“Eat the food of the word of God” The spiritual meaning of eating on the example of Origen’s homilies on Leviticus

Abstract

Food, bread and flesh in particular, play a central theme in Origen’s homilies on Leviticus. Following on from his notion that the holy scripture contains the word of God and thus must be understood spiritually, he also views eating as a spiritual act. Drawing on the Gospel of John and the epistles of Paul, he likens eating to hearing and understanding the word of God. He uses images of eating and food to encourage people to profoundly engage with the word of God, to closely listen to sermons and teachings, in order to achieve a deeper understanding and progress in their spiritual journey.