I - Biography
Origen of Alexandria (or Origen Adamantius) was born around 185 C.E., which is about 155 years after the crucifixion of Christ. Origen is one of the most popular early Christian theologians, and is one of those whom we now call “Church Fathers.” He was extremely intelligent and wrote many different pieces ranging in topics on biblical commentary, spirituality, and theology. He was also fascinated with the idea of martyrdom from an early age, and he eventually became a martyr after sustaining serious injuries under persecution from the Romans around 254 C.E.
II - Origen in Historical Religious Context.
During the time of Origen, the Christian church was still spreading rapidly and was also growing in its theologies, variety of belief, and in the construction of authority structures (i.e. establishment and ordination of deacons and other such leaders of the church.) The cities of Antioch, in what is now southern Turkey, and Alexandria, which is in northern Egypt, became two of the largest epicenters of Christianity, and Alexandria in particular was also known for its educational institutions. Origen was very well educated, and was well educated in pegan philosophies and other popular schools of thought as well as in his biblical knowledge.
Christianity was growing rapidly and was drawing people in from many different places and backgrounds. This in part led to a growing diversity in what the early Christians believed. Later in the Church, formalization and increase in institutionalization allowed for a consistency to be established in texts, doctrines, and practices. But in the early church, Origen became a powerful voice against one of the more popular branches of Christianity, called Gnosticism. Gnostics looked towards knowledge of one’s self, the nature of life, and the Divine as the means of salvation. One of his most popular works against the claims of Gnosticism was his Commentary on John. The Gospel of John was a primary source for Gnostics, so it was a very direct way for Origen to refute some of their claims, especially on how they viewed Jesus. Seeking to establish a foundation for Christianity’s viewpoints in a manner set apart from Gnosticism, Origen wrote On First Principles, which helped to provide some consistency in the views of early Christianity.
Origen particularly contributed much on the conversation about Christ; who Christ was and what his death and resurrection was all about. He was an asserting voice for the idea that Christ died as a ransom to evil (Satan) on our behalf, paying our debts for us. We now sometimes refer to this idea as the “ransom theory.”
III - Historical Context.
During the time of Origen, the Roman Empire was the supreme power in the Mediterranean, spanning from England to Egypt and from Spain to the Middle East. Romans were known for their industrious establishment of infrastructure, including roads. It was likely that during these first few centuries, the world was more connected than it had ever been before. Some think that because of the increase in trade and travel, Christianity was enabled to spread at the speed with which it did, despite persecution.
IV - Then and now ideas.
As in the times of Origen, there is significant diversity in what Christians today believe. One of the more controversial topics today which Origen spoke of is what we now call “universalism.” This is the idea that, sooner or later, every soul will somehow come back to rest with God. Today, the popular contrast is that some people are not “saved” and ultimately spend eternity apart from God in Hell, and only those who profess their faith in Jesus will come to rest with God. Within those perspectives, there is a complicated spectrum of belief concerning what exactly it might take for us to be saved, what Hell might be like, or to what extent universalism applies (e.g. limited-universalism vs. total-universalism).
This idea for Origen is tied to how Origen viewed good and evil, which is also different from how we tend to view them today. In his Commentary on Romans, Origen talked about how he believed that ignorance leads to evil, but evil is an enslavement against our will. Once we have seen and know goodness, Origen believed that we cannot choose evil again once we are freed from that into the knowledge of goodness. For him, the knowledge of goodness was enough to prevent sin’s hold on the soul. Today, we often think of free will as more encompassing of good and evil, and we get to choose every day whether or not we will be good or evil, and these choices all play into the state of our soul’s relationship with God.
VI - Some Main Takeaways.
Origen was educated in his bible and his theology, but also in many other things of the world. He used his knowledge of the secular culture in that time to engage in Christian ideas in ways which were accessible to non-Christians. As a result, many people were influenced to follow Jesus because they could understand what Origen was saying. Likewise, we too must open ourselves up to see what people are saying and believing today so that we know how to engage with them and show them how God is working throughout their lives in ways they will be able to understand and relate to.
Even though Origen used his education of the philosophies of that time period to explain the Good News, he also stood up for what he believed to be true in his discussions contrary to the Gnostics. It is important for us to seek a wise path which addresses our culture and society at the time, while also knowing what and how to proclaim as truth. Often times, we become worried that in our desire to connect with our culture, we dilute the truth of who God is and His love for us. It may be hard and messy, but we can stand firm in our foundations while also going and making disciples of all nations in ways which are meaningful to those nations.
Today, in the United States, we cannot really understand what it might have been like in Origen’s time to experience that level of persecution and harm for the faith. Even though following Jesus was so dangerous for that time, Origen stood firmly in his faith and eventually died because of it. We may not face the same challenges, but we can look to figures such as Origen and respect the zeal for the faith.
VI - Resources I used and for your further study.
The book Christian Spirituality: The Classics, edited by Arthur Holder.
This book is very well done and can be a slow read, but it is very informative and well organized. It has information on many of the important Christian authors throughout the ages.
The book Origen of Alexandria and St. Maximus the Confessor, by Edward Moore.
This book is extremely dense and heady, but goes in-depth with a lot of the intricacies of Origen’s writings and beliefs.
The book Barth, Origen, and Universal Salvation: Restoring Particularity, by Tom Greggs.
This book is also very heady and a slow read. It is a really interesting book and it walks through Origen’s ideas in-depth as well and comments on another, more modern, writer named Karl Barth.
The website from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Origen https://www.iep.utm.edu/origen-of-alexandria/
This article is a great overview and very readable. It is also a reliable source from
Dr. Edward Moore who is a Professor of Patristics and Early Church History at St. Elias Seminary and Graduate School.
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