In the following from On First Principles, Origen (185-254) states his belief that Peter was not specially empowered or favoured more than the other apostles, or was the unique prince of the Twelve; instead, Peter, for Origen, received only a few of the Lord's many gifts given to the apostolic band:
We are not, however,
to suppose that each individual has to contend against all these
(adversaries). For it is impossible for
any man, although he were a saint, to carry on a contest against all of them at
the same time. If that indeed were by
any means to be the case, as it is certainly impossible it should be so, human
nature could not possibly bear it without undergoing entire destruction. But
as, for example, if fifty soldiers were to say that they were about to engage
with fifty others, they would not be understood to mean that one of them had to
contend against the whole fifty, but each one would rightly say that “our
battle was against fifty,” all against all; so also this is to be understood as
the apostle’s meaning, that all the athletes and soldiers of Christ have to
wrestle and struggle against all the adversaries enumerated,—the struggle
having, indeed, to be maintained against all, but by single individuals either
with individual powers, or at least in such manner as shall be determined by
God, who is the just president of the struggle.
For I am of opinion that there is a certain limit to the powers of human
nature, although there may be a Paul, of whom it is said, “He is a chosen
vessel unto Me;” or a Peter, against whom the gates of hell do not prevail; or
a Moses, the friend of God: yet not one
of them could sustain, without destruction to himself, the whole simultaneous
assault of these opposing powers, unless indeed the might of Him alone were to
work in him, who said, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” And
therefore Paul exclaims with confidence, “I can do all things through Christ,
who strengtheneth me;” and again, “I laboured more abundantly than they all;
yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” On account, then, of this
power, which certainly is not of human origin operating and speaking in him,
Paul could say, “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
height, nor depth, nor power, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” For I do not think
that human nature can alone of itself maintain a contest with angels, and with
the powers of the height and of the abyss, and with any other creature; but
when it feels the presence of the Lord dwelling within it, confidence in the
divine help will lead it to say, “The Lord is my light, and my salvation; whom
shall I fear? The Lord is the protector
of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When the enemies draw near to me, to eat my flesh, my enemies who
trouble me, they stumbled and fell.
Though an host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war
should rise against me, in Him shall I be confident.” From which I infer that a
man perhaps would never be able of himself to vanquish an opposing power,
unless he had the benefit of divine assistance.
Hence, also, the angel is said to have wrestled with Jacob. Here, however, I understand the writer to
mean, that it was not the same thing for the angel to have wrestled with Jacob,
and to have wrestled against him; but the angel that wrestles with him is he
who was present with him in order to secure his safety, who, after knowing also
his moral progress, gave him in addition the name of Israel, i.e., he is with
him in the struggle, and assists him in the contest; seeing there was
undoubtedly another angel against whom he contended, and against whom he had to
carry on a contest. Finally, Paul has
not said that we wrestle with princes, or with powers, but against
principalities and powers. And hence,
although Jacob wrestled, it was unquestionably against some one of those powers
which, Paul declares, resist and contend with the human race, and especially
with the saints. And therefore at last
the Scripture says of him that “he wrestled with the angel, and had power with
God,” so that the struggle is supported by help of the angel, but the prize of
success conducts the conqueror to God. (Origen, On First Principles,
3.2.5 [ANF 4:332-33])
