Origen: Selected Writings

I've decided that no early Christian thinker is easily accessible to most contemporary Christians, Origen least of all. This is especially true of Origen because much of his thought was classified as heresy by later Christians. That said, many later Christian thinkers (like Gregory of Nyssa) drew upon Origen to faithfully interpret Scripture in order to articulate Christian orthodoxy. This volume is easily one of the best introductions to the most important of Origen's texts. I recommend it for any who wish dig deeper into the Church Fathers. You cannot study the Church Fathers and not engage Origen!

Origen's legacy for Christianity has certainly been mixed. Many reading his works today, as many did in his time, would no doubt find what he 'found' in the Bible bizarre, heretical and perhaps even blasphemous. Indeed he was condemned as such by Church councils some centuries after his death, and as a result many of his works were lost. However, it also must be acknowledged that Origen was one of the faith's most brilliant and original minds. Asides from his remarkable theories about 'what really happened' before and after the fall of human beings and angels, and the creation of the universe itself, his remarkable penetration and allegorising of scripture and seeing the 'spirit' in the letter are rarely equalled by any other Church father. Few Christian thinkers ever had such brilliant talents in speculative theological power, exegetical skill, mystical insight and creativity and daring to try and wrest such deep insights as Origen found, which were in many ways far ahead of his time. It is true Origen's genius was also in many ways his downfall, and it can be rightly said many of his interpretations of scripture are too speculative or in better words, go so high into the clouds any vision of the concrete ground is lost. Yet one must also admire his determination to set Orthodox Christianity on an intellectual and speculative par with the main rivals for thinking seekers of the time, Gnosticism and Neo-Platonism. To this day his influence resounds through Christian mysticism, and his view of the Bible as an infinitely deep wellspring of Godly wisdom which originated from the Logos itself, is a refreshing counterpoint to the literal and one-sided fundamentalism which holds so much in our own time.

"Let us, therefore, not think that it is words we are taught to say in appointed seasons of prayer. On the contrary, if we understand our former consideration of prayer without ceasing, let our whole life be a life of unceasing prayer." Origen Origen's Early life: I encountered Origen, as a young kid in a Sunday lesson on the Alexandrine Didaskaleon, for the first time. A devout Christian, biblical scholar, catechist, and head of the Alexandrian Catechetical school. Born in 185 AD, Alexandria, Egypt and died in 254 AD, Caesarea, we were told, Origen was the eldest of seven children. His father Leonides, was a teacher of Greek literature, and a presbyter deacon, who educated his brilliant son in both Hellenistic and Biblical studies. Though he was unable to answer some of Origen's probing questions, he is said to have kissed young Origen's chest, a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. In 202, Leonides was martyred during Severus persecution. Origen sought to share the fate of his father, and was only prevented by his mother's hiding his clothes to prevent him going outside. Origen satisfied himself with writing an earnest letter to his father exhorting him to face death if necessary and cautioning him "not to change your mind because of us." Leonides fortunes were confiscated by the empire. Origen's Career: Origen took shelter for a time in the household of a wealthy Christian lady while he continued his studies. Within a year or so, he had begun work as a teacher of Greek literature in order to support himself and his newly impoverished family. In the meantime, Origen continued his own education. Persecution under Severus had left the catechetical school of Alexandria without leadership. To meet the needs of those who desired to learn about the Christian faith, Demetrius, Bishop of Alexandria, appointed Origen to take over the catechist instruction. He continued his grammarian instructions as well, but when his brothers became old enough to support the family, he was able to focus on his religious mission. Exhortatio ad Martyrium: Origen is probably the most voluminous writer the Church has ever had and that even antiquity ever knew. Origen left two ascetical works,"On Prayer" and "an Exhortation to Martyrdom." The Exhortation to Martyrdom, written around 235, early days of Maximinus' persecution. Addressed to Ambrose and to Protoctetus, a presbyter of Caesarea, whom Origen exhorts to confess their faith up to death, if necessary. A forceful and earnest address, which expresses the author's own attitude towards martyrdom. The exaltation of martyrdom was a corner stone of Origen's training in the Christian life, and a major topic in his teaching. throughout his life, Origen's thoughts were linked to Martyrdom, as professing true faith. He was a martyr by race; yearned in his youth to be martyred with his father Leonides. Origen & Martyrdom: Martyrdom was a continuation of the work of redemption for who Origen risked his life in encou

These selected works from the writings of Origen (c. 185-254) will give the reader much to contemplate and are complex enough to perhaps frustrate the reader without some foundation in the material. Do not read Origen without first reading the preface (Hans Urs von Balthasar) and the foreword and introduction (Rowan Greer). These are valuable insights into the second and third centuries and the early history of Christian thought. The writings of Origen generated several centuries of controversy in the early church. His ardent admirers included Eusebius, Gregory of Nissa and the Cappadocian Fathers, and Jerome. His ardent detractors included Epiphanius, Theophilus, Jerome (persuaded to change his mind), and the Emperor Justinian. One of the so-called "Four Fathers" of the Christian church, "Origen was as towering a figure as Augustine and Aquinas. . . his overt and hidden influence has proved no less far-reaching than theirs," says Hans Urs von Balthasar as he begins his preface. "Whoever seeks access from merely dogmatic faith into that inward realm where we see with the inner eye of faith enters a world of mystery demanding not only intellectual reverence but personal holiness as well. . . Perhaps it can be said that [Origen's] simultaneous viewing of prayer and exegesis . . . of exact philology . . . and the search for the spiritual sense, is the most important aspect of Origenistic spirituality for our present situation. . . . the underlying attitude remains exemplary for us, perhaps more than ever before." Jesus said, "wisdom is proved right by her actions," and "by their fruit you will recognize them," and "the good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him." These thoughts commend to us the influences of Origen. Apart from the Introduction to these selections, I particularly recommend "On First Principles: Book IV" and "Commentary on the Song of Songs". Some of the ideas presented in "Homily XXVII on Numbers" were fuel for his detractors (the 42 steps), along with an oversimplification and misunderstanding of his neo-Platonic deliberating. As Greer says, "these difficulties should not be allowed to obscure the main lines of his thought." Origen's spiritually rich approach to exegesis is typified in this passage: "Now all these truths, as we have said, are . . . buried in the narratives of holy Scripture, because 'the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field' (Mt. 13:44). Consider very carefully whether this passage does not point to the fact that the soil and surface, so to speak, of Scripture, that is, the meaning according to the letter, is the 'field' filled and flowering with plants of all kinds, while the deeper and more profound spiritual meaning is 'the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Col. 2:3), which the Holy Spirit through Isaiah calls 'obscure, invisible, and hidden treasures' (cf. Is. 45:2-3). To

Origen (c. 185--254) was not only one of the four great Church Fathers (Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian), but also one of the founders of the philosophy Neoplatonism. He was a fellow student of Plotinus, the credited Founding Father of Neoplatonism. They were pupils under the legendary Platonist teacher Ammonius Saccas in Alexandria, Egypt. This outstanding volume begins with "An Exortation To Martyrdom," which describes indepthly Origen's beliefs about martyrdom to his two friends, Ambrose and Protoctetus. Time and again he takes parables from the Bible and mixes them within his own eclectic exegesis and Neoplatonic theories. It's quite outstanding, to say the least. The next work is "On Prayer," in which Origen lays out with mental precision "The Lord's Prayer"--breaking it down into sections and explaining them. At the end he brilliantly says how we ought to pray and what we should pray for. "On First Principles: Book IV" is my favorite. Here it is. "Chapter One: That The Scriptures Are Divinely Inspired"; "Chapter Two: That Many By Not Understanding The Scriptures Spiritually And By Badly Understanding Them Fall Into Heresies"; "Chapter Three: Examples From The Scriptures Of How Scripture Should Be Understood"; and "Chapter Four: A Summary Concerning The Father, The Son, And The Holy Spirit And Other Matters Previously Discussed." In the magnificent "The Prologue To The Commentary On The Song Of Songs," Origen explains Solomon's only surviving psalm and its allegorical meanings. He goes on at length about the three Books of Solomon's: Proverbs (moral or ethical), Ecclesiastes (natural or physics), Song Of Songs (contemplative or enoptics). He describes Solomon's transformation and "Divine" wisdom throughout. Also, why he believes Solomon's other psalms were excluded from the Old Testament as apocryphal writings. In the beginning Origen warns the unlearned not to pick up or read his own work! Finally, there's the exegesis or "Homily XXVII On Numbers." As Origen explains its main theme, "If one examines as carefully as possible, he will find in the Scriptures that there are forty-two stages in the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt; and, further, the coming of our Lord and Savior into this world is traced through forty-two generations. This is what Mathew and the Evangelist points out when he says, 'From Abraham to David the king, fourteen generations. And from David to the Babylonian Exile, fourteen generations. And from the Babylonian Exile to Christ, fourteen generations'" (Mt. 1:17). Origen's exegesis of the Book of Numbers comes to the conclusion that the soul's journey from earth to heaven goes through the same stages on our pilgrimage to God. The stairway to heaven is made of virtues. We ascend one virtuous step at a time "until the soul arrives at its goal, namely the highest summit of virtues, and crosses the river of God and receives the heritage promised it." It's an extremely insightful glimpse into the