Origen: An Introduction to His Life and Thought

by Ronald E. Heine

The late second and early third century was a turbulent time in the Roman Empire and in the relationship between the empire and the church. Origen was the son of a Christian martyr and was himself imprisoned and tortured in his late life in a persecution that targeted leaders of the church. Deeply pious and a gifted scholar, Origen stands as one of the most influential Christian teachers in church history, and also one of the most controversial.
This introduction to Origen begins by looking at some of the circumstances that were formative influences on his life. It then turns to some key elements in his thought. The approach here differs from that taken by most earlier studies by working from the central position that Scripture had for Origen. Heine argues that Origen’s thought, in his later life especially, reflects his continual interaction with the Bible.

Genres: Church History

182 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2019

About the author

Ronald E. Heine (PhD, University of Illinois) is professor of Bible and Christian ministry at Northwest Christian University in Eugene, Oregon. He is the author of Reading the Old Testament with the Ancient Church and several books on Origen.

Reviews

[Christian Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short introduction to the life and though of Origen. Heine does a solid job of not presuming too much when it comes to the life or Origen and only presents what can be known about his early years. There may be a need for a prior church history background before picking up this short book, and the theological concepts in it may be unfamiliar to some. Therefore, this may not be the best place to start with Origen, for it is seeking to build off of a foundation that is already firm in understanding the patristics.

[Scott Bielinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible and helpful book.

[Chandler Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as I continued to do research for my thesis on Origen’s doctrine of God. I have read so much about Origen through tertiary historical and theological resources, but this book is a fantastic and succinct summary of the key information concerning Origen’s life, hermeneutic, and theology.

[Wyatt Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful guide to Origen. Cites and interprets Origen carefully.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Origen is one of the giants in the patristic world. He has written an unbelievable amount of works and every theologian has an opinion on him. All of this can make it intimidating or hard to know where to begin with him. This book offers an excellent place to start so one can begin to engage Origen with some level of understanding.

Half of the book is an introduction to Origen's life and his context. It was incredibly valuable not just to hear his own story but to have an idea of what helped shape his view of the world. The highlight of the book was the chapter on his Biblical interpretation. If you are reading Origen, it is likely because you want to see how he is interpreting the Bible. This chapter helps demonstrate what exactly his method of interpretation is and it is not as random as it may appear.

The last chapter was meant to be an overview of his theology and the weakest part of the book. It was harder to follow and I was not convinced these were the most important theological ideas Origen has.

Overall, this is a great introduction to Origen. It is short, brief, and a great primer to begin. I have read a few of Origen's books and sermons, but I still found it helpful.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Origen is an important figure in both Eastern Christianity and in hermeneutical thought. The first section of this book was a helpful historical overview of Origen's life that explains how his thinking impacted christian thought. The second section tended to be more technical and lacking a overall flow to the narrative. It was an instructive read and worth the effort.