DO YOU PICTURE CHRIST?
Origen, an African who was the first Christian theologian, and a 3rd century philosopher of Alexandria, Egypt, made a statement that made me think. In his book ON FIRST PRINCIPLES (2013), he wrote:
"Now we use these sayings as an answer to those who, in regard to the difficulty arising from the words in Genesis spoken by Jacob to Judah, say that the Ethnarch*, who comes from the tribe of Judah, is the ruler of the people, and that men of his seed will not fail until the advent of the Christ as they picture him. For if 'the children of Israel shall sit for many days without king or ruler, without sacrifice or altar or priesthood or oracles ' (Hos 3:4) and if from the time the temple was razed to the ground there has been 'neither sacrifice nor altar nor priesthood,' it is clear that a ruler has 'failed from Judah and a leader from his thighs.' And when the prophesy says, 'A ruler shall not fail from Judah nor a leader from his thighs until there shall come what is reserved for him ' (Gn 49:10) it is clear that he has come for whom are the things reserved, that is, he who is the expectation of the gentiles. This is evident from the number of gentiles who through Christ have believed in God."
P.339-340 Book IV, Ch. 1 (Greek)
*"5. In Origen 's 'Ep. ad Africanum' 14 (Migne, PG 11, p. 82f.) he states that the Ethnarch has almost the powers of a king granted to him by the Romans. The Jewish contention therefore was not utterly without force."
Ibid. P. 463 (Notes)
His phrase about how the "advent of the Christ as they picture him" prompted me to ask do you also "picture Christ" as Origen asked?
Sunday, April 9, 2017
PICTURE CHRIST
DO YOU PICTURE CHRIST?
Origen, an African who was the first Christian theologian, and a 3rd century philosopher of Alexandria, Egypt, made a statement that made me think. In his book ON FIRST PRINCIPLES (2013), he wrote:
"Now we use these sayings as an answer to those who, in regard to the difficulty arising from the words in Genesis spoken by Jacob to Judah, say that the Ethnarch*, who comes from the tribe of Judah, is the ruler of the people, and that men of his seed will not fail until the advent of the Christ as they picture him. For if 'the children of Israel shall sit for many days without king or ruler, without sacrifice or altar or priesthood or oracles ' (Hos 3:4) and if from the time the temple was razed to the ground there has been 'neither sacrifice nor altar nor priesthood,' it is clear that a ruler has 'failed from Judah and a leader from his thighs.' And when the prophesy says, 'A ruler shall not fail from Judah nor a leader from his thighs until there shall come what is reserved for him ' (Gn 49:10) it is clear that he has come for whom are the things reserved, that is, he who is the expectation of the gentiles. This is evident from the number of gentiles who through Christ have believed in God."
P.339-340 Book IV, Ch. 1 (Greek)
*"5. In Origen 's 'Ep. ad Africanum' 14 (Migne, PG 11, p. 82f.) he states that the Ethnarch has almost the powers of a king granted to him by the Romans. The Jewish contention therefore was not utterly without force."
Ibid. P. 463 (Notes)
His phrase about how the "advent of the Christ as they picture him" prompted me to ask do you also "picture Christ" as Origen asked?