Thread by @BanxyFamily

Origen’s preface [to On First Principles] provides a key to his intentions. He begins by arguing that those who believe and are persuaded that Christ is God’s Logos and Truth must seek the truth through Christ’s teachings. —J. Trigg #MindfromWithout (θύραθεν νοῦς)

...Since Christ is the Logos, these constitute the entire Bible, not just Christ’s words recorded in the Gospels.

Origen then says: because many who profess to believe in Christ disagree, not just in small and trivial matters, but also in ones of great and the greatest importance, that is about God, or about our Lord Jesus Christ himself, or about the Holy Spirit, and not just about these,>

>but also about creatures, dominions and holy powers, for this reason it seems necessary beforehand to establish a firm line and distinct rule about each of these subjects, and then we can also investigate other subjects. —Origen, On First Principles

This “firm line and distinct rule” is the church’s proclamation “truly preserved by an order of succession handed down from the apostles, remaining in the churches even to the present.”

The doctrines the apostles proclaimed straightforwardly were:

Here are some...

1. “That God is one, who created & orders all things, and who, when nothing existed, made the kosmos to be,” and that “This just and good God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (see Rom. 15:6),>

>himself gave the law, the prophets, and the gospels, who is the God of the apostles and of the Old and New Testaments.”

2. “That Jesus Christ, the same one who came (see Jn 5:43), was generated from the Father before every creature, who, when he had served the Father in the foundation of all things (see Pr. 8:22–31 and Wis. 9:9), >

> for all things were made through him (Jn 1:3), in the latter days emptied himself and became a man (see Heb. 1:2 and Phil. 2:7), was incarnate, while he was God. and, having been made man, remained what he was, namely God. >

> He assumed a body like our body, differing only in this, that he was born from a virgin and the Holy Spirit. And because then this Jesus Christ was born and suffered in truth and not in appearance, >

> that he truly died the common death, and he was truly raised from the dead and, having conversed with his disciples after his death, was assumed into the heavens.”

3. “That the Holy Spirit is associated in honor and dignity with the Father and the Son” and “that this Holy Spirit inspired each one of the saints, prophets, and apostles,>

> and that there was not one Spirit in the Old Testament and another in those writings which were inspired at Christ’s advent.”

4. “That the soul, having its own substance and life, when it departs this kosmos, it will be compensated for its merits, either to inherit eternal life and blessedness, if its deeds are answerable to this, or to be delivered to aionion fire and tortures, >

> if the guilt of its crimes deflects it in that direction, but that there will be a time of the resurrection of the dead, with this body, that what is now sown in corruption will rise in incorruption, and what is sown in dishonor will rise in glory (see 1 Cor. 15:42–3).” >

> Furthermore, concerning the soul, the church proclaims “that every rational soul has free choice and will, but also that it is engaged in a struggle against the Devil, his angels, and the opposing powers, for these contend to weigh it down with sins, but, >

> nonetheless, by living rightly and prudently, we strive to avoid such a calamity. From this the conclusion is that we are not subject to necessity, so that one way or another, whether we desire it or not, we are forced to do either bad or good things.”

5. That “devils or adverse/opposing powers” exist.

6 “That this kosmos was made and began to exist at a certain time and that because of its corruption it is to be destroyed.”

7. “That the Scriptures were written by the Spirit of God and have not just that sense that is evident, but another one hidden from most readers.”

#SONGofSONGS

and, …

8. “That there are certain angels of God and good powers, who serve to bring to its completion the salvation of men.”

Aside from ranking the existence of a hidden sense of Scripture among the fundamental articles of the faith (as we shall see, for Origen this is a corollary of its divine inspiration),>

> this list faithfully represents the position of Christians like Irenaeus and Tertullian who differentiated themselves from Gnosticism. Nonetheless, such doctrines are only the elementary principles of theology: >

Origenis … But this ought to be understood. When the holy apostles were proclaiming faith in Christ concerning certain things which they considered necessary, they passed them on very straightforwardly to all believers,>

> even to those who appeared somewhat listless in the investigation of divine knowledge, while leaving the reason for their assertions to be inquired by those who merited the more excellent gifts of the Spirit,>

> and especially those who would acquire the grace of speech, wisdom, and knowledge from the same Spirit (see 1 Cor. 12:7–8). About other things they said, indeed, that they were so,>

> but as to the how and the why, they kept silent, assuredly being so that each of those who were more studious among their posterity, those who would be lovers of wisdom (see Wis. 8:2), would have an exercise in which they could show the fruit of their intelligence,>

> those, that is, who would prepare themselves to be worthy and capable of receiving wisdom.
—Origenis, On First Principles

Trigg: In the course of reciting the rule of faith, therefore, Origen signals areas where the apostles remained silent. These include: whether the Holy Spirit was begotten or not; whether the soul comes into existence at conception or has an earlier beginning;>

> who the devils are and how they came to exist; “what existed before this world, or what will exist after this world”; “how God himself ought to be understood, whether he is corporeal and configured in some shape or is of another nature than corporeal”;>

> and how and when the angels were created, and whether the heavenly bodies are or are not animated. >

Origen concludes that: >
It is therefore necessary for someone who desires to construct a coherent and organic whole according to the commandment that says “Enlighten yourselves with the light of knowledge” (Hos. 10:12 LXX) to use points such as these>

> [i.e. the doctrines handed down in the rule of faith] as elements and first principles, so that with clear and necessary arguments he may investigate what is true in individual matters,>

> so that, as we have said, one organic whole may be constructed from examples and affirmations which he finds in the Holy Scriptures or which he discovers by careful investigation and direct pursuance of their consequences.
—Origenis, On First Principles