Origen Quotes
Origen of Alexandria was an early Christian theologian and biblical scholar, the most important and most controversial of the Greek Fathers of the Church. He produced the Hexapla, a monumental six-column edition of the Hebrew Bible and its translations, and his On First Principles is the earliest systematic Christian theology. The quotes below are attributed to Origen, organized by topic.
Browse Origen by topic
Origen on Death
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“For example, no one could easily persuade an Egyptian to despise what he had learned from his fathers, so as no longer to consider this or that irrational animal as a god, or not to guard against eating , even under the penalty of death , of the flesh of such an animal.”
Against Celsus | Against Celsus , Book 1 , Chapter 52
Origen on Freedom
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Attributed to Origen:
“The power of choosing good and evil is within the reach of all.”
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Attributed to Origen:
“It is impossible for a man to receive any reward worthy of his merit save by his own free choice.”
Origen on God
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“Having refuted, then, as well as we could, every notion which might suggest that we were to think of God as in any degree corporeal, we go on to say that, according to strict truth, God is incomprehensible, and incapable of being measured. For whatever be the knowledge which we are able to obtain of God, either by perception or reflection, we must of necessity believe that He is by many degrees far better than what we perceive Him to be.”
On First Principles , Bk. 1, ch. 1; par. 5 -
“There is also a special ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ towards those on whom he confers the natural gift of reason by means of which well-being is bestowed upon them in addition to mere existence. There is yet another grace of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon such as are worthy. a grace ministered indeed through Christ. but put into operation by the Father in proportion to the merits of those who become capable of receiving it. This is most clearly pointed out by the apostle Paul”
On First Principles , Bk. I, Chapter III -
“On the other hand a man admits the energy and control and inspired to strive towards things heavenly and divine”
On First Principles | On First Principles , Bk. 3, ch. 3, p. 296
Origen on Justice
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“Every being which is endowed with reason , and transgresses its statutes and limitations, is undoubtedly involved in sin by swerving from rectitude and justice .”
On First Principles | On First Principles , Bk. 1, ch. 5; vol. 1, p. 45.
Origen on Knowledge
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“On First Principles , Bk. 1, Chapter I”
There are some who will try to maintain according to God is a body, since they find it written in the book of Moses "Our God is a consuming fire" (DT 4:24) and in the Gospel according to John, "God is Spirit, and they who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:24). Now these men will have it that fire and spirit are body and nothing else. But I would ask them what they have to say -
“On First Principles , Bk. 1, ch. 1; par. 5”
Having refuted, then, as well as we could, every notion which might suggest that we were to think of God as in any degree corporeal, we go on to say that, according to strict truth, God is incomprehensible, and incapable of being measured. For whatever be the knowledge which we are able to obtain of God, either by perception or reflection, we must of necessity believe that He is by many degrees fa -
“On First Principles , Bk. 1, Chapter II”
Let no one think, however, that when we give him the name "wisdom of God" we mean anything without hypostatic existence that is, to take an illustration, that we understand him to be not as it were some wise living being, but a certain thing which makes men wise by revealing and imparting itself to those who are able to receive its influence and intelligence. If men it is once tighdy accepted that -
“On First Principles , Bk. 1, ch. 2; par. 11”
That is properly termed everlasting or eternal which neither had a beginning of existence , nor can ever cease to be what it is. And this is the idea conveyed by John when he says that God is light . Now His wisdom is the splendour of that light, not only in respect of its being light, but also of being everlasting light, so that His wisdom is eternal and everlasting splendour. If this be fully un -
“On First Principles , Bk. 1, ch. 3; par. 8”
In this way, then, by the renewal of the ceaseless working of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in us, in its various stages of progress , shall we be able at some future time perhaps, although with difficulty, to behold the holy and the blessed life, in which (as it is only after many struggles that we are able to reach it) we ought so to continue, that no satiety of that blessedness should ever seize -
“On First Principles , Bk. I, Chapter III”
There is also a special ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ towards those on whom he confers the natural gift of reason by means of which well-being is bestowed upon them in addition to mere existence. There is yet another grace of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon such as are worthy. a grace ministered indeed through Christ. but put into operation by the Father in proportion to the merits of those who -
“On First Principles , Bk. I, Chapter IV”
Suppose a man has gradually become skilled in the science or art, let us say, of geometry or medicine, up to the point of reaching perfection, having trained himself for a long time by instructions and exercises so as to acquire completely the knowledge of the aforesaid art. It could surely never happen that such a man should lie down to sleep with all this skill and wake up without it. It is not -
“The reason why all those we have mentioned hold false opinions and make impious or ignorant assertions about God appears to be nothing else but this, that scripture is not understood in its spiritual sense , but is interpreted according to the bare letter.”
On First Principles | “How divine scripture should be interpreted,” On First Principles , book 4, chapter 2, § 2, Readings in World Christian History (2013), p. 69 -
“And it may not be amiss, as bearing on this point, to recall a beautiful saying in the writings of Sextus, which is known to most Christians: “The eating of animals,” says he, “is a matter of indifference; but to abstain from them is more agreeable to reason.””
Against Celsus | Against Celsus , Book 8 , Chapter 30
Origen on Mind
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Attributed to Origen:
“The soul is older than the body.”
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“But the majority of those who are accounted believers are not of this advanced class; but from being either unable or unwilling to keep every day in this manner, they require some sensible memorials to prevent spiritual things from passing altogether away from their minds.”
Against Celsus | Against Celsus , Book 8 , Chapter 23
Origen on Nature
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Attributed to Origen:
“The end is always like the beginning.”
Origen on Time
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“That is properly termed everlasting or eternal which neither had a beginning of existence , nor can ever cease to be what it is. And this is the idea conveyed by John when he says that God is light . Now His wisdom is the splendour of that light, not only in respect of its being light, but also of being everlasting light, so that His wisdom is eternal and everlasting splendour. If this be fully understood, it clearly shows that the existence of the Son is derived from the Father but not in time, nor from any other beginning, except, as we have said, from God Himself.”
On First Principles , Bk. 1, ch. 2; par. 11
Origen on Truth
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“As the eye naturally seeks the light and vision, and our body naturally desires food and drink, so our mind is possessed with a becoming and natural desire to become acquainted with the truth of God and the causes of things.”
On First Principles | On First Principles , Bk. 2, ch. 11; vol. 1, p. 148
Origen on Virtue
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Attributed to Origen:
“Where there is sin, there is multiplicity.”