Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, Books 1-5

by Origen, Thomas P. Scheck (Translator)

Origen of Alexandria’s "Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans" is the oldest extant commentary on Romans (ca. 246). This volume presents the first English translation of the commentary, covering his exegesis of Rom 1:1 to 6:11. One of his longest and most mature works, it is the only commentary of Origen available in a coherent form from beginning to end. The work was originally composed in Greek in Caesarea, but only fragments of the archetype have survived. Fortunately, Origen’s admirer Rufinus of Aquileia translated the work into Latin (ca. 406). Origen’s exegesis predates the controversy between Augustine and Pelagius by 170 years; thus it offers a striking perspective on Romans. Opposition to Gnostic interpretations of Paul is an important characteristic of the commentary. Above all Origen defends the Church against the "doctrine of natures"—the belief that all human beings are born with unalterable natures, either good or evil, and thus bound for either salvation or damnation, and that their conduct during this life cannot alter their destiny. Origen successfully refutes this teaching, showing that freedom of will always abides in rational beings. Provoked by Marcion’s repudiation of the Old Testament, Origen emphasizes the harmony between Gospel and Law. He highlights as one of Paul’s main themes in Romans the transfer of religion from Judaism to Christianity, from the letter to the spirit, in terms both of salvation history and of the transformation of the individual. Origen claims that the key to unlocking Romans is understanding Paul’s use of homonyms—identical expressions such as law, Jew, circumcision, death, etc., with divergent meanings.

411 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2001

About the author

Origen of Alexandria (c. 184 – c. 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Alexandria. He was a prolific writer who wrote roughly 2,000 treatises in multiple branches of theology, including textual criticism, biblical exegesis and biblical hermeneutics, homiletics, and spirituality. He was one of the most influential figures in early Christian theology, apologetics, and asceticism. He has been described as "the greatest genius the early church ever produced".

Reviews

[Christian Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great set. Origen’s commentary is supplemented with helpful footnotes. The mind of the theologian is on full display throughout this work.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated reading this commentary of arguably the best 3rd Century scripture scholar because it is written before the 4th Century theological controversies which gripped the Church and more than a millennium before the the Reformation tried to determine what the Scriptures meant. Origen writes a detailed commentary on every phrase of the text in terms of the issues and controversies of his day. On the down side, he is long-winded and I at times had a hard time staying interested in his long expositions of an issue that I didn't care about to begin with. He admits St. Paul is hard to understand and does his best to try to keep Paul's arguments straight. I can't say that I feel I understand Paul any better for having read this first Volume of the commentary - but it certainly helps to see that many of the controversies of today regarding scriptural interpretation are not eternal ones no matter how strong the conviction modern scholars bring to the disputes and polemics.