Origen and Scriptures

Origen was a teacher in Alexandria, Egypt but was forced to move to Palestine because of Roman persecution.

After moving to Palestine he adopted a new list of what he thought were the scriptures. His writing from Alexandria seemed to doubt several books and he may have accepted some that he shouldn't have. After moving to Palestine he adopted a list of New Testament scripture now accepted by all.

Catholics have tried to say the Canon was first recognized by Athanasius and fixed in the Council of Carthage, but Origen's list from around 240 AD is complete. His quote is cited in many works and is now becoming common knowledge. It is also important to note he developed his views in Palestine, so that this list was likely supported in that area. He likely followed Jerusalem area churches.

So too our Lord, whose advent was typified by the son of Nun, when he came sent his apostles as priests bearing well-wrought trumpets. Matthew first sounded the priestly trumpet in his Gospel. Mark also, Luke and John, each gave forth a strain on their priestly trumpets. Peter moreover sounds loudly on the twofold trumpet of his epistles; and so also James and Jude. Still the number is incomplete, and John gives forth the trumpet-sound in his epistles and Apocalypse; 4 and Luke while describing the acts of the apostles. Lastly however came he who said, I think that God hath set forth us Apostles last of all, [1 Cor. 4:9] and thundering on the fourteen trumpets of his epistles threw down even to the ground the walls of Jericho, that is to say all the instruments of idolatry and the doctrines of philosophers.

Origen then went back to Alexandria but was not accepted because of his new found views, yet his arguments for his current canon seemed to win out over time. Athanasius himself was likely schooled under this debate and came to hold the same list of books as Origen.

We can say the Law of the Lord came from Jerusalem, as it was Palestine that seems to have influenced the list of Books.

We can also see that it wasn't Rome that held the common views of the list, as the Muratorian Canon shows she was not the superior witness, though not far off, Rome was closer to Alexandria in Origen's first teaching stint without following the exact list, holding many doubts and coming to rely on the Wisdom of others.

We could argue that the Canon list was complete in Tertullian even before Origen. He quoted all but two, and did not seem to accept those extra books seen in Alexandria. We now also know that the Donatists embraced the current list.

The Canon was not fixed by the current Catholic body, but more likely by the followers of Tertullian, the Donatists, and Christians in Palestine. The Catholic sees of Rome and Alexandria were not the original source of the correct list.