At the Feet of the Fathers: Origen of Alexandria—Pray When You Read the Bible

At the Feet of the Fathers

Monday, March 6, 2023

Origen of Alexandria

Origen of Alexandria (c185AD—c253AD), also known as Origen Adamantius (“unbreakable”), was an early Christian scholar, ascetic (one who abstains from physical pleasures, often for the pursuit of spiritual goals), and theologian who was born and spent much of his career in Alexandria. He was a prolific writer who wrote roughly two thousand works in multiple branches of theology, including textual criticism (the art of studying multiple copies of the same text and their differences), biblical exegesis and hermeneutics (interpretation of the Bible), homiletics (writing and delivering sermons), and spirituality. He was one of the most influential and controversial figures in early Christian theology, apologetics (defense of the faith), and asceticism. He has been described as "the greatest genius the early church ever produced."

Pray When You Read the Bible

So, my son, apply yourself diligently to reading the sacred Scriptures. Yes, I say apply yourself, for we who read things that belong to God need to apply ourselves a lot to keep from saying or thinking anything about them too recklessly.

Apply yourself to studying the things of God, starting with assumptions that are pleasing to God. Then knock at his door, and the gatekeeper will open it—as Jesus says: “To him the gatekeeper opens” (John 10:3).

And when you do apply yourself to the divine study, do it right. With unwavering trust in God, seek out the true meaning of the Holy Scriptures, which many have missed.

And do not be satisfied with just knocking and seeking. Prayer is the single most indispensable thing if you want to know the things of God. That is why the Savior urged us to prayer: not only did he say, "knock, at it will be opened to you" and "seek, and you will find," but also, "Ask, and it will be given to you" (Matthew 7:7).

-Origen, Letter to Gregory, 3.