Why Was Origen Important to the Early Church?
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Origen’s full name, Origen Adamantius, can be translated as “Man of Steel.” But Origen was no Superman. He was a man like the rest of us, subject to mistakes and missteps. And yet, his faith in Jesus prevailed through the hardest trials. We see from his life and writing that he grew and matured over time—the goal of every believer.
Origen was foremost a follower of Christ, but then a scholar, a writer, a teacher, a philosopher, an ascetic, and a son who lost his father to martyrdom when he was far too young.
Origen was born in Alexandria, Egypt to Christian parents. He lived approximately 69 years (which in those times was a small miracle for one so vocal about the faith). Origen was the oldest of seven children. His father, Leonides, taught him the Scriptures and Greek liberal arts. When Origen was an adolescent, Rome beheaded Leonides for his faith. Origen tried to join his father in martyrdom, but his mother prevented him from doing so. While he didn’t die for his faith, this event cemented Origen’s desire to live true to the faith for which his father died.
This early church period was a time of sorting out ideas, as Christians studied the apostolic Scriptures and debated and formalized doctrine. The enemy was hard at work trying to distract, destroy, and confuse the early church. So, early church fathers like Origen were vital for sorting through the apostles’ teachings and distinguishing true theological pathways from erroneous ones. Gnosticism was a prevalent heresy, and camps formed around other doctrinal variations, many of which were errant. Origen was a powerful voice in correcting the Gnostics, a witness to pagan influences on church teaching who also defended the church from those influences.
It was vital to early church leaders, many from simple origins, to have support from those trained in logic and reasoning. Origen’s philosophical prowess factored into his approach to the Scriptures, helping others. However, his life was not without controversies. It was rumored that Origen castrated himself, taking Matthew 19:12 as a literal command. Origen denied this story, though Eusebius believed it was true, explaining it as a rash act of youth that Origen did so he could safely instruct both men and women. Origen’s later teachings made it clear that he rejected such a literal application of this passage. In fact, he was known for a threefold approach to Scripture—literal, moral, and allegorical.
Origen was clearly a teacher who believed in applying the Scriptures to his life, not simply talking and writing about them. He lived simply and embraced the life of an ascetic in response to the Sermon on the Mount. His loyalty to the gospel of Jesus eventually led to two years of imprisonment and torture, during which time he refused to renounce his faith in Christ. Shortly after his release from prison, Origen died from his extensive injuries.
Was Origen One of the Church Fathers?
The early church fathers were thought leaders, theologians, and teachers who guided the early church in the formation of correct thinking and application of the Holy Scriptures. Origen was a leading teacher of his time and, through his writing, a powerful influence on the early church. His literary works laid a foundation for much thinking that followed. Some of his theology was eventually declared heretical at the Council of Constantinople, so he's not universally considered a church father. Still, he was one of the first to work out a systemic theology and had no previous foundation for guidance. Also, his life, particularly the years he withstood torture rather than renounce Christ, speaks a greater story of devotion to Christ. Origen taught through his words, but lessons are also gleaned from his actions.
Top 10 Events in Origen’s Life
1. In 165 AD, Origen was born in Alexandria, Egypt.
2. When Origen was 17, his father, Leonides, was imprisoned and martyred for his faith by Rome. His family was left destitute.
3. At 18, the Bishop of Alexandria gave Origen charge of the church school, and he was assigned to work with new converts. During this period, many allege Origen castrated himself. It’s unclear whether this was only a rumor or the act of a young man who later came to understand the error of his ways.
4. While in Alexandria, Origen produced many of his writings, including On First Principles, Hexapla, and Contra Celsus.
5. In 215 AD, the Roman Emperor Caracalla visited Alexandria but faced student protest and criticism. He then instigated backlash against the school and expelled teachers from Alexandria. Origen fled to Caesarea in Palestine and taught there, where he was well-received. However, the fact he taught despite not being ordained earned him criticism from the church leaders. The Palestinian bishops valued Origen’s teaching even if the bishop of Alexandria decried Origen for teaching without official sanction.
6. Around 232 AD, Origen settled in Caesarea. Over the years, he traveled to Athens and other significant cities, influencing many future influencers of church teaching.
7. In 250 AD, believing Christians’ refusal to worship him as a god caused a plague, Emperor Decius began persecuting them. Origen was caught up in this persecution and would have died, but Decius insisted he not be allowed death until Origen renounced his faith. Origen stubbornly refused to yield his unwavering confidence in the gospel of Jesus Christ and suffered over two years of imprisonment, torture, and public pressure to recant.
8. In 251 AD, the Goths killed Decius, after which Origen is released from prison. He dies of complications from his injuries less than a year later (sometimes in 253-254 AD).
9. Despite the historical testimony that Origen withstood two years of torture rather than renounce Christ, in 553 AD, the Council of Constantinople declared him a heretic. This decision was based on several teachings with which the Orthodox church disagreed. Notably, Origen taught that the Trinity was a hierarchy of first Father, then Son, then Holy Spirit, whereas the Orthodox church taught they are co-equal persons. He believed that all could be saved, including Satan, and that souls were assigned to bodies based on their level of sin—the worst becoming demons, then humans, and then angels. The greater church teaches and believes that angels and humans are distinct created beings with human souls created at conception.
Pivotal Books by Origen
1. On First Principles was Origen’s work on systematic theology and was the first of its kind.
2. Contra Celsum (or Against Celsus) is a work of apologetics defending the truth of Christianity.
3. Hexapla was a monumental work of 28 years of research and writing, an analysis of the Old Testament written to respond to Jewish and Gnostic critics of the faith. It is a six-column comparison of the Hebrew Old Testament, the Greek Septuagint, and four other Greek versions, along with Origen’s commentary.
Origen also wrote hundreds of letters and papers that contributed to Christian theology’s development. While his life’s story is a mixture of mistakes and heroism, it’s not unlike many of our lives. We seek Christ within the context of our times, apply His Word as best we can to our lives, sort through sound teaching and error, and defend the faith from conflict within and criticism without. We can learn a thing or two from Origen that may yet keep us on the right path to life-long faithfulness to Christ.
What Can Christians Gain from Studying Origen’s Life and Writing?
Origen’s life is indeed ancient history, but so much of what Origen wrestled with is also relevant to our times. He had to decide how to face persecution. He had to decide how to defend the faith against those who discredited it. He had to decide how to apply the Scriptures to his own life. He had to decide how to get along with other Christians who disagreed with his position on Scripture.
When discussing history, we often mistakenly act as if historical figures sprang from history fully formed to fulfill the roles we now know they filled. However, they began life as children and adolescents who suffered traumas or trials. They had immature impulses in young adulthood and perhaps took wrong turns. They were subject to the pressures of their times, as are we. They did their best to understand God, Scripture, and their humanity against the backdrop of their days.
Origen’s story demonstrates the development and growth of a Christian thought leader, full of traumatic influences, missteps, and imperfect thought. Yet through it all, he had an unwavering commitment to Christ, even in the face of persecution.
Origen is an unlikely hero for modern believers. And yet, it’s hard not to gain perspective from learning about this prolific writer, biblical philosopher, and tenacious theologian who lived, wrote, and taught with intensity and passion during the tumultuous early years of Christianity.
What will others say of our lives hundreds of years after our homecoming? Will we be defined by our greatest sins or immature decisions in our youth, or will the steadfastness of our lives for Christ be the last word on our testimony? In studying and discussing those who came before us in the faith, we do well to apply mercy, discernment, and wisdom, remembering that they were brothers or sisters in Christ, often doing their best in the context of their times and circumstances.
Further Reading:
What You Should Know about Origen
Rediscovering the Church Fathers
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Europeana/Jan Luyken
