The soul and spirit of scripture within Origen's exegesis

the long version

"The theologian Origen (AD 185-254) is considered to be one of the "great geniuses" of the early church and foundational to the development of Christian faith and practice." "Using a wholly novel approach to Origen's work, Dively Lauro investigates the methodology of Origen's biblical interpretation and how interpretive "senses" of scriptural meaning affect spiritual transformation in his audience. She identifies three distinct senses of scriptural meaning within Origen's exegetical theory and practice: somatic (bodily, factually historical), psychic (pertaining to the soul, a figurative call to shun vice and grow in virtue), and pneumatic (spiritual, revealing God's plan of salvation through Christ's Incarnation). Dively Lauro first establishes that a correct understanding of the mechanics of Origen's exegesis is vital to an informed reading of his works, then cites numerous textual examples of Origen's theoretical foundations for each sense. She ultimately demonstrates how the relationship between the two "higher senses" (psychic and pneumatic) is central to Origen's exegetical efforts and facilitates his audience's spiritual transformation."--BOOK JACKET.