Origen
(C. 185 - 253/254 AD)
Historical Note
Origen was born around the year 185 AD of Christian parents in
Alexandria. His father, St. Leonidas, was martyred in 202 during the reign
of Septimus Severus. In his teenage years Origen became a disciple of
Pantaenus and St. Clement and showed very early on that he possessed a
mind of insatiable curiosity and diligence.
Though only eighteen years of age and a layman, Origen was given control
of the catechetical school of Alexandria by Bishop Demetrius after the
exile of St. Clement. Between 204 and 230, Origen raised it to its greatest
prominence. While teaching, though, he was still studying and acquired
knowledge of Neo-Platonism and Hebrew. He grasped all the Scriptural,
theological and philosophical reasoning of his time.
Origen was the most prodigious writer of all time. He was above all a
Scripture scholar and formulated almost his entire theology in his written
commentaries on the Sacred texts. A wealthy pupil of his, Ambrosius,
placed at Origen’s disposal an abundance of secretaries and copyists. St.
Jerome and Eusebius knew of some two thousand works produced by
Origen. St. Epiphanius gives the figure as six thousand. Such
prodigiousness earned Origen the title of greatest scholar of Christian
antiquity.
The major works of Origen can be briefly listed as follows:
1.
The Hexalpa: This work contained six different Hebrew and Greek
versions of the Old Testament in six parallel columns to compare and
contrast them so to detect at a glance the true meaning of a passage;
2.
The Scholia: Briefs notes on the more difficult passages of Scripture;
3.
The Homilies: Familiar talks with the faithful on the Scriptures;
4.
The Commentaries: Written works to explain the texts of the
Scriptures in a scientific way to his readers;
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