215 AD – The Fire That Didn’t Burn – Origen, the Alexandria Riots, and the Cost of a Scholar’s Witness in a Violent City

215 AD - The Fire That Didn’t Burn: Origen and the Alexandria Riots

Published on: 2025-07-22 02:00

In 215 AD, the streets of Alexandria erupted into chaos under Emperor Caracalla's reprisals. Amid mockery of his rule, imperial troops massacred citizens and looted the city, forcing intellectuals like young Origen of Alexandria to flee. Though his father had been martyred earlier for his faith, Origen didn’t abandon his calling. Relocating to Caesarea, he taught boldly, training Christian leaders with innovative theology and rigorous discipline. This episode delves into the intellectual storm shaping Origen’s thought: a city in turmoil, yet ripe for deep inquiry. We explore his allegorical Scripture interpretations, his clashes with church authorities, and the philosophical depths he probed that resonated for ages. We also address his controversies—speculations on soul preexistence, tensions with bishops, and the line between insight and heresy. Origen emerges as a pivotal, polarizing figure in early Christianity. The unrest that displaced him didn’t destroy him; it honed his legacy. Today, it challenges us: when upheaval strikes, does our faith falter—or flourish?

YouTube: https://youtu.be/7fNsoSenkOw

SCRIPT:

The streets weren’t safe.   In 215 AD, Alexandria—once a haven of learning—boiled with violence. Mobs stormed the city amid protests against Emperor Caracalla, leading to violence and the expulsion of intellectuals. They smashed homes, burned meeting places, and dragged people into the open. It wasn’t just unrest—it was a purge.   But while others fled, one man refused to be silenced.   His name was Origen.   He had every reason to disappear. Years earlier, his father had been executed for being a Christian. He was still a young man—brilliant, intense, unmarried. And now, imperial unrest had returned. His students scattered. His reputation made him a target. Yet he continued.   Not to fight.   To teach.   Fleeing the chaos, Origen opened the Scriptures. He trained disciples in new surroundings. He asked the kind of questions most Christians didn’t dare to ask. He believed that truth—bold, risky, raw truth—was worth more than safety.   But truth wasn’t the only thing he wrestled with.   Where does reason end and revelation begin? How far can speculation go before it becomes heresy?   And in a world on fire, could theology survive the smoke?  

From the That’s Jesus Channel, welcome to COACH—where we trace Church Origins and Church History. I’m Bob Baulch.   On Mondays, we stay between 0 and 500 AD.   And today… we travel to one of the most volatile cities in the Roman Empire—Alexandria. A city of scholars and soldiers. Of scrolls and swords. Of philosophy, politics… and violent religion.   In 215 AD, Alexandria erupted. Mobs ravaged the city in a wave of hostility amid imperial unrest that left bodies in the streets and homes in ashes. The Roman authorities did little to intervene. For many, this was a moment to disappear. To hide. To survive.   But one Christian teacher did the opposite.   Origen was no stranger to persecution. He had already seen his father martyred. He knew the cost of staying visible. But he believed Christian thought should not retreat when threatened—it should deepen. So in the middle of the chaos, he taught. He debated. He wrote.   This is the story of Origen’s courage in the shadows… and the intellectual movement he helped ignite. It’s about theology under pressure, doctrine under fire, and a man who dared to think—out loud—when thinking could get you killed.   Let’s go back to the year 215.  

Origen’s world had already cracked once.   He was just a teenager when his father, Leonides, was arrested for being a Christian. Rome had tightened its grip on the region, and the emperor Septimius Severus had outlawed conversions. Leonides was taken, imprisoned, and ultimately executed. Young Origen wanted to follow him into martyrdom. His mother stopped him—not by persuasion, but by hiding his clothes so he couldn’t leave the house. It worked. But it didn’t change his mind.   The faith that could make a father choose death over denial? Origen wanted to understand it. Not just emotionally—but intellectually, spiritually, cosmically. And in a city like Alexandria, he had the tools.   The famed Alexandrian school was a unique blend of Hebrew thought, Hellenistic philosophy, and Christian devotion. It wasn’t a formal institution—it was more like a network of seekers, scholars, and scribes. Origen stood out. He mastered Hebrew, studied Greek philosophy, and threw himself into the Scriptures. He was particularly fascinated by texts that puzzled others—passages that didn’t make sense unless you believed there was something beneath the surface.   He began to teach that the Bible wasn’t just literal—it was layered. It spoke in symbols. It pointed to spiritual realities beneath physical stories.   But Orig