Origen (the Early Church Fathers)

ORIGEN Origen was the greatest and most influential Christian theologian before Augustine – the founder of Biblical study as a serious discipline in the Christian tradition – and a figure with immense influence on the development of Christian spirituality. This volume presents a comprehensive and accessible insight into Origen’s life and writings. An introduction analyzes the principal influences that formed him as a Christian and as a thinker, his emergence as a mature theologian at Alexandria, his work in Caesarea and his controversial legacy. Fresh translations of a representative selection of Origen’s writings, including some never previously available in print, show how Origen provided a lasting framework for Christian theology by finding through study of the Bible a coherent understanding of God’s saving plan. Joseph Trigg is Rector of Christ Church (Episcopal), Port Tobacco Parish, La Plata, Maryland. His books include Origen: the Bible and Philosophy in the Third-century Church (Atlanta 1983) and Biblical Interpretation in the series Message of the Fathers of the Church (Delaware 1988). THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS Edited by Carol Harrison University of Durham The Greek and Latin Fathers of the Church are central to the creation of Christian doctrine, yet often unapproachable because of the sheer volume of their writings and the relative paucity of accessible translations. This series makes available translations of key selected texts by the major Fathers to all students of the early church. MAXIMUS THE CONFESSOR Andrew Louth IRENAEUS OF LYONS Robert M. Grant Further books in this series will be on Ambrose and Gregory of Nyssa. ORIGEN Joseph W. Trigg London and New York First published 1998 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002. Simultaneously published in the US and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 © 1998 Joseph W. Trigg All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying or recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Trigg, Joseph W., 1949– Origen / Joseph W. Trigg. (The early church fathers) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Origen 2. Theology – History – Early church, ca. 30–600 – Sources. I. Title. II. Series. BR1720.O7T75 1998 270.1’092–dc21 97-23338 [B] CIP ISBN 0–415–11835–2 (hbk) ISBN 0–415–11836–0 (pbk) ISBN 0-203-01199-6 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-21202-9 (Glassbook Format) TO ROBERT M. GRANT CONTENTS ix xii A note on translations Abbreviations PART I Introduction 1 1 The making of a scho