Revised: 6/99

BIBLIOGRAPHY #3: Origen & the Rise of Systematic Theology

1. ORIGEN: STUDIES

Joseph W. Trigg, Origen, Early Church Fathers (New York: Routledge, 1998) paperback, $25. NEW. Origen was

both a brilliant biblical scholar and an adventurous theologian—and he shaped the course of Christian
theology as profoundly as Augustine and Aquinas. Like others in this series, this volume will include both
an overview of Origen’s life and doctrine as well as a selection of his writings.

Henri Crouzel, Origen, trans. A.S. Worrall (reprint of 1989 edition: Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1998) hardcover, $30.

At last, back in print. Crouzel is the greatest living authority on Origen. Not easy reading, but the most
thorough survey of Origen’s theology to date.

Lewis Ayres, Gareth Jones, eds., Christian Origins: Theology, Rhetoric, and Community (New York: Routledge,

1998) paperback, $25. NEW. See the essays by Mark Edwards and David Dawson.

Elizabeth A. Clark, The Origenist Controversy (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992) hardcover, $50. A

path-breaking study of the dispute over Origen that took place 150 years after his death.

Henri Crouzel, Gennaro Lomiento, Joseph Rius-Camps, eds., Origeniana, Premier colloque international des études

origéniennes (Bari: Università Istituto di Letteratura Christiana Antica, 1975).

Brian E. Daley, “Origen’s ‘De principiis’: A Guide to the ‘Principles’ of Christian Scriptural Interpretation,” in John

F. Petruccione, ed., Nova et Vetera: Patristic Studies in Honor of Thomas Patrick Halton (Washington,
DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1998) hardcover, $55. NEW.

Robert J. Daly, ed., Origeniana Quinta, Papers of the 5

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International Origen Congress, Boston College, August,

1989 (Leuven: Peeters, 1992).

Jean Danielou, Origen, trans. Walter Mitchell (New York: Sheed & Ward, 1955). Dated, but a classic study.
Gilles Dorival and Alain le Boulluec, eds., Origeniana Sexta: Origen and the Bible, Actes du Colloquium

Origenianum Sextum, Chantilly, 30 août-3 septembre, 1993 (Leuven: Peeters, 1995).

C. Wilfrid Griggs, Early Egyptian Christianity from its origins to 451 AD (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1993) paperback, $40.

Disappointing.

Christopher Haas, Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 1997)

hardcover, $45. A crucial study of Origen’s world.

R.P.C. Hanson, Allegory and Event: A Study of the Sources and Significance of Origen’s Interpretation of Scripture

(Richmond: John Knox, 1959).

Richard Hanson and Henri Crouzel, Origeniana Tertia, The 3

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International Colloquium for Origen Studies,

University of Manchester, September, 1981 (Rome: Edizioni dell’Ateneo, 1985).

Charles Kannengiesser and William L. Petersen, eds., Origen of Alexandria: His World and Legacy (Notre Dame:

University of Notre Dame Press, 1988).

Joseph Lienhard, “Origen as Homilist,” in Preaching in the Patristic Age: Studies in Honor of Walter J. Burghardt,

SJ, ed. David G. Hunter (New York: Paulist Press, 1989), 36-52.

Rebecca Lyman, Christology and Cosmology: Models of Divine Activity in Origen, Eusebius, and Athanasius,

Oxford Theological Monographs (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993) hardcover $40.

Pierre Nautin, Origen: Sa vie et son oeuvre (Paris: Beauchesne, 1977). Path-breaking study; use with caution.
L.G. Patterson, Methodius of Olympus: Divine Sovereignty, Human Freedom, and Life in Christ (Washington:

Catholic University of America Press, 1997) hardcover, $60. Study of one of Origen’s opponents.

Birger A. Pearson and James E. Goehring, The Roots of Egyptian Christianity, Studies in Antiquity and Christianity

(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1986) paperback, $18.

Alan Scott, Origen and the Life of the Stars, Oxford Early Christian Studies, (New York: Clarendon Press / Oxford

U. Press, 1994) paperback, $18.

Joseph W. Trigg, Origen: Bible and Philosophy in the 3rd Century (Atlanta: John Knox, 1983). A superb

introduction.

Peter Widdicombe, The Fatherhood of God from Origen to Athanasius, Oxford Theological Monographs (New

York: Oxford University Press, 1994) hardcover, $55.

Bibliography #3: Origen

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2. ORIGEN: TEXTS

Origen, Exhortation to Martyrdom, Classics of Western Spirituality 11, trans. Rowan A. Greer (New York: Paulist

Press, 1979) paperback, $18. A fine selection of Origen’s works: it includes On First Principles, Book
IV—his classic defense of allegorical interpretation and a summary of his controversial views on Trinity; it
also has Origen’s On Prayer, the earliest Christian treatise on prayer--and one of the most influential; while
essentially a commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, this work also addresses the problem of why one should
pray even though God already knows what we need.

Origen, Contra Celsum, trans., Henry Chadwick (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980). Celsus was one of

the most astute of Christianity’s ancient opponents, and around 180, wrote a devastating critique entitled On
True Doctrine. In it he displayed both his philosophical sophistication and his knack for satire. In the 240s,
Origen took Celsus on, rebutting his arguments point-by-point. In the process, Origen produced perhaps the
greatest apology for Christianity, both its doctrines and its way of life. Only Augustine’s City of God can
match its brilliance.

Origen, Commentary on the Gospel of John, trans. Ronald E. Heine, Fathers of the Church 80 & 89 (Washington,

DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1989 & 1993).

Origen, Homilies on Genesis and Exodus, trans. Ronald E. Heine, Fathers of the Church 71 (Washington: Catholic

University of America Press, 1982).

Origen, Homilies on Jeremiah, trans. John Clark Smith, Fathers of the Church 97 (Washington: Catholic University

of America Press, 1998) NEW.

Origen, Homilies on Luke, trans. Joseph T. Lienhard, Fathers of the Church 94 (Washington: Catholic University of

America Press, 1996).

Origen, Homilies on the Song of Songs, trans. R.P. Lawson, Ancient Christian Writers 26 (Westminster, MD: New

Press, 1957).

Origen, On First Principles [Peri Archon] trans. G.W. Butterworth (New York: Harper & Row, 1966; reprint: Peter

Firth).

Origen, Treatise on the Passover and Dialogue with Heraclides, trans. Robert J. Daly, Ancient Christian Writers 51

(New York: Paulist Press, 1992).

3. THE BIBLE: CANON & INTERPRETATION

Thomas C. Oden and Christopher H. Hall, ed., The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, 3 volumes to date

(Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1998- ) hardcover, $40 per volume. NEW. The Ancient
Christian Commentary revives the medieval tradition of the glossa ordinaria. It takes the biblical text verse
by verse and quotes what various Church Fathers said about it. It is projected to be 27 volumes and will
draw on ancient commentaries in Greek, Latin, Syriac, and Coptic. Now available:

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Vol. 2: Thomas C. Oden & Christopher Hall, Mark (1998)

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Vol. 6: Gerald Bray, ed., Romans (1998)

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Vol. 7: Gerard Bray, ed. 1-2 Corinthians (forthcoming, 1999)

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Vol. 8: Mark Edwards, ed., Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians (1999)

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Vol. 9: Peter Gorday, ed., Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon (forthcoming)

Joseph T. Lienhard, The Bible, the Church, and Authority: the Canon of the Christian Bible in History and Theology

(Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1995) paperback, $18. A fine introduction to understanding how the
early Church chose the books for the New Testament.

Paul M. Blowers, ed., The Bible in Greek Christian Antiquity (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1997)

hardcover, $40. NEW.

Bibliography #3: Origen

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Bart D. Ehrman, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the

Text of the New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993) paperback, $16.

Hans von Campenhausen, The Formation of the Christian Bible (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1972). A classic.
J.K. Elliott, ed., The Apocryphal New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994). A new translation on

non-canonical works.

J.K. Elliott, ed., The Apocryphal Jesus: Legends of the Early Church (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996)

paperback, $13.

Everett Ferguson, ed., The Bible in the Early Church, Studies in Early Christianity 3 (New York: Garland

Publishing, 1993).

Karlfried Froelich, ed., Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church, Sources of Early Christian Thought

(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984).

Harry Y. Gamble, Books and Readers in the Early Church: A History of Early Christian Texts (New Haven: Yale,

1995) NEW in paperback, $18.

Christopher A. Hall, Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1998)

paperback, $10. A very simple introduction.

R.P.C. Hanson, Allegory and Event: A Study of the Sources and Significance of Origen’s Interpretation of Scripture

(Richmond: John Knox, 1959).

J.L. Kugel and Rowan A. Greer, Early Biblical Interpretation, Library of Early Christianity 3 (Philadelphia:

Westminster, 1986).

Bertrand de Margerie, An Introduction to the History of Exegesis, 3 vol. (Petersham, MA: St. Bede’s, 1993-1995)

paperback, $20 per volume.

Bruce Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance (Oxford: Clarendon

Press, 1987) NEW in paperback, $20.

Manlio Simonetti, Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church: An Historical Introduction to Patristic Exegesis,

(Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1994).

Joseph Trigg, ed., Biblical Interpretation, Message of the Fathers 9 (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1984)

paperback, $18. A superb anthology of patristic texts.

4. TERTULLIAN, CYPRIAN, & NORTH AFRICAN CHRISTIANITY

Timothy D. Barnes, Tertullian: a Historical and Literary Study, rev. ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985). Too

polemical, but this remains the best study of Tertullian’s world and works. Barnes portrays Tertullian as a
Christian sophist.

David Cherry, Frontier and Society in Roman North Africa (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998) hardcover,

$85. NEW.

G.W. Clarke, trans. The Letters of St. Cyprian of Carthage, Ancient Christian Writers 43-44 & 46-47 (New York:

Newman Press, 1984-1989) hardcover.

Peter Iver Kaufman, Church, Book, and Bishop: Conflict and Authority in Early Latin Christianity (Boulder:

Westview Press, 1996) paperback, $13.

Eric Osborn, Tertullian, First Theologian of the West (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997) hardcover,

$60.

David Rankin, Tertullian and the Church (New York: Cambridge University, 1995) hardback, $60.
Cecil M. Robeck, Prophecy in Carthage: Perpetua, Tertullian, Cyprian (Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 1993) hardback,

$30.

Michael M. Sage, Cyprian, Patristic Monograph Series 1 (Cambridge, MA: Philadelphia Patristic Foundation, 1975).
Maurice F. Wiles, “The Theological Legacy of St. Cyprian,” Journal of Ecclesiastical History 14 (1963): 139-149;

reprinted in Personalities of the Early Church, Studies in Early Christianity 1, ed. Everett Ferguson (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1993).

5. CONSTANTINE & THE CHRISTIANIZATION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

T.G. Elliott, The Christianity of Constantine the Great (Scranton: University of Scranton Press, 1997) paperback,

$19. NEW. It was Constantine who ended the persecutions and opened the path for the flowering of

Bibliography #3: Origen

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Christianity in the 4

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century. He was a complex character, brutal at times, often misunderstood. This is a

good introduction to his life and times.

Timothy D. Barnes, Constantine and Eusebius (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1981) paperback, $25.

Eusebius wrote the first history of the church, defended Origen against his many opponents, and lavished
undue praise on Constantine. Barnes offers a detailed (at times too detailed) analysis of Eusebius’ works
and complex personality.

Timothy D. Barnes, Ammianus Marcellinus and the Representation of Historical Reality, Cornell Studies in

Classical Philology, Vol. 56 (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998) hardcover, $45.

Peter Brown, Authority and the Sacred: Aspects of the Christianisation of the Roman World (New York: Cambridge

University Press, 1995) paperback, $10.

Peter Brown, Power and Persuasion in Late Antiquity: Towards a Christian Empire (Madison: University of

Wisconsin Press, 1992) paperback, $13.

Peter Brown, “Christianisation and Religious Conflict,” in Averil Cameron & Peter Garnsey, eds., The Late Empire,

A.D. 337-425, Vol. 13 of The Cambridge Ancient History (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998)
pp. 632-664. NEW.

Averil Cameron, Christianity and the Rhetoric of Empire: the Development of Christian Discourse (Berkeley:

University of California Press, 1991) paperback, $18.

Everett Ferguson, ed., Missions and Regional Characteristics of the Early Church, Studies in Early Christianity 12

(New York: Garland Publishing, 1993).

Garth Fowden, Empire to Commonwealth: Consequences of Monotheism in Late Antiquity (Princeton: Princeton

University Press, 1993) paperback, $13.

Martin Goodman, Mission and Conversion: Proselytizing in the Religious History of the Roman Empire (New York:

Oxford University Press, 1994) paperback, $20.

Michael Grant, Constantine the Great: the Man and his Times (New York: Scribners, 1993) hardcover.
A.M.H. Jones, Constantine and the Conversion of Europe, Medieval Academy Reprints for Teaching 4 (Toronto:

University of Toronto, 1978) paperback, $14.

Ramsay Macmullen, Christianizing the Roman Empire (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984) paperback, $16.
Arnaldo Momigliano, ed., The Conflict between Paganism and Christianity in the Fourth Century (Oxford:

Clarendon Press, 1963). Classic essays.

A.D. Nock, Conversion: the Old and the New in Religion from Alexander the Great to Augustine of Hippo (reprint:

Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998) paperback, $18. A classic study back in print after a
long absence.

Robert D. Sider, ed. The Gospel & Its Proclamation, Message of the Fathers 10 (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press,

1983).

Daniel R. Williams, “Constantine, Nicaea, and the ‘Fall’ of the Church,” in Lewis Ayres, ed., Christian Origins:

Theology, Rhetoric, and Community (New York: Routledge, 1998) paperback, $25. NEW.