Lexis paidike. L'infanzia in Origene

The dissertation considers the theme of childhood in the oeuvre of Origen of Alexandria through the analysis of the extant Greek works as well as of the Latin translations of Rufinus and Jerome. The research aims at providing a full description of Origen's conception of childhood in the larger context of his anthropology, philosophy and theology. Along with the most common philosophical doctrines of his time, the Alexandrian considers children to be irrational human beings. Following the Stoic identification of passions with bad judgements, the author explains children's freedom from affections as a result of their not yet fully developed rational faculty: this interpretation allows him to justify children's exemplarity in the Gospels. The theory is linked with other important elements of Origen's thought: the association of rationality and individual responsibility, the reflexion on children's suffering and the need to clear its causes, thus preserving divine justice; the hypothesis of the pre-existence of souls. On a theological level, the present research focuses on the notions of paternity and filiation and on Origen's conception of pedagogy. Paternity and education converge: shaping human pedagogy on the model of divine education, Origen conceives it as a net of dynamic relations close to the relationship between father and son. Beside these major themes, the research considers other aspects: great emphasis is given to the prose of Origen and to its features, which have almost been neglected by scholars. The textual analysis of many passages linked with the theme of childhood has allowed a deeper knowledge of the Alexandrian's linguistic creativity, expressed in the coinage of new words, in the choice of unusual expressions as well as in his use of a variety of registers. Moreover, the study attempts to show the vitality of some exegetical schemas of Origen in the Christian tradition.