The Ancient Wisdom of Origen

187 Pages·1992·23.495 MB·English

by  John Clark Smith

The Ancient Wisdom
of Origen
John Clark Smith
Lewisburg
Bucknell University Press
London and Toronto: Associated University Presses
© 1992 by Associated University Presses, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smith, John Clark, 1944-
The ancient wisdom of Origen / John Clark Smith.
p. cm.
f~. ,
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 0-8387-5204-7 (alk. paper)
1. Origen. 1. Title.
BR65.068S65 1992
270.1'092-dc20 90-53315
1
1~ CIP
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
11
Contents
List of Abbreviations 9
Preface 11
1. Introduction: How Was Spiritual Change Viewed in Origen's
Day? 15
Background 15
Greco-Roman Religions 16
The Philosophers 18
The Gnostics 21
The Hebrew Scriptures 23
The New Testament 25
Other Christian Writers before Origen 27
Summary 35
II. The Beginning and the End: What Happens before and after
Earthly Life? 36
Background 36
Why Did Man Fall? 37
What Does Scripture (Acts 3:21) Mean by the Final
"Restoration" (Apokatastasis)? 41
Is the End Predetermined or Is Man Free in Some Sense? 45
What Happens to Sin and the Sinful in the End? 48
Will Everyone Finally Return to God? 51
What Happens to Body after Death and in the End? 57
Summary 60
III. Managing the Senses: How Does Man Acquire Self-Control
and Restrain His Desires? 61
Background 61
How Did the Fleshly Body Arise? 62
What Is the Meaning of the Body for the Follower of Jesus? 62
Are There Any Inner Gifts Given by God to Help Man Manage
the Senses? 65
How Does Christ as Redeemer Help Us? 70
What Is the Role of Evil and the Devil? 73
How Can Scripture Aid Us in Controlling the Difficulties with
the Senses and the Body? 79
What Role Does the Church Have in This Struggle? 83
Are There Spiritual Beings That Help Man? 88
Summary 90
8 CONTENTS
IV. Developing Good Conduct: How Does One Come to Act as
a Christian? 92
Background 92
How Are Thinking and Doing Related for the Christian? 93
What of Those Who Vacillate in Their Behavior? 102 Abbreviations
How Does One Learn the Conduct of a Christian? 108
Summary 149
V. Becoming a Christian: How Does a Christian Come to Know
the Way of God? 150
Background 150 ANF Ante-Nicene Fathers
What Is the Higher Life for the Christian? 151 BLE Bulletin de litterature ecclesiastique
How Is Christ the Foundation of the Spiritual Life? 174 (Report on ecclesiastieal literature)
What Is the Role of Faith? 187 Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei
GCS
How Do Repentance and Prayer Contribute to Growth? 203 J ahrhunderte .
Why Does a Christian Need the Holy Spirit and Baptism? 218 (The Greek Christian writers of the first three centunes)
What Are the Mysteries and How Can the Christian Know
JTS Journal of Theological Studies
Them? 231
The Septuagint translation of the Bible
Summary 248 LXX
Patrologia Graeca (Writings of the Greek fathers)
VI. Some Reflections 250 PG
RSR Recherches de science religieuse
(Studies in religious knowledge)
Appendix A: Origen's View of Fire in the Homilies on Jeremiah 258
Appendix B: Origen Scholarship and Textual Methodology 260 SC Sources chretiennes
(Christian sources)
Notes 270
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament .
Bibliography 337 TDNT
An asterisk indicates that the translation has been modIfied.
Index of Cited Texts of Origen 358 *
Index of Modern Writers Cited 362
Index of Subjects 366
9
Preface
This book is the result of over fifteen years of study and research. In it I have
tried to clarify, in light of Origen's writings on spiritual change and growth, the
thought of Origen to English-speaking readers. As far as the author is aware,
this book is the first detailed book-length study of the full spectrum of Origen's
unique Christian vision written in English. Every idea of Origen is supported
by texts, many of them translated into English for the first time. It also is informed
by the major German, French, Spanish, and Italian studies on Origen.
This said, I am well aware of the pitfalls of Origen studies once one enters
the world of Origen scholarship. It 'is now an enormous area of research and
no one can claim complete dominance over all of it. My intent has been to give
the heart of what Origen believed and yet not neglect the major works of Origen
scholars which were available to me.
Readers interested in methodology should turn first to Appendix B. There I
give an overview of the major progress and trends in Origen scholarship, discuss
the difficulties and dating of the surviving texts, and reveal the way I have handled
them.
Despite my years of attention to the manuscript, however, and the helpful
comments of several scholars, I am certain there are shortcomings, reflections,
of course, of my own shortcomings and of the difficulties of Origen's thought.
But there comes a time to let the child go off into the world and see what happens.
I can only hope that I have not done a disservice to Origen, and perhaps to some
extent repaid my debt to him who has been my teacher for so many years.
11
The Ancient Wisdom
of Origen
iii
t
I
11
;
,
Introduction: How Was Spiritual Change
Viewed in Origen's Day?
Background
Just as modern society has been increasingly filled with numerous religious and
pseudoreligious groups which vie for the allegiance of people, so it was in the
first centuries after Christ. After the New Testament as we know it today was
set down, there was a time of restless movement and change, a time of spiritual
transformation. Numerous options besides the way of the little Christian sect
were available. Christianity had not yet overwhelmed the world with its truths
and behavior. Many other sects were competing with it and thinkers were
responding to a real need and dilemma.! The assortment was varied: the
mysteries, the Gnostic groups, the influx of oriental religions, the State religion,
the transforming old philosophies, as well as the new Christian sect and its own
heresies. All of these drove the ancient man to a psychological crisis of decision,
to the necessity of comparison and reaffirmation of his beliefs.2
Among many others, the Christians were trying to convince others through
their own writers of the importance of Christian life and why a person should
become a Christian. But no non-scriptural writings have survived up to the third
century that truly display the full power of Christian thought on this idea. No
one up to the third century was able to defend the way of Christ as well as change
the heart.
No one until Origen. His dates are uncertain, but we know he was alive from
I
about 185 to 251 AD.3 He was not only a rigorous follower of the gospel in his j
everyday behavior and a dedicated Christian; he was a thinker, a man who dared
I
to speculate, yet one greater than any Christian thinker of· the ancient world
because he alone first explored the territory of Scripture with great depth.IHe
stands higher than any thinker as the greatest defender and philosopher of I
I
Scripture, a man who knew Scripture as well as any Christian thinker who ever
lived, who knew the Greek and Hebrew, and who lived the way of Scriptu~ !
As a boy he tried to run off and become a martyr, but his mother hid his clothes. I
As an old man it is almost certain that he died from wounds given him in the i
persecution of Christians under the emperor Decius. While others would recant,
I
Origen maintained his faith in the face of every conceivable onslaught. His own
faith was secure in this extraordinary age of upheava1.4
The works of Origen focus on change in a time of great change, a time not
i
15
1
! 17
16 INTRODUCTION GRECO-ROMAN RELIGIONS
unlike our own. It was not a pastime for him; to convert others was an essential demanded purity, often with some moral overtones, they were not part of a
skill in that era. He wrote about every known aspect of spiritual growth and the process of transformation. One sacrificed not for personal transformation, but \\
many dilemmas that accompany it, and we can say without exaggeration that out of a duty to a local deity or to one with which a person has some
his account has never been surpassed. He was the inspiration for the many thinkers attachment. 8
who followed. Moreover, the pagan religions of the Empire (as well as Hermeticism and
The purpose of this book then isto explore how Origen handled the problem Gnosticism), i.e., sun worship and astrology, began more and more to concentrate
of change and spiritual growth in the midst of such a bewildering number of on the transformation of the universe rather than only of man (cosmology rather
options for the people of his time. How and why did people become Christian? than anthropology). The effect, in comparison to Judaism or Christianity, was
What was expected of them? What were the important dimensions of change that the Greco-Roman religions were more formal and objective. Man stood under
in spiritual growth? What did it mean to experience Christian change? Our subject the hand of a fate by which the gods ruled the cosmos and directed at their whim
is spiritual transformation and growth in the time of Origen, what we can call, the wills of men. Sin too was more objective. As one writer explains, in pagan
in a general sense, conversion, though Origen's understanding of this concept ritual moral evil was put aside by the devotee; he was not delivered from it.9
is much more profound than what is commonly understood. In sum, turning to the new or a return to the old involving a complete chan~e
We will explore this subject in six parts. The first part will discuss the milieu of heart and conduct, as well as _new allegiances, was rare. In terms of theIr
in which Origen wrote. The second part explores Origen's controversial views ~ with the supernaturafPeople relied primaril~?n ~eligio, namely, the -;9t"
on the beginning and the end in order to show a need for change and the final sum total of the rituals that tied them to the gods or spmts;m terms of personill.
end or goal toward which Origen believes the journey of the spirit is leading. traI!§formation, these generally involved Il2.!.!eligion but ghilosoIllY, as a section
Then, in parts three, four, and five, the heart of the study, we clarify how Origen below will try to clarify. In the former case, any significant spiritual change was
understood the way a person becomes a true Christian through restraint of the irrelevant. In the latter case, a change obviously does not compromise one's
body, virtue, and quest for spiritual knowledge. Finally, we offer some reflections allegiance to any religious sect or god. The fundamental purpose was not to be
in part six. turned to the gods, but to profit from service to them.lO Hence with respect to
But first, to appreciate Origen and what he faced, we begin with a brief overview religion, a pagan did not leave behind an old way and then give his wh~le life
of the options offered to the people of the third century and how the competitors to something new. The new forms were supplements rather than alternatIves to
of the little Christian sect considered change. In this way, we will clarify the soil the ancestral piety.
11
of attitudes in which Origen seeded his own viewpoint. Indeed there is a strong tendency, especially in tq~man character, toward
Six major viewpoints will be considered: Greco-Roman religions, contemporary conservatism and maintenance of the old ways.12 Since pagan piety centered
philosophies, Valentinian Gnostics, the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament), around the family and the locale, the very nature of the religion encouraged this
the New Testament, and other Christian thinkers who preceded Origen. conservatismJf one thinks of change as a turning away from the old, how could
the pagan turn away from his family and locale? Would this not be equal to
forsaking his rootS?13 Conversion evidently could not mean a rejection of one's
Greco-Roman Religions5 family and home. One might include an alien deity in one's sacrifices, but one
did not convert to it without losing the favor of one's family, home city, and
Let us start with a working definition of the process of spiritual change that we godifnQrigen's time, the cult of the Emperor was also imposed upon t~e. old
will explore in depth in this study: To change, one must have a transforming religion of the family and city, so that allegiance to Rome was made a relIgIOUS
experience of mind and conduct involving a total reformation of life, and one as well as political necessity.14 To reject one's family, city, nation and god would
must seek to know what transcends human knowledge and action. hardly seem prudent to most of the ancients, ~ut, in effect, this is what the
If we accept the above definition of spiritual change, then it is almost unknown Christians seemed to be asking converts to dQ,j
in the Greco-Roman religion of the Empire.6 The Greek word Metanoia (usually With respect to the mystery religions, there is a stres.s on initiation rather than
translated repentance), for example, which involved a powerful transformation inner transformation; that is, the process by which one becomes a member,
for the Jew and Christian, often signified merely a change of mind in the sense introduced to the secrets, occurs through external rites of initiation. IS It was
of a value judgment or reconsideration.JThe Latin word Religio for the pagan primarily the ceremonies, then, that made one a member, rather than a turning,
was primarily something describing rituals that communicated with the gods as returning or inner transforming experience. Moreover, it was other ceremonies
if well as the obligations to perform the rituals.7 Though these ritual sacrifices that maintained one's membership and interest,16
18 INTRODUCTION THE PHILOSOPHERS 19
The Philosophers!7
and controls the effects from the external world, that determines true
transformation.
1.
2.
For conversion in the sense of a complete break with the old for something new,
let us turn to the philosophical schools of the Greco-Roman world.IS The Several kinds of transformation are evident in Platonic thought, but each is
'~ fundamental reason why ancient philosophy had a concept of conversion was focused either around the journey away from sense-reality or the self-conversion.
\1 that it "held a clear concept of two types of life, a higher and a lower, and And both may be described as epistemological changes. Both also include an
\ exhorted men to turn from one to the othe~.)' 19 Philosophic conversion could ethical dimension that will be reflected in the convert's behavior in society. Plato
mean both a turn from the sensible reality to the intelligible reality, and a turn himself was convinced that our moral conduct in this world determines the form
toward one's true nature, toward that which is in harmony with Nature, and in which we are reborn. But the ethics of Plato and other Platonists up to the
'
away from that which distracts one, i.e., what is outside one's self. Since in most time of Origen is fundamentally based in what we know, since how we act depends
ancient philosophers these two dimensions are interrelated, they will be discussed on how deeply we have knowledge of moral values. Platonic conversion may
!together. But the latter, the turn toward oneself, found in philosophers such as also be described as a turning of the intellect (Nous) away from the sensible and
Plato, Philo, Plutarch and Epictetus, is, in fact, the most pronounced way of toward its true object: the intelligible. This turning is a turning back, are-turn,
expressing conversion.20 to a condition in which the intellect can contemplate the Forms in the realm of
This stress on the self-conversion seems especially true for the Stoics. For the divine. As for how the soul returns to the divine reality, the Platonists usually
example, Epictetus sees conversion as a process concerned with oneself only, which attribute the power to the soul itself, that is, the power of self-motion. The
means avoiding what is external and outside the self, avoiding what originates problem of free will, necessity and providence to which we allude here remained
from outside, and returning to one's true self and the way of providence. He a difficulty for the Platonists up to Plotinus, and it remains inconclusive even
is less concerned with the questions arising from a Platonic sensible-intelligible in Plotinus. But the intent in most Platonists was to preserve free will. Moreover,
mode of conversion, though this aspect is implied. The Stoic conversion is more for all Platonists up to Plotinus, including Plato himself, the soul is being
a call to a providence that bears on men than a contemplative admiration of the influenced by intermediaries, the race of demons.27
intelligible or the Good. As one writer summarizes'the matter, the Platonist finds
Truth in conversion; Epictetus finds freedom, freedom from the constraints of 3.
external forces.21 Epictetus advocates a turn from attention to external forces
to the interior forces that enable man to be free and in harmony with Logos. The foregoing paragraph is a general summary of the main themes in Platonic
, Whereas the Platonist strives toward an intelligible realm other than the sensible conversion. However, since Origen was writing in the time of Middle Platonism,
world, the Stoic Epictetus strives for harmony with the providence of the it might be useful to state briefly some of the traits of this form of Platonism
world.22 Providence in turn results from the universal law, Logos, which rules as far as conversion is concerned. Middle Platonism is said to span the time from
both men and gods. In sum, in order to be free, men must be in accord with 80 B.c' to A.D. 220. We are particularly interested in the thought of Philo of
the universal law, which is also being in accord with god. To be in accord with Alexandria on conversion, since, in general, Origen's philosophical point of view
the universal law man turn inwardly toward his own power of Logos and away "is based on Philo rather than any more recent influence.
"20
from all that is external.23 There are two main implications of Middle Platonism for conversion. First,
.'i( Even though conversion is inward, it is displayed in external actions. In fact, in the emphasis upon the likeness to God aspect of Platonic ethics, the Middle n
• Stoic, Epicurean and Cynic systems center not on philosophic speculations and Platonists tended to reveal the spiritual and mystical side of Platonic thought, II
I' metaphysics, but on human life, and especially on ethics.24 The Stoics, for making the journey of the soul not only a journey to the divine, but a journey I
example, have a conception of moral progress in which one can ascend from that will liken one to the divine. The Platonic Forms become, in fact, thoughts
depravity to moral wisdom by his own power. Progress, however, is made only of the Divine Mind, though, it should be added, the Middle Platonist expected
in terms of evil-less and less evil. The wise man lives by virtue (A rete) and does only rare momentary visions of this Mind. Conversion takes on, in any case,
no action mixed with evil,25 For the Epicureans, the goal is pleasure, that is, the a religious quality in certain Platonic thinkers, notably Plutarch and, of course,
absence of bodily pain and mental affliction through moderation in one's life Philo, a Jew. Second, the increased prominence given to divine powers and
and acquiring the capacity to distinguish what is natural.26 In both the Stoic and intermediary beings, particularly the Logos, in Middle Platonic philosophers seems (
the Epicurean systems, it is then how one manages and directs his own judgment, to make the conversion journey more an interplay or partnership between the \
20 INTRODUCTION THE GNOSTICS 21
soul, essentially a divine creature itself, and the various powers of the One.29 The journey of all philosophers involved a strong concern with ethics and the
How do we change? Middle Platonic doctrine on this concern may be quest for virtue. The end of Platonic conversion was theoretical and
summarized by the following statement of Albinus (fl. A.D. 149-157):30 extraterrestrial, a return to the presence of the One and divine warmth. The end
for the Epicureans and Stoics was more natural, as they understood the term.
We may attain to the goal of becoming like unto God (a) by being in control of suitable For the Epicureans, it involved a state of intellectual pleasure and absence of
natural faculties, (b) by correct habituation and training and discipline, and (c) most pain and affliction. For the Stoics, it meant freedom, the release from constraint
especially by the use of reason and teaching and the transmission of doctrines, so as
from all sides and submission to the will of providence. Conversion in philosophy
to transcend for the most part human concerns, and to be always in contact with
mayor may not involve a Supreme God, but demons and lesser divine beings
intelligible realities.
were in various ways often influential. For none, with the exception of Philo,
This view corresponds almost exactly with the view of Philo (ca. 13 B.C.-50 was any liturgy, institution, sacrament or scripture particularly significant, but
A.D.).3l Hence before we leave Middle Platonism, let us review the way in which most converts were aided by a sage or 'school, and most philosophers had some
Origen's Alexandrian forebear Philo understood conversion. doctrine of revelation, grace, or providence. Conversion to philosophy did not 1/"
demand total allegiance. Converts were free to worship as they pleased as well
4. as borrow ideas and ways from other philosophers.
Philo's view of man's turning to God seems to have at least three main dimensions.
The first dimension is the effort of each person, essentially life-long, to transcend The Gnostics33
the effects of sense-reality and reach a state in which passion is under control.
This dimension is primarily ascetic and purgative, enabling the soul to concentrate Besides the GrecO-Roman religions and philosophies, there was a third alternative,
its energies on its rational element. a very different and, for some, powerful alternative: Gnosticism. This view of
The second dimension involves the use of this rational element to fathom the reality, which, in its most sophisticated form, borrowed from many other sources,
way of virtue and God's imprints throughout the universe. It is the effort to especially Platonism, became such a strong force that philosophers and Christians,
apprehend God (in truth the Logos) through his cr~ations and his rational patterns including Origen, felt compelled to write works opposing it. It was to them a
innate in all things. point of view very attractive to religious buyers and that required some subtle
The third dimension concerns faith, the faith of Abraham, which, for Philo, argumentation to refute. Not only is this view of existence important for
is a kind of intuitive reasoning. In this dimension, when man has felt himself understanding Origen's thought, but it is a view that has many similarities to
as nothing, when he has purged and purified himself of thoughts of passion and religious ideas common today.
the body, when the soul is not trying to reason out discursively God's way in Though there were many varieties of Gnosticism, its general view of conversion
creation, then God's continuous revelation floods into the soul. For now, freed seems to be similar throughout the era of our concern. As the name "Gnostic"
of obstacles, the soul's natural longing and love for God can dip into its much itself implies, a word which comes from the Greek word for knowledge (gnosis),{(
greater portion; it can feel its place in the divine unity. At this point, the sojourner this kind of conversion was primarily epistemological. From another perspective,
may experience a mystic vision of God. however, gnostic conversion occurred only on the cosmic level without human
All three dimensions are interconnected. Self-discipline goes hand in hand with involvement. 34 The effects of this cosmic image of generation can be narrowed
the path to virtue, and virtue is necessary for faith.32 to three major themes with respect to conversion: dualism, election, and
knowledge.
f
5. Gnosticism in general presents a radical dualism between the spiritual and the ,j
material, between spirit and flesh, between the Unbegotten One and the world
Let us review the idea of conversion in the philosophy of the Empire. Conversion and, of course, between good and evil. Gnosticism is obsessed with the evil
to the ideas of the philosophers required a true change in the life of the convert. inherent in created things. The result of this fundamental attitude of dualism
This change may be the result of several kinds of journeys. The two most is a very strong emphasis on what transcends matter and the created world, and
important of these journeys seem to be the change from a life tied to sensible a very powerful indictment of and at the same time indifference to things and
realities to a life concerned with intelligible realities, and the turn inward, self institutions of the created world. Since the true home of one's spiritual self is
conversion, an inner effort to conform oneself to the universal law or reason. in the pleroma, the place of divine "fullness," the follower of Gnosticism wishes