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Laying the Groundwork for Christian Theology

This paper is a study of two writers who helped to lay the groundwork for Christian theology. The first, Origen, was one of the most influential early writers on the meaning of the scriptures and the basic underpinnings of Christian thought. He wrote at the time when Christianity itself was just beginning to take hold throughout the Roman empire. Fighting against paganism and Judaic traditions, followers of this new religion were also struggling with fundamental questions, and Origen's clearly thought-out answers bridged the gap between the old and the new. His thinking continues to influence modern theologians, especially regarding the nature of evil, sin, and free will. A hundred years later, Christianity had come to dominate the empire, and Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, elaborated on Origen's seminal writing on these subjects. A sampling of these two viewpoints offers a fascinating portrait of the early development of the church as it matured into a mainstream faith.

Origenes Adamantus was born around 185 A.D. of mixed Alexandrian-Greek and Egyptian parentage. His father and mother were both Christian converts, and his father was martyred for his faith in 203. W.H.C. Frend describes the world in which Origen grew up: "Christians were not only beginning to develop their distinctive culture parallel to that of pagan and Jewish society, but were also confronted with growing theological problems" (338).

Origen was recognized early as a prodigy; when he was about 18 years old, he was appointed head of the Catechetical School at Alexandria. He held this post for a number of years, but these were still dangerous times for followers of Christianity, and his faith made necessary his withdrawal from the city on several occasions. By the year 230, he had settled-in Caesarea, in Asia Minor, a safer location from which to continue his writings. However, he continued to be persecuted for his faith throughout his career.

Origen'...

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Laying the Groundwork for Christian Theology. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 02:11, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1689521.html