What did Origen teach about free will and the fall of rational beings?

In Origen’s theology, the goodness of God and the free will of the creature are foundational principles. He taught that God created rational and spiritual beings with the capacity for choice, asserting that if free will were removed from virtue, its essence would be destroyed.1

Regarding the fall, Origen posited that rational beings neglected to adore God and consequently fell. He speculated that these souls fell varying distances based on their choices: some became angels, others descended into human bodies, and the most wicked became devils. Origen believed in the preexistence of these souls.1

Because freedom is an inalienable characteristic of rational creatures, Origen argued that there is no ultimate finality. He believed that redemption is a providential process of education intended to restore all souls to their original blessedness. Even after restoration, because the redeemed remain free, Origen suggested the possibility that the entire cosmic drama could begin again, distinguishing his view from the Stoics by grounding this cycle in freedom rather than fate.1