Origen of Alexandria: Christian or Philosopher?

"Man of Steel"

Many of the early Christians earned a name that colorfully described their own life of faith. One of them was Origen, called Adamantius which literally means a "man of steel". The title "man of steel" was true to his reputation because Origen practiced an extreme form of asceticism; walked around without shoes, imposed on himself sleep deprivation, undergone self-castration, and was jailed and tortured during Decian's persecution of Christian but was intentionally kept alive with hopes that he would renounce his faith but after sometime, died.

Beginning

Origen Adamantius (AD 185 - 254), also known as Origen of Alexandria, was born to a wealthy Christian family in the city of Alexandria in Egypt. His father Leonides taught him the Bible while he was studying in a Hellenistic curriculum in pagan school. When Christians suffered persecution under Septimus Severus, his father was imprisoned and later martyred. At the young age of seventeen, Origen wanted to share the fate of his father, but was prohibited when his mother hid his clothes to prevent him from leaving the house.[1] All of their possessions were confiscated and he was left to support his six younger brothers and his mother by teaching Greek grammar. His gift of teaching was then noticed by Demetrius, the Bishop of Alexandria who made Origen head of the catechetical school.

Lifeworks

Origen's gift of teaching attracted many including a wealthy woman who supported him and his family. He left catechetical teaching to pursue his education and was believed to be a student of Ammonius Saccas, founder of Neoplatonism. He then furthered his studies of the Scripture and penned hundreds of scholarly works on theology, biblical interpretation and textual criticism. He became very influential and was appointed "an arbitrator in Church disputes as a theological expert" (Carandang, 2017). Two of his most important works the De Principiis and the treatise On Prayer highlighted Origen's Platonist position while his Christian faith was demonstrated in the Exhortation to Martydom. The Hexapla (Sixfold) was the earliest true interlinear Bible and a counter-attack against Gnostic teaching; and the Contra Celsum was a powerful defense of Christianity. Origen was one of the earliest and the greatest Christian scholar and theologian.

Life Lessons

Origen devoted his life in preaching the Scripture through his words and in his life, an important aspect of Origen's life that we should follow. His extensive use of allegory and philosophy is just a means to his goal of making Scripture accessible to many people. The very essence of Christianity is to devote our life to believe in the God that we cannot see. Our understanding of His will is anchor in our understanding of His Word. We should be students of Scripture like Origen. Christian should absolutely be watchful in regard to doctrinal integrity. A Biblical principle can only be considered biblically sound when it is clearly taught in the Bible.

Origen's passion, dedication and perseverance influenced great men of faith after him. His main concern was to have an impact on the life others. And as you contemplate the reading, how can you impact the life of people around you?

Sources:

[1] http://www.religionfacts.com/origen

[2] Ariel Carandang, 2017.

[3] Photo Credit: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2015/10/saint-origen.