- The following is believed to have been espoused by Origen, an early Christian philosopher:
“The idea of deification is an indication of the Greek influence…Adam before the fall is portrayed as a Greek philosopher—contemplating the Word, the image of the Father. His mind had nothing to do with his body. It transcended all bodily desires and senses and contemplated ‘intellectual reality’. But Adam turned from intellectual reality and began to consider his body and its senses, thus falling into fleshy desires.”
Origen, an Egyptian philosopher was an early Christian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early of the Christian Church despite not being a Church father who had taught in Alexandria. In his ideas, he was also considered as Platonist. His ideas about Adam as a philosopher had been influenced by the Greeks, especially by Plato’s ideas. Origen’s idea portrays that Adam was also a Greek philosopher before his fall. He discussed that before, Adam has the image of the father—perfect and transcends all bodily desires, lost his divinity by considering his body and its senses because of his quest for knowledge. He described Adam before the fall like Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is said to have undergone an incarnation before he reach God. He was mentioned in the bible as the son of God, like Adam—who contemplates the Word, disregarding the fleshly desires. He taught other people about God.
Adam only lives according to God’s order and because of his innocence he doesn’t know anything about his surroundings. Origen described Adam as Greek because of Plato’s influence in his teachings about the soul before it enters the body. That Adam’s creation was the first stage, where his mind has nothing to do with the body. Then his quest for knowledge begins when he starts to consider his body. This is where the soul enters the body which is also the state of forgetfulness where he—Adam forgets what he was before the fall. That he was once a divine creation, but he turned from intellectual reality by beginning to consider his body and its senses, thus falling into fleshy desires. Adam became aware of what’s happening around him at the time of his fall and starts to question many things and struggles to find answers.
Origen’s deification was Adam, a divine being before the fall. He saw Adam as divine that once transcends all bodily desires and became fallen, but then again, will still have a chance to return to the stage where he only considers the mind.
