The Life and Times of Origen of
Alexandria
When I was a
high school student, the last thing I would spend my spare time on is reading
history.
But as I’ve
gotten older and especially in the past year I have become fascinated with the
question of how we got to where we are today. And the answer is found in history.
One of my
goals this year is to get a better grasp on this history of western
civilization.
As a
Christian and a pastor, naturally I’m interested in the interesection of
Christian faith with western history.
I took a
class related to that this summer. For
that class, I researched the life of a 3rd century man you may not
have heard of, but whose impact was enormous.
I believe whether or not you are a person of faith you will find his
life inspiring.
He was the
greatest biblical scholar since the apostle Paul, and influenced the following
1300 years of biblical interpretation.
If you’ve ever heard of the Bible containing a deeper or allegorical meaning
beyond its literal-historical meaning, the roots of that idea trace back to
this man. [He also provided one of the
first near-complete lists of the New Testament books, and wrote the first
systematic theology and a massive Hebrew-Greek parallel edition of the Old
Testament.]
Much of his
life is recorded by 4th century historian Eusebius. And many of his 2000+ works were preserved by
Latin translator Rufinus.
His name:
Origen of Alexandria, Egypt. He was born
to Christian parents around 185 AD.
His father
was his most significant teacher in early life.
In the year 202 Emperor Septimus Severus initiated an anti-conversion
law with severe persecution. Soldiers
came to their home and collected Origen’s father. Origen, 17, wanted to go to be martyred with
him, but his mother prevented him from emerging by hiding his clothes. Origen told his father, “mind you, don’t
change your mind on our account.” He
didn’t, and he was beheaded. A year
later, Origen was called on to fill in as a theological teacher.
Origen was
not only a Bible scholar; he was throughly trained in the disciplines of Greek
education. In his school, to which
thousands came over nearly 30 years, he taught philosophy, logic, natural
science, geometry, and astronomy as a primer to ethics and theology. One writer says he studied by night and
prepared the faithful for martyrdom by day.
It was not only other Christians who attended his school. So highly respected was he, that Greek
philosophers sought his counsel and sometimes dedicated their writings to
him. His popularity may have afforded
him some protection, but he was often on the run avoiding plots on his life.
At age 47
(232 AD) he accepted an invitation to leave Egypt for Palestine to serve in
Caesarea. This coincided with his
excommunication by the Alexandrian bishop, perhaps motivated by jealously In Caesarea where he live 20 years, Origen
was ordained a priest, founded a Christian school and library, preached,
counselled the persecuted, and built meaningful relationships with the Jewish
rabbis. It was during this time he wrote
the majority of his works.
As an old
man Origen was tortured and pressed to renounce his faith. He didn’t, but the abuse left his body weak,
and he died in Tyre 253.
Idiosyncracies
Origen’s mastery
of Greek philosophy made him a highly skilled critic of his host culture. However it also distorted aspects of his
Biblical theology. A later church
counsel rightly pegged his proposals regarding universal salvation for everyone
including the devil himself as heresy.
He was an
ascetic, often fasting from food, wine, sleep, and even shoes. In his devotion to serve God, he literally
made himself a eunuch through castration.
Nevertheless These lifestyle choices made him the “ancestor of the great
monastic movement”[1].
Contributions
Origen's goal was
to make the Bible practical for everyday people.
His life is
an example of healthy critical dialogue with people of
opposing worldviews,
with meticulous care establishing rappoire with Greek philosophers and Jewish
rabbis (learned Hebrew just to be able to dialogue with Jews intelligently).
His role in
the History of Biblical interpretation: he
popularized the allegorical, or spiritual interpretation of Scripture. That is, in addition to the literal meaning
of the text, there is a spiritual meaning with Christ at the centre.
He promoted
a sense of wonder in God. I finish with
this quote from Origen in On First
Principles: “For whatever be the
knowledge which we are able to obtain of God, either by perception or
reflection, we must of necessity believe that He is by many degrees far better
than what we perceive Him to be.”[2]
[1] Jean
Danielou in McDermott
[2] Origen,
“De Principiis,” in Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Part Fourth;
Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen, Parts First and Second, ed. Alexander
Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, trans. Frederick Crombie, vol.
4, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885),
243.
