The Suppression of Reincarnation in Early Christianity: Emperor Justinian and the Anathemas Against Origen

This article exposes the deliberate suppression of reincarnation by early Christian authorities, tracing the theological and political motives behind Emperor Justinian's 6th-century anathemas. It revisits Origen's teachings on soul preexistence, explores Gnostic and Platonic parallels, and highlights biblical hints of reincarnation—revealing how spiritual evolution was obscured to preserve ecclesiastical control. In restoring this truth, the Divine Feminine reclaims the soul's eternal journey toward union with the Source.

Abstract

I. Introduction

The concept of reincarnation, or the transmigration of the soul, is an ancient and widespread belief, appearing in various forms across numerous cultures and religious traditions, from Hinduism and Buddhism in the East to the philosophical schools of ancient Greece. It is a doctrine that posits the soul's journey through multiple lifetimes as a means of purification, learning, and eventual return to its divine source. Given its prevalence, it is not surprising that such ideas also found fertile ground among early Christian thinkers who sought to synthesize their newfound faith with the philosophical currents of their time. However, within a few centuries, this once-accepted doctrine was systematically excised from Christian orthodoxy, declared a heresy, and largely erased from the collective memory of the Western Church.

This paper contends that the suppression of reincarnation was not a simple matter of theological clarification but a complex event rooted in the political machinations of the 6th-century Byzantine Empire. The central thesis is that the doctrine of reincarnation was deliberately suppressed primarily for political reasons, as it posed a direct threat to the centralized authority of both the Emperor and the institutional Church. The belief that each soul pre-existed with God and was on a personal journey of return diminished the unique status of Christ and, more importantly, undermined the Church's role as the exclusive intermediary for salvation. This study will trace the historical arc of this suppression, focusing on the pivotal roles of the brilliant theologian Origen of Alexandria, the ambitious Emperor Justinian I, and the coerced Pope Vigilius, culminating in the controversial Fifth Ecumenical Council of 553 AD.

II. Reincarnation in the Ancient and Early Christian World

The intellectual environment in which Christianity emerged was rich with philosophical and mystical traditions that included the concept of the soul's pre-existence and rebirth. The Greek philosopher Plato, writing in the 4th century BC, was a major proponent of these ideas, which he likely inherited from earlier figures like Pythagoras and the Orphic mystery schools. Plato taught that human souls had a divine origin, existing in a perfect, celestial realm before falling into physical bodies on Earth as a form of punishment or for the purpose of gaining experience.^[1] For Plato, a single life was insufficient to purify the soul and regain the knowledge necessary to return to the divine presence. This Platonic framework, which viewed the body as a temporary prison for the soul, heavily influenced the intellectual centers of the Hellenistic world, particularly Alexandria in Egypt.

Alexandria was a crucible of religious and philosophical thought, where Christian, Jewish, and Pagan ideas intermingled. It was here that many of the most prominent early Christian theologians, including Clement of Alexandria, Valentinus, Basilides, and Origen, were educated. These thinkers, often referred to as Christian Platonists, naturally sought to reconcile the teachings of Jesus with the profound philosophical system of Plato. As a result, the pre-existence of the soul and its cyclical journey were not seen as foreign concepts but as integral parts of a deeper understanding of Christian cosmology.

III. Origen of Alexandria: The Heretical Saint

No figure is more central to the story of reincarnation in Christianity than Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–254 AD). Described by the Encyclopædia Britannica as "the most prominent of all the Church Fathers with the possible exception of Augustine," Origen was a brilliant and prolific scholar who sought to create a systematic Christian theology.^[2] He developed a comprehensive cosmological framework deeply influenced by Platonism. Origen taught that God first created a legion of rational minds, or nous, whose sole purpose was to contemplate the divine. However, these minds grew weary of this contemplation and, to varying degrees, turned away from God. This "Fall" resulted in their cooling and becoming souls (psyche), which were then placed in bodies—as angels, humans, or demons, depending on the severity of their turning away. For Origen, this world is a divine pedagogical system, a place of rehabilitation where fallen souls are trained over "many, many lifetimes" to return to a state of contemplation.^[3]

Central to Origen's theology was the concept of apokatastasis, or universal restoration. He believed that a loving and just God would not permit any soul to suffer eternal damnation. Therefore, all souls, even that of Satan himself, would eventually be purified and restored to their original state of unity with God.^[3] This universal salvation was only possible through a process of reincarnation, allowing souls the necessary time and experience to complete their journey back to the divine. Despite his immense influence and the fact that many future saints and architects of Christian orthodoxy were his students (including Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazianzus), Origen's teachings were posthumously condemned. This creates a significant historical irony: the man who taught the saints was himself declared a heretic, his ideas driven underground.^[3]

IV. Gnostic Christianity and Reincarnation

Parallel to the developing orthodox tradition, various Gnostic Christian groups also embraced the doctrine of reincarnation. The Gnostics believed that salvation was achieved through gnosis, or direct, intuitive knowledge of the divine. Like Origen, they saw the material world as a place of exile or imprisonment for the divine spark within humanity. The journey of the soul through multiple incarnations was a central theme in their teachings.

For example, the Gnostic sage Basilides taught that gnosis was the culmination of many lifetimes of effort.^[4] Texts such as The Secret Book of John explicitly state that a soul will continue to reincarnate until it achieves gnosis and is perfected, after which it "no longer goes into another flesh."^[5] Similarly, the Pistis Sophia teaches that a soul cannot enter the "Light" until it has understood all the Mysteries through the experience of many lifetimes.^[6] These Gnostic teachings, which have strong parallels with older Pagan and Mystery traditions, demonstrate that reincarnation was a familiar and accepted concept within various early Christian communities.

V. Biblical Evidence and Early Christian Beliefs

While mainstream Christian theology today rejects reincarnation, there are several passages in the New Testament that suggest the concept was part of the cultural and religious landscape of first-century Judaism. The disciples' questions to Jesus reveal a familiarity with the idea of a soul returning in a new body. In the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus asks his disciples who people say he is, they reply, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets" (Mark 8:28). This implies a belief that a great prophet could return. A similar exchange is recorded in Matthew 16:13–14.

More explicitly, the figure of John the Baptist is directly associated with the prophet Elijah, whose return was prophesied in the Book of Malachi (Malachi 4:5). In the Gospel of John, when priests ask John the Baptist if he is Elijah, he denies it (John 1:21). However, Jesus himself seems to confirm the connection. After the Transfiguration, he tells his disciples, "But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him..." The disciples then "understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist" (Matthew 17:12–13). While modern apologetics often interpret this as John coming in the "spirit and power" of Elijah rather than a literal reincarnation, the fact that the question was posed and discussed in this manner indicates that the idea of reincarnation was not alien to the worldview of Jesus's followers.

VI. The Political Context: Emperor Justinian's Reign

The shift away from accepting reincarnationist ideas to actively condemning them occurred in a specific and highly charged political context: the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I (reigned 527–565 AD). Justinian was a powerful and ambitious ruler who sought to restore the glory of the Roman Empire, reconquering lost territories and codifying Roman law. A key component of his strategy was the imposition of a unified and state-controlled Christian orthodoxy. Religious dissent was seen as a threat to political stability and imperial authority. In Justinian's vision, there was one God, one Empire, one law, and one Church, all working in concert to support his rule.

The teachings of Origen, particularly the pre-existence of the soul and its personal journey back to God, posed a subtle but significant ideological challenge to this vision. As the source material notes, high-ranking cardinals convinced Justinian of the political danger inherent in these beliefs. They argued that "if people realized they were the children of God they might begin to believe they no longer needed an Emperor, or to pay taxes, or to obey the Holy Church."^[7] This perspective framed the doctrine of reincarnation not as a theological error, but as a politically subversive idea that could empower individuals at the expense of the state and the ecclesiastical hierarchy.

VII. The Conflict with Pope Vigilius

The Emperor's campaign against Origen's teachings was not universally supported by the Church. It led to a significant and prolonged conflict with Pope Vigilius, the head of the Western Church. Justinian was determined to have Origen's doctrines condemned, but Pope Vigilius initially resisted. The Pope understood that Origen, despite some controversial views, was a highly respected figure in Christian tradition and that a condemnation would be divisive.

The conflict escalated dramatically. According to historical accounts, Pope Vigilius was effectively Justinian's prisoner for eight years, having been "kidnapped from Rome in November of 545."^[8] He was held in Constantinople and subjected to intense pressure to align with the Emperor's theological agenda. As Graham Pemberton notes, Vigilius was even put in jail for protesting a previous edict from Justinian, indicating his strong opposition to the Emperor's interference in doctrinal matters.^[8] This coercion and imprisonment of the Pope reveal that the condemnation of Origen was far from a consensus decision of the Church; it was a policy being forced upon it by an authoritarian secular ruler.

VIII. The Fifth Ecumenical Council (553 AD)

The culmination of Justinian's campaign was the Second Council of Constantinople, also known as the Fifth Ecumenical Council, in 553 AD. The council was convened under deeply compromised circumstances. Despite being in Constantinople, Pope Vigilius refused to attend, protesting the Emperor's refusal to grant equal representation to bishops from the Western and Eastern churches. The council was therefore dominated by Justinian's allies; of the 165 bishops who attended the final session, 159 were from the Eastern church, ensuring that the voting was "very much in Justinian's hands."^[8]

It was this council, controlled by the Emperor, that issued the infamous anathemas against Origen. While the council's primary public focus was the "Three Chapters" controversy, a separate set of fifteen anathemas targeting Origen's specific teachings was ratified. The first and most critical of these stated:

This anathema directly attacks the core of Origen's (and Plato's) doctrine of the pre-existence and fall of the soul, which is the necessary foundation for the concept of reincarnation. Another anathema condemned the doctrine of universal salvation (apokatastasis), stating, "If anyone says or thinks that the punishment of demons and of impious men is only temporary, and will one day have an end... let him be anathema."^[9] Although Pope Vigilius never signed these decrees and was eventually allowed to return to Rome (dying on the journey), the anathemas were enforced as official doctrine by the power of the Emperor. The "great cover-up" was complete.

IX. Conclusion

The evidence strongly indicates that the doctrine of reincarnation, once a vibrant and accepted part of the diverse intellectual landscape of early Christianity, was systematically suppressed for political, not purely theological, reasons. The teachings of Origen, rooted in a rich Platonic tradition and echoed in Gnostic thought, presented a vision of the soul's journey that empowered the individual and emphasized a direct, personal relationship with the divine. This vision, however, was incompatible with the hierarchical and authoritarian structure of the Byzantine Empire under Justinian I.

The condemnation of Origen's teachings on the pre-existence of the soul and universal salvation at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 AD was the culmination of a deliberate campaign by the Emperor to eliminate a politically inconvenient ideology. By making the Church the sole arbiter of salvation and denying the soul's cyclical journey, Justinian and his allies consolidated their power, making the populace dependent on the institutions of the state and the Church for their eternal fate. The conflict with and coercion of Pope Vigilius underscore the political nature of this decision, revealing it to be an imposition of imperial will rather than a point of settled doctrine.

This "great cover-up" had profound and lasting consequences for Western Christianity. It severed the tradition from some of its deepest philosophical roots, narrowed its theological horizons, and replaced a message of universal restoration with one of eternal damnation. By re-examining this pivotal moment in church history, we can gain a clearer understanding of how political power has shaped religious doctrine and begin to uncover a lost stream of Christian thought that offers a more expansive and hopeful vision of the human soul's ultimate destiny.

References

[1] Jenson, E. "The Argument over Reincarnation in Early Christianity." Utah Historical Review, vol. 1, 2011.
[2] Pemberton, Graham. "Significant Moments in Church History — 2. The Anathema Against Origen." Medium, 6 Dec. 2018.
[3] Stang, Charles. "Flesh and Fire: Reincarnation and Universal Salvation in the Early Church." Harvard Divinity School, 19 Mar. 2019.
[4] Freke, Timothy, and Peter Gandy. The Jesus Mysteries: Was the Original Jesus a Pagan God? Three Rivers Press, 2001, p. 129.
[5] Barnstone, Willis, editor. The Other Bible. HarperSanFrancisco, 1984, p. 60.
[6] Mead, G.R.S. Pistis Sophia. J.P. Lippincott & Co., 1921, p. 485.
[7] "The Great Cover Up." The Reluctant Messenger.
[8] Head, Joseph, and S.L. Cranston, editors. Reincarnation: The Phoenix Fire Mystery. Julian Press, 1977, pp. 156–157. As cited in Pemberton, Graham. "Significant Moments in Church History — 2. The Anathema Against Origen."
[9] "The Anathematisms of the Emperor Justinian Against Origen." Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. XIV, translated by Philip Schaff, Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

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The Great Cover Up [of reincarnation] - Emperor Justinian understood its inherent political danger

"There was a logical reason why the Emperor was opposed to the concept that all of mankind originally came from God and was returing to God via the cycle of birth and death. Justinian had been convinced by high ranking cardinals that it was not in the interest of the empire to allow Origen's writings to continue to be copied and distributed. A powerful group of Cardinal's and Bishop's explained that if every soul had once pre-existed with God, then Christ wasn't anything special to have come from God. These Cardinals convinced the Emperor that if people realized they were the children of God they might begin to believe they no longer needed an Emperor, or to pay taxes, or to obey the Holy Church.”

"Many scholars recognize that the New Testament we have today is a copy of a copy of a copy and that no reliable manuscript is dated before the third century. The doctrine of reincarnation echoes throughout the teachings of Christ, but the purity of Christ's teachings, about the soul being part of God, has been diluted by the copiers and the translators.

History records that the early Christine church believed in Reincarnation and of the souls journey back to oneness with God.

Pope Vigilius was a vicar during the reign of Emperor Justinian in the sixth century AD. Justinian and Vigilius disagreed on whether or not the doctrine of reincarnation should be condemned as heresy or allowed to be taught in the church.

Origin's writings were considered heresy by important cardinals in the sixth century. Origen's teachings had been considered as profound spiritual wisdom for three centuries. Origen lived around 250 AD and wrote about the pre-existence of the soul and in reincarnation. He taught that the soul's very source was God and that the soul's was traveling back to oneness with God via Reincarnation.

Emperor Justinian wanted Origen's writings and teachings to be condemned and destroyed but Pope Vigilius refused to sign a papal decree condemning Origen's teachings on reincarnation. As a result of his disobedience, the Emperor had the Pope arrested and put into jail. In 543, Justinian convoked the Fifth General Council of the Church and told the Pope he would sign into doctrine whatever the council decided. On the way there, under guard, the Pope escaped to avoid being forced to condemn Origen's writings. The Emperor commanded the council to continue despite the Pope's refusal to attend.

There was a logical reason why the Emperor was opposed to the concept that all of mankind originally came from God and was returing to God via the cycle of birth and death. Justinian had been convinced by high ranking cardinals that it was not in the interest of the empire to allow Origen's writings to continue to be copied and distributed. A powerful group of Cardinal's and Bishop's explained that if every soul had once pre-existed with God, then Christ wasn't anything special to have come from God. These Cardinals convinced the Emperor that if people realized they were the children of God they might begin to believe they no longer needed an Emperor, or to pay taxes, or to obey the Holy Church. But since they reasoned that only Christ had come from God but God made brand new souls at the time of conception and only the Holy Church could bring these souls to God. Without the protection of the Empire or the guidance of the church, all people would be doomed to be forever cut off from God in Hell. This doctrine was very acceptabloe to the Emperor. Once Justinian understood the political danger inherent in Origen's teachings, the rest was simply an Emperor doing what was in his best interest.

The council, as instructed by the Emperor, produced fourteen new anathemas and the very first one condemned reincarnation and the concept that souls pre-existed with God.

If anyone asserts the fabulous preexistence of souls, and shall assert the monstrous restoration which follows from it: let him be anathema.

The Pope never signed the order, so technically it was never legal, but the Pope's signature was not needed.”

www.reluctant-messenger.com/aquarian_gospel.htm

Reincarnation
(Excerpt Chapter 4, 'The Gnostics')

"In the Pagan Mysteries it was believed that a soul progresses towards the realization of the Gnosis over many lifetimes. [111] The Pagan initiate Plutarch explains that the unenlightened soul is attracted back into physical incarnation over and over again by force of habit:

'We know that the soul is indestructible and should think of its experience as like that of a bird in a cage. If it has been kept in the body for a long time and become tamed to this life as a result of all sorts of involvements and long habituation, it will alight again back to a body again birth after birth and will never stop or give up becoming entangled in the passions and chances of this world.' [112]

Although it was eventually exorcised from mainstream Christianity, this Pagan idea was embraced by the early Gnostic Christians. The Gnostic sage Basilides taught that Gnosis was the consummation of many lives of effort.[113] 'The Secret Book of John' teaches that a soul will continue to reincarnate until it is eventually 'saved from its lack of perception, attains Gnosis, and so is perfected', after which 'it no longer goes into another flesh'.[114] The 'Pistis Sophia' teaches that a soul cannot be brought into the Light until, through many lifetimes of experience, it has understood all of the Mysteries. Having progressed on the spiritual journey during this life, however, its next incarnation will be into a 'righteous body which shall find the God of Truth and the Higher Mysteries'.[115]

Plato tells us that the dead have the choice of drinking from the 'Spring of Memory' and walking the right-hand path towards heaven or drinking from the 'Cup of Forgetting' and walking the left-hand path towards reincarnation.[116] The Gnostic 'Book of the Saviour' teaches the same doctrine, explaining that a righteous man will be born into his next life without forgetting the wisdom he has learned in this life because he will not be given the 'Draught of Oblivion' before his next birth. Rather he will receive ' cup full of intuition and wisdom' which will cause the soul not to fall asleep and forget, but to 'seek after the Mysteries of Light, until it hath found them'.[117]

Plato saw being incarnated in a human body as comparable to being incarcerated in a sort of prison.[118] The Gnostic 'Secret Book of John' likewise describes incarnation as being 'cast into fetters'.[119] Plato explains, 'The soul is suffering the punishment of sin until the penalty is paid.'[120] Origin similarly teaches that incarnation is a sort of punishment for having sinned and that in proportion to the sin, souls are put into particular types of bodies. He tells us that souls are 'enveloped in different bodies for punishment' many times over, until they are purified, when they will 'rise again to the state in which they formerly were, completely putting away their evil and their bodies'.[121] (P.129) Like the Pagan sages, Origen could not believe that a just and compassionate God would condemn any soul to eternity in hell, but thought that all souls would be saved through experiencing repeated human incarnations.[122] He writes:

'Every soul has existed from the beginning; it has therefore passed through some worlds already, and will pass through others before it reaches the final consummation. It comes into this world strengthened by the victories or weakened by the defeats of its previous life.'[123]

Despite his great prestige amongst early Christians, this brilliant Christian philosopher was posthumously condemned by the Catholic Church as a heretic for teaching this ancient doctrine.[124] Yet the teachings of reincarnation are alluded to in the New Testament.[125] In the Gospel of John the high priests of Jerusalem ask John the Baptist if he is a reincarnation of Elijah,[126] while in the Gospel of Mark the disciples discuss the possibility of Jesus being the reincarnation of John the Baptist, the prophet Elijah or one of the other prophets![127]"

The Jesus Mysteries: Was the Original Jesus A Pagan God?
Chapter 5 - 127-129
Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy
Element (imprint of HarperCollins 'Publishers')

Notes (Chapter 5: The Gnostics)
[111] Herodotus, in 'The Histories', Book 2, 122, tells us that the doctrine of reincarnation originated with the Egyptians but had been 'dopted by certain Greek writers'. Although he 'refrains from mentioning them', there is no doubt that he is referring to the Orphics and Pythagoreans. Kingsley, P. (1995), 368, states that this was well known even in Classical times: 'The Pythagoreans maintained a secrecy which was quite exceptional, but that the teachings of theirs which were"best known by everybody"Were the immortality of the soul and reincarnation.' According to Diogenes Laertius, Pythagoras taught that: 'The soul, revolving around the circle of necessity, is transformed and confined at different times in different bodies,' quoted in Guthrie, K.S. (1987), 145. In 'The Laws', 870e, Plato attributes this doctrine to the priests of the Mysteries, by whom it was taught with the associated doctrine of 'karma': 'They will also state a truth firmly believed by many who have learned it from the lips of those who occupy themselves with these matters at the Mysteries, that vengeance is taken on such crimes beyond the grave, and when the sinner has returned to our own world once more, he must infallibly pay nature's penalty - must be done by as he did.' In 'Meno', 81b-c, Socrates tells us: 'The soul, having been born again many times, and having seen all things that exist, has knowledge of them all.'
[112] Plutarch, 'The Moral Essays', 184, ' Letter of Consolation', 10
[113] Mead, G.R.S. (1906), 282
[114] Quoted in Barnstone, W. (1984), 60
[115] Quoted in Mead, op.cit., 485
[116] Plato, 'The Republic', Book 10, 614ff
[117] Quoted in Mead, op.cit., 516
[118] Plato, 'Cratylus', 400c: 'The body is an enclosure or prison in which the soul is incarcerated.' The Gnostic Carpocrates taught the same doctrine and also called the body a prison. He claimed that souls are reincarnated until they have completed all sins and that this was the true meaning behind Jesus' teaching in Luke 12:58: 'You will not be let out till you have paid the last penny.' See Barnstone, W. (1984), 649
[119] Quoted in Barnstone, op.cit., 61
[120] Plato, 'Cratylus', 400c: 'For some say that the body is the grave of the soul which may be thought to be buried in our present life. The Orphic poets ... were under the impression that the soul is suffering the punishment of sin until the penalty is paid.'
[121] Origin, 'De Pricipiis', 2.8.3, quoted in Stevenson, J. (1957), 203
[122] Bernstein, A.E. (1993), 307. Origin's view was that of the Pagans - all would eventually be restored to God in a total 'pokatastasis' or restoration. He used the axiom of Neoplatonic philosophy that the end must be as the beginning. All who are punished will be cured and on this basis he denied eternal punishment.
[123] Origin, 'De Pricipiis', 3.1.20-1. See also Kingsland, W. (1937), 138. Origen asks how could someone be born blind unless they are being punished for a previous sin. Reincarnation he says, allows souls sufficient time to purge their sins and complete their cycle of lives, see Bernstein, op.cit., 311.
[124] Bernstein, op.cit., 307. Jerome, at the end of the fourth century, was the first to condemn Origen. (Jerome denied the pre-existence of souls but taught that God was 'daily creating new ones'. This doctrine of 'creationism' is still accepted today, see Brandon, S.G.F. (1969), 84. That a good God could continue to daily make millions of souls, many of whom he knows will ultimately be condemned to eternal torture, is just one of the many cruelties and absurdities of this theology.) Under Justinian in 543 CE the Greek text of Origin was burnt as heretical. As Stevenson, J. (1957), 203, notes, no other opinion of Origen's was more vehemently opposed than his doctrine of 'Ultimate salvation for all'.
[125] See Josephus, 'The Jewish War', 2.14.165. In Josephus' opinion the Pharisees gained the support of the majority of the people because they taught that the soul survives death and receives either the reward of a new life in another body or eternal punishment in the Underworld. The Pharisees, of whom Paul was one, were modernizers and Hellenizers who were violently opposed by the traditionalist Sadducees. Mark 12:18 states that: 'The Sadducees teach that there is no resurrection,' but unlike Josephus, who was writing at the same time, it does not go on to state that the Pharisees were teaching the Orphic doctrine of reincarnation.
[126] John 1:19
[127] Mark 8:27. How Jesus could be a reincarnation of his contemporary John the Baptist is not explained.