The Spoils of Egypt: Rediscovering the Hidden Scriptures with Origen

Origen's utilization of the "spoils of Egypt" metaphor in his letters and homilies points to a shared memory of true scriptures, now obscured, that early Christian scholars like Theodore and Gregory Thaumaturgus were encouraged to seek out. This metaphor, derived from the biblical account of the Israelites taking gold, silver, and brass from the Egyptians to repurpose for worship, is repurposed by Origen to symbolize the retention and interpretation of hidden divine truths.

The Divine Scriptures Hidden from the Many

At the conclusion of Origen's Letter to Theodore, there is a clear command to seek after “the Divine Scriptures hidden from the many” (τὸν κεκρυμμένον τοῖς πολλοῖς νοῦν τῶν θείων γραμμάτων). Origen implies that the hidden knowledge of scriptures, which might be the secret gospel or the gospel of the Egyptians, should be pursued through the study of the orthodox canon.

Origen believes there are limits to what can be learned from the literal word of the canonical texts alone. He advises Theodore to “knock at” these gospels’ “locked door, and it will be opened to you by the porter, of whom Jesus says, to him the porter opens.” This statement emphasizes the importance of recollection and deeper understanding of the ideal text, which Theodore once had access to in Egypt.

Origen's Homily on Psalms and the Method of Recollection

In his Homily on Psalms, Origen reflects a similar methodology, advising his followers that understanding hidden meanings in holy scripture requires memory and spiritual preparation rather than learned human wisdom: "If what is being said is in need of further proof (ἔτι μᾶλλον κατασκευάσαι), I will provide something like that happens with our colleagues (ἐν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς). Often times, someone arrives seeking to learn the ideas hidden in holy scripture (ζητῶν ματεῖν νοήματα κείμενα ἐν τῇ ἱερᾷ γραφῇ), and the things secretly hidden, neither having known the gospel text, nor having memorized the apostolic teaching, nor having known what the prophet says or what has been written in this book (i.e., the Psalms). Someone might appropriately (εὐκαίρως) say to that person: 'open wide your mouth, if you want your mouth to be filled by learning these things about which you inquire.' So, if someone is about to understand the holy letters, let him have no other preparation than what he has from memory of the scriptures (μὴ ἄλλην παρασκευὴν ἐχέτω ἤ ἀπὸ τῆς μνήμης ἐχέτω τῶν γραφῶν): for we speak divine things not in the learned words of human wisdom, but in the learned [words] of the Spirit, comparing spiritual things to spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:13).”

The Early Origenist Approach

John Solheid and others have noted that this passage from the Homily on Psalms aligns with Origen’s consistent attitude towards the place of scripture study within his vision of Christian paideia. This approach invites readers to join in a scholarly enterprise of recalling and interpreting hidden scriptures.

Radical Hermeneutics and the Ideal Scripture

Origen's approach is quite radical, advocating for the remembrance of hidden or obscured truths over the literal study of canonical texts. Perrone notes that for Origen, the ultimate preparation for understanding holy writings is the memory of the entire scripture: "What mattered [to Origen was] the interpreter was indeed to comply with the Pauline criterion of 1 Cor 2:13 (πνευματικὰ πνευματικοῖς συγκρίνοντες, ‘to compare spiritual things with spiritual things’), a passage assumed by Origen as a true manifesto for his own hermeneutics. It is totally conform with this approach when the preacher recommends to those who ask about the Holy Writings and their hidden truth, while ignoring the texts of the Old and the New Testament, to have no other preparation than the memory of the whole scripture in their mind."

The True Spoils of Egypt

Gregory of Nyssa knew Theodore to have become a “disciple of the gospel” in Alexandria before undergoing baptism with Origen. It is almost certain that the Theodore of Clement’s Letter to Theodore is the same as Origen’s Theodore. The gospel at the heart of early Egyptian Christian tradition was also central to Origen’s mystical exegetical process.

The memory of secret Mark was, by analogy, the true “spoils of Egypt” repurposed by the community of exiles in Palestine for the worship of God. Origen asked Gregory and other Alexandrian ex-patriots to “remember” the text, reflecting Irenaeus’s account of “miracles” among early Biblical exegetes.

Conclusion

Origen’s use of the “spoils of Egypt” metaphor, his focus on memory and recollection, and his radical hermeneutics highlight a profound spiritual and intellectual lineage within early Christianity. By reexamining these connections, we honor the intricate and often obscured history of early Christian thought and practice, uncovering a rich tradition of seeking and remembering hidden divine truths.