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Dogma and Mysticism in Early Christianity:

Epiphanius of Cyprus and the Legacy of
Origen. By Jon F. Dechow. Patristic
Monograph Series 13. Macon, Georgia:
Mercer University Press, 1988. xii + 584 pp.
\$25.00.

Antonia Tripolitis

Church History / Volume 59 / Issue 03 / September 1990, pp 388 - 389

DOI: 10.2307/3167748, Published online: 28 July 2009

Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/

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How to cite this article:

Antonia Tripolitis (1990). Church History, 59, pp 388-389
doi:10.2307/3167748

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388 C H U R C H HISTORY

Origen who seriously misunderstood his master. Although not involved in the
first Origenist controversy, which was becoming intense at the time of his
death in 399, Evagrius was condemned as an Origenist in 553. Antoine
Guillaumont's work on a Syriac version of his Kephalaia Gnostica demon-
strated that he held Origenist views not evident in his other extant works.
Evagrius's Scholiae on Proverbs share with Origen such themes as the
beneficence of divine chastisement and the need for reserve in communicating
more profound doctrines, themes which Gehin relates to the Kephalaia
Gnostica. Nonetheless, they are not presented systematically and one gets the
impression that Evagrius owed more to Clement than to Origen. His
exaltation of gnosis, which, in a Clementine echo Gehin does not note,
Evagrius refers to as "mother," is foreign to Origen. His style, likewise,
echoes Clement's gnomic utterances of the Stromata but is utterly unlike
Origen's discursive argumentation. This is a welcome addition to literature
on early Christian asceticism and biblical exegesis.
St. Patrick's Episcopal Church JOSEPH W. TRIGG
Falls Church, Virginia

Dogma and Mysticism in Early Christianity: Epiphanius of Cyprus and the

Legacy oj Origen. By JON F. D E C H O W . Patristic Monograph Series 13.
Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1988. xii + 584 pp. $25.00.
According to the author, the purpose of this book is to present a historical
investigation of the foundations of early Christian dogma and mysticism
through an examination of the life, career, and polemic against Origen's
views of the fourth-century heresiologist Epiphanius of Cyprus (c. 315-403).
This purpose is not clearly established in the work. The study is basically an
analysis of chapter 64 of the Pananon, Epiphanius's charges against and
condemnation of Origen (c. 185-c. 254). As background to the study, the
author gives a summary of the theological controversies that precipitated the
polemic; the previous polemics against and defenses of Origen, and the
relationship between these works and Epiphanius's Pananon 64.
Origen was a pioneer and one of the greatest theologians of the church. His
contributions are many and can be found in every area of theology. More than
anyone of his time, he was influential in establishing and defining the
church's doctrines and the thought of the early church in general. He was a
product of the speculative philosophical environment of third-century Alexan-
dria and wrote at a time when the church was in the throes of defining its
doctrines. During this time many views were being discussed concerning
God, the Trinity, the world, and human nature and destiny, but the church
had not yet given formal expression to these matters. It was Origen's intent to
present possible answers but not to establish definite doctrinal views. As a
pioneer in his attempt to explain the Christian view he was often too daring
BOOK REVIEWS 389

and too speculative, but he claimed no conclusions. His bold speculations,

energetic imagination, and dauntless use of philosophy led him to contem-
plate a world of great magnitude followed by a succession of world orders,
from the first creation when God created all souls equal and free to the final
restoration when, after many trials of suffering and discipline, all souls will
return to their original purity and perfection. This view of the world, and in
particular that of the soul, its preexistence, nature, and destiny, was greatly
controverted by the church. However, many of the ideas for which Origen
was most severely criticized were not his but the development and misinterpre-
tation of his speculative and mystical views by his supposed followers.
Epiphanius's charges against Origen are basically a summary and develop-
ment of those previously brought against him by others, especially Methodius
(270-312). The main charges concern Origen's view of the relationship of the
Trinity, especially that of the Son to the Father; the preexistence of the
human soul; the body/soul complex, its nature and resurrection. These
charges and attitude against Origen in Panarion 64 greatly influenced the
thinking of the church. It led to Origen's condemnation in the early fifth
century and to his final anathematization by the Fifth Ecumenical Council in
553.
This is a well-researched study with copious notes, extensive bibliography,
and indexes, but it is in parts repetitive and wordy. It is not intended for the
layperson, as it assumes considerable background knowledge of early Chris-
tian beliefs and is too technical for the average person.
Rutgers University ANTONIA TRIPOLITIS
New Brunswick, New Jersey

The Jesus of Heresy and History. By JOHN DART. San Francisco: Harper &
Row, 1988. xvii + 204. pp. $18.95 cloth; $10.95 paper.
The Nag Hammadi Library in English. Edited by JAMES M. ROBINSON.
Revised edition. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988. xiv + 549 pp.
$24.95.
John Dart's book is expanded from his earlier Laughing Savior, with both
versions intended as introductions to the Nag Hammadi Gnostic materials.
He says he writes "as a news reporter," and maybe that is why the book
carries the reader's interest along to the end, with only five footnotes. (Most
references can be found through the useful bibliography.) His deceptively
simple style does not conceal the fact that he knows a great deal not only about
current and recent debates but also about the subject itself. This is why the
book provides such a good introduction to Robinson's latest edition, although
it can also be read by itself.
A little over a decade ago Robinson put together the first edition of this
work, which was immediately hailed as an extremely important resource for