Origen and the Tribe of Mary

The traditional division of the population of Israel into twelve tribes, formed by the descendants of each of Jacob’s twelve sons, appears to be still in usage in the early centuries of Christianity. Even if it was perhaps no longer active in a factual sense, the belonging to a specific tribe remained present and alive as a traditional distinction and sign of identity. This is not only in ref- erence to the cultural landscape of the Hebrew Scriptures but also within Christian tradition. Various passages of Origen concern this issue, especially CRom I,7