Around the turn of the 3rd Century, a young man emerged in the Christian scene who would become one of the most notable voices in Church History. Origenes Adamantius (185-254), or “Origen” as he is usually called, was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to Christian parents in 185 AD. You will remember, this is during a time of great persecution for the Church under the Roman authorities. Marcus Aurelius was Caesar, and he sought to stamp out Christianity with a strong arm. The early Christians would have to endure great hardship in order to remain faithful. Eusebius notes, “the kindled flame of persecution blazed forth mightily, and many thousands were crowned with martyrdom” (Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, pg. 191).
For some, martyrdom was too high a price to pay. Many succumbed to the pressures of persecution and the threat of death, but many others did not. Christians from all over the Roman providence accepted their fate, suffering for the sake of Christ, and were delivered to glory by the flames of Caesar. Some even began to welcome, and even desired, martyrdom as an opportunity to display their loyalty to Christ. Such was the case of the young Origen.
Eusebius goes on to say of Origen: “the love of martyrdom so powerfully seized the soul of Origen, though yet an almost infant boy, that he advanced so close to encounter danger and was eager to leap forward and rush upon the conflict” (Ibid.). His father, Leonides, was beheaded when Origen was very young. Origen was so bent on following his father to martyrdom that his mother, in order to prevent her son from volunteering himself to the sword, took his clothes and hid them so that he would not go out of the house. She played on the young Origen’s modesty and prevented the lad from joining his father in death. Leonides was less enthusiastic about his impending fate. He worried about leaving his family behind without a husband and a father in such a hostile environment— a feeling all of us fathers and husbands can sympathize with. Origen, seeing that his attempts to receive martyrdom had been quenched by his mother’s persistence, constrained himself to writing a letter to his imprisoned father. In the letter, he encourages Leonides to remain faithful at all costs. He says, “Take heed, Father, not to change thy mind on account of us.”
From this remarkable story, I do not wish to reflect so much on the persecutions, the martyrdoms, or even the reckless (yet admirable) zeal of Origen. Here, I’d like to show appreciation for the obvious success in Leonides’ fatherhood and familial-discipleship. Not only did this man lay his life down for the cause of Christ, but he also gives us a great example of a father who leads his children in a sincere faith. He worshiped God in front of his family, and instructed them to do so as well. What was the result? When he was in his final hours, contemplating the consequence of serving Christ, when worry began to grip his heart for his family’s sake, his son stood in as a fellow brother in the faith and encouraged him to remain steadfast. Origen’s admonishment would have been totally different had he not been raised to “endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3). Leonides planted the seeds of faithfulness into his son, Origen, and then reaped the harvest of encouragement and faithfulness in his moment of need. Let us be careful to raise our children to know and love Yahweh; they are the future of the Kingdom!
Comments