One of the most important Christian writers in the first few centuries of the church is Origen. I also find him to be one of the most interesting and definitely someone who is extremely thought-provoking. I definitely recommend that you read up on him.
Here are five things that I think are important for you to know about this influential figure:
- He lived from 185-253 AD and began his career in Alexandria (hence why is often called Origen of Alexandria). Alexandria was a centre of allegorical interpretation, something that Origen was also known for.
- Origen is considered by some to be Church Father and by others to be heretic. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was never made a saint by the church.
- Origen was especially influential in his Christian apologetics, particularly his work Contra Celsum. This was a response to a writing by Celsus, who was a critic of Christianity, despite that writing being from about a decade before Origen was born.
- Origen taught that there were three levels at which we can read Scripture: the historical, the moral, and the eternal or spiritual. Some have misrepresented that as Origen discounting the historical interpretation in favour of the allegorical. That is incorrect as Origen explicitly accepted, especially in the New Testament, that the passages are referring to historical events.
- While there were criticism of Origen during his lifetime, the actual call for his condemnation as a heretic came well after his death. The first (but not the only) “Origenist Crisis” took place in the late fourth century. Theologians continue to debate his orthodoxy, with many more recent scholars showing appreciation for his work.
For more on Origen, listen to episode 51 of the podcast.
Episode 51 – Origen and Tertullian: The Most Respected of Heretics
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