Sources and forms of the Origenian thought

Abstract

Origen was well trained in greek philosophy and remained attached to it even after setting aside its teaching. At this point a distinction must be drawn between the “indoeuropean” trend of platonism and the “semitic” character of the Stoa, the latter being better suited for the moulding of biblical concepts into greek ideas. Nevertheless, the Bible remained the main source of origenian thinking. The paper deals with the examination of Peri Archon, the first systematic attempt to give an answer to the main human problems. In the literary composition of P. A. three cycles must be distinguished. The second cycle of the latin edition corresponds to the first chronological redaction, intended as a dogmatic exposition of anti-marcionite character. The first latin cycle consists of a second approach to the items, showing a more philosophical trend and an anti-valentinian purpose. Its most outstanding theme is the incorporeity of God and of the rational beings. The third cycle is a recapitulation. Origen felt that the semitico-stoic slant of the theologians before him (f. ex. , the probole of the gnostics) indulged into a rather corporalistic understanding of divinity. The paper concludes that, conspicuous loans from Plato nothwithstanding, the thought of Origen is not essentially platonic but biblical.