Articles

Word and Wisdom in Origen: Is the God of the Bible Incorporeal?

John C. Cavadini

Abstract

John C. Cavadini examines Origen’s claim that the Bible teaches God is asomatos (incorporeal). Far from being a mere philosophical import, Origen’s doctrine of incorporeality is redefined through biblical revelation as a radical, personal freedom to love and suffer. By analyzing the "soul of God" and the Son’s self-emptying, Cavadini argues that Origen presents a "soulful" Trinity whose transcendent freedom is uniquely expressed in creation and the incarnation.