ABSTRACT
Many consider Origen of Alexandria (185-254) to be the most important and influential Christian theologian of the ancient church. Origen lived an ascetic lifestyle in conscious imitation of Jesus and the apostles. Origen was consulted in theological discussions, one of which survives, The Dialogue with Heraclides. One can readily understand why Origen would have been so admired by many Christians of subsequent generations. His life had been characterized by heroic Christian virtue and discipleship. One of the great tragedies of church history is that the vast majority of Origen's writings did not survive. Origen's massive text-critical project, the Hexapla displayed in parallel columns the Hebrew Old Testament with a Greek transliteration, the Greek translations of Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, the LXX, and sometimes two or three other Greek versions where they were available. Origen's first book, On First Principles, became his most controversial treatise and was the main source of posthumous accusations against his orthodoxy.
