It was a little while preceding these important acts (about A.D. 211) that Origen visited Itome, in order to acquaint himself with the doctrines, practices, and general character of its truly ancient Church. The Alexandrian and Roman views of the Church were widely different. By the latter, the one Church and body of Christ were contemplated as a visible organiza- tion, by the former as an invisible. In Rome and Car- thage nepotism was dreaded as the worst of evils, and the baptized were looked upon as constituting the Church. In Alexandria the alienation of the mind and of the heart from the truth was regarded as the chief evil, and the holy, both in heaven and on earth, were viewed as constituting the true Church. Origen's opinions in regard to ecclesiastical organization and discipline were substantially the same as those which are most commonly entertained by evangelical Chris- tians. They were far more spiritual and rational than those held bj' the Roman Church, and' by Cyprian and Augustine. (The chapter in which Redepenning pre- sents a summary of Origen's system of practical Church discipline is a very valuable treatise on the subject for practical purposes in general ; the golden mean between formalism and latitudinarianism is happily chosen : still it appears that Origen admitted a modified supremacy of the Church of Rome.) Origen's stay at Rome was short. Upon his return to Alexandria, by request of bishop Demetrius, he resumed his lessons, and then met with the remarkable and blessed results in his labors above referred to. Troubles likely to lead to serious dissension which broke out in that city in A.D. 215 made it evident that Christian teachers could not effec- tually prosecute their work, and Origen retired secretly to Palestine. This incensed the bishop; and when the clergy of that province asked Origen to expound the Scriptures in public, Demetrius wrote to expostulate with them, on the ground that such a mission should not be intrusted to one who was not ordained priest. Alexander, bishop of Jerusalem, and Theocritus of Cae- sarea defended their conduct on the ground that bishops had always employed for that purpose such as were best qualified for it by their learning and piety, without in- quiring whether they were priests or laymen. Deme- trius finally recalled Origen, and afterwards sent him to Greece to oppose some new heresies which had arisen in Achaia. On his way thither, in 228, he was ordained a presbyter at Ctesarea, in Palestine, by Theocritus. This so displeased Demetrius that he held two councils (A.D. 231 and 232) at Alexandria, by which Origen was forbidden to teach, and excommunicated. He was accused, 1, of having castrated himself; 2, of having been ordained without the consent of his regular bish- op ; 3, of teaching erroneous doctrines, such as saying that the devil would be saved, and be redeemed front the torments of hell, etc. Origen denied the correct- ness of these accusations, and withdrew to Ciesarea in 231, where he was received with great honor by The- ocritus; for the churches of Palestine, Arabia, Phceni- cia, and Achaia, which were too well informed regard- ing Origen, disapproved of this unrighteous sentence, in which envy, hierarchical arrogance, and blind zeal for orthodoxy joined. The Roman Church, always readv to anathematize, alone concurred, without further
ORIGEN
430
ORIGEN
investigation. Jerome states that the proceedings of the councils were not due to any behef in Origen's guilt of liercsy, but solely to jealousy of his eloquence and reputation.
While resident in Qesarea, Origen there opened a new philosophical and theological school, which soon out- shone that of Alexandria. The Ciesarcan institution was resorted to by persons from the most distant places, who were anxious to hear his interpretations of the Script- ures. Among his disciples were several who afterwards rose to great eminence in the Church. With the death of Demetrius all opposition to Origen died out, and thereafter his advice was everywhere eagerl}^ sought for. lie was called into consultation in various eccle- siastical disputes, and had an extensive correspondence ; even his personal attendance was frequently asked for. Thus Mammrea, mother of the emperor Alexander Se- verus, sent for him to Antioch, that she might con- verse with him on religion; and at a later period he had a correspondence with the emperor Philip and his wife Severa. The persecutions renewed under Maxi- min against tlie Christians, and particularly against priests and teachers, caused Origen to retire into quiet for two j'ears. When peace was restored by Gordian in 237, Origen availed himself of it to visit Greece. He remained for some time at Athens ; and having return- ed to Coesarea, he went at the request of the bishops of Arabia to take part in two synods held in that country. Here he enjoyed the success (rare, indeed, in religious controversy) of convincing his opponents : these were Beryllus, bishop of Bostra, in Arabia, who denied the pre-existence of Christ ; and some who held that the soul dies with the body, to be revived with it at the resurrection. When about sixty years of age Origen permitted his discourses to be taken down in short- hand, and in this way over a thousand of his homilies were preserved. In the Decian persecution (A.D. 250) Origen was again imprisoned, endured great torture, and came near suffering martyrdom. He was, how- ever, finally released, but died shortly after, some say at Tyre, in 253 or 254, probably in consequence of vio- lence inflicted while in prison. He belongs, therefore, as Schaff has aptly said, " at least among the confessors, if not among the martyrs" {Ch. Ilisi. i, 504). His tomb, near the high-altar of the cathedral at Tyre, was shown for many centuries, until it was destroyed during the Crusades.