I have to admit, Origen makes me a little bit nervous. I realize that much of his thinking was greatly influential in the thinking of other Church Fathers, including some who defended orthodoxy through the period of the Arian heresy. I realize, too, that to the extent that his thinking would now be considered unorthodox, it was not yet contrary to Church teaching at the time when he wrote it. For a good look at what is excellent in Origin, try Hans Urs von Balthasar's Origen: Spirit & Fire
. Or read the Holy Father's two General Audience presentations of Origen here and here.
And he does make me thankful that God made me a woman (see below).
The association of some of his ideas with the thinking of Arius, and the ensuing Arian heresy, still make me nervous.
But: Which Church Father Am I? . . .
You’re Origen!
You do nothing by half-measures. If you’re going to read the Bible, you want to read it in the original languages. If you’re going to teach, you’re going to reach as many souls as possible, through a proliferation of lectures and books. If you’re a guy and you’re going to fight for purity … well, you’d better hide the kitchen shears.
Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!
|