To: Usenet
From: paul@actrix.co.at (Paul Gillingwater)
Subj: Christianity and Reincarnation; Origen (0000.origen-.pg)
Date: unknown
Quoting: |caldwell@facman.ohsu.edu (Larry Caldwell) 
         |>unknown (Paul Gillingwater?)

|>then pope refused to attend) declared heretical Origen's doctrine of 
|>the pre-existence of the soul.  A belief in reincarnation henceforth 
| 
| I researched this some time ago, and read a translation of the original
| anathema.  It didn't mention reincarnation as such, but condemned any

Hmmm.... my sources tend to indicate that the squabble was over Origen.


| other than human.  I think perhaps Origen was heavily influenced by
| Pythagorean geometrists.  The bishops seemed not so upset about
| reincarnation as irritated that he would suggest that god was spherical.
 
My understanding, from Origen, De Principilis, IV, i, 35 and Contra
Celsum, V, is that he was influenced by The Book of Enoch (which is
in turn heavily quoted in the Pistis Sophia and Zohar.)  Of course
the Book of Enoch was declared apocryphal.  Now, before we claim 
to understand that declaration, let's look at what Apocryphon
actually means -- it's from the very crypto, meaning to hide -- thus
anything in apocrypha is a "secret book".  For more on this, check
Volume II of Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine.  She might have been
a trickster, but she quoted all references!


| I think there is a small and obscure sect in Syria that supposedly was
| founded by Peter.  I have heard that it teaches reincarnation.

Interesting.  Do you have a name?
--
paul@actrix.co.at (Paul Gillingwater)
Home Office in Vienna, Austria
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