origen of alexandrias interpretation of the teachers function in the early christian

7/29/2019 Origen of Alexandrias Interpretation of the Teachers Function in the Early Christian

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American Society of Church History

Origen of Alexandria's Interpretation of the Teacher's Function in the Early ChristianHierarchy and CommunityAuthor(s): Carl V. HarrisSource: Church History, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Sep., 1955), pp. 273-274Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Society of Church History

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DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS"Origen of Alexandria's Interpre-tation of the Teacher's Function inthe Early Christian Hierarchy andCommunity" by Carl V. Harris.(University of Dubuque, Dubuque,Iowa.) Duke, 1952. Directors: Pro-fessors Ray C. Petry and ThomasA. Schafer.This dissertation is an attempt to

understand Origen of Alexandria's in-terpretation of the teacher's functionin the early Christian hierarchy andcommunity. The aim is to set forth anestimate of Origen's thought and per-sonality which does justice to the var-ious sides of his work. The writer rec-ognizes in him a balanced mind inwhich the intellectual does not destroythe spiritual. Origen is among thegreatest of Christian teachers, and heis justly compared with the greatestphilosophers. He was a scholar, butby no means a pedant, and his interestwas as much in the love of God as inthe knowledge of Him. His homiliesare expository sermons delivered forthe most part at Caesarea in Palestineand taken down by shorthand wri-ters. Intellectual rather than sentimen-tal in their appeal, they reveal theirauthor as one of the great preachersof antiquity. Origen is an excellentexample of the fact that the functionsof preaching and teaching reinforceone another in the Christian ministry.What Origen taught of doctrine and ofthe Scriptures is that which he preach-ed and upon which he commented.It seems that all the best charac-teristics of Origen, his thoroughness,his patience, his courage, his humility,come out with singular distinctness inhis conception of the teacher's voca-tion. Whatever the value of his ownpersonal work, the dignity of his highcalling admits for him no question. Heis a guide of those who are called tocarry their search for Truth above thatwhich is written. As a true teacher, henever loses sight of his many lim-itations and his overwhelming respon-

sibilities. This dissertation attemptsto show his understanding of the greatharm that has come upon the churchthrough the incompetence of her ap-pointed instructors. Origen makes itunmistakably clear that the teacher'stask is not wholly one of instruction.He reminds us that along with doctrinemust go the vitae exemplum, andteaching must arouse the conscienceas well as inform the mind. He re-gards the pedagogical functions assacred.For Origen, the true priesthood isto be found in the spiritual perfectionof the individual soul. He summonsthe saintliest men from the ranks of thelaity and charges them with the spirit-ual care of the faithful. He places uponthem an obligation of obedience to-ward the hierarchy, but that obedienceis purely external. Origen is far fromdistinguishing the visible body of thefaithful, the community, from thegroup of the elect. Deliberately hemingles them. The Church, as Origenconceives it, is more that of the hier-archy of saintliness grouped aroundthe spiritual master than that of theecclesiastical community around itsbishop. He wrestles with the questionof the relation between the visible

hierarchy of the presbyters and thehierarchy of the teachers or doctors.Certain attitudes correspond to eachof these hierarchies. The presbytersare turned more toward worship; theinstructors more toward the ministryof the word and the Scripture. Al-though Origen rather clearly repre-sents the course of the teachers ordoctors, his life and work attest toan epoch in which the two hierarchiestend to unite. Whereas he does notdeny the powers of the visible hier-archy comrningrom the priestly ordi-nation, he is not resigned to dissociatethe sacerdotal powers from the sac-erdotal sanctity. For him what is im-portant is not the institutions butspiritual reality.273

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CHURCH HISTORYHURCH HISTORYThis is a study of t h e originalsources, as far as they have comedown to us. Practically all the extant

writing of Origen, either in the originalGreek or, where that is lacking, theLatin translations of Rufinus andJerome, have been examined, althoughnot all with equal thoroughness. Thehomilies and commentaries have beenthe most important resources for thisstudy; however, supplementary evi-dence has been gathered from thewhole corpus and from numerous sec-ondary sources. A certain degree ofcaution has been used with respect tothe Latin translations of Rufinus. Noimportant conclusions in this disserta-tion depend upon controverted pas-sages in De Principiis.

"Basil of Caesarea and the Bible"by William A. Tieck (144 W. 228thSt., New York 63, N. Y.). ColumbiaUniversity, 1953. Director: Prof.Frederick C. Grant (Union Theo-logical Seminary)(I) Basil the Great of Caesarea(329/30-379) presents a remarkableinstance of the struggle between a pro-foundly religious "heredity" and anequally thoroughgoing secular educa-tional "environment." Coming out ofan ancestry of virile Christian pietyand a home in which he was nurturedon the teachings of Origen mediatedthrough Gregory Thaumaturgus, hespent many of his formative years un-der the best rhetors and sophists ofthe day in Constantinople and Athens.(II) This tension between Chris-tianity and classicism was resolved inhis late twenties, when he renouncedwealth, position, and worldly wisdom(at least outwardly), and withdrewto an ascetic life. The outstanding fea-ture of the monastic asceticism whichhe was soon practicing and propa-gating was its bibliocentricity. TheBible was the regula par excellence,the rule by which he rigidly fashionedhis own life and the monastic systemfor which he is celebrated.(III) Henceforward Basil's convic-tion of the absolute sufficiency and fi-nality of Scripture dominated him.Both his theory and his practice are

This is a study of t h e originalsources, as far as they have comedown to us. Practically all the extantwriting of Origen, either in the originalGreek or, where that is lacking, theLatin translations of Rufinus andJerome, have been examined, althoughnot all with equal thoroughness. Thehomilies and commentaries have beenthe most important resources for thisstudy; however, supplementary evi-dence has been gathered from thewhole corpus and from numerous sec-ondary sources. A certain degree ofcaution has been used with respect tothe Latin translations of Rufinus. Noimportant conclusions in this disserta-tion depend upon controverted pas-sages in De Principiis.

"Basil of Caesarea and the Bible"by William A. Tieck (144 W. 228thSt., New York 63, N. Y.). ColumbiaUniversity, 1953. Director: Prof.Frederick C. Grant (Union Theo-logical Seminary)(I) Basil the Great of Caesarea(329/30-379) presents a remarkableinstance of the struggle between a pro-foundly religious "heredity" and anequally thoroughgoing secular educa-tional "environment." Coming out ofan ancestry of virile Christian pietyand a home in which he was nurturedon the teachings of Origen mediatedthrough Gregory Thaumaturgus, hespent many of his formative years un-der the best rhetors and sophists ofthe day in Constantinople and Athens.(II) This tension between Chris-tianity and classicism was resolved inhis late twenties, when he renouncedwealth, position, and worldly wisdom(at least outwardly), and withdrewto an ascetic life. The outstanding fea-ture of the monastic asceticism whichhe was soon practicing and propa-gating was its bibliocentricity. TheBible was the regula par excellence,the rule by which he rigidly fashionedhis own life and the monastic systemfor which he is celebrated.(III) Henceforward Basil's convic-tion of the absolute sufficiency and fi-nality of Scripture dominated him.Both his theory and his practice are

instinct with the unique superiority ofHoly Writ to anything that secularculture can offer. To Basil the issuepresents itself as "foolish wisdom"vs. "the oracles of the Spirit." TheWord of God mediated to the believerby the Spirit is infallible revelation;the faith which enshrines this revela-tion is the highest wisdom; and beforesuch wisdom reason itself must bow.

(IV) For the Scriptures are the-opneustos; it is this divine inspirationwhich gives them their incontestableauthority. Basil's concept of author-ship and the divine afflatus is conspic-uous for its sanity; nor is the illapseof the Spirit less essential to the under-standing of the Scriptures than to theirauthorship. Thus it is that Basil ven-tures the bold step of making theBible interpreted by the Spirit-filledconscience of the believer the ultimateseat of authority. Prophecy, while ve-hemently contrasted with divination, islargely conceived of as prediction; thePsalms especially abound in messianicallusions. As a consequence of its equalinspiration throughout, a fundamentalunity and harmony pervade Scripture,though Basil exhibits a keen aware-ness of the superiority of the Gospelto the Law and has his decided pref-erences among the books.

(V) Basil is a biblicist rather thana traditionalist. Although in theorytradition has the same force as Scrip-ture for him, actually his use of thewritten revelation dwarfs his resort tothe unwritten. But while the accentis heavily on Scripture, he is concernedthat the ancient heritage be preservedinviolate no less in its traditional thanin its scriptural formulation. He is theavowed enemy of novelty: thus hisquarrel with Eunomius is largely amatter of the latter's refusal to honorscriptural-traditional terminology andof his proclivity to innovate instead.

(VI) From both the scholarly andthe edificatory standpoints Basil's exe-getical consciousness is of a high order.He combines a lexical and grammaticalregard for Scripture with an appre-ciation of its formal and stylistic side,and is given to probing the context todiscover the thread of meaning or ar-

instinct with the unique superiority ofHoly Writ to anything that secularculture can offer. To Basil the issuepresents itself as "foolish wisdom"vs. "the oracles of the Spirit." TheWord of God mediated to the believerby the Spirit is infallible revelation;the faith which enshrines this revela-tion is the highest wisdom; and beforesuch wisdom reason itself must bow.

(IV) For the Scriptures are the-opneustos; it is this divine inspirationwhich gives them their incontestableauthority. Basil's concept of author-ship and the divine afflatus is conspic-uous for its sanity; nor is the illapseof the Spirit less essential to the under-standing of the Scriptures than to theirauthorship. Thus it is that Basil ven-tures the bold step of making theBible interpreted by the Spirit-filledconscience of the believer the ultimateseat of authority. Prophecy, while ve-hemently contrasted with divination, islargely conceived of as prediction; thePsalms especially abound in messianicallusions. As a consequence of its equalinspiration throughout, a fundamentalunity and harmony pervade Scripture,though Basil exhibits a keen aware-ness of the superiority of the Gospelto the Law and has his decided pref-erences among the books.

(V) Basil is a biblicist rather thana traditionalist. Although in theorytradition has the same force as Scrip-ture for him, actually his use of thewritten revelation dwarfs his resort tothe unwritten. But while the accentis heavily on Scripture, he is concernedthat the ancient heritage be preservedinviolate no less in its traditional thanin its scriptural formulation. He is theavowed enemy of novelty: thus hisquarrel with Eunomius is largely amatter of the latter's refusal to honorscriptural-traditional terminology andof his proclivity to innovate instead.

(VI) From both the scholarly andthe edificatory standpoints Basil's exe-getical consciousness is of a high order.He combines a lexical and grammaticalregard for Scripture with an appre-ciation of its formal and stylistic side,and is given to probing the context todiscover the thread of meaning or ar-

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origen of alexandrias interpretation of the teachers function in the early christian

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