Editing Apokatastasis (section)

==Concepts==

===Stoicism<!--linked from 'Chrysippus'-->===
According to Edward Moore, ''apokatastasis'' was first properly conceptualized in early [[Stoicism|Stoic thought]], particularly by [[Chrysippus]]. The return (''apokatastasis'') of the planets and stars to their proper ''celestial signs'', namely their original positions, would spark a conflagration of the universe (''[[ekpyrosis]]''). The original position was believed to consist of an alignment of celestial bodies with [[Cancer (astrology)|Cancer]].  Thereafter, from fire, rebirth would commence, and this cycle of alternate destruction and recreation was correlated with a divine [[Logos]]. ''Antapokatastasis'' is a counter-recurrence when the stars and planets align with [[Capricorn (astrology)|Capricorn]], which would mark destruction by a universal flood.<ref>{{Citation | first = Edward | last = Moore | title = Origen of Alexandria and St. Maximus the Confessor | publisher = Universal-Publishers | year = 2005 | pages = 25–27}}.</ref>

The Stoics identified Zeus with an alternately expanding and contracting fire constituting the universe. Its expansion was described as Zeus turning his thoughts outwards, resulting in the creation of the material [[cosmos]], and its contraction, the ''apokatastasis'', as Zeus returning to self-contemplation.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.iep.utm.edu/o/origen.htm | contribution = Origen of Alexandria (185–254) | title = The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy | access-date = September 20, 2006}}.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first1=Edward |last1=Moore |date=January 2003 |title=Origen of Alexandria and apokatastasis: Some Notes on the Development of a Noble Notion |journal=Quodlibet Journal |volume=5 |issue=1 |issn=1526-6575 |url=http://www.quodlibet.net/articles/moore-origen.shtml |access-date=2010-04-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214114623/http://www.quodlibet.net/articles/moore-origen.shtml |archive-date=2010-02-14 }}</ref> [[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz|Leibniz]] explored both Stoic and his understanding of Origen's philosophy in two essays written shortly before his death, ''Apokatastasis'' and ''Apokatastasis panton'' (1715).<ref>{{Citation | first = Allison | last = Coudert | title = Leibniz and the Kabbalah | page = 110 | year = 1995 | quote = Having initially accepted the idea of apocatastasis in the pre-Origen and primarily Stoic sense that this world and everything in it was bound to return again and again in endless cycles of repetition, Leibniz came to embrace Origen's wholly…}}</ref>

===Judaism===
The concept of "restore" or "return" in the [[Hebrew Bible]] is the common Hebrew verb {{lang|he|[[wikt:שוב|שוב]]}},<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H7725&t=KJV | contribution = shuwb | type = lexicon and Bible usage | title = Blue letter Bible}}.</ref> as used in {{Bibleverse|Malachi|4:6}},<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.septuagint.bible/-/malachias-kephalaio-4 | title=Μαλαχίας - Κεφάλαιο 4 - Malachi - the Septuagint: LXX }}</ref> the only use of the verb form of apokatastasis in the Septuagint. This is used in the "restoring" of the fortunes of Job, and is also used in the sense of rescue or return of captives, and in the restoration of Jerusalem.

This is similar to the concept of [[tikkun olam]] in [[Hasidic Judaism]].<ref>{{Citation | first = Michael | last = Löwy | title = Redemption and utopia: Jewish libertarian thought in Central Europe: a study in elective affinity | publisher = Stanford University Press | year = 1992 | page = 64}}.</ref>

===New Testament===
The word, ''apokatastasis'', appears only once in the New Testament, in Acts 3:21.<ref>Greek: ὃν δεῖ οὐρανὸν μὲν δέξασθαι ἄχρι χρόνων '''ἀποκαταστάσεως''' πάντων ὧν ἐλάλησεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ στόματος τῶν ἁγίων ἀπ᾿ αἰῶνος αὐτοῦ προφητῶν. <br />Vulgate: ''quem oportet caelum quidem suscipere usque in tempora '''restitutionis''' omnium quae locutus est Deus per os sanctorum suorum a saeculo prophetarum''.</ref>  Peter healed a beggar with a disability and then addressed the astonished onlookers. His sermon set Jesus in the Jewish context, the fulfiller of the [[Covenant (biblical)|Abrahamic Covenant]], and says:
{{quote|1={{small|[19]}} Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; {{small
|[20]}} And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: {{small
|[21]}} Whom the heaven must receive until the times of '''restitution''' of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.|2={{bibleverse||Acts|3:19–21|KJV}} KJV}}

Grammatically, the [[relative pronoun]] "ὧν" ("of which", [[Ancient Greek grammar|genitive plural]]), could refer either to "χρόνων" ("of times") or to "πάντων" ("of all" or "of all things"), which means that it is either the times of which God spoke or the all things of which God spoke.<ref>{{Citation | first = Darrell L | last = Bock | title = Acts | year = 2007 | quote = The relative pronoun ὧν (''hon'', of which) could refer back to "the seasons" of which God spoke (Bauernfeind 1980: 69) or to "all things" of which God spoke (so Conzelmann 1987: 29; Barrett 1994: 206, nearest referent).}}</ref>

The usual view taken of Peter's use of the "''apokatastasis'' of all the things about which God spoke" is that it refers to the restoration of the [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|Kingdom of Israel]] and/or the [[Garden of Eden]] and not "all things that ever existed".<ref>{{Citation | last = Fitzmyer | title = The Acts of the Apostles | series = The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries | pages = 283–293}}.</ref>

The verbal form of ''apokatastasis'' is found in the [[Septuagint]]: [[Malachi]] 3:23 (i.e. {{bibleverse ||Malachi|4:6|ESV}}); a prophecy of [[Elijah]] ''turning back'' the hearts of the children to their fathers; in {{bibleverse ||Matthew|17:11|ESV}} ("he will ''restore'' all things"), echoing Malachi, and in {{bibleverse ||Hebrews|13:19|9}} ("that I may be ''restored'' to you the sooner").

Nineteenth-century German theologian [[Jakob Christoph Rudolf Eckermann|Jakob Eckermann]] interpreted "the 'apokatastasis of all things' to mean the universal emendation of religion by the doctrine of Christ, and the 'times of refreshing' to be the day of renewal, the times of the Messiah."<ref>{{Citation |title=Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, Volume 8 | first1 = John | last1 = McClintock | first2 = James | last2 = Strong |publisher=Harper |year=1879 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vTotAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1051 |page=1051 }}</ref>

===Patristic Christianity===
The significance of ''apokatastasis'' in early Christianity is currently something of a disputed question. In particular, some question whether [[Origen]], often listed as the most notable advocate of [[universal salvation]], did in fact teach or believe in such a doctrine.<ref>{{Citation | last = Crouzel | first = Henri | title = Origen | year = 1990 | page = 285}}.</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Root |first=JR | contribution = Universalism |title=EDT | editor-first = WA | editor-last = Elwell | edition=2nd |location=Grand Rapids | publisher= Baker |year=2001}}.</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Scott |first=Mark |title=Journey Back to God: Origen on the Problem of Evil |place=Oxford |publisher= Oxford University Press |year= 2012|isbn=978-0-19-984114-1 }}.</ref>

{{Origenism}}

Frederick W. Norris argues that the positions that Origen took on the issue of universal salvation have often seemed contradictory.<ref>{{Citation | contribution = Apokatastasis | title = The Westminster Handbook to Origen | year = 2004}}</ref> He then writes that Origen never decided to stress exclusive salvation or universal salvation, to the strict exclusion of either case, therefore concludes that Origen probably kept his view of salvation economically 'open' for a greater effectiveness.<ref>{{Citation | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=riEdrWEDFq0C&pg=PA59 | editor-first = John Anthony | editor-last = McGuckin | title = The Westminster Handbook to Origen | place = Westminster | publisher = John Knox Press | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-664-22472-1 | type = article | contribution = Apokatastasis | pages = 59–62}}.</ref><ref>{{Citation | first = Elisabeth Dively | last = Lauro | type = article | contribution = [[Universalism]] | editor-first = John Anthony | editor-last = McGuckin | title = The Westminster Handbook to Origen | place = Westminster | publisher = John Knox Press | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-664-22472-1}}.</ref><ref>{{Citation | first = Bruce | last = Demarest | contribution = On apokatastasis | title = [[The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology]] | page = 67 | publisher = TP}}.</ref> On the other hand, [[Brian E. Daley]] in his handbook of patristic eschatology argued that Origen strongly believed in the final salvation of all humans and sometimes referred to it as ''apokatastasis''.<ref>Brian E. Daley, ''The Hope of the Early Church: A Handbook of Patristic Eschatology'' (Cambridge University Press, 1991), p. 58.</ref> More recently, leading Patristic scholar Ilaria Ramelli has concluded that not only did Origen embrace the doctrine of apokatastasis, but that it was central to all his theological and philosophical thought. She remarks, "In Origen's thought, the doctrine of apokatastasis is interwoven with his anthropology, eschatology, theology, philosophy of history, theodicy, and exegesis; for anyone who takes Origen's thought seriously and with a deep grasp of it, it is impossible to separate the apokatastasis theory from all the rest, so as to reject it but accept the rest."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ramelli |first1=Ilaria |title=Origen, Eusebius, the Doctrine of Apokatastasis, and Its Relation to Christology |url=https://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/5881.15-origen-eusebius-the-doctrine-of-apokatastasis-and-its-relation-to-christology-ilaria-ramelli |website=Center for Hellenic Studies Harvard University |access-date=2020-12-25 |archive-date=2018-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809152801/https://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/5881.15-origen-eusebius-the-doctrine-of-apokatastasis-and-its-relation-to-christology-ilaria-ramelli }}</ref>

The [[Alexandrian school]], the first Christian educational center,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lawson |title=Pillars of Grace |page=25}}</ref> seems to have generally affirmed apokatastasis and adapted some Platonic terminology and ideas to Christianity while explaining and differentiating the new faith from all the others.<ref name="origen">{{Citation | publisher = New advent | url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11306b.htm | title = Catholic Encyclopedia | contribution = Origen of Alexandria | access-date = September 22, 2006}}.</ref><ref>{{Citation | publisher = New advent | url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04045a.htm | title = Catholic Encyclopedia | contribution = Clement of Alexandria | access-date = September 22, 2006}}.</ref> [[Gregory of Nyssa]] is also understood to have espoused a universally salvific ''apokatastasis'',<ref>{{cite book | first = Morwenna | last = Ludlow |chapter=Patristic Eschatology |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=U32mir3alW8C&pg=PA30 | title = Universal salvation: eschatology in the thought of Gregory of Nyssa and Karl Rahner | publisher = Oxford University Press | location= Oxford |year= 2000 |pages= 30–37 | isbn= 978-0-19-827022-5}}</ref><ref>[[Hans Boersma]]: Embodiment and Virtue (Oxford 2013)</ref><ref>J.A. McGuckin: "Eschatological Horizons in the Cappadocian Fathers" in Apocalyptic Thought in Early Christianity (Grand Rapids 2009)</ref><ref>Constantine Tsirpanlis: "The Concept of Universal Salvation in Gregory of Nyssa" in Greek Patristic Theology I (New York 1979)</ref> though Maspero argues that Gregory spoke solely of [[resurrection of the flesh|universal resurrection]] and not of universal salvation.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.annalestheologici.it/article/view/3210|journal=[[Annales Theologici]]|language=it|title=Lo schema dell'exitus-reditus e l'apocatastasi in Gregorio di Nissa|author=Giulio Maspero |author-link=:it:Giulio Maspero |volume=18|issue=1|year=2004}}</ref> Universal salvation in the form of apokatastasis is also seen in the [[Ambrosiaster]], attributed to [[Ambrose of Milan]]. [[Gregory of Nazianzus]] discussed it without reaching a decision.

Eventually, Origen started to be condemned throughout the early church in local councils, though not apokatastasis specifically.<ref>{{cite book |title=Universalism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s8CgWlhQgcIC&pg=PA78|date=2007|page=78 |isbn = 978-0-935461-31-2|quote=Methodius, who wrote A.D. 300; Pamphilus and Eusebius, A.D. 310; Eustathius, A.D. 380; Epiphanius, A.D. 376 and 394; Theophilus, A.D. 400–404, and Jerome, A.D. 400; all give lists of Origen's errors, but none name his Universalism among them (Ibid., p. 78).|last1 = Hanson|first1 = J. W.| publisher=Lulu.com }}</ref> This changed definitively in the sixth century. A local [[Synod of Constantinople (543)]] condemned a form of apokatastasis as being [[Anathema]], and the Anathema was formally submitted to the [[Second Council of Constantinople|Fifth Ecumenical Council of Constantinople]] (553). The term ''apokatastasis'' is mentioned in the 14th of the 15 anathemas against Origen of 553: "If anyone shall say ... that in this pretended apokatastasis, spirits only will continue to exist, as it was in the feigned pre-existence: let him be anathema."<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Schaff|editor1-first=Philip|editor2-last=Wace|editor2-first=Henry|editor3-last=Percival|editor3-first=Henry R.|editor1-link=Philip Schaff|editor2-link=Henry Wace (priest)|title=Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. XIV: The Seven Ecumenical Councils|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdman's Publishing Company|location=Grand Rapids|page=319|url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.xii.ix.html|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref>

Konstantinovsky (2009)<ref>{{Citation | last = Konstantinovsky | title = Evagrius Ponticus: the making of a gnostic | year = 2009 | page = 171}}.</ref> states that the uses of ''apokatastasis'' in Christian writings prior to the [[Synod of Constantinople (543)]] and the [[anathema]]s (553) pronounced against "[[Origenist]]s" and [[Evagrius Ponticus]] were neutral and referred primarily to concepts similar to the general "restoration of all things spoken" (''restitutio omnium quae locutus est Deus'') of Peter in Acts 3:21 and not for example the [[universal reconciliation]] of all souls which had ever been.

===Gnosticism===
The [[gnostic]] [[Gospel of Philip]] ''180–350c'' contains the term itself but does not teach universal reconciliation:
{{quote |There is a rebirth and an image of rebirth. It is certainly necessary to be born again through the image. Which one? Resurrection. The image must rise again through the image. The bridal chamber and the image must enter through the image into the truth: this is the restoration (apokatastasis).  Not only must those who produce the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, do so, but have produced them for you. If one does not acquire them, the name ("Christian") will also be taken from him.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gop.html | title = Gospel of Philip | publisher = Gnosis}}.</ref>}}