Responding to his Critics: A New Account of Origen's Peri Archon

Abstract:

Why did Origen write Peri Archon? The standard view, often tinged with triumphant hues, envisions him as a "man of the church," embarking upon a bold research agenda while laying waste to his heterodox opponents. But I believe this picture misses the mark. It was really Origen—and not these heretics—who was in the dock. And it was those whom he regarded as his fellow Christians in Alexandria, including his bishop, who made up the prosecution. In this essay I argue that Peri Archon was Origen's response to these in-house critics, who increasingly regarded his views on select issues as heretical, or at least, less than orthodox. This essay has two parts. In the first, I examine Origen's self-portrait in the preface of Peri Archon, demonstrating how he shrewdly maneuvered his project into orthodox waters. In the second, I explain why he adopted this tactic. I spotlight five issues from his earlier writings where he challenged positions adopted by most Christians in his day, including prominent church leaders. These controversial stances surface again in Peri Archon but often in a diplomatic form and always in an orthodox frame. Peri Archon was Origen's apologia to fellow Christians.