Early Christian Theology_Origen of Alexandria

 Origen of Alexandria(185-254)

Studied philosophy with Ammonius Saccas at Alexandria who also taught Plotinus.

Sought to join the martyrs I the persecution of 203, but forbidden

Enormous capacity for work. Great achievements in bibilcal scholarship(Hexapla) as well as theology. Major apologetic work: Against   Celsus.

 

Significance:

·         Origen, Thomas Aquinas, F. Schleiermacher are probably the most important syntheiss0thinkers in the history of Christina theology.

·         These three developed a synthesis between Christianity and the prevailing secular philosophies.

·         In each of these three cases, the synthesis carried the

 

Epistemology

a.    Scripture

1.     Strong view of verbal inspiration.

2.     This view negated by allegorical interpretation. In Origen's view, every text has three sense:

·         Omatic(literal)

·         Psychical(moral)

·         Pneumatic(speculative): One can make any text teach something consistent with Greek philosophy

3.     Apologetic purpose: to find in every text something worthy of God.

b.     Methods of knowing G

1.     Synthesis - finding causal origin for earthly realities.

2.     Analysis - "way of negation" -strip away all properties not appropriate to G.

3.     Analogy - determining the proportion or extent to which an attribute applies to G. Though God is beyond all prediction, some   predicates are more true of him than others.

4.     -> note that these are/…

 

God

a.     He is being, and beyond Being.

b.     Beyond predictation, but conceived as personality.

c.     Trinity:

1.     Origen formulates the termionlogy used for Trinitarian distinctions in the Greek-speaking ches as did tertullian for the Latin-speaking   ches. One ousia, three hypostaseis.

2.     F and S are one in being(en in john 10:30 = one thing). Cf. later term homoousious….

 

Creation (by logos)

a.     Has been going on eternally ; not a particular act as in the "literal" understanding of Gen 1

b.     Since G could not create evil, he created all things ethically equal. Some creatures fell of their own free will.

c.     People are born sick, poor, etc. because of sins in a previous life.

 

Redemption

a.     J overcomes the hostile powers, teaches righteousness, gives us an example.

b.     Hope of universal salvation, even of devils.

c.     Because of free will, there might, even after the completion of redemption, be another fall.

 

Evaluation

a.     No appreciation at all for the antithesis between Christian and non-Christian

b.     Freely uses the non-Christian principles of rationalism and irrationalism in the construction of a Christian theology

c.     Allegorical interpretation is too speculative