Origen describes Marcion and others like as teachers of heresy, in part because of Marcion’s literal reading of the violence in texts like the conquest narrative. But Marcion and Valentinus and Basilides and the other heretics with them, since they refuse to understand these things in a manner worthy of the Holy Spirit, “deviated from…

In his On First Principles, he seems to propose a theory of preexistent souls that are incarnated because of a sort of neglect of the God above them. (This was likely something his teacher Ammonius Saccas taught, as we see a similar idea in Plotinus, another one of his students.) But that’s not re-incarnation, an…

This is argued by Richard Carrier. Even when we look at the early third century writings of Origen, the most fond of allegorical readings of the Gospels of any extant author from the first two centuries of the faith, we find that even he insists upon a significant degree of literalism. Origen extensively relates allegorical…

Clement of Alexandria (AD 150-215) believed the Epistle to the Hebrews was written by Paul in the Hebrew language, then translated into Greek by Luke. This is wrong:Decisive evidence against this can be found in the extensive use of the Septuagint throughout the book (see the article by Kenneth J. Thomas in NTS, 1965), with…

He mentions in his Stromata quite a few times that Hermes (a Greek god he equates with Egyptian Thoth) wrote many books used by mystery religions, that concern astrology, ritual practice, and worship, varying between four and forty-two in number. He also mentions a few other gods and divine heroes that he believes were real…

[a.d. 153-193-217.] The second century of illumination is drawing to a close, as the great name of this Father comes into view, and introduces us to a new stage of the Church’s progress. From Britain to the Ganges it had already made its mark. In all its Oriental identity, we have found it vigorous in…

Clement of Alexandria wrote in the late second century. Clement was a Christian Apologist, missionary theologian to the Greek cultural world, and second known leader of the catechetical school of Alexandria. He synthesized Greek philosophy and Mosaic tradition, and attempted to mediate Gnostics and orthodox Christians. Clement was probably an Athenian by birth and of…

https://www.jstor.org/stable/23962341

Melito, bp. of Sardis, held in the middle of the 2nd cent. a foremost place among the bishops of Asia as regards personal influence and literary activity. Shortly before the end of that cent. his name is mentioned by Polycrates of Ephesus in his letter to Victor of Rome (Eus. H. E. v. 24.) as…

Melito of Sardis wrote c. 165-175. Few details of his life are known. A letter of Polyerates of Ephesus to Pope Victor about 194 (Eusebius, “Hist. Eccl.”, V, xxiv) states that “Melito the eunuch [this is interpreted “the virgin” by Rufinus in his translation of Eusebius], whose whole walk was in the Holy Spirit”, was…