The Influence of Origen on Augustine: The Question of the Infinity of God
Abstract
There is a belief among scholars of Augustine’s philosophy that he derived the notion of the positively understood infinity of God from Plotinus. Another opinio communis holds that Origenes inherited a negative understanding of infinity from the ancient philosophers and therefore considered God’s power to be finite. This paper aims to demonstrate that both opinions are erroneous. Although Augustine was familiar with Plotinus’ thought, his reflections on the infinity of God have more in common with the theses put forward by Origen than with Neoplatonism. In both authors, the issue arises when commenting on the same biblical passages, and both authors wrestle with the same aporia caused by accepting the doctrine of God’s infinite power and knowledge. If, according to Aristotle’s logic, infinity cannot be encompassed by anything, can the divine intellect encompass infinite ideas? Both authors’ answer to this question is positive. The article posits that Augustine may have taken over the doctrine of the infinity of God directly from Origen, since he had access to many of his works translated into Latin or through Novatian and Hilary of Poitiers, both influenced by Origen’s thought.
Keywords:
Augustine, Origen, Plotinus, Novatian, Hilary of Poitiers, infinity, apophatic theology, Neoplatonism, philosophy of God, patristic philosophyReferences
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