Origen Quotes on Knowledge
Origen of Alexandria was an early Christian theologian and biblical scholar, the most important and most controversial of the Greek Fathers of the Church. This page collects quotes attributed to Origen on the topic of knowledge, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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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 -
“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 -
“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 -
“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 -
“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