ABSTRACT
Daniel Boyarin has recently characterized Origen's allegorical exegesis as a sort of disembodied history. Boyarin contrasts Origen's spiritual approach to the Scriptures with that of rabbinic midrash that, according to Boyarin, preserves the integrity of both history and bodies. In doing so, Boyarin has resurrected something of R. P. C. Hanson's classic critique of Origen's exegesis as disinterested in the actual events of history. Attempting to offer a corrective to Boyarin's characterization of the ramifications of Origen's interpretive practices, this article (1) demonstrates the way in which the last generation of scholarship has largely rejected Hanson's evaluation of Origen, making Boyarin's similar charge somewhat strange; (2) presents a reading of Origen's Genesis Homily 1 that shows how Origen's allegorical exegesis dramatically underscores the importance of history and bodies for his hearers; and (3) argues that Origen is concerned with history and bodies, just not in the way that scholars such as Hanson and Boyarin would like him to be.
