Origen: On First Principles, Reader's Edition (Oxford Early Christian Texts) (1ST ed.)

Name: Origen: On First Principles, Reader's Edition (Oxford Early Christian Texts) (1ST ed.)
Brand: Oxford University Press
SKU: 9780199684021
Price: 336.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$336.00

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Brief Description:
"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."--

Review Quotes:
"Stirring and profound." -- M. J. Edwards, Journal of Ecclesiastical History

"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." -- Dale M. Coulter, Pneuma

"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." -- Lewis Ayres, International Journal of Systematic Theology

Brief Description:
This is a one-volume translation of one of the most important and controversial texts from early Christianity. The comprehensive introduction offers a sympathetic understanding of the text, and provides new insights into the structure of the work and the nature of theology as it was practiced in early Christianity.

Table of Contents:
Introduction1. Origen and his On First PrinciplesI. Origen in AlexandriaII. On First Principles2. The structure of On First PrinciplesI. The Two CyclesII. The Division into ChaptersIII. Theology and EconomyIV. The Apostolic and the Ecclesiastical PreachingV. Scripture, Book Four, and the Purpose of On First PrinciplesVI. Conclusion and the Context of On First Principles3. TheologyI. An Eternal Creation?II. The 'Foundation' of the World4. EconomyI. IncarnationII. The 'Pre-existence' and Incarnation of Christ5. 'In My End is My Beginning'Text and TranslationOrigen, On First PrinciplesManuscripts and Other Sources, Abbreviations and Sigla1. Rufinus' TranslationI. ManuscriptsII. Indirect WitnessesIII. Editions2. The PhilocaliaI. ManuscriptsII. Editions3. Abbreviations and SiglaRufinus' PrefacePrefacePart I: TheologyI. The Apostolic PreachingII. The Church's PreachingPart II: EconomyI. The Apostolic PrachingII. The Church's PreachingPart III: The Inspired ScriptureRecapitulationAppendix I Chapter Titles in the Latin ManuscriptsAppendix II Koetschau's FragmentsBibliographyIndex of Ancient SourcesIndex of Modern Authors Cited

Biographical Note:
John Behr, Dean and Professor of Patristics, St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, New York, and Metropolitan Kallistos Chair in Orthodox Theology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam

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 John the Theologian and his Paschal Gospel: A Prologue to Theology (2019), 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 (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).