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Every Knee Should Bow: Biblical Rationales for Universal Salvation in Early Christian Thought
In Every Knee Should Bow , Steven Harmon explores the manner in which Clement of Alexandria (ca. 160-215 C.E.), Origen (ca. 185-ca. 251 C.E.), and Gregory of Nyssa (331/340-ca. 395 C.E.) appealed to Scripture in developing rationales for their concepts of apokatastasis , the hope that all rational creatures will ultimately be reconciled to God. Harmon argues that these patristic universalists maintained their hope for "a wideness in God's mercy" primarily because they believed this hope was the most coherent reading of the biblical story. Although Hellenistic thought might also have suggested an eschatology in which the end corresponds to the beginning, the eschatologies of these ancient Christian theologians were shaped mainly by the Hebrew story of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation, read through the lenses of the church's experience of God's saving work in the person of Jesus Christ. These early attempts to take seriously the biblical story's affirmations of the divine intention to save all people on the one hand, and of judgment and hell on the other, have a certain timeless relevance. In a context not unlike that of the late antique Christian world, the postmodern church again wrestles with these tensions in the biblical story in the midst of religious pluralism.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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June 20, 2017
I remember coming across this book buried in a library at University of Toronto and skimming it, but not able to finish it. However, I found this little gem used online for a few bucks and finally finished reading it. I am glad I did.
Steven Harmon's book, which appears to be his doctoral dissertation beefed-up, is an exploration of the universalist thought in Clement, Origen, and Gregory of Nyssa. Each thinker is introduced, their thought on the subject surveyed, and then a list and analysis is given of all classic universalist texts and counter-universalists texts that each thinker treats in their various works. The book is an impressive level of patristic research, but is not all that lively to read. It reads very much like a dry technical dissertation. Frankly, with its outline of listing the theological concepts then listing the scripture passages, Every Knee Should Bow reads like George MacDonald had an awkward forbidden love child with Strong's Concordance.
Nevertheless, the study shows quite successfully the rigor of these men in thinking through their theological convictions. Clement was perhaps the most rigidly philosophical, treating the individual texts less, with Origen as the most biblically engaged yet misunderstood (he often denied he taught universalism and taught a kind of rhetorical view of eternal punishment), with Gregory of Nyssa as perhaps the most mature, combining theological/conceptual depth with exegetical breadth. What is interesting about these thinker is that while they belonged to an allegorical school of exegesis, when treating the topic of salvation and eternal punishment, their exegesis was rigidly literal. The overall impression is that while these thinkers have been dismissed as rogue Christian Platonists, the fact is that they were methodically biblical thinkers, especially Origen and Nyssa.
Steven Harmon's book, which appears to be his doctoral dissertation beefed-up, is an exploration of the universalist thought in Clement, Origen, and Gregory of Nyssa. Each thinker is introduced, their thought on the subject surveyed, and then a list and analysis is given of all classic universalist texts and counter-universalists texts that each thinker treats in their various works. The book is an impressive level of patristic research, but is not all that lively to read. It reads very much like a dry technical dissertation. Frankly, with its outline of listing the theological concepts then listing the scripture passages, Every Knee Should Bow reads like George MacDonald had an awkward forbidden love child with Strong's Concordance.
Nevertheless, the study shows quite successfully the rigor of these men in thinking through their theological convictions. Clement was perhaps the most rigidly philosophical, treating the individual texts less, with Origen as the most biblically engaged yet misunderstood (he often denied he taught universalism and taught a kind of rhetorical view of eternal punishment), with Gregory of Nyssa as perhaps the most mature, combining theological/conceptual depth with exegetical breadth. What is interesting about these thinker is that while they belonged to an allegorical school of exegesis, when treating the topic of salvation and eternal punishment, their exegesis was rigidly literal. The overall impression is that while these thinkers have been dismissed as rogue Christian Platonists, the fact is that they were methodically biblical thinkers, especially Origen and Nyssa.
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