Theological Interpretation of Origen

Theological Interpretation of Origen

Nathan K. N.G.

Although many scholars have praised Origen as the most influential early church father in the history of biblical exegesis, he is almost neglected by modern Christian Church. The main reason is that he is regarded as a key promoter of allegorical interpretation which was rejected in the time of Reformation. Is allegorical interpretation really groundless, chaotic and unacceptable? This article tries to answer such questions by re-examining the theological bases and explaining the inner logics of Origen's biblical exegesis.
The article includes four sections. The first discusses briefly the theological system of Origen and show how biblical study is related to his soteriology. The second explores the divine nature, saving function and limited understandability of the Scriptures. The third explains the apologetic, theological and scriptural concerns pushing him to embrace allegorical approach. In the last section, Origen's guideline and procedure of searching spiritual meanings are expounded. Although allegorical interpretation is strange for most modern Christians, it is very common in the early church. From the model of Origen, we see that such interpretation can be sincere, faithful, careful and scholarly with strong theological and biblical foundation.