If you are considering insurrection, rebellion, or a coup d'etat, consider Miriam and Aaron's experience in opposing Moses. True humility consists in a commitment to obeying God's will to the point of self-denial.

Numbers 12:1-16 -- Miriam and Aaron oppose Moses

Moses, confronted about his Cushite wife, 10^th century, Vatopedi monastery

A third rebellion followed at Hazeroth, the next camp site.  Moses had married a Cushite wife, probably Ethiopian (in Genesis 10:6 Cush means Ethiopia), and this was probably his second wife (his first wife was Zipporah, a Midianite; Exodus 2:16-21).  Making this an excuse, Miriam and Aaron spoke against him.  They desired equality with him as leaders of Israel.  Miriam seems to have been the main culprit and she bore the punishment.  It may seem strange that she, being a woman, should have challenged the authority of her brother.  However, she was a prophetess and leader of the Israelite women (Exodus 15:20-21).


In the rebellions, God's provisions are rejected and God judges the rebels





"Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God." First proposed seal of the United States, 1776, depicting God, Moses, and the Egyptians.

Again, we read that the Lord heard their hostile words.  His response was to confirm his choice of Moses (6-8) and then to judge Miriam and Aaron (9-10).  There are many parallels between Miriam's rebellion and Israel's craving for meat (Numbers 11:4-35).  On both occasions, God's provision (the manna; Moses' leadership) was rejected, and in response, God confirmed Moses' position (by giving him elders and by his word) and judgment fell (the plague; Miriam's leprosy).  The author comments about Moses' humility.


True humility consists in a commitment to obeying God's will to the point of self-denial.

Saint Humility (Beata Umilta (1226-1310 AD)) Transports Bricks to the Monastery by Pietro Lorenzetti (c.1341) Oil on wood, 45 x 32 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

True humility consists in a commitment to obeying God's will to the point of self-denial.  Such self-sacrifice can leave a man vulnerable and forced to cast himself on God to protect and sustain him.  Further, as he strives to serve God, he discovers his own weaknesses and failings, and in that way reaches a proper view of himself.  Humility is not a negative quality (devaluing of self) but a positive commitment to service, supremely exemplified in Christ (Philippians 2:3-8).


Moses showed humility in continuing to lead Israel through the desert for forty years, even though it was a burden.  He did not defend himself but turned to God, who defends and helps the humble (Psalms 14:6; 149:4; Matthew 5:5; 1 Peter 5:6).  On this occasion, the Lord left Miriam and Aaron in no doubt as he upheld his servant Moses.  Thus, Numbers records three 'complainings' before Israel was half way to Canaan.


Source:  Naylor, Peter John.  "Numbers."  In New Bible Commentary – 21st Century Edition, eds. D.A. Carson, R.T. France, J.A. Motyer, and G.J. Wenham, pages 181-182.  Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1994.

In his somber moments, John Newton (1725-1807), Anglican cleric, argues that humans are monsters, fools, worse than beasts and worse than the meanest idiots, and resemble the devil.

Newton (1725-1807), contemporary portrait

On Man in his Fallen Estate.

Lord, what is Man!

Dear Sir,

We hear much in the present day of the dignity of human nature. And it is allowed that man was an excellent creature as he came out of the hands of God; but if we consider this question with a view to fallen man, as depraved by sin, how can we but join with the Psalmist in wonder that the great God should make any account of him? 

Man is a monster, a vile, base, stupid, obstinate, and mischievous creature

The Head of Medusa by Peter Paul Rubens, circa 1618.

Fallen as man is from his original state of happiness and holiness, his natural faculties and abilities afford sufficient evidence that the hand which made him is Divine. He is capable of great things. His understanding, will, affections, imagination, and memory—are noble and amazing powers. But view him in a moral light, as an intelligent being, incessantly dependent upon God, accountable to him, and appointed by him to a state of existence in an unchangeable world: considered in this relation—man is a monster, a vile, base, stupid, obstinate, and mischievous creature; no words can fully describe him. Man, with all his boasted understanding and attainments, is a fool: so long as he is destitute of the saving grace of God, his conduct, as to his most important concerns, is more absurd and inconsistent than that of the most contemptible idiot; with respect to his affections and pursuits, he is degraded far below the beasts; and for the malignity and wickedness of his will, can be compared to nothing so properly as to the devil. 

The heart itself is universally deceitful, and desperately wicked

Nero's Torches (Christian Candlesticks), Henryk Siemiradzki (1843–1902)  

The question here is not concerning this or that man, a Nero or a Heliogabalus, but concerning human nature, the whole race of mankind, the few excepted who are born of God. There is indeed a difference among men, but it is owing to the restraints of Divine Providence, without which earth would be the very image of hell. A wolf or a lion, while chained, cannot do so much mischief as if they were loose, but the nature is the same in the whole species. Education and personal interest, fear and shame, human laws, and the secret power of God over the mind, combine to form many characters that are extremely decent and respectable; and even the most abandoned are under a restraint which prevents them from manifesting a thousandth part of the wickedness which is in their hearts. But the heart itself is universally deceitful, and desperately wicked.

Man is a fool

"Keying Up" - The Court Jester, William Merritt Chase (1849–1916)  

Man is a fool. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." Romans 1:22. He can indeed measure the earth, and almost count the stars; he abounds in arts and inventions, in science and policy—and shall he then be called a fool? The ancient Heathens, the inhabitants of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, were eminent for this kind of wisdom. They are to this day studied as models by those who aim to excel in history, poetry, painting, architecture, and other exertions of human genius, which are suited to polish the manners without improving the heart. But their most admired philosophers, legislators, logicians, orators, and artists, were as destitute as infants or idiots of that knowledge which alone deserves the name of true wisdom. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Ignorant and regardless of God, yet conscious of their weakness, and of their dependence upon a Power above their own, and stimulated by an inward principle of fear, of which they knew neither the origin nor right application, they worshipped the creature instead of the Creator, yes, placed their trust in stocks and stones, in the works of men's hands, in non-entities and chimeras. An acquaintance with their mythology, or system of religious fables, passes with us for a considerable branch of learning, because it is drawn from ancient books written in languages not known to the vulgar; but in point of certainty or truth, we might receive as much satisfaction from a collection of dreams, or from the ravings of lunatics. If, therefore, we admit these admired sages as a tolerable specimen of mankind, must we not confess that man, in his best estate, while uninstructed by the Spirit of God, is a fool? But are we wiser than they? Not in the least, until the grace of God makes us so. Our superior advantages only show our folly in a more striking light. Why do we account any people foolish? A fool has no sound judgment; he is governed wholly by appearances, and would prefer a fine coat to the deed to a large estate. He pays no regard to consequences: fools have sometimes hurt or killed their best friends, and thought they did no harm. A fool cannot reason, therefore arguments are lost upon him. At one time, if tied with a straw, he dares not stir; at another time, perhaps, he can hardly be persuaded to move, though the house were on fire. Are these the characteristics of a fool? Then there is no fool like the sinner, who prefers the toys of earth to the happiness of heaven; who is held in bondage by the foolish customs of the world; and is more afraid of the breath of man, than of the wrath of God. 

Man is a beast and worse than a beast

Beast (Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and is a founding member of the X-Men

Again, Man in his natural state is a beast, yes, below the beasts which perish. In two things he strongly resembles them; in looking no higher than to sensual gratifications, and in that selfishness of spirit which prompts him to propose himself and his own interest as his proper and highest end. But in many respects he sinks sadly beneath them. Unnatural lusts, and the lack of natural affection towards their offspring, are abominations not to be found among the brute creation. What shall we say of mothers destroying their children with their own hands, or of the horrid act of self-murder! Men are worse than beasts likewise in their obstinacy; they will not be warned. If a beast escapes from a trap, he will be cautious how he goes near it again, and in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird. But man, though he be often reproved, hardens his neck; he rushes upon his ruin with his eyes open, and can defy God to his face, and dare damnation. 

Man resembles the devil

William Blake's illustration of Lucifer as presented in John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Once more, Let us observe how man resembles the devil. There are spiritual sins, and from these in their height the Scripture teaches us to judge of Satan's character. Every feature in this description is strong in man; so that what our Lord said to the Jews is of general application, "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do." Man resembles Satan in pride: this stupid, wicked creature values himself upon his wisdom, power, and virtue, and will talk of being saved by his good works; though if he can, Satan himself need not despair. He resembles him in malice; and this diabolical disposition often proceeds to murder, and would daily, if the Lord did not restrain it. He derives from Satan the hateful spirit of envy: he is often tormented beyond expression, by beholding the prosperity of his neighbors; and proportionably pleased with their calamities, though he gains no other advantage from them than the gratification of this rancorous principle. He bears the image likewise of Satan in his cruelty. This evil is bound up in the heart even of a child. A disposition to take pleasure in giving pain to others, appears very early. Children, if left to themselves, soon feel a gratification in torturing insects and animals. What misery does the wanton cruelty of men inflict upon cocks, dogs, bulls, bears, and other creatures, which they seem to think were formed for no other end than to feast their savage spirits with their torments! If we form our judgment of men, when they seem most pleased, and have neither anger nor resentment to plead in their excuse, it is too evident, even from the nature of their amusements, whose they are and whom they serve. And they are the worst of enemies to each other. Think of the horrors of war, the rage of duelists, of the murders and assassinations with which the world is filled, and then say, "Lord, what is man!" Further, if deceit and treachery belong to Satan's character, then surely man resembles him. Is not the universal observation, and complaint of all ages, an affecting comment upon the Prophet's words, "Trust not in a friend, put no confidence in a guide, keep the doors of your mouth from her that lies in your bosom, for they hunt every man his brother with a net?" How many have at this moment cause to say, with David, "The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords!" Again: Like Satan, men are eager in tempting others to sin; not content to damn themselves, they employ all their arts and influence to draw as many as they can with them into the same destruction. Lastly: In direct opposition to God and goodness, in contemptuous enmity to the Gospel of his grace, and a bitter persecuting spirit against those who profess it, Satan himself can hardly exceed them. Herein, indeed, they are his agents and willing servants; and because the blessed God is himself out of their reach, they labor to show their despite to him in the people of his people. 

"Lord, what is man!"

Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man displays the proportions of a man.

I have drawn but a sketch, a few outlines, of the picture of fallen man. To give an exact copy of him, to charge every feature with its full aggravation of horror, and to paint him as he is—would be impossible. Enough has been observed to illustrate the propriety of the exclamation, "Lord, what is man!" Perhaps some of my readers may attempt to deny or extenuate the charge, and may plead, that I have not been describing mankind, but some of the most abandoned of the species, who hardly deserve the name of men. But I have already provided against this exception. It is human nature I describe; and the vilest and most profligate individuals cannot sin beyond the powers and limits of that nature which they possess in common with the more mild and moderate. Though there may be a difference in the fruitfulness of trees, yet the production of one apple decides the nature of the tree upon which it grew, as certainly as if it had produced a thousand: so in the present case, should it be allowed that these enormities cannot be found in all people, it would be a sufficient confirmation of what I have advanced, if they can be found in any; unless it could be likewise proved, that those who appeared more wicked than others, were of a different species from the rest. But I need not make this concession; they must be insensible indeed who do not feel something within them so very contrary to our common notions of goodness, as would perhaps make them rather submit to be banished from human society, than to be compelled to disclose to their fellow-creatures every thought and desire which arises in their hearts. 

Man is capable of the most atrocious crimes

The spiked heads of executed criminals once adorned the gatehouse of the medieval London Bridge.

Many useful reflections may be drawn from this unpleasant subject. We cannot at present conceive how much we owe to the guardian care of Divine Providence, that any of us are preserved in peace and safety for a single day in such a world as this. Live where we will, we have those near us, who, both by nature, and by the power which Satan has over them, are capable of the most atrocious crimes. But He whom they know not, restrains them, so that they cannot do the things that they would. When he suspends the restraint, they act immediately; then we hear of murders, rapes, and outrages. But did not the Lord reign with a strong hand, such evils would be perpetrated every hour, and no one would be safe in the house or in the field. God's ordinance of civil government is one great means of preserving the peace of society; but this is in many cases inadequate. The heart of man, when fully bent upon evil, will not be intimidated or stopped by gibbets and racks. 

Can beasts and devils inherit the kingdom of God?

The Adoration of the Golden Calf by Nicolas Poussin

How wonderful is the love of God in giving his Son to die for such wretches! And how strong and absolute is the necessity of a new birth, if we would be happy! Can beasts and devils inherit the kingdom of God? The due consideration of this subject is likewise needful, to preserve believers in an humble, thankful, watchful frame of spirit. Such we once were, and such, with respect to the natural principle remaining in us, which the Apostle calls the flesh, or the old man, we still are! The propensities of fallen nature are not eradicated in the children of God, though by grace they are made partakers of a new principle, which enables them, in the Lord's strength, to resist and mortify the body of sin, so that it cannot reign in them. Yet they are liable to sad surprisals; and the histories of Aaron, David, Solomon, and Peter, are left on record, to teach us what evil is latent in the hearts of the best men, and what they are capable of doing if left but a little to themselves. "Lord, what is man!"

Source: Newton, John.  The Works of the Rev. John Newton.  Volume I, London: J. Johnson, St. Paul's Church-yard and J. Smith, No 6, Coleman-Street-Buildings, 1808, Letter XXXIII, pages 332-339.

1,600 years ago, Augustine (354-430) debated with people who did not believe in the historical and allegorical worldwide flood that is documented in the ancient Book of Genesis.

Of the Ark and the Flood; and that we cannot agree with those who accept the historical meaning of the story but reject its allegorical meaning, nor with those who accept the symbolic meaning but not the literal.

The Isaiah scroll (1QIsa^a) of the Dead Sea Scrolls contains almost the whole Book of Isaiah.  Augustine views books like Isaiah as, "books which have been so religiously preserved for thousands of years."

No one, however, should suppose that the story of the Flood is simply without purpose; or that we should seek in it only a true historical account without allegorical significance; or, conversely, that the events recorded in it are entirely unhistorical, and the language merely figurative; or that, whatever else it is, the story is not a prophecy of the Church.  For who save one with a perverse mind would contend that books which have been so religiously preserved for thousands of years, and with such concern on the part of their guardians for a well-ordered transmission, were written to no purpose, or that they are to be consulted for the sake of historical facts only?  To say nothing of anything else: if it was the large number of animals that compelled Noah to make an Ark of such great magnitude, what compelled him to put into it two of each unclean animal, but seven of each clean kind, when both kinds could have been preserved by the same number?  Moreover, although God required them to be preserved in this way in order to renew their species, did He therefore not also have the power to re-create them in the same way as he had first created them?

Some contend that the Flood is not historical

The Deluge, John Martin (1789–1854).

We come next, then, to those who contend that the story of the Flood is not historical, but consists merely of things symbolic and figurative.  First, they maintain that it is not possible for there to be a flood so great that the waters rise to a height of fifteen cubits above the highest mountain tops; for, they say, clouds cannot gather above the summit of Mount Olympus, because that summit is already located so high in the heavens that the denser air in which winds, clouds and rain are formed is absent.  But they do not notice that earth, the densest element of all, can exist there; or will they perhaps deny that the summit of the mountain is made of earth?  Why, then, do they admit that earth is allowed to rise so high into the realm of heaven, and yet contend that water cannot be allowed so to rise?  For those who measure and weigh the elements tell us that water rises higher and weighs less than earth.  What reason do our adversaries offer, then, to explain why earth, a heavier and lower element, should have been invading the more rarefied region of heaven during the revolution of so many years, yet water, a lighter and higher element, was not permitted to do so even for a short time?

Some say the Ark could not have contained so many animals

Noah's Ark (1846), a painting by the American folk painter Edward Hicks.

They say also that the Ark could not have contained so many animals of both sexes, two of each of the unclean and seven of each of the clean.  But it seems to me that our adversaries are here counting only the 300 cubits of length and the fifty of breadth, without noticing that there is the same amount of space on the storey above, and the same amount again on the storey above that, so that, multiplied by three, the dimensions of the Ark come to 900 cubits by 150.  Let us also note the suggestion not inappositely made by Origen: that Moses, the man of God, was, as it is written, 'learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians' (Book of Acts 7:22), who loved geometry, and that he therefore may have meant geometrical cubits, one of which is said to be equal to six of ours.  Who, then, does not see how many things an Ark of such great capacity might hold?

Some say it would not be possible to assemble an Ark of such magnitude

The Building of Noah's Ark (painting ascribed to a "French master" of 1675)

It is also argued that it would not be possible to assemble an Ark of such magnitude; but this is a falsehood, and a very inept one.  For our adversaries know that immense cities have been constructed, and they fail to notice that a hundred years were spent on the building of the Ark.  Now if it is possible for stones to adhere to one another when cemented merely by lime, to make an encircling wall many miles in length, why is it not possible for timbers to be joined together by pegs, bolts, nails and bituminous glue, to make an Ark extending to such great length and breadth in straight, not curved, lines?  Such an Ark would not require to be launched into the sea by human effort, but would be lifted up by the water when it came, because of the natural difference in weight; and, when afloat, it would be steered by divine providence rather than by human prudence, lest it incur shipwreck anywhere.

Some say that insects would have been overrepresented on the Ark and that aquatic fish and birds could not live on the Ark

The Dove Returns to Noah, c. 1896-1902, by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902)

Next comes a question often asked by the excessively pedantic, concerning the tiniest of creatures: not only such things as mice and newts, but also locusts, beetles, and even flies and fleas: might these not have been present in the Ark in greater numbers than the total specified when God gave the command?  First, then, we must remind those who are troubled by this question that the words 'every creeping thing of the earth' (Genesis 6:20) are to be taken to mean that there was no need to preserve in the Ark those creatures able to live in the waters: not only such aquatic creatures as fish, but also those which swim on the surface; many birds, for example.  Again, when it is said, 'they shall be male and female' (Genesis 6:19), this is clearly to be understood in terms of the need to renew the species, and so it was not necessary for there to be in the Ark those creatures which can be generated from certain things, or from the corruption of such things, without sexual intercourse.  Or, if they were present in the Ark, as they are usually present in house, they could have been there without the fixing of a definite number.  On the other hand, a most sacred mystery was there being enacted; and it may be that so great a truth was being prefigured that it could not be properly conveyed unless al the creatures which were prevented by their nature from living in the waters were present in that fixed number.  If so, however, this was not the responsibility of a man or of men, but of God.  For Noah did not catch the animals and then put them in; he let them in as they came and entered.  And this is why it is said, 'they shall come unto thee' (Genesis 6:20): not, that is, by any act of man, but by the command of God.

Sexless creatures were not included on the Ark according to Augustine

The Animals Enter the Ark, c. 1896-1902, by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902)

We are not, however, to believe that this included those creatures who lack sex; for it was definitely prescribed that 'they shall be male and female'.  There are some animals, such as flies, which are generated from certain things without sexual intercourse, but which subsequently reproduce by means of intercourse.  There are others, such as bees, in which there are no male and female characteristics.  Again, there are creatures which, though they have sexual organs, do not produce young, such as male and female mules; and it would be a wonder if these last were included in the Ark.  Instead, it would suffice to have their parents there, that is, the species of h orse and ass.  And so too with any other animals which produce some different kind of creature by a mingling of different species.  But if such creatures had anything to contribute to the symbolic meaning of the Ark, then they were included, for such a species also has male and female.

Some are troubled regarding what food the carnivorous animals ate while on the Ark

Noah's ark. 1882. The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Andrei Ryabushkin (1861–1904)

Not a few people are troubled as to the kinds of food which those animals which are thought to eat nothing but flesh could have had had in the Ark.  They wonder whether animals in excess of the prescribed number were taken on board, without transgressing the command, since their inclusion would have been compelled by the need to feed the others; or whether (and this is the more readily believable explanation) there could have been some form of nourishment apart from flesh which would have been suitable for all the animals.  For we know that many animals whose food if flesh also eat vegetables and fruit, especially figs and chestnuts.  Would it have been any wonder, therefore, if so wise and righteous man as Noah, divinely instructed as to the food appropriate for every animal, had prepared and established a stock of meatless food suitable to each kind?

Some are concerned about what the animals would have eaten on the Ark

A previously unreadable fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls photographed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA in the early 1990s using digital infrared technology. The fragment, translated into English, reads "he wrote the words of Noah."

What is there that we would not eat if compelled by hunger?  Again, what is there that God could not make pleasant and wholesome?  The divine power could, indeed, easily have endowed these animals with the ability to live without food at all, were it not for the fact that their eating had its part to play in completing the allegorical representation of so great a mystery.  For only a love of contention would allow anyone to suppose that the many signs contained in the historical story of the Flood do not prefigure the Church.  For the nations have already filled the Church, and clean and unclean alike are, as it were, contained in the hull of the Church's unity, until the appointed end is reached.  The meaning in this regard is so manifestly clear that we cannot lawfully doubt that the other aspects of the story have their own meanings, even thought he language is somewhat more obscure and difficult to understand.

Augustine argues that the events recorded in the account of the Flood are historical and that their symbolic meaning is to prefigure the Church

Noah. Mosaic in Basilica di San Marco, Venice, XII-XIII century. "For only a love of contention would allow anyone to suppose that the many signs contained in the historical story of the Flood do not prefigure the Church," says Augustine.

This being so, then, no one, no matter how stubborn, will dare to suppose that the story of the Flood was written without purpose; or that the events there recorded have only historical significance; or that they have no historical, but only symbolic meaning; or that their symbolism has nothing to do with the Church.  Rather, we are to believe that the writing of this account had a wise purpose; that the events recorded are historical; that they have a symbolic meaning also, and that the symbolic meaning is intended to prefigure the Church.

Source: Augustine. The City of God against the Pagans. Edited and translated by R.W. Dyson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998, Book XV, Chapter 27, pages 689-693.

Origen (185 - 254 A.D.) gave up his job, slept on the floor, ate no meat, drank no wine, fasted twice a week, owned no shoes, and reportedly castrated himself for the faith.

Origen: Biblical Scholar and Philosopher

Origen, Illustration from "Les Vrais Portraits Et Vies Des Hommes Illustres" by André Thévet

"We who by our prayers destroy all demons which stir up wars, violate oaths, and disturb the peace are of more help to the emperors than those who seem to be doing the fighting."

Origen from http://www.origenes.de

This third century "religious fanatic" gave up his job, slept on the floor, ate no meat, drank no wine, fasted twice a week, owned no shoes, and reportedly castrated himself for the faith. He was also the most prolific scholar of his age (with hundreds of works to his credit), a first-rate Christian philosopher, and a profound student of the Bible. 

Child prodigy Origen Adamantius ("man of steel") was born near Alexandria about A.D. 185. The oldest of seven children in a Christian home, he grew up learning the Bible and the meaning of commitment. In 202 when his father, Leonidas, was beheaded for his Christian beliefs, Origen wanted to die as a martyr, too. But his mother prevented him from even leaving the house—by hiding his clothes. 

To support his family, the 18-year-old Origen opened a grammar school, copied texts, and instructed catechumens (those seeking to become members of the church). He himself studied under the pagan philosopher Ammonius Saccas in order to better defend his faith against pagan arguments. When a rich convert supplied him with secretaries, he began to write. 

Bible student and critic 

The Hexapla by Origen

Origen worked for 20 years on his Hexapla, a massive work of Old Testament analysis written to answer Jewish and Gnostic critics of Christianity. An examination of Biblical texts, it had six parallel columns: one in Hebrew, and the other five in various Greek translations, including one he found at Jericho in a jar. It became an important step in the development of the Christian canon and scriptural translation, but unfortunately it was destroyed. So massive was it that scholars doubt anyone ever copied it entirely. 

This painting by the Workshop of Pieter Coecke van Aelst, depicts St. Jerome in his study.  Jerome asked "Has anyone read everything that Origen wrote?"

This first Bible scholar analyzed the Scriptures on three levels: the literal, the moral, and the allegorical. As he put it, "For just as man consists of body, soul, and spirit, so in the same way does the Scripture." Origen, in fact, preferred the allegorical not only because it allowed for more spiritual interpretations, but many passages he found impossible to read literally: "Now what man of intelligence will believe that the first and the second and the third day … existed without the sun and moon and stars?" In any event, Origen's method of interpretation became the standard in the Middle Ages. Origen's main work, De Principiis (On First Principles), was the first systematic exposition of Christian theology ever written. In it he created a Christian philosophy, synthesizing Greek technique and biblical assumptions. Add to these massive works his homilies and commentaries, and it's clear why he was reputed to have kept seven secretaries busy and caused Jerome (c.354–420) to say in frustrated admiration, "Has anyone read everything that Origen wrote?" 

Heretical church father? 

The Castration of Uranus: fresco by Vasari & Cristofano Gherardi (c. 1560, Sala di Cosimo I, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence).  Origen is reported to have castrated himself.

Origen has always been controversial. His reported self-mutilation, in response to Matthew 19:12 ("… there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven….") was condemned as a drastic misinterpretation of the text. In Palestine he preached without being ordained and was so condemned by his bishop, Demetrius. When on a second trip, he was ordained by the same bishops who had invited him to speak the first time, Demetrius sent him into exile. 

While some of his writings are thought to have been hypothetical, Origen did teach that all spirits were created equal, existed before birth, and then fell from grace. Furthermore, "those rational beings who sinned and on account fell from the state in which they were, in proportion to their particular sins, were enslaved in bodies as punishment"—some demons, some men, and some angels. He also believed that all spirits, even Satan, could be saved. "The power of choosing between good and evil is within the reach of all," he wrote. 

An attempt at a depiction of The Trinity.

Most notably, however, Origen described the Trinity as a hierarchy, not as an equality of Father, Son, and Spirit. And though he attacked Gnostic beliefs, like them, he rejected the goodness of material creation. 

VI Surikov . " Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople ." The sketch for the painting of the church of Christ the Savior (1876).  The council pronounced Origen a heretic.

Three centuries after his death, the Council of Constantinople (553) pronounced him a heretic: "Whoever says or thinks that the punishment of demons and the wicked will not be eternal … let him be anathema." 

Some contend that Origen was merely trying to frame the faith in the ideas of his day; still his works were suppressed following his condemnation, so modern judgment is impossible. 

Despite such condemnation, Origen said, "I want to be a man of the church … to be called … of Christ." His Contra Celsum, in fact, is one of the finest defenses of Christianity produced in the early church. Answering the charge that Christians, by refusing military service, fail the test of good citizenship, he wrote, "We who by our prayers destroy all demons which stir up wars, violate oaths, and disturb the peace are of more help to the emperors than those who seem to be doing the fighting." 

Trajan Decius (201 – 251), was Roman Emperor from 249 to 251.  He had Origen imprisoned and tortured.

The authorities, however, were not convinced: in 250 the emperor Decius had Origen imprisoned and tortured. He was deliberately kept alive in the hope that he would renounce his faith. But Decius died first and Origen went free. His health broken, Origen died shortly after his release.

Source:

Galli, Mark and Ted Olson, eds. 131 Christians Everyone Should Know. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2000, pages 286-287.  

Why are some homeless and drunkards happier than many other people? Augustine asked the same question in Milan 1,600 years ago.

The Singing Beggars by Russian painter Ivan Yermenyov c. 1775

The beggar had reached the goal of peaceful happiness while Augustine's ambition was causing him pain and trouble

A beggar in 1880s Tehran, photographed by Antoin Sevruguin

My misery was complete and I remember how, one day, you (God) made me realize how utterly wretched I was. I was preparing a speech in praise of the Emperor, intending that it should include a great many lies which would certainly be applauded by an audience who knew well enough how far from the truth they were. I was greatly preoccupied by this task and my mind was feverishly busy with its harassing problems. As I walked along one of the streets in Milan I noticed a poor beggar who must, I suppose, have had his fill of food and drink, since he was laughing and joking. Sadly I turned to my companions and spoke to them of all the pain and trouble which is caused by our own folly. My ambitions had placed a load of misery on my shoulders and the further I carried it the heavier it became, but the only purpose of all the efforts we made was to reach the goal of peaceful happiness. This beggar had already reached it ahead of us, and perhaps we should never reach it at all. For by all my laborious contriving and intricate manoeuvres I was hoping to win the joy of worldly happiness, the very thing which this man had already secured at the cost of the few pence which he had begged.

The beggar was cheerful and had no worries while Augustine was unhappy and full of apprehension

Homeless man in Anchorage, Alaska.

Of course, his was not true happiness. But the state of felicity which I aimed to reach was still more false. He, at any rate, was cheerful, while I was unhappy: he had no worries, but I was full of apprehension. And if anyone had asked me whether I would rather be happy or afraid, I should have replied that I preferred to be happy. But if I had then been asked to choose between the life which that beggar led and my own, I should have chosen my own life, full of fears and worries though it was. This would have been an illogical choice and how could I have pretended that it was the right one? For I ought not to have preferred myself to the beggar simply because I was the more learned, since my learning was no source of happiness to me. I only made use of it to try to please others, and I only tried to please them, not to teach them. This was why you broke my bones with the rod of your discipline.

Looking for happiness in honour instead of honour in God is not true honour

Sleeping homeless person in the corner of Cologne Cathedral, Germany, 2010

My soul, then, must beware of those who say that what matters is the reason why a man is happy. They will say that it was drunkenness that made the beggar happy, while my soul looked for happiness in honour. But what sort of honour did it hope to find? Not the kind which is to be found in you. O Lord. It was not true honour, any more than the beggar's joy was true joy, but it turned my head even more. That very night the beggar would sleep off his drunkenness, but mine had been with me night after night as I slept and was still with me in the morning when I woke, and would still be with me night and day after that.

The beggar was happier than Augustine.  The beggar was cheerful while Augustine was anxious.  The beggar earned his wine by wishing people good day while Augustine fed his pride by telling lies

A man holding a sign using self-deprecating humor for begging

Yet I know that it does matter why a man is happy. There is a world of difference between the joy of hope that comes from faith and the shallow happiness that I was looking for. There was a difference too between the beggar and myself. He was certainly the happier man, not only because he was flushed with cheerfulness while I was eaten away with anxiety, but also because he had earned his wine by wishing good day to passers-by while I was trying to feed my pride by telling lies.

William Hogarth's Gin Lane, 1751

On this occasion I told my friends much of what I felt about these things. Often, by observing them, I was made aware of my own state, and I was not pleased with what I saw. This made me sad and my misery was redoubled; and if, by chance, fortune smiled upon me, I was too disheartened to seize it, for it would take to flight just as my hand was ready to close upon it.

Source: Saint Augustine. Confessions. Translated by R.S. Pine-Coffin. London: Penguin Group, 1961, Book VI, pages 118-120.

Why was Elizabeth Fry so concerned about the conditions of prisoners?

Elizabeth Fry, by Charles Robert Leslie. 

" … to form in them, as much as possible, those habits of sobriety, order, and industry, which may render them docile and peaceable while in prison, and respectable when they leave it."

To Visit the Imprisoned by Flemish artist Cornelis de Wael c. 1640

In the early 1800s, English prisons were pits of indecency and brutality. The idea was to punish, not reform prisoners. Most people thought this was the way things should be or believed nothing could be done to change the entrenched system. Elizabeth Fry disagreed on both accounts and pushed for a number of prison reforms we still practice today.

Horrifying conditions

Gustave Doré's image of the exercise yard at Newgate Prison (1872).

The daughter of an English banker, the 20-year-old Elizabeth married Joseph Fry, a wealthy tea dealer. Children came quickly, eventually numbering 11. When she had rededicated her life to Christ at age 18, she wanted to help the downtrodden. So as a young bride and mother, she gave medicine and clothes to the homeless and helped establish the Sisters of Devonshire Square, a nursing school. In 1813, at age 33, her attention turned to the female prisoners in London's Newgate prison. She began to visit the prison almost daily, and what she found there horrified her.

An execution taking place at Newgate prison

At Newgate, women awaiting trial for stealing apples were crammed into the same cell as women who had been convicted of murder or forgery (both capital crimes). Women ate, defecated, and slept in the same confined area. If an inmate had children, they accompanied her to prison and lived in the same inhumane conditions. For those without help from family, friends, or charities, the options were to beg and to steal food, or to starve to death. Many women begged for alcohol as well, languishing naked and drunk. The sight of children clinging to their mothers as they were dragged to the gallows was a scene replayed time and again.

Better life for inmates 

Fry reading to inmates in Newgate prison

Prison officials warned Fry of the risks she was taking in visiting prisons (exposure to violence and disease), but she waved the warnings aside. Besides comforting women, she taught them basic hygiene and to sew and quilt (so they might earn a living when they were released). She read the Bible to inmates and gave Bibles away. She intervened for women on death row, and if her pleas were unsuccessful, she accompanied women to the scaffold and comforted them in their last moments. 

A scene in Newgate Prison, London

To expand her efforts, in 1816 she founded the Association for the Improvement of the Female Prisoners of Newgate "to provide for the clothing, instruction, and employment of the women; to introduce them to a knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, and to form in them, as much as possible, those habits of sobriety, order, and industry, which may render them docile and peaceable while in prison, and respectable when they leave it." Specific reforms she campaigned for included: separation of men and women prisoners, paid work for inmates, women guards for women prisoners, and the housing of criminals based on their crimes.

Beyond Newgate 

Fry's statue in the Old Bailey

To nineteenth-century observers, Fry's efforts produced a miracle: many of the reportedly wild and incorrigible inmates became, under her care, orderly, disciplined, and devout. Mayors and sheriffs from surrounding regions visited Newgate and began initiating reforms in their own prisons. In 1818 Fry gave testimony before the House of Commons on the state of English prisons, which contributed to the Prison Reform Act of 1823. Fry's concern extended to women in half-way houses, where she introduced education, discipline, and Bible instruction. She helped establish a night shelter in London (1820) and formed societies to minister to vagrant families. She also promoted her prison reform ideas in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. Until her death in 1845 at age 65, she visited every convict ship that carried female prisoners to the British colonies. Fry's ideas inspired subsequent generations to combine social work and gospel proclamation and reshaped how prisoners have been treated, ever since.

Source: Galli, Mark and Ted Olson, eds. 131 Christians Everyone Should Know. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2000, pages 286-287.