Origen: Philosophy of History & Eschatology

Erscheinungsjahr 2007
ISBN: 978-90-04-15648-7
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 85, 498 Seiten, Format (B × H): 169 mm x 246 mm, Gewicht: 1067 g

Reihe: Vigiliae Christianae, Supplements

A common accusation made against Origen is that he dissolves history into intellectual abstraction and that his eschatology (if this is recognized at all) is notoriously obscure. In this new work, the author draws on an impressive range of bibliography to consider Origen’s Philosophy of History and Eschatology in the widest context of facts, documents and streams of thought, including Classical and Late Antiquity Greek Philosophy, Gnosticism, Hebraism and Patristic Thought, both before Origen and well after his death. Against claims that he causes history to evaporate into barren idealism, his thought is shown to be firmly grounded on his particular vision of historical occurences. Confronting assertions that Origen has no eschatological ideas, his eschatology is shown rather to have made a distinctive mark throughout his works, both explicitly and tacitly.

In Origen’s view, history was the foundation of scriptural interpretation, a teleological process determined by factors and functions such as providence – prophecy – promise – expectation – realization – anticipation – faith – anticipation – hope – awaiting for – fulfilment – end. Since 1986, the author has argued for the unpopular thesis that Origen is, in many respects, an anti-Platonist. Nevertheless, the author casts light upon the Aristotelian rationale of Origen’s doctrine of apokatastasis, arguing that its validity is bolstered by ontological rather than historical premises. The extent of Origen’s influence upon what is currently regarded as ‘orthodoxy’ turns out to be far wider and more profound than has hitherto been acknowledged.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Tzamalikos, Panayiotis

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Geschichte der Westlichen Philosophie Antike Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Kirchengeschichte Frühes Christentum, Patristik, Christliche Archäologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie

Über Autor(innen)

Panayiotis Tzamalikos is Professor of Philosophy at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He studied at this University (MSc, MPhil) and at the University of Glasgow, Scotland (Ph.D.). He has published extensively on Origen considered in the entire context of both Patristic Thought and Greek Philosophy. His books include The Concept of Time in Origen and Origen: Cosmology and Ontology of Time. Among his articles, “Origen: The Source of Augustine’s Theory of Time”, “Origen and the Stoic View of Time”, “Creation ex nihilo in Origen”, “The Autonomy of the Stoic View of Time”, “The Concept of matter in Plato’s Timaeus”.