Reincarnation – an original Christian doctrine

54 are purified through appropriate punishments.” 101 Clement of Alexandria, Stromata VI, 46, 3 “Because God’s punishments are beneficial and educational by encouraging them to convert and to rather see the change of heart in sinners than their death.” 102 3. A comprehensive depiction of the Doctrine of Re-embodiment by Origen Modern patristic research no longer denies that Origen from Alexandria (185 – 253) belonged to the most significant and most profound Bible experts of the Greek Church in his day. Origen is the only one who depicted all of Christendom in literary form within a closed philosophical system. “The Bible is indeed the authoritative document for everything that Origen taught and attempted to investigate, an inexhaustible source of everything metaphysical and ethnical, of all theological, philosophical and scientific insights there is.” 103 In order to put all his statements on a broad biblical footing, he compiled a comprehensive edition of the texts of the Old Testament, the Hexapla , so that he could always refer his statements to this basis. “ Origen pursued the study of the divine scriptures with such alacrity that he even learned Hebrew and he acquired the original written texts used by the Jews, written in Hebrew letters.” (Eusebius of Caesarea VI, 16, 2, see P. 290) Campenhausen said that: “In respect to their elaborateness (his biblical comments), they are not dwarfed by any modern comments whatsoever”. 104 One does however have to be aware of the fact that the original Greek edition of his standard work “Peri Archon” is no longer available. All our knowledge about his doctrines are rather based on a Latin translation by Rufinus , who confessed that he did not make an original translation due to the political situation prevalent at that time: “I did not translate the statements by Origen that seem contrary to our faith, I omitted them with the excuse that they were inserted and falsified by others 105 and I added elucidation about the same subject from other books by him that expressed this more clearly.” 106 Origen said himself that his methodical way was to “investigate individual points of the truth with clear and coercing substantiations…and to establish an organic whole on hand of examples and theorems that can either be found in the Holy Scriptures or discovered through logical conclusions and consequent pursuance of what is correct.” 107 He emphatically avows to learn the truth from Christ by, “…receiving the Church’s proclamation and by only accepting the things that do not deviate from the Churches’ and apostolic traditions as true.” 108 101 Clement, Stromata IV, see P. 58 102 Clement, Stromata VI, see P. 269 103 Campenhausen, Greek Fathers of the Church, see P. 52 104 Campenhausen, Greek Fathers of the Church, see P. 51 105 Origen, Peri Archon III, Praefatio Rufini 194 (cited according to Görgemanns-Karpp, see P.459f.) 106 Origen, PA, I, {Praefatio 10 (P 79) – Jedin said (see P, 272): “This is why there is some uncertainty in respect to the opinion Origen held in regards to some questions.” 107 Origen, PA I, Praefatio 10 (P. 99) 108 Origen, PA I, Praefatio 2 (P. 85)