The problem of ostensibly arbitrary readings of scripture has a long history. Mark Randall James offers a compelling solution. In Learning the Language of Scripture: Origen, Wisdom, and the Logic of Interpretation, he argues that Origen of Alexandria (c. 184-253 CE) provides a model for interpreting scripture that, when properly understood, is not arbitrary. Origen is famous, perhaps infamous, for his rationale when it comes to his biblical interpretation. Located thus, this work moves the conversation forward by shining fresh light on one of history’s most controversial interpreters of scripture.
Origen’s legacy is virtually synonymous with allegorical interpretation. Opponents of allegory tend to suggest that it is ultimately arbitrary because there aren’t parameters for anchoring the interpretation to the text or to some other authority. James successfully challenges this perspective, showing that Origen indeed has parameters. In fact, his approach anchors allegory to the text by using the language of scripture as the parameters for his interpretation. If an allegorical interpretation sounds foreign to someone fluent in the language of scripture, then it is an illegitimate interpretation.
Even so, criticism of TIS and similar approaches is often based on a limited understanding of potential rules that might govern interpretation. If Origen is our test case to determine whether his approach is genuinely arbitrary, one must consider whether a rule could govern his exegetical work. If such a rule exists, then perhaps it is precisely this rule that will enable us to find a way forward in discussing TIS.
Origen is the perfect partner for this exploration because “the rules by which modern readers have tested Origen’s rationality have by necessity been those rules available to modern readers” (11). Consequently, the variety of scholarly efforts to understand Origen’s exegesis provides a helpful reflection of our own ways of reasoning (11). James uses this mirror to significant effect.
Scripture provides a linguistic subset, something akin to a dialect or perhaps even insider language. “The goal of interpretation is to acquire the capacity to speak according to the example of the scriptures” (22, emphasis original). Origen intends for the reader to conform their speech to the pattern found in this scriptural dialect. This pattern is what provides the rationale for allegory. Surprisingly, however, the author is not a proponent of allegory, even as he defends Origen. He demonstrates Origen’s reasons for using allegory, but ultimately decides that, the good reasons Origen has for allegory are not ultimately better than the reasons to avoid it.
James covers an impressive range of topics in this work, which may prove challenging for some readers. For example, chapter one is a detailed exploration of Stoicism and philosophy of language. Most readers familiar with patristics will likely be conversant in the former, but the latter may be challenging. That said, this chapter is very well done and is necessary for the book’s argument.
Chapter 2 explores the movement from lexis to logos, the transition between knowing what is said (lexis) and the wisdom necessary at any moment (logos). He gets these terms from Stoic logic. Using the analogy of language as a finite set from which communication is drawn, James shows how scripture functions as a language for Origen, providing a means by which he may theologically communicate (22, 78). As the adage goes, knowledge tells you that a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom tells you not to put it in a fruit salad. The movement from lexis to logos, which James translates as “speech (λεξις), and discourse (λογος)” (77), is the process by which knowledge is internalized and synthesized into wisdom. This chapter illustrates the necessity of that movement.
The third chapter presents a similar challenge as Chapter 1, except that we are now handed linguistics instead of philosophy of language. However, James shows the necessity of this by demonstrating how Origen behaves more like a linguist than anything else when he questions who may use the words of scripture. Read in this light, his exegesis makes sense. This is where the goal of logos in Chapter 2 finds the real world. Scripture is a script. These are words that ought to be spoken. But when and where? And by whom? This chapter illustrates the limitations that Origen sees for the readers and interpreters of scripture.
Chapter 4 illustrates how Origen moves from text to habit. Origen comes up with an idea, and then tests that idea by further examining scripture. Does it use the language of scripture appropriately? This is a repeated process of hypothesis and discovery that allows Origen and those following him to perceive the core of the text, allowing them to construct theological reflections on topics where scripture is silent. The more one is saturated in the language of scripture, the better one will be at addressing challenges not foreseen by scriptural authors.
Chapter 5 carries logically forward from this to the theological implications Origen’s understanding of scripture as a body of language, namely Origen’s parrhesia (freedom to speak). As one moves from text to habit, one will find the freedom spoken of by Paul in the fruit of the Spirit. Against that fruit, there is no law (Galatians 5:23b). “Mastering the rules of scriptural language is the linguistic aspect of the process of conforming one’s natural reason to the divine Logos through the scriptural pedagogy of the Logos, a transformation at the heart of Origen’s vision of Christian life” (209). Learning the language of scripture is the “deification of discourse,” as the chapter title puts it.
The sixth chapter rounds out the book. James argues that Origen’s interpretive methods offer valuable insights for contemporary Christian scriptural interpretation. He proposes a contemporary “Origenism” grounded in scriptural pragmatism, prioritizing the development of wise Christian linguistic competence over doctrinal formulations. James suggests that interpreting scripture through this lens involves learning its language and recognizing scriptural texts’ inherent vagueness and openness as invitations to engage in rational inquiry.
Learning the Language of Scripture offers a thought-provoking examination of Origen’s interpretive methods. By revealing the logic behind what has often been dismissed as arbitrary, James sheds new light on Origen’s enduring legacy as a master of scriptural interpretation. He provides a framework for approaching scripture with renewed depth and purpose.
Ryan Lytton is Associate Professor & Director of Academic Services at Life Pacific University-East.
Ryan Lytton
Date Of Review:
December 4, 2024
