Origen's Allegorical Methods In Biblical Interpretation

Origen practiced the allegorizing methods in biblical interpretation. He was the father of this method. Philo was his master in this practice, who was an Alexandrian Jew contemporary to Jesus Christ. Allegorizing method was a fashion of Alexandria. Origen used this method in New Testament. Celsus, the unbeliever objects it and stated that New Testament had not allowed the allegorizing. He refused this. And offer argument that several passages of New Testament, of which paid used allegorical method. Prophecy stated that Origen learned it from the Greek mysteries. Exegesis and preaching were united from the Origen period throughout the history. One hundred and seventy five homilies were preserved, of which most of the sermons from Old Testament. Origen was ordained on A.D. 230. He had long been a preacher. He did the teaching ministry prior to the ordained ministry. In his sermon, the catechetical element was appeared. He interpreted the text as verse by verse. He ends his sermon with a final doxology.

Eusebius mentioned the names, such as the stoics, kairemon and corntus among Origen’s philosophical teachers. Origen learned the allegorical method of interpretation from these

The Manichaean religious movement (which began in the third century A.D.) pointed with scorn at the anthropomorphisms in the Old Testament. “Look how literal interpretation results in absurdity,” the adherents to Manichaeanism exclaimed. All of this was meant to discredit the Old Testament and Christianity. Such objections kept Augustine, for a while, from embracing Christianity. Then came Ambrose who took Paul’s statement that “the letter kills but the spirit makes alive” as a slogan for allegorical interpretation. In this approach Augustine found a way to overcome the objections of the Manichaeans to the Old Testament. Through allegorizing, traditional Christianity became tenable for Augustine. Augustine was an incisive theologian and a