Origen of Alexandria

I had a flashback as I researched today’s prayer. I was enamored with Superman as a boy, this “Man of Steel” who was “more powerful than a locomotive and able to bend steel in his bare hands.” Today’s prayer was offered by the original “Man of Steel.” Origen of Alexandria (185-254) was given the nickname Adamantius (Latin for “Man of Steel”) for his courage under fire. According to the church historian, Eusebius, Origen “was not yet seventeen” when his father was arrested and later executed for being a Christian. Origen wanted to join his father in prison, but his mother hid all his clothes to foil his plan. At the end of his life, after a faithful teaching and writing ministry, Origen proved his mettle when he was imprisoned and tortured for two years for refusing to recant his faith. Origen’s writing, On First Principles, was the first attempt to put into print the essential foundations of Christian theology. Before Origen, Christianity was commonly regarded as a folk religion for the illiterate, but he gave it intellectual credibility. His sermons delivered to the church in Caesarea survive. I note how often he paused in his sermons to invite his congregation to join him in praying for the Holy Spirit’s direction. He also wrote a major treatise On Prayer. Two things stand out in his comments on prayer. First, he urged his readers not to seek advantages from God in prayer, but to enjoy God’s presence and share in God’s life. Second, he gave practical suggestions about prayer, such as the best posture for prayer. He recommended standing with hands extended and eyes elevated, but then added it was far more important to extend the soul to God. He also advised designating a corner of one’s house as a sanctuary for prayer. In his commentary on John’s gospel (a total of thirty-two volumes!), he concluded his observations of Jesus’ washing the feet of his disciples with the prayer: