Origen

Writings.—Origen is probably the most prolific author of the ancient church. "Which of us," asks Jerome, "can read all that he has written?" The number of his works was estimated at 6000, but that is certainly an exaggeration. Owing to the increasing unpopularity of Origen in the church, a comparatively small por tion of these works have come down to us in the original. We have more in the Latin translation of Rufinus; but this transla tion is by no means trustworthy, since Rufinus, assuming that Origen's writings had been tampered with by the heretics, con sidered himself at liberty to omit or amend heterodox statements. Origen's real opinion, however, may frequently be gathered from the Philocalia—a sort of anthology from his works prepared by Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzenus. The fragments in Photius and in the Apology of Pamphilus serve for comparison. The writings of Origen consist of letters, and of works in textual criticism, exegesis, apologetics, dogmatic and practical theology.

I. Eusebius (to whom we owe our full knowledge of his life) collected more than a hundred of Origen's letters, arranged them in books, and deposited them in the library at Caesarea (H.E. vi. 36). In the church library at Jerusalem (founded by the bishop Alexander) there were also numerous letters of this father (Euseb. H.E. vi. 2o). But unfortunately they have all been lost except two—one to Julius Africanus and one to Gregory Thaumaturgus. There are, besides, a couple of fragments.

2.

Origen's textual studies on the Old Testament were under taken partly in order to improve the manuscript tradition, and partly for apologetic reasons, to clear up the relation between the LXX and the original Hebrew text. The results of more than twenty years' labour were set forth in his Hexapla and Tetrapla, in which he placed the Hebrew text side by side with the various Greek versions, examined their mutual relations in detail, and tried to find the basis for a more reliable text of the LXX. The Hexapla was probably never fully written out, but excerpts were made from it by various scholars at Caesarea in the 4th century; and thus large sections of it have been saved. He worked at the text of the New Testament, although he produced no recension.

3. The exegetical labours of Origen extend over the whole of the Old and New Testaments. They are divided into Scholia (crniAaiocras, short annotations, mostly grammatical), Homilies (edifying expositions grounded on exegesis), and Commentaries (romot). In the Greek original only a very small portion has been preserved; in Latin translations, however, a good deal. The most important parts are the homilies on Jeremiah, the books of Moses, Joshua and Luke, and the commentaries on Matthew, John and Romans. With grammatical precision, antiquarian learning and critical discernment Origen combines the allegorical method of interpretation—the logical corollary of his conception of the in spiration of the Scriptures. He distinguishes a threefold sense of

scripture, a grammatico-historical, a moral and a pneumatic—the last being the proper and highest sense. He thus set up a formal theory of allegorical exegesis, not quite extinct in the churches even yet, and in his own system of fundamental importance.

4. The principal apologetic work of Origen is his book Kara. (eight books), written at Caesarea in the time of Philip the Arabian. It has been completely preserved in the original. This work is invaluable as a source for the history and situation of the church in the 2nd century ; for it contains nearly the whole of the famous work of Celsus (ACryos an0i7s) against Christianity. What makes Origen's answer so instructive is that it shows how close an affinity existed between Celsus and himself in their f unda mental philosophical and theological presuppositions. The real state of the case is certainly unsuspected by Origen himself ; but many of his opponent's arguments he is unable to meet except by a speculative reconstruction of the church doctrine in ques tion. Origen's apologetic is most effective when he appeals to the spirit and power of Christianity. In details his argument is not free from sophistical subterfuges and superficial reasonings.

5. Of the dogmatic writings we possess only one in its integrity, and that only in the translation of Rufinus, IlEpl itpxc7)v (On the Fundamental Doctrines). This work, which was composed before 228, is the first attempt at a dogmatic at once scientific and accommodated to the needs of the church. The material is drawn from Scripture, but in such a way that the propositions of the regula fidei are respected. This material is then formed into a system by all the resources of the intellect and of speculation. Origen thus solved, after his own fashion, a problem which his predecessor Clement had not even ventured to grapple with. The first three books treat of God, the world, the fall of spirits, anthropology and ethics. "Each of these three books really embraces, although not in a strictly comprehensive way, the whole scheme of the Christian view of the world, from different points of view, and with different contents." The fourth book explains the divinity of the Scriptures, and deduces rules for their interpretation. It ought properly to stand as first book at the beginning. The ten books of Stromata (in which Origen compared the teaching of the Christians with that of the philosophers, and corroborated all the Christian dogmas from Plato, Aristotle, Numenius and Cornutus) have perished, with the exception of fragments ; so have the tractates on the resurrection and freewill.