April 22, 2017
Lenten Devotions – Origen

“Things in themselves so supremely great, so far above man, so utterly above our perishable nature, as to be impossible for the race of rational mortals to grasp, as the will of God became possible in the immeasurable abundance of the Divine grace which streams forth from God upon men, through Jesus Christ the minister of His unsurpassable grace toward us, and through the cooperant Spirit. Thus, though it is a standing impossibility for human nature to acquire Wisdom, by which all things have been established—for all things, according to David, God made in wisdom—from being impossible it becomes possible through our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (Origen on Prayer)

Because no definite dates are associated with Origen’s life, the church has selected this day, April 22, to recognize his contribution to the church. History attributes his dates on this earth from 184/185 – 253/254. He was a Greek scholar, an early Christian Theologian, and an ascetic (is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals.) He spent half his life in Alexandria. He was a prolific writer on issues such as textual criticism (a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and literary criticism that is concerned with the identification of textual variants in either manuscripts or printed books), biblical exegesis (a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, particularly a religious text), and hermeneutics (the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts.) Origen also wrote a great deal on theology, preaching and spirituality. He was and is one of the most influential figures in the early Christian church.

“Homilies on almost the entire Bible were prepared by Origen. There are 205, and possibly 279, homilies of Origen that are extant either in Greek or in Latin translations. The homilies preserved are on Genesis (16), Exodus (13), Leviticus (16), Numbers (28), Joshua (26), Judges (9), I Sam. (2), Psalms 36-38 (9), Canticles (2), Isaiah (9), Jeremiah (7 Greek, 2 Latin, 12 Greek and Latin), Ezekiel (14), and Luke (39). The homilies were preached in the church at Caesarea, with the exception of the two on 1 Samuel which were delivered in Jerusalem. Nautin has argued that they were all preached in a three-year liturgical cycle some time between 238 and 244, preceding the Commentary on the Song of Songs, where Origen refers to homilies on Judges, Exodus, Numbers, and a work on Leviticus.” (wikipedia)

We do not need to be a theologian or a writer to influence the faith of others. We just need to be willing to share how Jesus has affected and changed our lives. We too can be influential – maybe not to thousands – but even if just one person is influenced by our witness, then we too are great in the eyes of G-d.

Pastor Dave