The many names of Christ in wisdom: Reading Scripture with Origen for a diverse world

Abstract

This article discusses Origen's belief that the the plurality of names and titles of Christ demonstrates that one should recognise that the full diversity of the world must be taken seriously within God's plan of salvation: the universality of the One who will be "all in all" is not such that it destroys particularity; rather it is a universality which is brought about through a recognition of God's willingness to be involved in the various particularities of creation through the person and work of his Son. The article seeks to outline Origen's teaching on the many titles (or epinoiai) of Christ in Scripture, and then apply this teaching to contemporary theological concerns.