Questions to think about during this lesson…

• Why did the Gnostics rely on allegory for their interpretations of Scripture?
• Where was the first organized Christian school of learning?
• Who was Alexandria named after?
• What do we mean when we say “School” of Alexandria?
• Who is the first writer from the School of Alexandria whose works have survived? (Hint: He was the head of the School of Alexandria from around 190AD to around 202AD)
• What was Clement of Alexandria’s contribution to the development of the study of the Bible at the School of Alexandria?
• How did Clement of Alexandria oppose Gnosticism?
• What did Clement of Alexandria mean when he talked about “true gnosis”?
• Clement of Alexandria believed that the Lord did not give all of His teachings in a straight forward manner or all the truths revealed in the Scriptures in a literal sense. Why was this?
• Clement of Alexandria said that in the Old Testament, Abraham represents faith, Sarah represents wisdom, and Hagar — Sarah ‘s slave girl — represents paganism. Why is this style of interpretation considered allegory rather than typology?
• Why did Clement of Alexandria conclude that an allegorical interpretation is only correct if it is consistent with what we know about God and in harmony with the rest of the message of Scripture?
• As important as Clement of Alexandria was, he was been dwarfed by his successor at the School of Alexandria. Who was this?
• Why did Origen’s mother take away his clothes from him?
• In Origen’s days, in the Roman Empire, if you were convicted of a crime — and Christianity was a crime — how would the state punish you?
• After Origen’s father was martyred, how did Origen help support his family?
• What are some examples of how Origen lived a very ascetic lifestyle in obedience to the command of the Gospel? (Hint: Look up Matthew 5:40 and Luke 6:29)
• What legend is there regarding Origen and the passages in Matthew 5:29 and Matthew 19:12?
• Who is the first gentile Christian writer to learn Hebrew?
• How did Origen’s writings become widely available to the public?
• What is the Hexapla and how does it relate to textual criticism? (Hint: Remember, because books were hand-copied, even copies of the Septuagint which were used within the Church had certain manuscript variations)
• What did the Bishop of Caesarea (of Palestine) allow Origen to do that the Bishop of Alexandria never permitted?
• What kind of conflict did this create, how was it resolved at the time, and how do we prevent a similar kind of conflict from happening today in Church?
• What did Origen fear would happen if Christians of his day were persecuted — and how did his prediction come true?
• Who was Decius?
• By the middle of the 3rd century, the Roman empire was in serious decline. Why did most Romans blame the Christians for this?
• The Decian persecution was different than any persecution Christians had experienced. Why is this?
• How long did the Decian persecution last and how did it end?
• What happened to Origen during this persecution?
• What’s the difference between a confessor and a martyr?

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