Origen: On First Principles(Oxford Early Christian Texts)

On First Principles by Origen of Alexandria, written around 220-230 AD, is one of the most important and contentious works of early Christianity. It provoked controversy when written, provoked further debate when translated into Latin by Rufinus in the fourth century, and was the subject, together with its author, of condemnation in the sixth century. As a result, the work no longer survives intact in the original Greek. We only have the complete work in the Latin translation of Rufinus, and a few extensive passages preserved in Greek by being excerpted into the Philokalia of Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus. John Behr provides a new edition and translation of one of the most important texts from early Christianity. He includes an invaluable introduction, which provides a clear structure of the work with significant implications for how the text is to be read and for understanding the character of theology in the early Christian tradition.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1: Origen and his On First Principles I: Origen in Alexandria II: On First Principles 2: The structure of On First Principles I: The Two Cycles II: The Division into Chapters III: Theology and Economy IV: The Apostolic and the Ecclesiastical Preaching V: Scripture, Book Four, and the Purpose of On First Principles VI: Conclusion and the Context of On First Principles 3: Theology I: An Eternal Creation? II: The 'Foundation' of the World 4: Economy I: Incarnation II: The 'Pre-existence' and Incarnation of Christ 5: 'In My End is My Beginning' Text and Translation Origen, On First Principles Manuscripts and Other Sources, Abbreviations and Sigla 1: Rufinus' Translation I: Manuscripts II: Insalest Witnesses III: Editiocs 2: The Philocalia I: Manuscripts II: Editions 3: Abbreviations and Sigla Rufinus' Preface Preface Part I: Theology I: The Apostolic Preaching II: The Church's Preaching Part II: Economy I: The Apostolic Praching II: The Church's Preaching Part III: The Inspired Scripture Recapitulation Appendix I Chapter Titles in the Latin Manuscripts Appendix II Koetschau's Fragments Bibliography Index of Ancient Sources Index of Modern Authors Cited

About the Author :
John Behr is the Dean of St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary and Professor of Patristics and Metropolitan Kallistos Chair in Orthodox Theology at Vrije Universiteit. His previous publications include Asceticism and Anthropology in Irenaeus and Clement (2000), The Case Against Diodore and Theodore: Texts and Their Contexts (2011), and Irenaeus of Lyons: Identifying Christianity (OUP, 2013). He is also the co-editor of The Role of Life in Death: A Multidisciplinary Examination of Issues pertaining to Life and Death (Wipf and Stock, 2015; with C. Cunningham).

Review :
Stirring and profound. If I were teaching a course on pre-Nicene Christianity, Behr's edition and translation of On First Principles would be required reading. It elucidates both the fundamentally narrative approach to theology from Irenaeus to Origen as well as the way in which the most significant thinker in the third century was fusing philosophical ideas into the story of God to fill out the "church's teaching." This translation should now be the point of departure for readers who seek to consult Origen's On First Principles in English ... This is a translation that can be used with students, and on which scholars uncertain in their Latin can rely. This is then a worthy replacement for that by Butterworth which has been the staple for generations of English-speaking readers ... In sum, this is an excellent translation, and a beautifully laid out text. Behr's vision of the work's structure is insightful. [A] precious resource for scholarship... it presents both a clear account and a seductive resolution of the difficulties which occlude our understanding of the most thoughtful and fecund thinker of the ante-Nicene church.' Behr has surpassed other laborers in this field and has now also surpassed his previous work with a magisterial edition of Origen's On First Principles. ... Thanks to Behr's unique blend of diligence and free-spiritedness, these volumes bring to life one of the most fearsomely inventive works of theology ever written. Behr has proven himself to be an able commentator and analyst of early Christian theology in both its Latin and Greek varieties. Here he shows himself also to be a splendid translator of one of the most acclaimed and yet too often unread works of early Christian theology. ... [T]his new edition should prove to be a constant reference point for students of early Christian theology and exegesis and - one might hope - an instigating force for further research upon Origens contribution to theological developments in the third century Christian church.