Journey Back to God explores Origen of Alexandria's creative, complex, and controversial treatment of the problem of evil. It argues that his layered cosmology functions as a theodicy that discerns deeper meaning beneath the apparent injustices of the world. Origen asks: why does God permit cosmic disparity - that is, why do some suffer more than others? On the surface, the unfair arrangement of the world defies theological coherence. In order to defend God against the charge of injustice Origen develops a theological cosmology that explains the ontological status and origin of evil as well as its cosmic implications. It interprets suffering as a stepping stone to the soul's ascent to God. Essentially, Origen's theodicy hinges on the journey of the soul back to God. Its themes correlate with the soul's creation, fall and descent into materiality, gradual purification, and eventual divinization; the world is a schoolroom or hospital for the soul where it undergoes the necessary education and purgation. Origen carefully calibrates his cosmology and theology, and portrays God as a compassionate and judicious teacher, physician, and father who employs suffering for our amelioration. Journey Back to God frames the systematic study of Origen's theodicy within a broader theory of theodicy as navigation; that is, as the dynamic process whereby we integrate our observations and experiences of suffering within our religious worldviews. Moreover, it unites the logical and spiritual facets of his theodicy, and situatesit in its third-century historical, theological, and philosophical context, correcting the imbalanced perspectives on Origen that pervade scholarship. Furthermore, the study clarifies his ambiguous position on universalism and its place in his theodicy. It demonstrates the contemporary relevance of Origen's approach, which confronts the perennial questions of theodicy with a bold, constructive, and optimistic vision.
| ISBN | 0199841144 | | Pages | 280 | | ISBN13 | 9780199841141
(What's this?) | | Weight (grammes) | 454 | | Publisher | Oxford University Press Inc | | Published in | New York | | Imprint | Oxford University Press Inc | | Series title | AAR Academy Series | | Format | Hardback | | Height (mm) | 235 | | Publication date | 05 Jul 2012 | | Width (mm) | 156 | | DEWEY | 231.8 | | Spine width (mm) | 20 | | DEWEY edition | DC23 | | Academic level | Postgraduate, Professional / Scholarly |
|
|
|
PREFACE; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; INTRODUCTION; CHAPTER 1: THEODICY AS NAVIGATION: TOWARD A THEORETICAL PARADIGM; CHAPTER 2: FRAMING QUESTIONS: GOD AND EVIL IN PARADOX; CHAPTER 3: FAR FROM HOME: PRE-EXISTENCE, THE FALL, AND THE ORIGIN OF EVIL; CHAPTER 4: THE PHYSICIAN OF SOULS: SUFFERING AS REMEDIAL PUNISHMENT; CHAPTER 5: THEOLOGY OF ASCENT: THE JOURNEY OF THE SOUL TO PERFECTION; CHAPTER 6: JOURNEY'S END: THE TRIUMPH OF GOOD AND UNIVERSAL SALVATION; CONCLUSION; BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Mark Scott focuses upon the problem of evil as an instructive perspective from which to assess the full range of Origen's views. Placed in a speculative and cosmic narrative they are primarily designed as pastoral guidance, and they are not so much a solution to the problems of human suffering and sinfulness as a set of speculations enabling humans to navigate their way toward God with hope and freedom." - Rowan A. Greer, Professor of Anglican Studies Emeritus, Yale Divinity School
"By arguing that Origen does not so much explain away our pain and suffering as provide a spiritual map that helps us move forward through it, Mark Scott gives us a book on a major early Christian theorist on a topic of perennial value that will be of great interest to a wide variety of readers." -Paul R. Kolbet, author of Augustine and the Cure of Souls: Revising a Classical Ideal
"Scott skillfully navigates his way through Origen's treatment of the complex issues surrounding the presence of evil, suffering, and death in a world held to be created by a good, omniscient, and omnipotent God. He shows that Origen, one of the most important and controversial figures of the early Church, uses an overarching framework of pedagogy to hold all these elements together, not without tension and ambiguity, but in a way that provides insights still valuable today." - V. Rev. Dr. John Behr, Dean, St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
Be the first to write a customer review
Enlarge
