Wednesday 15 June 2011

Ilaria L.E. Ramelli: The ἀρχή and τέλος of Rational Creatures in Some Origenian Authors: “Pre-Existence of Souls”?

I would examine the doctrine of the soul, its composition, origin, and destiny, in some eminent Christian thinkers: Origen and his doctrine of the νόες, plus comparisons with Gregory of Nyssa, Evagrius, the Christian Middle Platonist Bardaisan of Edessa, and possibly Adamantius in the mysterious Dialogue of Adamantius (which I suspect to include more of Origen’s true thought than is commonly assumed). I would investigate how their psychology is related to “creation” and to apokatastasis, a doctrine that, not accidentally, is shared by them all, but that does not in the least necessarily presuppose a belief in the “pre-existence of souls”. A common pattern will emerge, which renders the label “pre-existence of souls” more and more inadequate.

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