The Philocalia of Origen

Book excerpt: Origen was one of the great thinkers of the third-century Church and the most influential of the Greek Church Fathers. He created significant interpretations of Scripture throughout his life. The Philocalia of Origen is a collection of texts excerpted from Origen's numerous works. It was created sometime in the fourth century, perhaps by Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus. It is of special interest to scholars of Origen because it contains several excerpts from works that are no longer extant, or from works now otherwise found only in Latin translations prepared in the fourth century or later from the original Greek. Yet the Philocalia is also essential to those beginning their studies in Origen; it consists of short extracts from a wide range of his writings--homilies, commentaries, a theological treatise, apologetics--which cover some of the most important subjects he discussed. Many of the annotations in this edition aim to introduce and contextualize Origen to readers previously unacquainted with his works. The Greek text of the Philocalia was first edited for an English audience in 1893 by J. Armitage Robinson. This text, with some minor improvements, is the Greek text presented in this edition and translated on the facing pages.