Origen and the Reception of the Epistle of James into the Liturgies of Churches in the Roman East

Eusebius of Caesarea (ca. 260–339/340) noted that by the 320s, many orthodox Christian communities in the Roman East had accepted the Catholic Epistles, including James, into their liturgies. This marked a shift, as earlier Church leaders had questioned their authenticity. While modern scholars have debated the factors influencing this Eastern reception, suggesting everyone from Augustine, Jerome, to even Athanasius of Alexandria, this paper, however, argues that Origen (ca. 185–254) played a key role in establishing the Epistle of James as scripture. Origen was the first orthodox scholar to cite James explicitly as scripture and even defended its apostolic authority against opposition. Through his influence on his students, Origen likely contributed to the epistle’s growing acceptance in the Roman East, bridging the gap between its early marginalization and its later recognition by Eusebius’s time. This paper reassesses Origen’s role in the Eastern reception of the Epistle of James.