A number of critics in the patristic era accused Origen of teaching that even the resurrection bodies would eventually vanish so that the souls could be united with the incorporeal God. In Rufinus's favourable translation of On the First Principles, however, Origen repeatedly asserts that some kind of body is indispensable for created beings, although when contemplating the final end of all things, he offers three hypotheses – incorporeal existence, ethereal corporeality, or corporeality coming to rest in a stable part of the universe – leaving the reader to judge whichever is best. Nevertheless, based on other passages from his works, he probably preferred the third one. He seems to have believed that even the not yet resurrected souls of the departed possess bodies, albeit luminous ones, which explains ghost sightings. In discussing the resurrection bodies, he stressed Paul's teaching about the spiritual body. Origen emphasized its vast superiority and difference from the current body to the point of arguing that it will lack teeth and other no longer needed parts. However, he insisted that our individual bodies will be recognizable thanks to a unique form (εἶδος), preserved by each of our immortal souls, that shapes and integrates each body.
A number of critics in the patristic era accused Origen of teaching that even the resurrection bodies would eventually vanish so that the souls could be united with the incorporeal God In Rufinus's favourable translation of On the First Principles however Origen repeatedly asserts that some kind of body is indispensable for created beings although when contemplating the final end of all things he offers three hypotheses – incorporeal existence ethereal corporeality or corporeality coming to rest in a stable part of the universe – leaving the reader to judge whichever is best Nevertheless based on other passages from his works he probably preferred the third one He seems to have believed that even the not yet resurrected souls of the departed possess bodies albeit luminous ones which explains ghost sightings In discussing the resurrection bodies he stressed Paul's teaching about the spiritual body Origen emphasized its vast superiority and difference from the current body to the point of arguing that it will lack teeth and other no longer needed parts However he insisted that our individual bodies will be recognizable thanks to a unique form (εἶδος) preserved by each of our immortal souls that shapes and integrates each body