Bodily Souls? Paradoxical Bodies in Origen’s Theology of Progress

This article analyses and discusses the Origenian terminology concerning the creation, existence and resurrection of the body. Starting from a close analysis of the textual evidence, it proposes the working definitions of those terms – such as εἶδος, σῶμα πνευματικὸν, χιτῶνες δερμάτινοι, ὑλικὸν ὑποκείμενον – which constitute the intricate vocabulary of Origen’s doctrine of the body. In particular, it stresses the difference between the εἶδος (corporeal form) and the ὑλικὸν ὑποκείμενον (material substratum). On the one hand, the εἶδος is the corporeal form of the body, which is strictly intertwined with the λογικός and represents the individuality of each intelligence. On the other hand, the ὑλικὸν ὑποκείμενον represents the materiality of the body, which changes according to different qualities and is destined to be eschatologically destroyed. In summary, this article suggests that Origen distinguishes corporeality from materiality, thus envisioning both the destruction of the flesh and the resurrection of the body.