From ‘Letter’ to ‘Spirit: The Spiritual Interpretation of the Apostle Paul and Origen’s ἀναγωγή
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31802/2500-1450-2019-32-122-139Keywords:
exegesis, Old Testament, Origen, Paul, spiritual interpretation, letter, spirit, ascension, «ἀναγωγή», Scripture, sense, methodAbstract
This article discusses the method of interpreting the Holy Scripture proposed by Origen. This method was based on the words of Christ and the Apostle Paul. It was based on the ability to find in the text of the Old Testament, based on literal meaning, a spiritual meaning that would give a Christian reading of the Old Testament prophecies. Origen sees in it the «ascent» (αναγωγή) from «letter» to «spirit». In this he relies on the interpretations of the Apostle Paul, who in his Epistles uses different terminology to achieve this very spiritual meaning. Origen also committed to this, arguing with the various misconceptions relating to the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. Origen opposes the Jewish method of interpretation, which rejects that the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled in Christ. Origen believes that all Scripture, in this case the Old Testament, has a spiritual meaning, as pointed out by the Apostle Paul and Christ himself. This meaning must be found to see prophecies about Christ and the Church. In connection with these Origen examines different texts of the old Testament and offers a method to their understanding.
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