Origene

Origène (in Greek old Ὠριγένης / Ôrigénês ) is a Père of the Church, born with Alexandria v. 185 and died in Tyr v. 254.

Biography

It is born in Egypt in a Christian family about the year 185. In 202, under the Severe reign of Septime, the Church of Alexandria is persecuted and his/her Léonidès father dies martyrized. Origene wanted to follow it in martyrdom, but his/her mother succeeds in of preventing it by hiding her clothing. The death of Leonidès left without resources a family of nine people because its goods had been confiscated. Origene, however, became protected from a rich woman and high placed; but, as it already sheltered at it an heretic of the name of Paul, it seems that Origène who professed most strict orthodoxy remained with her only little time. According to Eusèbe de Césarée, which devotes to him the sixth book of ecclesiastical sound Histoire , Origène must then work to make live his/her many brothers and sisters. In 215, although very young person, it succeeds Clément of Alexandria to the head of the Didascalée to the theological École of Alexandria (catechetic school).

To be entirely independent, Origène sold its library for a sum which brought back a daily income to him Net of 4 mites which were enough for him because of its extreme frugality. Teaching all the day, it devoted to the study of the Bible most of its nights carrying out a life of rigid ascetic. According to some traditions, it carried so far this concern that, since it taught with women as well as with men it feared as this situation could give place to the scandal for the pagan ones and it followed to the letter Matthieu 19:12 (“there are the eunuques ones which were done themselves eunuques for the and kingdom of heaven” Marc, verse 9:43 (“if your hand is for you an occasion of fall, it crosses”), i.e. it will be châtra; such an action, if it really took place, was partly, undoubtedly, due so that he believed that the Christian was to follow the teaching of his Master without the least reserve. Later in the life, however, he saw reasons which should have made him judge differently before deciding with such an act. In its teaching given to maritime Césarée, he regretted its gesture which he allotted to the error that the literal reading of the Writings constitutes. The historical truth of this castration was questioned by some disciples. It was supposed that it was a lie spread by the rivals of Origène who endeavoured to reduce his importance or to soil its reputation.

It continues to study, in particular near Am Saccas. In 230, it is ordered priest in Palestine but its bishop, Démétrius, reproaches him its mutilations which according to the guns makes it inapt for priesthood. In spite of the support of the bishops and an assembly in council, Démétrius relieves Origène of her functions and excommunicates it. In 231, Origène leaves Alexandria for Césarée, in Palestine, where it continues to explain the Writing and where a new school shapes around him with the most remarkable pupils (of which Gregoire the Miracle-worker).

In 250, under the reign of Dèce, it undergoes persecution and, although imprisoned and tortured, it does not cease writing to encourage his companions and to compose his book Against Celse . Although it found freedom, it dies in 254, probably of the continuations of its wounds.

According to Holy Jerome, he would have died in Tyr, and would have been buried in the Cathédrale.

It is regarded as the father of the biblical Exégèse to have commented on all the Books of Old and the New Testament and one of the first large Christian philosophers.

Works

Origene is famous to have left a considerable work (Épiphane estimates their number at close to 6 000). Most important is probably the Hexaples , comparative of the Bible on six columns, presenting the Hebrew text, its Greek transliteration and versions. He is also the author of polemical writings ( Against Celse ), dogmatic ( On the principles , Of principiis ) and exegetic ( Homélies , Commentaires ).

One can add:

Comments on the Scriptures ;
Of the prayer ;
Exhortation with martyrdom ;
Homélies on the Genesis .

Its work bulkiest On the Prayer influenced the first Christians.

Let us note finally that an anthology of its works, the Philocalie was carried out by Gregoire de Nazianze and Basile de Césarée.

After its death it continues to be the object of controversies. Certain points of its doctrines are condemned to the council of Constantinople II (553), in particular, one showed it to have supported the belief in the Réincarnation and the preexistence of the heart before the birth. These points are more allotted to Origène that truly doctrines affirmed by him. A file gathered by Pamphyle and Eusèbe de Césarée in IVe century entitled Apologie for Origène knows this controversy surrounding it. Moreover, Origène him even in its Comment on the Gospel of Matthieu , delivers X, CH. 20 qualifies the reincarnation of error ( pseudodoxia t-pieces metensômatôseôs )). Its only truly speculative work, the Of principiis having the character of an opened research at the time where any doctrines was not still fixed by an ecumenical council. Origene is a thinker moving, curious, prolific and never doctrinary blunt.

Thus, in its comment on the Gospel according to Jean, commenting on the first chapter in which it is known as that Jesus baptized in a place located along the the Jordan called “Béthanie”, Origène known as to traverse all the valley of the river without finding place thus called. It finds only one place called Bétharaba. Applying the etymological methods of the time, it determines that in Hebrew Béthanie means “the house of the achievement” while Bétharaba means “the house of the preparation”. It thus corrects the text evangelic by saying that Jesus begins his public life with the baptism with Bétharaba while it goes to Béthanie, close to Jerusalem, to celebrate his last meal before Passion.

Érasme did not write any less in the Of Rations Studii , written with London in March 1506 and put on sale at Paris in October 1511: “In fact of theology, after the Holy Scriptures, nothing better with reading that Origène - ex theologia, secundum divinas subparagraphs, nemo melius Origene . ”

Thought

According to Origène, God is Transcendant and infinite. He generates eternally the Son, his image. Through the Logos (Verb), it creates a multitude of pure spirits which, except for Jesus, move away from Him and become hearts then. It gives them concrete bodies in connection with the gravity of their faults: body of angels, men or demons.

These heart S, thanks to their free decision , can approach God or move away some. The hello is equivalent to the return to original perfection, at this time there the hearts will have “bodies of resurrection”. The true ideal is this complete knowledge, that the philosophers have only interview, but that the Christian can acquire completely if it is detached from the matter.

The physical body is thus a punishment, but at the same time the means by which God appears and supports the heart in his rise. God does not want to force the heart, and thus resorts to education by the Logos , whose agents were the philosophers, Moïse and the prophets for the Jewish Peuple, and obviously Jesus in which incarnated the Son of God.

It is essential to recall that Origène thinks that final safety (the Parousie) will occur only when all creation and thus all humanity are reinstated in Christ. These doctrines are known under the name of Apocatastase and it will be taken again by largest Pères of the Church which are Gregoire de Nazianze, Basile de Césarée and especially Gregoire de Nysse.

Origene is at the origin of the Lectio divina , founded on interpretation according to the Four directions of the Writings. Lectio divina is practiced in the Monastère S. the pope Benoît XVI started again the Lectio divina at the time of its catechesis of May 2nd 2007.

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