16 - Origen

Summary

The life of Origen (c. 185–after 250), born in Alexandria in Egypt, son of a martyr and the eldest of seven brothers, was that of a master of Christian philosophy. We are told this, with a certain implausibility regarding chronology, in book 6 of the History of the Church composed by Eusebius of Caesarea, who had already written, together with his teacher Pamphilus, an Apology in Origen’s defence. Leaving aside the different effects of a treatment purporting to be on the one hand historical and on the other of an apologetic character, we can identify in the Eusebian History of the Church indications of an attitude both of celebration and of defensiveness – which also has implications for an understanding of Origen’s basic relationship with philosophy. After acquiring a deep familiarity with Scripture at a very early age, Origen, who made his living as a teacher of grammar to support his family after the death of his father, was called, because of his zeal and ability, by Bishop Demetrius to organize catechetics at the Alexandrian didaskaleion. That must be interpreted to mean that Demetrius, aiming to promote greater centralization in the Alexandrian church, established, with Origen’s support, a school under direct episcopal control. That was a novelty compared with other schools in the past – and perhaps also in his own time – for these were simultaneously autonomous liturgical communities as well as centres of Christian instruction.