Anne Conway’s Exemplary Engagement with Origenist Thought

Abstract

AbstractThis article contributes to the historical, theological, and philosophical study of Anne Conway and Origen while also proposing a methodology for theologians interested in drawing on their thought constructively. It evaluates Anne Conway’s use of the theology of Origen in her treatise, The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy, comparing it with her only definitely known printed source of Origen’s ideas, A Letter of Resolution concerning Origen. It draws out Conway’s little‐known theological thinking, building on and engaging with the extant Conway scholarship (most notably Sarah Hutton’s ‘Origen and Anne Conway’) which tends to be more philosophically‐oriented. The result substantially modifies Hutton’s conclusions through a closer theological engagement with both Origen and Conway, making more precise Conway’s relationship with the Origenist tradition in England. In the process, foundational commitments and driving concerns in Conway’s thought are identified and the method of her engagement with Origen is uncovered. The final section speaks particularly to systematicians, presenting a practical method for engaging with the thought of Origen, or any other ‘heterodox’ theologian, or one of a different confession from the practicing theologian. Further engagement with Conway’s own thought is also recommended.