Origen Against Plato (Ashgate Studies in Philosophy & Theology in Late Antiquity)

Origen (185-254) is regarded as one of the figures chiefly responsible for the contamination of biblical theology with pagan philosophy in the early church. Edwards argues that Origen set out to construct a Christian philosophy, yet he did so with the intention of preserving theology from the infiltration of pagan thought. Examining the question of philosophical influence on Christian thought, Edwards argues that scholars have often leapt to unjustified conclusions based simply on common vocabulary or parallel development. This book advances new interpretations of the early Christian systems which are generally called "Gnostic", and the Doctrine of the Trinity in Origen's "Platonist" teacher Clement of Alexandria. Edwards concludes that Origen's hermeneutics, eschatology, cosmology and Trinitarian theology are all related to his understanding of human nature, which is radically opposed to that of Platonism. Origen's Work Contains The Antibodies To Platonism As Proof That He Has Suffered And Resisted Its Attacks. 1. Origen Among Christians, Jews And Gnostics. Christian And Jew -- The Church In Alexandria -- Christian Heterodoxy In Alexandria -- Christological Considerations -- Concluding Remarks On Origen -- 2. The God Of Origen And The Gods Of Plato. Platonism And The Name Of God -- Studying Philosophy In Alexandria -- God, Philosophy And Revelation -- The Divine Creator -- Christ As Logos -- The Trinity, Ousia And Hypostasis -- 3. The Doctrine Of The Soul In Origen. Did Origen Believe In The Pre-existence Of The Soul? -- Interlude: The Pre-existence Of The Soul Of Christ -- The Pre-existent Soul : Does On First Principles Contradict Itself? -- A Pilgrimage Of Souls -- Image, Likeness And The Fashioning Of Saints -- Eschatology And Mysticism -- 4. The Interpretation Of Scripture. Notes Toward A Definition Of Allegory -- Allegory And The Philosophers -- The Alexandrian Tradition -- Origen And The Word Of God -- The Mystery Of Christian Maturation -- Mysticism, Platonism, Jewish Literalism -- Word And Sacrament -- Objections And Replies. Mark Julian Edwards. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 163-175) And Index. Examines the work of Origen, a churchman who studied in Alexandria and preached in Caesarea in the first half of the third century. The author presents a controversial thesis - that Origen was, in fact, not the Platonist of popular belief, despite supposed contemporary evidence.