Episode 9: "Origen", Part 3, in "Mystical Theology", with Dr. Christopher Veniamin

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Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 9: Origen, Part 3

Introducing the theology and spiritual life of the Orthodox Church, with particular reference to the Holy Bible and the witness of the Church Fathers, past and present.

Origen, who flourished in the 3rd Century, is one of the most difficult and important chapters in the history of early Christian doctrine. An Orthodox appreciation of Origen is crucial for the understanding of the Biblical and Patristic tradition of the Church.

In this Episode, "Origen”, Part 3, which begins with Origen’s understanding of the Transfiguration of Christ, attention is given to the curious intellectualistic character of his theology, the blurring of the fundamental Biblical Patristic distinction, and the preeminence of the philosophical Spirit-Matter distinction in his thought. Reference is also made to the post-Augustinian theological tradition of the West, and comparisons are made with such representatives of the Orthodox tradition as Irenaeus of Lyons, Athanasius the Great, the Cappadocian Fathers (particularly Gregory of Nyssa), Maximus the Confessor, John Damascene, Silouan the Athonite, and Paisios the Athonite.

It is hoped that these presentations will help the enquirer discern the interwoven character of theology and Christian living, and to identify the ascetic and pastoral significance of the Orthodox ethos.

Q&As related to Episode 9 available in The Professor’s Blog.

Recommended background reading: Christopher Veniamin, ed., Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies (Dalton PA: 2022).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I wish to express my indebtedness to the spoken and written traditions of Sts Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites, Fr. Zacharias Zacharou, Fr. Kyrill Akon, Fr. Raphael Noica, Fr. Symeon Brüschweiler; Fr. John Romanides, Fr. Pavlos Englezakis, Fr. Georges Florovsky, Prof. Constantine Scouteris, Prof. George Mantzarides, Prof. John Fountoulis, and particularly to Mtp Kallistos Ware and Prof. Panayiotes Chrestou: certain sentences and phrases utilized in these presentations are taken directly from my notes of some of their lectures. My presentations have been enriched by all of the above sources, owing to the adoption of certain structures, lists, schemata, and the paraphrasing of themes taken from them. Responsibility for the content of my presentations is of course mine alone. ©Christopher Veniamin 2023

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Dr. Christopher Veniamin D.Phil. (Oxon.)