Origen was the most influential Christian theologian before Augustine. This volume presents a comprehensive and accessible insight into Origen's life and writings. Origen is an original study which will be essential reading for students. An introduction analyses the principal influences that formed him as a Christian and as a thinker, his emergence as a mature theologian at Alexandria, his work in Caesarea and his controversial legacy. Fresh translations of a representative selection of Origen's writings, including some never previously available in print, show how Origen provided a lasting framework for Christian theology by finding through study of the Bible a coherent understanding of God's saving plan.