Christianity and the Enneagram: The Enneagram’s History

Another area that brings up concern for people considering the enneagram is the history of it. This is one area that does have a lot of murkiness but again, there is a reason for this fact. For much of history, people learned thru oral traditions. This was very true for the enneagram.

History of Enneagram

When people consider enneagram origins, they think of Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo in the late 1900’s.  These two did a lot of work with developing the modern enneagram.

Dating the Enneagram

However, the teachings of enneagram topics are not exactly like our modern teachings. The enneagram teachings date to ancient Babylon in 550 B.C. Throughout history, enneagram passed down predominantly through oral tradition. This makes it harder to find writings of it. Additionally, even to the present day, the knowledge of the enneagram was secret. Many chose to pursue personal growth rather than accumulate a following or stereotype people as many personality tests do. Father Richard Rohr, one of the leaders of our modern understanding of the enneagram, said that when he learned about it, he had to keep it a secret. This always bothered him.

Enneagram Connections

While the history is much more ancient than often realized.  It even includes connections to Pythagerous. However, it may be more Christian than previously thought. There are writings from the early Christian Church. Father’s like Evagrius of Pontus seem to refer to the enneagram or an enneagram type of understanding. Furthermore, there seems to be some Jewish oral traditions on the enneagram. The medieval churches utilized the enneagram even around the time of Jesus.

In summary, the history of the enneagram is too murky to say exactly what the origins were.  It is hard to trace its development clearly to the present day. We can state that the origin of the enneagram is ancient in history. A wide variety of people around the world used it to grow.  But this can still leave Christians with an icky feeling, which takes me to my last point. And as I said in my first blog post found here, there is value in knowing ourselves better and gaining deeper understanding of why we do what we do.

Can Sacred Truth Be Found in Secular Places?

Acts 17:16-34 is one of my favorite stories of Paul. Paul was on a missionary journey. While he was waiting for a few days in the city of Athens for some of his friends to meet up with him, he did what he always did. Paul began teaching. He not only taught in the synagogues (Jewish churches of the day) but  also  in the marketplaces of the Greeks. He taught with specificity to the culture he was in. At the Areopagus by Epicurean and Stoic philosophers invited Paul to share. In his sermon to them he quotes some of their poets and references one of their altars and says that they both point to Jesus. Paul does not view the Areopagus, the altars, or the “pagan” poetry as threats to his beliefs or to Christ but actually shows how God and truth can be shown even in these places.

What Christians Need to Know

Paul showed what I think we Christians need to know, that the sacred can be found in the secular. This is true in our world around us and specifically with the enneagram. While the enneagram may have some Jewish and even Christian origins it also may not. However, even if it does not, it can still be used for good and to push us closer to Christ. If it is not actively against Christianity, then it may be an opportunity for growth.

The Bible is God’s word, but God is not restricted to its pages and He may be calling us to grow in Him, even through “secular” things. Please know that what I am saying is that we are still called to test our hearts and the teachings around us. And always hold to God and His Word as the ultimate authority. But maybe we can consider other opportunities for growth, even in the “secular” world as well?