Origen Gives Us Hope for the Road Ahead:
Friday, January 09, 2009.
“It is far better ‘to die in the wilderness’ than ‘to serve the Egyptians.’ For he who dies in the wilderness, for the very reason that he has been separated from the Egyptians and has departed from ‘the rulers of darkness’ and from the power of Satan, has a certain perfection even if he was not able to arrive at completion. For it is better for one seeking the perfect life to die on the way than not to set out to seek perfection.” Ex Hom 5 p.281-2
The idea of one's trajectory is important to Origen. One ought to strive for perfection (which, in this life consists of attaining the virtues and an invicible faith), but if one does not reach this state, all may not be lost. In the Greek fragments of his Commentary on Romans, Origen emphasizes very clearly that our salvation is dependent upon grace—for even living faith (the sort that bears fruit) is a gift of God.
Labels: Origen, Patristics, Previous
Origen on Infant Baptism
Tuesday, October 30, 2007.
In his commentary on Romans, Origen explains that we all innately possess sin's defilement. It was in recognition of this that the early church baptised infants. Origen writes, "It is on this account as well that the Church has received the tradition from the apostles to give baptism even to little children. For they to whom the secrets of the divine mysteries were committed were aware than in everyone was sin's innate defilement, which needed to be washed away through water and the Spirit."
Or.Rom5.9.11 (Scheck)
Labels: Baptism, Origen, Patristics, Previous
Origen on Sinners
Tuesday, October 30, 2007.
Origen introduces an interesting distinction between those who have sinned and those who are sinners. The element that marks some as sinners and others as only having sinned is their habits. Those who repeatedly sin are sinners; those who occasionally sin are not, though they have still sinned. He uses an analogy of a physician to illustrate this distinction. Just as one who occasionally bandages a wound is not a doctor, so one who occasionally sins is not a sinner.
(Note: the text below has been scanned and converted, so it may have some typos due to the software)
It is one thing to have sinned, another to be a sinner.
One is called a sinner who. bv committing many transgressions,
has already reached the- point of making sinning into a habit
and, so to speak, a course of study. Just as, on the other hand,
one is not called righteous who lias once or twice done some
righteous act, but who continually behaves justiv and keeps
righteousness in use and makes it habitual. For if someone is
unjust in nearly all oilier matters but should carrv out some just
work one or two limes, he will indeed be said to have acted just-
ly in that work in which lie practiced justice; nevertheless he
will not on that basis be called a just man. Similarly it will in-
deed be said that a righteous man has sinned if he has at some
time committed what is not lawful. But lie will not on that ac-
count be labeled a sinner, since he does not hold last to the
practice and habit of sinning. Just as one is not called a physi-
cian who knows how to place a bandage lightly upon the skin of
a head wound, or who can sooth the swelling of an injury with
hot water, even though this seems to belong to tlie art of medi-
cine. Rather one is called a physician who maintains the use
and study and instruction of medical science.
By all this I think it has been sufficiently shown that it is
one thing to sin and another to be a sinner. For it can happen
that all people commit sin, even if they are holy, since "no one
is pure from uncleanness, not even if his life should be one day
long."321 For who is there who does not sin either in deed or in
word or, if one is extremely cautious, at least in thought? There-
fore, as I have said, everyone will deservedly be said to have
sinned, but not all have become sinners, only many.
(Or.Rom.5.5.2-3 (Scheck)
Labels: Origen, Patristics, Previous, Sin
Origen on Justification
Tuesday, October 30, 2007.
"Where then is your boasting? It is excluded. Through what law? Through that of works? No but through the law of faith. For we hold that a man is justified through faith without works of the law."
Romans 3.27-28
[Paul] is saying that the justification of faith alone suffices, so that the one who only believes is justified, even if he has not accomplished a single work.
...
But perhaps someone who hears these things should become lax and negligent in doing good, if in fact faith alone suffices for him to be justified. To this person we shall say that if anyone acts unjustly after justification, it is scarcely to be doubted that he has rejected the grace of justification. For a person does not receive the forgiveness of sins in order that he should once again imagine that he has been given a license to sin; for the remission is not given for future crimes, but only for past ones.
Now then let us return to our theme. A human being is justified through faith; the works of the law contribute nothing to his being justified. But where there is no faith which justifies the believer, even if one possesses works from the law, nevertheless because they have not been built upon the foundation of faith, although they might appear to be good things, nevertheless they are not able to justify the one doing them, because from them faith is absent, which is the sign of those who are justified by God.
...
There is no common ground between faith and infidelity; there is no communion of righteousness with wickedness, just as light can have no fellowship with darkness. For if "he who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God" and "he who has been born of GOd does not sin," it is plain that he who believes in Jesus Christ does not sin; and that if he sins, it is certain that he does not believe in him. Therefore the proof of true faith is that sin is not being committed, just as, on the contrary, where sin is being committed there you have proof of unbelief. For this reason then it is also said of Abraham in another passage of Scripture that he was justified by works of faith. For it is certain that he who truly believes works the work of faith and righteousness and of complete goodness and becomes capable of both kinds of boasting: both that which is in secret before God as well as that which is openly visible and is not only before God."
...
Now it may perhaps appear that what is said to be "of faith" is not by grace since, if a person must first offer his faith, grace thus has to be merited from God. But listen to what the same Apostle teaches elsewhere about this as well. For in the passage where he lists the gifts of the Spirit, which he says are given to believers according to the measure of their faith, he asserta that the gift of faith as well is granted along with the other gifts through the Holy Spirit. For after many words he speaks of it in this way, "To another faith is gven by the same Spirit," in order to show that even faith is given through grace. Moreover elsewhere the same Apostle teaches this when he says, "Because it has been granted to you from God not only that you believe in Christ but also that you should suffer on his behalf." You find this also pointed out in the Gospels, where the Apostles, once understanding that faith, which is only human, cannot be perfected unless that which comes from God should be added to it, say to the Savior, "Increase our faith!"
Or.Rom.3.9.2, 4-5; 4.1.6; 4.5.3 (Scheck)
Labels: Origen, Patristics, Previous, Salvation
Blogroll