Scripture Meditation: Origen and the Spiritual Sense of Scripture

Origen of Alexandria (d. 254) taught that Scripture has multiple layers of meaning: the literal or historical sense, the moral sense (what it teaches about how to live), and the spiritual or allegorical sense (what it reveals about Christ and the soul's journey to God). He wrote: "The Scriptures were composed through the Spirit of God, and have both a meaning which is obvious and another which is hidden from most readers."

Origen did not dismiss the literal sense but insisted that stopping there was like eating the shell and discarding the nut. "Just as man consists of body, soul, and spirit, so too does Scripture, which has been granted by God for the salvation of humanity." Meditation on Scripture thus involves moving through these layers, always seeking the deepest spiritual nourishment.

Practical application: Read a familiar passage and ask three questions at three levels. Historical: What happened? Moral: What does this teach me about living? Spiritual: What does this reveal about Christ and His relationship with my soul? This threefold reading, practiced by Origen and his students, transforms familiar stories into inexhaustible sources of insight.