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The Jewish philosopher who read the Torah through Greek eyes and gave the West its idea of the Logos as the bridge between God and world.
He believed reason and revelation could not conflict, and was condemned as a heretic three centuries after he died for arguing that even the devil might eventually be reconciled to God.
Connection
Philo of Alexandria allegory as a method Origen — Origen inherited from Philo the practice of reading scripture on several levels at once, taking a text that seemed crude on its surface and arguing that its real sense is philosophical.
Ideas
Words
“The Logos is the image of God, and through it the whole world was framed.”
“Human nature is not sufficient to seek out God, unless helped by the very one it seeks.”
“The Scriptures have a meaning not only such as is obvious, but also another which is hidden from the majority of readers.”
Key Moments
c. 20 BCE
Born in Alexandria
c. 10 CE
The Divine Logos
c. 25 CE
Reading Scripture Allegorically
40 CE
Embassy to Caligula
c. 240s CE
Compiles the Hexapla
250 CE
Tortured during the Decian persecution
Works
On the Creation of the World
On First Principles