the
washing of Regeneration (Titus 3:5) is the prelude, and
that which is brought to this washing of regeneration in
the renewing of the Spirit is a symbol of that newness. It
might also be said that whereas at our natural birth none
is pure from defilement, even if he only lives one day (Job
14:4, LXX)... in the washing of regeneration everyone
who is born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:3,5)
is pure from defilement, but (if I may venture to put it so)
only in a glass darkly (1 Cor. 13:12). But at that other
Regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit upon the
throne of His glory, everyone who achieves that Regenera-
tion in Christ is totally pure from defilement, sees Him face
to face, having passed through the washing of regeneration
to that other one, the latter can be understood by reflection
on the words of John, who baptized with water unto re-
pentance, concerning the Savior: He shall baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

9
Origen
860
Further, in the washing of regeneration we were
buried with Christ [quotes Rom 6 4]; but in the Regenera-
tion of the washing through fire and the Spirit we become
conformed to the body of the glory (Phil. 3:21) of the
Christ who sits on the throne of His glory
10
.
2. Resurrection as a transfiguration of the Crucified
Christ. The resurrection eliminates and transfigures the Christ of
the passion. He appears as the mighty Lord, loaded with victory
and trophies; He comes in splendor as the King of glory
11
.
Then those who escort him say to those that are
upon the heavenly gates, "Lift up your gates, you rulers,
and be you lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the king of
glory shall come in." But they ask again, seeing as it were,
his right hand red with blood and his whole person covered
with the marks of his valor, "Why are your garments red,
and your clothes like the treading of the full wine vat when
it is trodden?" (cf. Is 63:2). And to this he answers, "I have
crushed them" (Is 63:3)
12
.
Origen seems to see the conviction of the resurrection of
Christ as influencing Christians to look beyond their sufferings to
"life everlasting and the resurrection."
13

He rose from the dead and so utterly convinced his
disciples of the truth of his resurrection so that they show
to all men through their sufferings that their attention is fo-
cused on life everlasting and on the resurrection which has
been exemplified to them in word and deed. And so they
can mock at all the hardships of this life
14
.

10
Comm. on Matt. 15:22f. on 19:27 f.
11
Thomas P. Collins: The Risen Christ in the Fathers of the Church, Paulist Press, Glen Rock, N.J.,
1967, p. 48.
12
Commentary on John, 37.
13
1967, p. 52.
14
Against Celsus 2.77: Drewery 132
Escatology
861
3. Through the passion and the resurrection of our Lord He
became the New Adam, the Head of the sanctified mankind.
Just as through having Adam as the first example,
the head, of our natural mode of birth, we are all said to
have in this respect one body, even so do we register Christ
as our head through the divine regeneration of his death
and resurrection which has become a pattern for us
15
.
4. The resurrection of Christ glorifies God the Father.
Origen is commenting on Romans 4:23-25. The question he is ask-
ing is why Paul gives the Christian as the object of his faith the
God who raised Christ from the dead rather than, for example,
the God who created heaven and earth. Origins answer is that the
former designation glorifies God the Father more than the latter
one
16
.
For the latter meant the making of what did not ex-
ist, the former the redeeming of what had perished.... The
latter . . . was achieved by a mere fiat, the former by suffer-
ing. Now the pattern and image of this . . . mystery had
come beforehand in the faith of Abraham. For he had be-
lieved, when he was ordered to sacrifice his only son, that
God was able to raise him even from the dead; he had also
believed that the transaction then set afoot did not only ap-
ply to Isaac, but that it was sacramental, and that its full
meaning was reserved for that descendant of his who is
Christ. It was then ... with joy that he offered his only son,
because he saw therein not the death of his issue, but the
restoration of the world, the renewal of the whole creation,
reestablished through the resurrection of the Lord: And
this was why the Lord said of him, "Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day..." [John 8:56].

15
Commentary on John, fragment 140: based on Drewery 132.
16
1967, p. 49.
Origen
862
2. DEATH

KINDS OF DEATH
Origen follows tradition in teaching the twofold death of
the Christian - that of the body, the result of Adams sin
17
and that
of the soul, the result of personal sin
18
.
In fact, Origen distinguishes three kinds of death:
1. A death to sin which is good.
2. A death in sin, which is bad.
3. An indifferent death, neither good nor bad in itself,
which he also calls physical or common death.

1. DEATH IN SIN
Those who refuse to live in Christ, live in sin; in other
words, as they refuse to attain the Life, they taste death. Death in
sin is the opposite of the divine life which shares in the divine
Spirit and in the Christ who is Life.
But apart from the word of the promise of Jesus, we
have conjectured not without reason that we would taste of
death, so long as we were not yet held worthy to see "the
kingdom of God come with power," and "the Son of man
coming in His own glory and in His own kingdom
19
."
But since here it is written in the three Evangelists,
"They shall not taste of death (Matt. 16:28)," but in other
writers different things are written concerning death, it
may not be out of place to bring forward and examine these
passages along with the "taste." In the Psalms, then, it is
said, "What man is he that shall live and not see death (Ps.
89:48)?" And again, in another place, "Let death come

17
In Ezek. hom. 1:9; In Jer. hom. 2:1.
18
Joanne E. McWilliam: Death and Resurrection (Message of the Fathers of the Church), p. 122-3.
19
Escatology
863
upon them and let them go down into Hades alive (Ps.
55:18);" but in one of the prophets, "Death becoming
mighty has swallowed them up (Isa. 25:8); and in the
Apocalypse, "Death and Hades follow some (Rev. 6:10)."
Now in these passages it appears to me that it is one
thing to taste of death,
but another thing to see death,
and another thing for it to come upon some,
and that a fourth thing,
different from the aforesaid, is signified by the
words, "Death becoming mighty has swallowed them up,"
and a fifth thing,
different from these, by the words, "Death and Ha-
des follow them
20
.

The death of the soul
And for this reason, the prophet says, "the soul
which sins will die (Ezek. 18:4), although we do not think
that its death is to the destruction of the substance, but
from the fact that the soul is alien and remote from God
who is true life, we must believe that it dies
21
.
However, Origen believes that God in His redeeming
providence never leaves souls to die in sin, truly they are free to
choose their ways, but in the long run, even after death, God as the
Divine Doctor heals these wounds, and grants these souls eternal
life
22
. His patience is to their advantage, because the soul is im-
mortal and therefore, even if it is not cured at once, it is not de-
barred from salvation for ever; salvation is only put off to a more
suitable time
23
.

20
21
22
See Jean Danliou, chapter five
23
De Princ-3:1:13; De Oratione 28, 13
Origen
864

2. DEATH TO SIN
Death to sin consists essentially in conformity to the death
of Christ which is accompanied by conformity to His resurrection
(Rom. 6).

3. INDIFFERENT DEATH
As for indifferent death, the opposite of that is indifferent
life, the life we share with the animals
24
. There is a link between
death in sin and physical death, for he regards death of sinners as
temporal divine punishment, for their purification.
. The relation between sin and physical death is affirmed in
many tests: the latter is the result of the fall, the wages of sin. In
some instances it is not clear whether physical death or death in sin
is meant, but this very uncertainty reveals the link. The death to
which our earthly body is condemned clouds all our earthly life.
Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of
death?, cries Paul; and Origen comments, That is why the saints
do not celebrate their birthdays. Only those who live the life of the
body consider themselves happy to be living in this body of death.
Even if we know that the future glory will be beyond compare with
the present life and its woes, we see with fear the day of death ap-
proaching and we should like to escape it
25
.
In our treatment of Gods Anger, we noticed that divine
punishment, even death, is regarded by Origen as something edu-
cational;. J ean Danilou says, Even Death will give in at the end;
even Death will be converted
26
.
Already in the Old Testament the death penalty imposed
for a grave crime expunged the pain of sin, for God does not pun-
ish twice the same offense: so it was already a redemptive pun-

24
25
26
Origen, P. 277
Escatology
865
ishment. It is above all the death of Christ which is the source of
the death to sin of all those who are baptized into his death and
consequently mortify their earthly members. In Christ Himself
death does not touch the Word but the human nature that is joined
to Him: and his death was like all human deaths except that He
freely and voluntarily took it upon Himself for the sake of his
friends: He went down into Hades, free among the dead,
stronger than death, dominating it instead of being dominated by it,
in order to deliver those who had been conquered by it. By the
death of Christ is destroyed the death that is Christs enemy, death
in sin
27
.
We have seen that martyrdom is the most perfect imitation
of Christ in his death, and hence in his resurrection. It shares in
Christs work of redemption. It obtains the remission of sins, not
only for the martyr but for others, and it puts to flight the powers
of the devil
28
.

27
28
Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 237..
Origen
866
3. TRANSFORMATION
AND
FINAL UNITY OF THE UNIVERSE

St. Paul says that there are some things that are seen and
temporal while others are not seen and eternal. He says, the
form of this world shall pass away (1 Cor. 7:31). David also
says: The heavens shall perish, but you shall remain; and they all
shall grow old as a garment, and as a cloak you shall change them,
as a garment they shall be changed. For if the heavens shall be
changed, certainly that which is changed does not perish; and
if the form of this world passes away, it is not by any means an
annihilation or destruction of the material substance that is indi-
cated, but the occurrence of a certain change of quality and an al-
teration of the outward form.
Isaiah too, when he says that there shall be a new heaven
and a new earth (Isa. 65:17), undoubtedly suggests a similar
thought. For the renewal of heaven and earth and the transmuta-
tion of the form of this world and the alteration of the heavens
will undoubtedly be accomplished in readiness for those who are
journeying along the way which we have indicated above, making
for that end, namely, blessedness, to which we are told that even
Gods enemies themselves are to be subjected, the end in which
God is said to be all and in all (1 Cor. 15:24, 25, 28)l
29
.
For the end is always like the beginning; as there-
fore there is one end of all things, so we must understand
that there is one beginning of all things, and as there is one
end of many things, so from one beginning arise many dif-
ferences and varieties, which in their turn are restored,
through Gods goodness, through their subjection to Christ

29
Escatology
867
and their unity with the Holy Spirit, to one end, which is
like the beginning
30
.

30
Origen
868
4. THE KINGDOM OF GOD

ESCHATOLOGY AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Our eternal life in fact is an extension to the kingdom of
God that we attain here. In his Commentary on John 21, Origen
states that the resurrection is something both accomplished in be-
lievers in the past - something already realized - and something to
be accomplished in the future. The realized resurrection of man is
epitomized in the par-scriptural statement, "We rose with him" (1
Cor. 15:22-25). The future resurrection - the "not yet" (J ohn 20:17)
of contemporary theological usage - is epitomized in the scriptural
statement, "In Christ shall all be made alive."
31

Our life here is considered as a continuos festival day, be-
cause we attain the pledge of the eternal life, specially through
contemplation. J ean Danilou says,
Eusebius conceives this, in the manner of Origen
and of the monks of Egypt who were his contemporaries, as
a continual meditation on Scripture. Their life is thus a per-
petual feast-day. And this contemplative life, at once that
of the patriarchs and that of Christians, is the image, the
eikon of the blessed rest, that of heaven, where, freed
from all servitude one can contemplate intelligible realities.
The Sabbath itself was introduced by the law of Moses be-
cause of the people (plethos), as an educational means to
lead them to the more perfect practice of the perpetual and
spiritual Sabbath. This is the very thesis of Origen on the
origin of feast-days
32
.
Kelly says,
In the third century Origen developed these and kin-
dred ideas, interpreting the kingdom of God either as the

31
1967, p. 46.
32
Contra Celsius, VIII, 23; Koetschau, 240, 3-15; Jean Danilou: The Bible and the Liturgy, p.247.
Escatology
869
apprehension of divine truth and spiritual reality
33,
or (this
in explanation of Luke 17:21) as the indwelling of the Lo-
gos or the seeds of truth implanted in the soul
34
, or as the
spiritual doctrine of the ensouled Logos imparted through
J esus Christ
35.
The intelligence () which is purified,
he wrote, and rises above all material things to have a pre-
cise vision of God is deified in its vision
36;
and since true
knowledge, in his view, presupposes the union of knower
and object, the divine gnosis of the saints culminates in
their union with God
37
.
In his treatment of the judgment we meet with the
same characteristic tension between the desire to retain tra-
ditional dogma and the desire to reinterpret it in a manner
palatable to intelligent believers.
The judgment itself will be enacted at the end of the
world, and a definitive separation will then be made be-
tween good and bad
38
.
The Savior will not appear in any given place, but
will make Himself known everywhere; and men will pre-
sent themselves before His throne in the sense that they
will render homage to His authority. They will see them-
selves as they are, and in the light of that knowledge the
good and the bad will be finally differentiated. Needless to
say, there is no room here for millenarianism, and Origen
castigates
39
the follies of literalist believers who read the
Scriptures like the J ews and cherish dreams of dwelling in
an earthly J erusalem after the resurrection, where they will

33
Sel in Ps. 144:13.
34
In John. 19:12:78.
35
In Matt. 10:14.
36
In John. 32:27:338.
37
In John. 19:4:23f.; Kelly, p. 470.
38
In Matt. Comm. ser. 70.; Kelly, p. 472.
39
Origen
870
eat, drink and enjoy sexual intercourse to their hearts con-
tent
40
.
Each sinner, he states, kindles his own fire... and
our own vices form its fuel
41
." In other words, the real pun-
ishment of the wicked consists in their own interior an-
guish, their sense of separation from the God Who should
be their supreme good
42
.
He is satisfied, however, that in fact they must one
day come to an end, when all things are restored to their
primeval order. This is his doctrine of the apokatastasis, in
which his eschatology, as indeed his whole theological sys-
tem, culminates, and which postulates that the conclusion
of the vast cosmic evolution will be identical with its be-
ginning
43
.
Even the Devil, it appears, will participate in the fi-
nal restoration. When Origen was taken to task on this
point, he indignantly protested, according to his later cham-
pion Rufinus
44
, that he had held no such theory
45
.
When they reach heaven, he explains, the redeemed
will apprehend the nature of the stars and the reasons for
their respective positions. God will disclose the causes of
phenomena to them; and at a later stage they will reach
things which cannot be seen and which are ineffable
46
.

ETERNAL GLORY
Although souls of men received bodies after their fall, Ori-
gen believes that in eternity not only the soul but also the body will

40
105. Kelly, p. 473.
41
De Principiis 2:10:4; cf. Jerome: in Eph. 5:6
42
Kelly, p. 473.
43
Kelly, p. 473-4.
44
De adult. lib. Orig. PG 17:624 f.
45
Kelly, p. 474.
46
Kelly, p. 485.
Escatology
871
be glorified. He argues strongly against the Gnostics as they be-
lieve that bodies will be entirely dissolved.

GLORIOUS BODIES
In chapter four, it was mentioned that for Origen, the body
will share the soul in its eternal glory. H. Crouzel says,
If the body is normally called the clothing of the
soul, Origen paradoxically calls the soul the clothing of the
body, for at the resurrection the soul will clothe the body
with the qualifies of immortality and incorruptibility which
belong to the souls nature
47
.
Bodies will be transformed from dishonor to glory, and
from corruptibility to incorruptibility.
The matter of the body... which now is corruptible,
shall put on incorruption when a perfect soul, instructed in
the doctrines of incorruption, has begun to use it
48
.
And of this honor some of those who stand by Jesus
are deemed worthy if they be either a Peter against whom
the gates of Hades do not prevail, or the sons of thunder
(Mark 3:17), and are begotten of the mighty voice of God
who thunders and cries aloud from heaven great things to
those who have ears and are wise. Such at least do not
taste death
49
.

DEGREES OF GLORY
It seems that contrary to his idea of apokatastsis, Origen
in some texts refers to the degrees of eternal glory. Truly all risen
bodies will be transformed into glorious and spiritual status, but
every body is glorified according to a mans merits in his life on
earth. Men will be divided into different orders or classes.

47
48
49
Origen
872
It is better... to say that we shall all rise again even
the wicked will come to that place where is weeping and
gnashing of teeth and where the righteous shall each in his
order receive reward according to the merit of his trans-
formed body so as to become like the glory of the body of
Christ
50
.
....A body of glory and dignity will correspond to
the dignity of each ones life and soul
51
.
As, then, without any doubt it will happen in the day
of judgment that the good will be separated from the evil
and the righteous from the unrighteous and every individ-
ual soul will by the judgment of God be allotted to that
place of which his merits have rendered him worthy, if God
will
52
.

Some scholars see that these different orders or classes will
appear in the beginnings of eternity, but as they will be perfectly
purified they will be restored to their ancient ranks.

THE SHAPE OF THE GLORIOUS BODY
Origen believes that the body in eternity will have the
same form, though there will be the greatest possible change for
the better
53
. To be changed for the better means to be transformed
from material to spiritual, to inhabit the realm of the Spiritual God.
This is what happened with the form of Jesus; for it did not be-
come in the transfiguration wholly different from what it was
54
.

50
In Isaiah, fragm. (
51
De Prin, 2:10:3
52
53
Psalms frag. (Tillinton)
54
Ibid
Escatology
873
NOTION OF EIDOS
Whereas Origen uses eidos to express precisely the iden-
tity of the spiritual body with the earthly, although with qualitative
differences, Methodus believes that Origen was teaching that the
risen body would be other than the earthly, that is, there would be
no continuity of what would today be called personality
55
.

PARADISE
Origen discusses the placing of the Good Thief in Para-
dise. He says that saints of the old covenant will be led by Christ to
Paradise at his own glorious Ascension: thus He has re-opened for
them the way which the sin of Adam had closed . Henceforth the
righteous of the new covenant will not go to Hades, but, allowing
for what we shall say below about eschatological purification, will
directly go to Paradise, before the resurrection
56
.

55
Dewart, P. 142.
56
Origen
874
5. OUTER DARKNESS AND ETERNAL
FIRE

Origen believes that in the resurrection men will be divided
into two portions, those who are saved, the righteous, and those
who are to be punished, the wicked ones. The latter are full of
sadness, appropriate to the deeds and life of men who in this pre-
sent existence have despised Gods commandments, and putting
aside all fear of judgment, practised uncleanness and covetous-
ness
57
; but this punishment will not be everlasting. For when the
body will be punished, the soul will be purified , and so restored to
its ancient rank
58
.

MEANING OF LASTING DARKNESS
The outer darkness is in my opinion not to be understood
as a place with a murky atmosphere and no light at all, but rather
as a description of those who through their immersion in the dark-
ness of deep ignorance have become separated from every gleam
of reason and intelligence. We must also see whether possibly this
expression does not mean that just as the saints will receive back
the very bodies in which they have lived in holiness and purity
during their stay in this life, but bright and glorious as a result of
the resurrection, so, too, the wicked, who in this life have loved the
darkness of error and the night of ignorance, will after the resurrec-
tion be clothed with murky bodies, in order that this very gloom of
ignorance, which in the present world had taken possession of the
inner parts of their mind, may in the world to come be revealed
through the garment of their outward body. (Perhaps, however, the
gloom and darkness should be taken to mean this coarse and
earthly body, through which at the end of this world each man that
must pass into another world will receive the beginnings of a fresh

57
On Isa. frag. (Tillinton)
58
De Principles 2:10:8
Escatology
875
birth)... The expression prison must be thought of in a similar
way
59
.

PUNISHMENT OF ETERNAL FIRE
1. Origen, who confirms mans free-will, believes that pun-
ishment of fire after death is inflamed by sinners deeds.
We find in the prophet Isaiah that the fire by which each
man is punished is described as belonging to himself. For it says,
Walk in the light of your fire and in the flame which you have
kindled for yourselves (Isa. 50:11). These words seem to indicate
that every sinner kindles for himself the flame of his own fire, and
is not plunged into a fire which has been previously kindled by
some one else or which existed before him. Of this fire the food
and material are our sins, which are called by the apostle Paul
wood and hay and stubble (1 Cor. 3:12). And I think that just as in
the body an abundance of eatables or food that disagrees with us
either by its quality gives rise to fevers differing in kind and dura-
tion according to the degree in which the combination of noxious
elements supplies material and fuel for them - the quality of which
material, made up of the diverse noxious elements, being the cause
which renders the attack sharper or more protracted - so when the
soul has gathered within itself a multitude of evil deeds and an
abundance of sins, at the requisite time the whole mass of evil
boils up into punishment and is kindled into penalties; at which
time also the mind or conscience, bringing to memory through di-
vine power all things the signs and forms of which it had im-
pressed upon itself at the moment of sinning, will see exposed be-
fore its eyes a king of history of its evil deeds, of every foul and
disgraceful act and all unholy conduct. Then the conscience is har-
assed and pricked by its own stings, and becomes an accuser and
witness against itself
60
.

59
60
Origen
876
Eternal fire is different from our material fire, for the latter
goes out, the former does not. It is invisible and burns invisible
realities. But there is analogy between the two: the sufferings of
men who die by fire gives some idea of what that fire can make
them suffer. The Treatise on First Principles attempts a psycho-
logical explanation of that fire: it is a fire which each sinner lights
for himself and which is fed by his own sins. Origen often says
that our deeds leave their marks on our souls and that at the Day of
J udgment those marks will be revealed and all will be able to read
them. The sinner seeing on himself the marks of all his wicked
deeds will feel the pricks of conscience and this remorse will con-
stitute the fire that punishes him. It is also possible to start from
the passions with which a man burns here below. Sinners caught
in the net of these passions at the moment when they are leaving
the world, without having in any way amended their lives, feel
them at their most acute
61
.
2. Origen continually uses the expressions eternal fire
(pyr aionion) and inextinguishable fire (pyr asbeston) and yet he
ventures to suggest several times the idea that the punishment will
be remedial, and therefore should have an end
62
, as he believes in
the apokatastsis.
H. Crouzel says,
In the Homilies on Jeremiah there are to be found
preserved in Greek passages which point in both directions.
Homily 20 (19), 4 would suggest that the truth about the
punishments would lie in their remedial character: how-
ever, it is not impossible that there is a certain irony in this
passage, as this expression seems to show: How many of
those whom one thinks wise... According to Homily I15,
God not only destroys the work of the devil, He annihilates
it, sending the straw into an inextinguishable fire and the
tares to the fire. But since the torment of eternal fire could

61
62
Escatology
877
not corrupt people, what God annihilates by the fire seems
to be the devils work in man and went back to the reme-
dial character
63
...
According to the Commentary on Romans: eternity
signifies in Scripture sometimes the fact that we do not
know the end, sometimes the fact that there is no end in the
present world, but the time will be one in the next. Some-
times eternity means a certain length of time even that of a
human life
64
...
But the main Scriptural passage is I Cor. 3, 11-I5:
pointing to the foundation which is J esus Christ and we can
build with imperishable materials, gold, silver, precious
stones, or with perishable, wood, hay, straw. When the
Day comes the work of each will be put to the test: if it
lasts the builder will receive his reward; if it is consumed
he will be harmed, but he will be saved as through the fire.
This text is explained thirty-eight times in what is extant of
Origins work
65
.
3. The fire which consumes is in most of the texts, God
Himself, a devouring fire, for God does not consume perceptible
materials but spiritual realities, our sins. It is also Christ, accord-
ing to an agraphon
66
: Those who approach Me approach the fire,
those who depart from Me depart from the Kingdom. This identi-
fication of God with the purifying fire is all the more remarkable in
that it would be found in the intuitions of certain later mystics rely-
ing on the experience of their inner purifications
67
.

63
64
Comm. on Rom. 6:5; Henri Crouzel: Origen, San Francisco 1989, p. 244.
65
66
An agraphon is a saying attributed to Jesus but not found in the New Testament
67
Origen
878
HADES AND GEHENNA
We must not confuse Hades, the place of the dead de-
scribed in the parable of the Rich Man - who suffers there - and
Lazarus - who is happy there- with Gehenna, the place of torment
68
.
In Origins famous homily on Sauls visit to the witch of
Endor and the conjuring of Samuel, Hades is the place where the
saints of the Old Testament went after death, for, on account of the
sin committed when humanity began, they could not go to Para-
dise, where grew the tree of life, guarded by the Cherubim with the
flaming sword. It is from Hades that Samuel comes up to show
himself to Saul
69
.

68
69
Escatology
879
6. MANS RANK IN HEAVEN

Origen comments on J oshuas promise to his soldiers;
every place that the sole of your feet will tread upon I have given
you." ( J os 1:3), saying :
As (the devil) became a fallen angel, I can tread
upon him under my feet. By the Lord Jesus I have the abil-
ity to crush Satan under my feet (Rom 16:20), and have the
right to replace him in Heaven. Thus we understand the
promise of our Lord Jesus that He grants us every place
the sole of our feet tread upon it. Dont think that we can
receive this inheritance while we are sleeping in negli-
gence
70
.

70
In Jos. 1:6
Origen
880
7. KNOWLEDGE AFTER DEATH

So then, if the air between heaven and earth is not
devoid of living and even rational beings, as the apostle
said, Wherein in times past you walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power
of this air, the spirit who now works in the children of dis-
obedience (Eph. 2:2), and again, We shall be caught up
in the clouds to meet Christ in the air, and so shall we ever
be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17), we must suppose that the
saints will remain there for some time, until they learn the
reason of the ordering of all that goes on in the air, in its
two-fold form. By two-fold form I mean, for example; when
we were on earth we saw animals or trees and we per-
ceived the differences among them and also the very great
diversity among men. But when we saw these things we did
not understand the reasons for them; but this alone was
suggested to us by the very diversity of what we saw, that
we should search out and inquire for what reason all these
were created diverse and arranged in such variety; and if
we have cherished on earth a zeal and love for this kind of
knowledge, there will be given to us after death an ac-
quaintance with and understanding of that reason, if in-
deed the matter turns out as we should wish. When there-
fore we have comprehended that in its fullness, we shall
comprehend in two-fold form the things we saw on earth
71
.

71

882
21

OTHER THOUGHTS

THE MEANING OF THE GOSPEL
We may venture to say that the Gospel is the first fruits of
all the Scriptures
1
.
Origen gives an extensive survey of the Gospel as he un-
derstands, in the first part of Book One of his Commentary on
John
2
. The Gospel is good news about J esus, first and foremost.
Not only a recital of what he said and did, though this, too, is gos-
pel, but also it presents J esus Christ so that we may attain Him.
The supreme significance of Gospel is good news about J esus
Himself as a Person. We must say that the good things the Apos-
tles announce in this Gospel are simply Jesus.
To be sure, the good news has specific and varied content.
One good thing is life: but Jesus is the Life. Another good thing is
the Light of the world, when it is true Light, and the light of men:
and all these things the Son of God is said to be. The same may
be said of the Truth, or the Way that leads to Truth, the Door, or
the Resurrection. All these things the Savior teaches that He is
3
.
The Savior, when He sojourned with men and caused the
Gospel to appear in bodily form, caused all things to appear as gos-
pel (good tidings)
4
.
Origen, however, prefers to hold that all the New Testa-
ment ought to be called the Gospel. Every page of it has the sweet
odor of the presence of J esus, and it also contains many praises of

1 In Joan. 1:4; PG 14:25; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 281.
2 Comm. on John. 1, Chs 5-15.
3 Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, p. 51.
4 In Joan 1:8 PG 14:33; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 280-281.
Other Thoughts
883
Him and many of His teachings, on whose account the Gospel is a
gospel
5
.

WITNESSING TO CHRIST
Christians used to witness to Christ even in the public
places of the towns. Celsus complained of the spread of the faith
by these means, We see that those who display their trickery in
the market places and go about begging would never enter a gath-
ering of intelligent men, nor would they dare to reveal their noble
beliefs in their presence: but whenever they see adolescent boys
and a crowd of slaves and a company of fools, they push them-
selves in and show off.
This was an accusation that hurt Origen very much. How
could anyone call reading of the Bible, and explanations of the
reading together with exhortation to goodness trickery?
And as for the claim that only the ignorant were attracted
by Christianity presented in this guise, Origen indignantly and
lengthily denies it. Christianity is the true philosophy, and market
place evangelism is one perfectly proper way for an educated
Christian to disseminate it
6
.
Origen refers to men of this sort when he replies to Celsus:
Christians do all in their power to spread the faith all over the
world. Some of them accordingly make it the business of their life
to wander not only from city to city but from town to town and vil-
lage to village in order to win fresh converts for the Lord. From
being motivated by selfish considerations, they often refuse to
accept the bare necessities of life; even if necessity drives them to
accept a gift on occasion, they are content with getting their most
pressing needs satisfied, although many people are willing to give
them much more than that. And if at the present day, owing to the
large number of people who are converted, some rich men of good
position and delicate high-born women give hospitality to the mes-

5 In Joan 1:5 PG 14:28; R. Cadiou: Origen, Herder Book Co., 1944, p. 281.
6 Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, p.171.
Origen
884
sengers of the faith, will anyone venture to assert that some of the
latter preach the Christian faith merely for the sake of being hon-
ored? In the early days when great peril threatened the preachers of
the faith in particular, such a suspicion could not easily have been
entertained; and even at the present day the discredit with which
Christians are assailed by unbelievers outweighs any honor that
some of their fellow-believers show them
7
.
Their aim was throughout pastoral and evangelistic; that is
why they adapted their message to the capabilities of the hearers.
We confess that we do want to educate all men with the Word of
God, even if Celsus does not wish to believe it
8
was Origens
proud boast, and he carried it out. In addition to his Christian
pupils in the school at Alexandria, he had pagan hearers to whom
he gave instruction in the faith
9
. Indeed, J ulia Mamaea, the queen-
mother, heard him lecture
10
. It would be a mistake to think that the
apologists and theologians were anything less than evangelists.
The objective of their lives was to bring men of all sorts and intel-
lectual abilities to the truth about God, man and the universe as it
was revealed in J esus Christ
11
.

ADAM
Origen believes that Adam, as the father of mankind at-
tained salvation through the Cross of Christ. He refers to a tradi-
tion that Adam was buried in the same place that Christ was cruci-
fied, and in that place found resurrection through the resurrec-
tion of the Savior... For it was unfitting that while the many sprung
from him should receive remission of sins and the blessing of res-
urrection, he-the father of mankind-should not all the more attain
to grace of this kind.
Origen believes that Adam was a prophet.

7 Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, p. 168-9.
9 Eusebius: HE 6:3.
10 Ibid. 6:21.
11 Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, p. 172.
Other Thoughts
885
And among the prophets Adam too is reckoned to
have prophesied the great mystery in Christ and in the
Church, when he said: For this cause a man shall leave his
father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they
shall be two in one flesh. It is clearly with reference to
these words of his that the Apostle says that this is a great
mystery, but I speak in Christ and in the Church.

JOHN THE BAPTIST
1. The word J ohn in Hebrew means God is merciful;
Origen says that it means the grace of God.
John means the grace of God. Hence when
Zachariah wrote on the tablet that the name was John, im-
mediately his mouth was opened by the grace of God...and
his tongue, no longer bound by unbelief, was restored to
him
12
.
2. St. J ohn is the voice, while our Lord J esus Christ is the
Speech. How great is the difference between a voice and Speech?!
Now we know voice and speech to be different things.
The voice can be produced without any meaning and with no
speech in it, and similarly speech can be reported to the mind
without voice, as when we make mental excursions, within
ourselves. And thus the Savior is, in one view of Him, Speech,
and John differs from Him; for as the Savior is Speech, John
is voice.
John himself invites me to take this view of him, for to
those who asked who he was, he answered. "I am the voice of
one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord!
make His paths straight!"
This explains, perhaps, how it was that Zachary lost
his voice at the birth of the voice which points out the Word of

12 Hom on Luke. 9 on 1:56.
Origen
886
God, and only recovered it when the voice, forerunner of the
Word, was born.
A voice must be perceived with the ears if the mind is
afterwards to receive the speech which the voice indicates.
Hence, John is, in point of his birth, a little older than Christ,
for our voice comes to us before our speech. But John also
points to Christ; for speech is brought forward by the voice.
And Christ is baptized by John, though John declares
himself to have need to be baptized by Christ; for with men
speech is purified by voice, though the natural way is that
speech should purify the voice which indicates it. In a word,
when John points out Christ, it is man pointing out God, the
Savior incorporeal, the voice pointing out the Word
13
.
3. The baptism of St. John prepared the way to the baptism of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
John has a right and duty to baptize even though he
is not the promised Messiah because his humble baptism in
water is a necessary preparation for the spiritual baptism
of the Messiah who is to come
14
.
John (the Baptist) turned many of the sons of Is-
rael to the Lord their God,... but our Lord Jesus Christ
enlightened everyone to the knowledge of the truth, for that
is His work
15
.
4. St. J ohn the Baptist knew our Lord, even while he was in
his mothers womb, but his knowledge was not perfect till He was
baptized.
He knew Him from his mother's womb, but not all
about Him. He did not know perhaps that this is He who
baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire, when he saw the
Spirit descending
16
.

15 In Luke hom. 4 on 1:16.
16 Comm. on John, book 1, 37.
Other Thoughts
887
5. Origen believes that the spirit and power of Elijah the
Prophet - not the soul - were in St. J ohn the Baptist.
I have thought it necessary to dwell some time on
the examination of the doctrine of transmigration, because
of the suspicion of some who suppose that the soul under
consideration was the same in Elijah and in John, being
called in the former case Elijah, and in the second case
John...
The soul of John being in no wise Elijah
17
.
For in truth, while many prophets are his equal,
none is his superior in the (measure of) grace given unto
him. (John the Baptist speaks): I have attained to so great
grace as to be deemed worthy of the prophecy which fore-
told of my life on earth in the words I am the voice of one
crying... and Behold I send my messenger... (When
Mary conceived she stayed with Elizabeth) when the one
child who was being formed [the unborn Jesus] graciously
bestowed on the other [John] with some exactness His own
likeness, and caused him to be conformed to His glory.
That is why later John was supposed to be Christ, from the
similarity of appearance, and Jesus was thought to be John
raised from the dead, by those who were not capable of dis-
tinguishing the image from its own likeness.

THE SAINTS
1. The saints, for Origen, are all spiritual persons, living
and dead. Such people have the power to intercede with God for
us and to obtain for us the forgiveness of our sins.
When Origen speaks of prayer to the saints, he meant re-
questing the prayers of fellow Christians, and these which are of-
fered to the departed saints. In fact, the departed saints may be bet-
ter able to intercede for us than our fellow Christians since they

Origen
888
have obtained fullness of knowledge and are no longer hindered by
bodily passions.
Since the saints at rest are still members of the body of
Christ, in which all members care for each other, we may safely
presume that they take an interest in our needs
18
.
And as knowledge is revealed to the saints now
through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face, so
it would be unreasonable not to employ the analogy for all
the other virtues also, which if prepared already in this life
will be perfected in the next. Now the one great virtue ac-
cording to the Word of God is love of one's neighbor. We
must believe that the saints who have died have this love in
a far greater degree towards them that are engaged n the
combat of life, than those who are still subject to human
weakness and are engaged in the combat along with their
weaker brethren. The saying: if one member suffer any
thing, all the members suffer with it, or if one member
glory, all the members rejoice with it, does not apply only
to those who here on earth love their brethren For one can
quite properly say also of the love of those who have quit
this present life: ... the solicitude for all the churches. Who
is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I am
not on fire?
19

Origen believes that the two and half tribes who passed the
J ordan to fight with other tribes till the end, and returned to their
inherited land in the eastern side of the J ordan refers to the de-
parted members of the Church who struggle with us by praying till
all of us will inherit
20
.
Origen often speaks of their intercession with God, starting
from two texts of the Old Testament: the dead Samuel prophesies
for Saul at the house of the witch of Endor and of J eremiah it is

18 J.W. Trigg: Origen, SCM, p.160-1.
20 In Jos. hom. 16:5.
Other Thoughts
889
written: He who is the friend of his brethren and prays much for
the people and for the whole holy city, J eremiah, the prophet of
God. Origen cites these two examples several times to show that
the saints in heaven do not remain idle, but are full of charity for
their brethren still in this world, whom they help with their prayers
and intercessions.
Several texts emphasize the intervention of the martyrs, co-
redeemers with Christ, on behalf of their brethren. The saints of the
Old Testament also go before us in the front rank in our battles
with the evil powers
21
.
The joy of Christ and the saints will not be complete until
the whole Body is reconstituted in the heavenly J erusalem
22
.
2. Origen states that saints have their own sins. Ernest
Latko says,
In commenting on the name saints as applied to the
people of God, Origen, in one of his Homilies on the Book
of Numbers, reminds us that because they are saints they
are not necessarily exempt from sin. Their holiness is not
absolute; it is relative and consists in a consecration of their
lives to God, Who in His goodness preserves them from the
gravest faults
23
.
Those who are not saints die in their sins; but those
who are saints do penance for their sins, put up with their
wounds, understand their faults, and so they search out the
priest, and ask for a cure; they look forward to a purifica-
tion through the bishop. That is why therefore the word of
the law cautiously and with significance states that the
bishops and priests receive the sins not of anyone, but of
the saints alone; for he is a saint who attends to his sin
through the bishop
24
.

23 Ernest Latko: Origens Concept of penance, Laval 1949, p. 82.
24 In Num. hom. 10:1 PG 12:638.
Origen
890

A SAINTLY LIFE
Therefore, "be holy, says the Lord, even as I am
holy" (Lev. 20:7). What does it mean "even as I am holy"?
Just as, it says, I am set apart and separated at a distance
from everything that is praised or worshipped either on
earth or in heaven; just as I surpass every creature and I
am set apart from everything which I have made; so also
you be set apart from all those who are not holy nor dedi-
cated to God...
Finally this same word which is called hagios in the
Greek language signifies that it is something outside the
earth
25
.
But if you wish to recall some other of the saints,
the word of Scripture replies to you, saying, "There is no
man upon the earth who does good and sins not (Eccl.
7:20). Therefore, only Jesus rightly "has perfect hands";
who alone "does not sin (1 Pet. 2:22), that is, who has
perfect and whole works of his hands
26
.

A COMPARISON BETWEEN SINNERS AND SAINTS
With regards to the fact that he ordered "to shave
off all his hair"(Cf. Lev. 14:9), I think that each work of
death placed in the soul which originated in sin is ordered
to be cast away-for now they are called the hairs. For it is
preferable for the sinner to set right everything that is born
in him either in council or in word or in deed if he truly
wants to be cleansed, to remove it and cast it off and not al-
low anything to remain. But the saint ought to preserve
every hair, and if possible, "a razor" ought not "pass over
his head" that he be not able to cut off anything from his
wise thoughts either in words or deeds. Whence, of course,

Other Thoughts
891
it is that "a razor" is said 'not to have passed over the
head" of Samuel (1 Sam. 1:11); but also from all the Naza-
renes, (Cf. Num. 6.5) who are the just because of the just it
has been written, "whatever he does will prosper, and his
leaves will not fall" (Cf. Ps. 1:3). Whence also, "the hairs
of the head" of the Lord's disciples also are said "to be
numbered" (Cf. Matt. 10:30), that is , all their acts, all
their words, all their thoughts are kept before the Lord be-
cause they are just, because they are holy. But every work,
every word, every thought of a sinner ought to be cut off.
And this is what is meant: "That every hair of his body is
shaved off and then he will be clean" (Cf. Lev 14:9)
27
.

THE TRUE BEAUTY
He that has understood what is meant by the beauty
of the bride whom the Bridegroom, the Word of God, loves,
that is to say, of the soul blooming with beauty superceles-
tial and supramundane, will be ashamed to honor with the
same term "beauty" the bodily beauty of women or child or
man. The flesh is incapable of real beauty, since it is all ug-
liness. For all flesh is as grass; and the glory thereof (John
3:29), as seen in the reputed beauty of women and chil-
dren, is compared by the prophet to a flower: All flesh is as
grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field . ...
The grass is withered and the flower is fallen; but the word
of the Lord endures forever (Isaiah 40:6-8)
28
.

NATURAL LAW
Origen used the familiar Stoic distinction between the ul-
timate law of nature and the written code of cities to justify the
Christian refusal to obey the idolatrous laws of the nations, includ-
ing Rome; he was apparently the first to justify the right to resist
tyranny by appeal to natural law. But the Christian acceptance of

28 On Prayer 17:2.
Origen
892
the pagan idea of natural law did not compel a Christian theologian
such as Origen to be oblivious of the relativity in the laws of the
nations
29
.
Origen believes that all men partake of God:
I am of the opinion then, that the activity of the Fa-
ther and the Son is to be seen both in saints and in sinners,
in rational men and in dumb animals, yes, and even in life-
less things and in absolutely everything that exists; but the
activity of the Holy Spirit does not extend at all either to
lifeless things, or to things that have life but yet are dumb,
nor is it to be found in those who, though rational, still lie
in wickedness (1 John 5:19) and are not wholly converted
to better things. Only in those who are already turning to
better things and walking in the ways of Jesus Christ, that
is, who are engaged in good deeds and who abide in God
(1 Cor. 4:17; Eph. 2:10; 1 John 4:13), is the work of the
Holy Spirit, I think, to be found.
That the activity of the Father and the Son is to be
found both in saints and in sinners is clear from the fact
that all rational beings are partakers of the word of God,
that is, of reason, and so have implanted within them some
seeds, as it were, of wisdom and righteousness, which is
Christ. And all things that exist derive their share of being
from him who truly exists, who said through Moses, I am
that I am (Exodus 3:14); which participation in God the
Father extends to all, both righteous and sinners, rational
and irrational creatures and absolutely everything that ex-
ists. Certainly the apostle Paul shows that all have a share
in Christ, when he says, Say not in your heart, who shall
ascend into heaven? that is, to bring Christ down; or who
shall descend into the abyss? that is, to bring Christ back
again from the dead. But what says the scripture? The
word is nigh you, even in your mouth and in your heart

29 Contra Celsus 5:37; Jaroslav Pelikan: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600), p. 32.
Other Thoughts
893
(Rom. 10:6-8). By this he indicates that Christ is in the
heart of all men, in virtue of His being the Word or Rea-
son, by sharing in Which men are rational...
Again, the gospel teaches that no men are without
communion with God, when the Savior speaks as follows,
The kingdom of God comes not with observation; neither
shall they say, Lo here! or, there! but the kingdom of God
is within you (Luke 17:20, 21)
30
.
If he [non-Christian] keep justice or preserve
chastity, or maintain prudence, temperance, and modesty;
although he be alien from eternal life, because he does not
believe in Christ, and cannot enter the kingdom of heaven,
because he has not been born again of water and of the
Spirit, still it seems, according to the Apostle's words, that
the glory and honor and peace of his good works cannot
perish utterly
31
.
Yet later in the same sermon he says:
I can scarcely persuade myself that there is any
work which can claim remuneration from God as a debt,
since even the very ability to do, or think, or speak, comes
to us from the generous gift of God. How then can he be in
debt to us, who has first put us in his debt
32
?
Without any derogation of the mission of the Savior, the
Academy of Alexandria discovered in every individual a sense of
divine things and the hidden image of God
33
.
Part of our virtues we possess from our own re-
sources, and we have gained it through our own choice; the
other part is from God-that is, if we have such faith in the
Savior and His Father as our free will allows: and for this

30 De Principiis 1:3:5,6 (Cf. Butterworth).
31 Hom. on Rom., 2:7; Carl A. Volz: Life and Practice in the Early Church, Minneapolis, 1990, p.
116.
32 Ibid. 4:1.
Origen
894
we may have recourse to Him as did Jesus disciples with
their increase our faith-where increase implies that
they were asking Him for God-given faith in addition to
what they had gained of their own choice. Paul expressly
says the in proportion to our faith (Rom 12:6) (i.e. the
faith within us that is due to the exercise of our own free
will) the gifts of the Spirit are bestowed. To another is
given faith, by the same Spirit (1 Cor 12:9). If faith is
given to a man in proportion to the faith he already has, it
is clear that the God-given faith comes alongside that
which we have achieved of our own resources. And so with
the other virtues. Since then virtue is a grace, since it
makes its possessor a favored one, it follows that the
part which comes from God comes alongside that already
achieved by our own purpose; and this is the meaning of
grace for grace being given us by God
34
.

THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
He begins with the statement that, since the creature has
received his being, he possesses the good in a manner that is lim-
ited, partial, and imperfect. In this participation Origen will seek
the cause of sin and evil, which, according to the heretics, are
caused by God. To refute this pessimism of theirs, let us begin by
taking a less lofty view of man and by estimating at its real value
the immutable virtue which adorns all the sages and wise men of
this world. Their well-known perseverance is rendered possible,
first by Gods primary gift; then by wisdom, which undertakes the
education of the soul; and finally by the Holy Ghost, who makes
the soul perfect
35
.
It is wrong to think that the darkness vainly tries, like an
active substance, to overtake the light. On the contrary, it always
disappears and ceases to exist. In order that falsehood and impos-

Other Thoughts
895
ture should be dispelled, is it not sufficient for the light of truth to
appear? However strange it may seem, the darkness must be far
away if it is to try to reach the light. The nearer it approaches the
light, the more quickly it is dissolved. We can say, then, that error
has strength and movement within us only when we are far re-
moved from truth. Only then does it move forward to come to
grips with our understanding; and each time it approaches the
enlightened intelligence, it shows its own nothingness. In the
wide sweep of this passage, written in the loftiest terms of Alexan-
drian thought, we see the reflection of all the vital elements of the
Academy over which Origen presided: the rejection of Gnostic du-
alism, the high regard in which intellectualism was held, and the
glowing optimism based upon the feeling that the religion revealed
by Christ would be preached to all men
36
.
On the one hand, he rejects the Gnostic theory, which
makes evil an alien substance, not created by God; on the other, he
excludes the Stoic idea that evil is only apparent. In his opinion,
evil is certainly real, but it can be conducive to good and it will
eventually cease to exist. Hence the existence of evil is consistent
with the goodness of God. When God created the world, he knew
that evil would one day come into it, because where there are crea-
tures endowed with freedom it is inevitable. If he did not prevent
it, the reasons were, first, that he has a sovereign respect for the
freedom of the will and, second, that he knew it would help the
execution of his plan. As always, Origen means this quite literally.
There is no evil except in mens wills. The sinners ill-will may
have consequences both for the sinner himself and for other peo-
ple. This corresponds to the two sides of evil: in so far as evil acts
against its author, it is sin; in so far as its acts on others, it is suffer-
ing. But both may lead to good. Sin is allowed to exist so that if
men want to see what it is like, they may wallow in it, and then,
finding how bitter it tastes, grow weary of it and of their own ac-
cord go back to the good. Experience of evil thus appears as the

Origen
896
essential preliminary to the recovery of the good by creatures pos-
sessing freewill
37
.
Now to withdraw from the good is nothing else than
to be immersed in evil; for it is certain that to be evil means
to be lacking in good. Hence it is that in whatever degree
one declines from the good, one descends into an equal de-
gree of wickedness. And so each mind, neglecting the good
either more or less in proportion to its own movements,
was drawn to the opposite of good, which undoubtedly is
evil
38
.
As therefore God is fire and the angels a flame of
fire and the saints are all fervent in spirit so on the con-
trary those who have fallen away from the love of God must
undoubtedly be said to have cooled in their affection for
Him and to have become cold. For the Lord also says, Be-
cause iniquity has multiplied, the love of the many shall
grow cold. And further, all those things, whatever they
may be, which in the holy Scripture are likened to the ad-
verse power, you invariably find to be cold. For the devil is
called a serpent and a dragon, and what can be found
colder than these?
39
.

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION
40

The doctrine of election was important for Origen, espe-
cially in his dealings with the J ews. His concern was twofold.
First, he wanted to show that the election of Gentiles, as
taught by the Church, was prophesied in the Hebrew Bible.
Second, he wanted to confirm this interpretation of the bib-
lical passages in question by reference to the history of the J ews

Other Thoughts
897
and the Christian church since the advent of Christ. De Lange ar-
gues that the second was the more important for Origen.
i

MARIOLOGY
1. In speaking of Virginity, we notice how Origen con-
siders St. Mary as the first virgin and the model of virgins.
2. Origen alludes to St. Mary as restoring the womankind
the honor it had lost through Eve's sin; in this way a woman
"finds salvation in child bearing" 1 Tim. 2:15. He says,
The joy trumpeted by Gabriel to Mary destroyed
the sentence of sorrow leveled by God against Eve
41
.
Just as sin began with the woman and then
reached the man, so too the good tidings had their begin-
ning with the women: Mary and Elizabeth
42
.
Blessed are you among women. For no woman
has been or ever can be a partaker in such grace. There
has been but one divine conception, one divine birth, one
bearer of the God-man. (Mary reflects) Since I have been
deemed worthy of such great and wondrous grace from
God... I above all women must glorify the One who is work-
ing such miracles in me.
3. Origen interpreted the sword that would pierce St. Mary
according to Simeons prophecy (Luke 2:35) as doubts that would
invade her on seeing her Son crucified. He stated that, like all
human beings, she needed redemption from her sins
43
.
4. Origen speaks about the soul's maternity. St. Mary, as
the mother of God, represents the Church, whose members spiri-
tually bear God in their souls, Origen considered the spiritual life
of Christians after baptism as the growth of Christ Himself within
their motherly souls.

41 Lucan. Hom. 6.
42 Lucan. Hom. 8.
43 Hom. in Lucas 17.
Origen
898
Just as an infant is formed in the womb, so it seems
to me that the Word of God is in the heart of a soul, which
has received the grace of baptism and thereafter perceives
within itself the word of faith ever more glorious and more
plain
44.

It would be wrong to proclaim the incarnation of
the Son of God from the holy Virgin without admitting
also His incarnation in the Church... Everyone of us must,
therefore, recognize His coming in the flesh by the pure
Virgin, but at the same time we must recognize His coming
in the spirit of each one of us
45
.
Hear this, O shepherds of the churches,
O shepherds of God.
All through time the angel comes down and an-
nounces to you that today and every day
the Redeemer is born,
that is Christ the Lord
46
!

NEW NAMES
In his work Peri Pascha, Origen refers to receiving new
names perhaps on baptism, as a sign of the new life in J esus Christ.
He gives many examples of men whose names were changed by a
divine call.
Those who have been made perfect have new names
because they are no longer the same but have become other
than what they were
47
.

44 Hom. on Exod. 10:4.
45 De Sargiusga 8:2.
46 Hom. on Luke 12.
Other Thoughts
899
SIGNS AND MIRACLES
Origen points out that, unlike magic, Christian miracles are
always wrought for the benefit of men, that they are done by men
whose lives are exemplary, not wicked, and by faith in the power
of God, not of evil
48
. No magical lore and sophisticated training
was necessary: indeed it is, generally speaking, uneducated peo-
ple who do this kind of work by means of prayer, reliance on the
name of J esus, and some brief allusion to His story
49
.For it was not
the power of men, or their knowledge of the right formulae which
produced these cures, but the power in the word of Christ
50
.
When Celsus asserted that God did not will anything that
was contrary to nature, Origen countered with the teaching that
whatever was done in accordance with the will and word of God
could not be contrary to nature; this applied especially to so -called
miracles. In his own exegesis of the miracle stories in the Bible,
Origen seems to have held to their literal factuality, while in
Against Celsus and especially in On First principles he argued at
length that these stories were not to be taken as they stood, but as
mystical statements of spiritual truths
51
.
And as they believe the signs and not in Him but in
His name, Jesus "did not trust Himself to them, because He
knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man,
because He knew what is in every man
52
."
Next let us remark in what way, when asked in re-
gard to one sign, that He might show it from heaven, to the
Pharisees and Sadducees who put the question, He answers
and says, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a
sign, and there shall be no sign given to it, but the sign of

49 Contra Celsus 1:6; 7:4.
50 Contra Celsus 7:4; Michael Green: Evangelism in the Early Church, p. 190-191.
51 Contra Celsus 5:23; In Matt. hom. 11:2; 13:6; De Principiis 4:2:9:15-16 Jaroslav Pelikan: The
Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600),p. 137.
Origen
900
Jonah the prophet," when also, "He left them and de-
parted" (Matt. 17:4)...
Seek you also every sign in the Old Scriptures as
indicative of some passage in the New Scripture, and that
which is named a sign in the New Covenant as indicative of
something either in the age about to be, or even in the sub-
sequent generations after that the sign has taken place
53
.

THE CROSS
The crucifixion of J esus has two sides.
The Son of God has been crucified in the body with
a visible method, while Satan was invisibly crucified, the
apostle proclaims, "having wiped out the handwriting of
requirements that was against us, which was contrary to
us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to
the Cross" Col. 2:14.
Then, there is two meanings to the Cross of the
Lord: the first is mentioned by Peter the Apostle, "Christ
also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should
follow His steps" 1 Pet 2:21. The other meaning presents
the chaliee of Christ's victory over Satan
54
.
For it is impossible for a leper to be cleansed from
sin without "the wood" of the cross, unless he also has re-
course to "the wood" on which the Savior, as the Apostle
Paul says, "despoiled the principalities and powers tri-
umphing over them on the wood"(Cf. Col. 2:15,14)
55
.

Other Thoughts
901
CASTING A LOT
The Apostle (Acts 1:23-26) explains that if we use it
(the casing of a lot) in absolute faith together with prayer,
it reveals to men the hidden will of God very clearly
56
.

THE COMMANDMENT
Those who receive within themselves the greatness
of the commandment and its priority, realize this through
three conditions:
a. with all their hearts, they hold steadfastly in
themselves the perfection of this love, its thoughts and its
works.
b. with all their souls they be ready to sacrifice
their own-selves on behalf of the service of God who cre-
ated everything, when there is a need for this for the pro-
gress of His word. God is loved by the whole soul when
there is no place of the soul outside the faith
57
.

CHRISTIANS AND THE STATE
None better than Christians fight for the Emperor,
but we fight forming a special army, an army of piety, by
offering our prayers to God
58
.

MEN AND WOMEN
The Holy Scripture in fact does not differiate between men
and women according to their sex. For before Christ there is no
difference among the two sexes, but the difference is according to
the heart which divides (the believers) into men and women.

56 In Jos. hom. 23:2.
57 PG 13:1599.
58 Contra Celsius 8:73; Thomas Halton, p. 145.
Origen
902
How many women are considered as strong men
before God?! And how many men are considered as weak
women?!
59

THE HONOR OF WOMEN
Before the birth of John, Elizabeth prophesied; and
before the birth of the Lord our Savior, Mary prophesied.
Thus it started with woman and reached to man,
this salvation in the world started with women who over-
came the weakness of their sex
60
.

GRACE OF PROPHECY
Thanks be to God, that although the grace of
prophecy was confined to Israel, now a still greater grace
than all they had has been poured out on the Gentiles
through our Savior Jesus
61
.

ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB
This.. threefold division of divine philosophy
(moral, natural, contemplative) was, I think, privileged in
[Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob].... For Abraham shows forth,
by his obedience, moral philosophy..., Isaac, who digs
wells and searches the mysteries of nature, represents
natural philosophy..., Jacob is the contemplative, and was
named Israel because of his meditating on divine things
(cf. his visions).... Hence we are not surprised to find that
these three blessed men built altars to God, i.e. consecrated
to Him the progress of their philosophy, that they might

59 In Jos. hom 9:9.
60 In Luc. hom. 8:1.
Other Thoughts
903
teach that these things should come under the heading not
of human arts but of Gods grace
62
.

RACISM
The city of Alexandria lay on one of the frontiers of the
Roman Empire. Its great port was the gateway to the main roads of
Syria. When the Christian citizen of Alexandria looked out upon
his immediate environment, he was faced with the problem of dif-
ferent races trying to live together. The nationalities that were sub-
ject to the empire of the Caesar remained unchanged by the culture
and the laws of their conquerors. On the contrary, they evinced a
tendency to maintain their own national individualism, at least to
the point of reviving a number of their sacred traditions. How
could the upholders of Christianity maintain that there was no
longer either Greek or barbarian, Roman or J ew?
63

He argued that every soul in the world is placed in the rank
best fitted for its capacity, and that in a forgotten past each souls
freedom of will either incited it to progress by imitation of God or
reduced it to failure through negligence. In this way he explained
why a harmony exists between the inner life of the rational being
and the outer circumstances that move him to action. Divine provi-
dence continues to regulate each soul according to its needs by
preparing for it occasions or circumstances which correspond to
the variety of its movements or of its feelings and purpose.
The equality of souls is demonstrated by the consummation
common to all of them. In the course of the spiritual struggle in
which they are now engaged they never lose the possibility of at-
taining it ultimately. The fact that brutal or perverted beings exist
in this world must not cast doubt on this truth. A single act of free
will is sufficient to manifest the immortal destiny of a savage and
to show the kinship he enjoys with the holiest spirits. In the un-
enlightened minds of rude and unlettered men as well as in the

62 Comm. on Song of Songs, Prologue.
Origen
904
minds of those who possess a refined feeling for things invisible,
there is revealed a mode of participation proper to all creatures
whom God has endowed with intelligence
64
.

i
de Lange, Origen and the Jews, 96-98.


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