[Greapyjeory]

Dear Janine & others,
Recalling the verses from Romans 8:19-22 may be of help in what you are searching for. " 19For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now."

On the Holy Mt of Athos I read or heard the following which really speaks: "Man sins, creation groans."

Maximos- good to hear from you again! The passage from Fr John Chryssavgis contains a number of very good points about creation but I wonder about the quotation from Origen. Owen would probably know better about whether the idea of a world soul comes from Plato or not. St. Maximos the Confessor tells us how each created thing has its own logos in the image of the Logos (Christ). And the nature of each logos finds its fulfillment in Christ the Logos. Whether Origen's intent was the same as St Maximos in using the concept of world soul is a good question. In any case we would want to know whether the earth itself as a planet has its own logos distinct from the creatures which inhabit it. To be honest I am not sure- it seems that looking at the earth in this way would be like looking at a house- a house is composed of distinct things each with its own nature (logos)-the way these are put together make up the 'logic' of the house- but this doesn't mean that the house actually has its own distinct logos in the sense that St Maximos meant.
Rather I would say that the house reflects the logos of its maker(s) (& ultimately Maker since man is in the image of God & the created things used to build the house also are God's creations). Thus unless we take Origen's world soul in a poetic sense (quite possible in hymnography etc) I wonder if it is not more correct to say that rather than the world having its own world soul the world is a reflection of the providence of its Maker.
In Christ- Fr Raphael