Origen On Prayer
Origen Adamantius, born around A.D. 185 in Alexandria to Christian parents, grew up learning Greek literature and, by his father Leonides’ prescription, memorized the Scriptures daily. At seventeen Leonides was martyred and were it not for his mother’s intervention Origen would have joined him. With the family property taken by the government, Origen provided for his mother and six brothers by teaching grammar and rhetoric. Due to his literary ability and the love which he showed to the martyrs, the Bishop in Alexandria appointed Origen at eighteen as master in the Catechetical School.
Through his life Origen spent much time devoted to scripture, living as an ascetic, and instructing others in Christianity. His was a speculative mind, and not being satisfied with the plain meaning of Scripture he approached the Holy Word with a spiritual and allegorical lens. At some point he became friends with a wealthy individual, Ambrosias, who provided Origen with the funds and scribes to produce and distribute what became over six thousand works. Because of the proliferation of his writings, his many students, and his success in bringing heretics back into the fold of God, Origen remains perhaps the most influential theologian of the pre-Nicene period.
Origen’s life was not without controversy. At one point, while a layman, he expounded the Scriptures to church leadership, angering Demetrius, Bishop of the Church in Alexandria. Another time he was given official office in the Church while passing through Palestine. This once again angered Dimetrius who, with the support of Church leadership and possibly due to the heterodox nature of some of Origen’s speculative views, excommunicated him from fellowship with the Church in Alexandria. He retired to Caesarea where he continued to write and teach until being imprisoned and tortured in 249 due to an outbreak of persecution. This weakened his body and he died several years later at 70 years of age.
This episode contains the final work in this series by Origen, an extended discussion On Prayer. A treatise of modest length, it appears to have originated as a response to a question posed by Ambrosias and his sister in Christ, Priscilla, regarding the nature of prayer. They were specifically interested in understanding how the sovereignty of God and prayer relate to one another - if God ordains all things and orchestrates them according to His will, what is the point of prayer and what can Christians accomplish through it?
To answer this, Origen draws on his understanding of free will displayed in De Principiis. He understands the purpose of prayer as more than simply receiving blessing or influencing the events of the world. Rather, its function is to change our hearts and disposition to reflect God more fully. Additionally, Origen expounds the Lord’s prayer and provides some practical instruction on how he thinks it best for one to pray. Taken together this provides a brief, but delightful, window into the private spiritual life of Origen Adamantius.
If you would like to read more of the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, please visit ccel.org to view the full collection.
