Reincarnation – an original Christian doctrine

62 a lengthy period of tutorship 141 and based on his emerging fame and popularity, Bishop Demetrius in his hometown Alexandria , once his friend and promoter, saw this as an infringement into his own rights and decided at two Egyptian Synods to deprive him of his ordination as a priest in his absence and to place him under a ban (231 A.D.) “ Origen was first accused of teaching a false doctrine by the very Bishop who once established the foundation for his theological fame. The true motives were however Demetrius’s wounded pride and envy of his pupil, because he had surpassed him, his superior.” 142 “The ‘Fall of Origen’ represents the first famous example of a conflict between the free, non-official authority of an independent teacher and the authority of the ecclesiastical administration.” 143 Was the battle for the truth already a battle for the powers of the ecclesiastical, hierarchical system after all? Did the ordained office holder or the theological expert decide over the truth of a doctrine? Was Origen refuted during his lifetime by an expert of equal rank, well, did he actually have a chance to argument his point? The wielders of power amongst the Church’s office holders made a fair spiritual dispute impossible. Leading theologians still promoted Origen’s doctrine after his death, but the members of the Church hierarchy created such an acrimonious atmosphere that even reading Origen’s scripts was partially seen as a heresy during the 3 rd Century. 144 This terror of opinion even influenced the holy Hieronymus, who was originally an ardent admirer and adept of Origen and his doctrine, by turning him into an acrimonious opponent, mainly because he did not want to be accused of heresy by the now more powerful might of the bishop. 145 Theological disputes over Origen’s doctrine were entered into with a fanaticism that we would find incredible these days. The most momentous and bloodiest dispute was triggered in the Sabas- Monasteries in Palestine in 6 th Century, ergo 300 years after the times of Origen . Origen apparently managed to maintain some faithful supporters in this former heartland of his. 146 But as virtual civil-war conditions reigned amongst the affected groups of monks, Origen’s opponents handed the papal Apokrisiar (envoy) Pelagius , whilst he was staying in Palestine in 542 A.D. a bill of complaints for Caesar Justinian in Constantinople. 2. The influence of East-Rome (Constantinople) These monks were therefore looking for help from secular powers. It was Caesar Justinian’s (527-565) aim “to re-establish the political, religious and judicial unity of the Roman Empire that had been threatened by the incursions of barbaric nations and the heretic division within Christendom. 147 He had to wage long and expensive wars to achieve this: In Africa against the Vandals (533-548), 141 Eusebius, VI, 2, 3 see P. 297 142 Kettler, “Origen”, see P. 169f. 143 Campenhausen, Greek Fathers of the Church, see P.55 144 Hergenröther, see P. 1074 145 Kettler, “Origen disputes”, see P. 1701f. and also Campenhausen, Greek Fathers of the Church, seep.140-147.Campenhausen called these events lapidary “disgraceful processes” .(P. 140) 146 An comprehensive depiction of origanistic disputes, see: Ginzel, Josef , see P. 361-379. 147 Höfer-Rahner, see P. 1228