6.2.1
ΙΙ. πολλὰ οὖν ἄν τις εἴποι τὸν βίον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐν σχολῇ παραδοῦναι διὰ γραφῆς πειρώμενος, δέοιτο δ’ ἂν καὶ ἰδίας ὑποθέσεως ἡ περὶ αὐτοῦ σύνταξις· ὅμως δ’ ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἐπιτεμόμενοι τὰ πλεῖστα διὰ βραχέων ὡς οἷόν τε, ὀλίγα ἄττα τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν διελευσόμεθα, ἔκ τινων ἐπιστολῶν καὶ ἱστορίας τῶν καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς τῷ βίῳ πεφυλαγμένων αὐτοῦ γνωρίμων τὰ δηλούμενα φέροντες.
AI English cleanup, gpt-5.4-mini, 2026-05-25
II. Many indeed would there be to say, if one were to attempt at leisure to hand down in writing the man's life, and the narrative concerning him would require also a work of its own. Nevertheless, on the present occasion abridging most things as briefly as may be, we shall state some few of the facts concerning him, gathering what we set forth from certain letters and information derived from pupils of his, whose lives have been preserved even to our day.
6.2.2
Ὠριγένους καὶ τὰ ἐξ αὐτῶν ὡς εἰπεῖν σπαργάνων ἀξιομνημόνευτά μοι εἶναι δοκεῖ. δέκατον μὲν γὰρ ἐπεῖχε Σευῆρος τῆς βασιλείας ἔτος, ἡγεῖτο δὲ Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς Αἰγύπτου Λαῖτος, τῶν δ᾿ αὐτόθι παροικιῶν τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν νεωατὶ τότε μετὰ Ἰουλιανὸν Δημήτριος ὑπειλήφει. εἰς μέγα δὴ οὖν τῆς τοῦ διωγμοῦ πυρκαϊᾶς ἁφθείσης καὶ μυρίων ὅσων τοῖς κατὰ τὸ μαρτύριον ἀναδουμένων στεφάνοις, ἔρως τοσοῦτος μαρτυρίου τὴν Ὠριγένους, ἔτι κομιδῆ παιδὸς ὑπάρχοντος, κατφυχήν, ὡς ὁμόσε τοῖς κινδύνοις χωρεῖν προπηδᾶν τε καὶ ὁρμᾶν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα προθύμως ἔχειν. ἤδη γέ τοι αμικρὸν δάον αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ βίου ἀπαλλαγῆς οὐ πόρρω καθίστατο, μὴ οὐχὶ τῆς θείας καὶ οὐρανίου προνοίας εἰς τὴν πλείατων ὠφέλειαν διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ μητρὸς ἐμποδὼν αὐτῷ τῆς προθυμίας ἐνστάσης. αὕτη γοῦν τὰ μὲν πρῶτα λόγοις ἱκετεύουσα, τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν μητρικῆς διαθέσεως φειδὼ λαβεῖν παρεκάλει, αφοδρότερον δ᾿ ἐπιτείναντα θεασαμένη, ὅτε γνοὺς ἁλόντα τὸν πατέρα δεαμωτηρίῳ φυλάττεσθαι ὅλος ἐγίνετο τῆς περὶ τὸ μαρτύριον ὁρμῆς, τὴν πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ ἀποκρυφαμένη ἐσθῆτα οἴκοι μένειν ἀνάγκην ἐπῆγεν· ὃ δ᾿, ὡς οὐδὲν ἄλλο πράττειν αὐτῷ παρῆν, τῆς προθυμίας ὑπὲρ τὴν ἡλικίαν ἐπιτεινομένης οὐχ οἷός τε ὢν ἠρεμεῖν, διαπέμπεται τῷ πατρὶ πρὸτρεπτικωτάτην περὶ μαρτυρίου ἐπιστολήν, ἐν ᾗ κατὰ λέξιν αὐτῷ παραινεῖ λέγων “ἔπεχε μὴ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἄλλο τι φρονήσῃς.” τοῦτο πρῶτον τῆς Ὠριγένους παιδικῆς ἀγχινοίας καὶ περὶ τὴν θεοσέβειαν γνησιωτάτης διαθέσεως ἀνάγραπτον ἔστω τεκμήριον. καὶ γὰρ ἤδη καὶ τῶν τῆς πίστεως λόγων οὐ σμικρὰς ἀφορμὰς καταβέβλητο, ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ἐξ ἔτι παιδὸς καταβέβλητο, οὐ μετρίως γοῦν καὶ περὶ ταύτας πεπόνητο, τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῷ πρὸς τῇ τῶν ἐγκυκλίων παιδείᾳ καὶ τούτων οὐ κατὰ πάρεργον τὴν φροντίδα πεποιημένου. ἐξ ἅπαντος γοῦν αὐτὸν πρὸ τῆς τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν μαθημάτων μελέτης ἐνῆγεν τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἐνασκεῖσθαι παιδεύμααιν, ἐκμαθήσεις καὶ ἀπαγγελίας ἡμέρας ἑκάατης αὐτὸν εἰαπραττόμενος· οὐκ ἀπροαιρέτως δὲ ταῦτ᾿ ἐγίνετο τῷ παιδί, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγαν προθυμότατα περὶ ταῦτα πονοῦντι, ὡς μηδ᾿ ἐξαρκεῖν αὐτῷ τὰς ἁπλᾶς καὶ προχείρους τῶν ἱερῶν λόγων ἐντεύξεις, ζητεῖν δέ τι πλέον καὶ βαθυτέρας ἤδη ἐξ ἐκείνου πολυπραγμονεῖν θεωρίας, ὥστε καὶ πράγματα παρέχειν τῷ πατρί, τί ἄρα ἐθέλοι δηλοῦν τὸ τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς ἀναπυνθανόμενος βούλημα. ἐκεῖνος δὲ τῷ μὲν δοκεῖν εἰς πρόσωπον ἐπέπληττεν αὐτῷ, μηδὲν ὑπὲρ ἡλικίαν μηδὲ τῆς προφανοῦς διανοίας περαιτέρω τι ζητεῖν παραινῶν, ἰδίως δὲ παρ᾿ ἑαυτῷ τὰ μεγάλα γεγηθὼς τὴν μεγίατην ὡμολόγει τῷ πάντων ἀγαθῶν αἰτίῳ θεῷ χάριν, ὅτι δὴ αὐτὸν τοιοῦδε πατέρα γενέσθαι παιδὸς ἠξίωσεν. ἐπιστάντα δὲ ἤδη πολλάκις καθεύδοντι τῷ παιδὶ γυμνῶααι μὲν αὐτοῦ τὰ ατέρνα φασίν, ὥαπερ δὲ θείου πνεύματος ἔνδον ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀφιερωμένου, φιλῆσαί τε σεβασμίως καὶ τῆς εὐτεκνίας μακάριον ἑαυτὸν ἡγήσασθαι. ταῦτα καὶ ἕτερα τούτοις συγγενῆ περὶ παῖδα ὄντα τὸν Ὠριγένην γενέσθαι μνημονευουσιν.
AI English cleanup, gpt-5.4-mini, 2026-05-25
In the case of Origen I think that even the facts from his very cradle, so to speak, are worthy of mention. For Severus was in the tenth year of his reign, and Laetus was governor of Alexandria and the rest of Egypt, and Demetrius had just then received the episcopate of the communities there in succession to Julian. When, therefore, the flame of persecution was kindled to a fierce blaze, and countless numbers were being wreathed with the crowns of martyrdom, Origen's soul was with such a passion for martyrdom, while he was still quite a boy, that he was all eagerness to come to close quarters with danger, and to leap forward and rush into the conflict. In fact, it were but a very little step and the end of his life was at hand, had not the divine and heavenly providence, acting for the general good through his mother, stood in the way of his zeal. She, at all events, at first had recourse to verbal entreaties, bidding him spare a mother's feelings; then, when she learnt that his father had been captured and was kept in prison, and his whole being was set on the desire for martyrdom, perceiving that his purpose was more resolute than ever, she hid all his clothes, and so laid upon him the necessity of remaining at home. And since nothing else remained for him to do, and a zeal, intense beyond his years, suffered him not to be quiet, he sent to his father a letter on martyrdom most strongly urging him on, in which he advises him in these very words, saying: “Take care not to change thy mind on account of us.” Let this be recorded as the first proof of Origen's boyish readiness of mind and genuine love of godliness. For indeed in the study of the faith also he had already laid down a good foundation, having been trained in the divine Scriptures from the time that he was still a boy. Certainly it was no ordinary amount of labour that he bestowed on these, since his father, in addition to the customary curriculum, took pains that these also should be for him no secondary matter. On all occasions, for example, he kept urging him before beginning his secular lessons to train himself in the sacred studies, exacting from him each day learning by heart and repetition. And this the boy did with no lack of willingness, nay, he worked with even excessive zeal at these studies, so that he was not satisfied with reading the sacred words in a simple and literal manner, but sought something further, and busied himself, even at that age, with deeper speculations, troubling his father by his questions as to what could be the inner meaning of the inspired Scripture. And his father would rebuke him ostensibly to his face, counselling him to seek nothing beyond his years nor anything further than the manifest meaning; but secretly in himself he rejoiced greatly, and gave profound thanks to God, the Author of all good things, that He had deemed him worthy to be the father of such a boy. And it is said that many a time he would stand over the sleeping boy and uncover his breast, as if a divine spirit were enshrined therein, and kiss it with reverence and count himself happy in his goodly offspring. These are the stories, and others akin to these, that they tell about Origen's boyhood.
6.2.3
Ὡς δὲ ἤδη αὐτῷ ὁ πατὴρ μαρτυρίῳ τετελείωτο, ἔρημος ἅμα μητρὶ καὶ βραχυτέροις ἀδελφοῖς τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἕξ, ἑπτακαιδέκατον οὐ πλῆρες ἔτος ἄγων, καταλείπεται· τῆς γε μὴν τοῦ πατρὸς περιουσίας τοῖς βασιλικοῖς ταμείοις ἀναΛηφθείσης, ἐν σπάνει τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον χρειῶν σὺν τοῖς καταστάς, οἰκονομίας τῆς ἐκ θεοῦ καταξιοῦται καὶ τυγχάνει δεξιώσεως ὁμοῦ καὶ καταξιοῦται παρά τινι πλουσιωτάτη μὲν τὸν βίον καὶ τὰ ὤα περιφανεστάτῃ γυναικί, διαβόητόν γε μὴν ἄνδρα περιεπούσῃ τῶν τότε ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας αἱρεσιωτῶν· τὸ γένος ἢν οὗτος Ἀντιοχεύς, θετὸν δ’ υἱὸν αὐτὸν εἶχέν τε σὺν ἑαυτῇ καὶ ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα περιεῖπεν ἡ δεδηλωμένη. ἀλλὰ τούτῳ γε ἐπάναγκες ὁ Ὠριγένης συνών, τῆς ἐξ ἐκείνου τὴν πίστιν ὀρθοδοξίας ἐναργῆ παρείχετο δείγματα, ὅτι δὴ μυρίου πλήθους διὰ τὸ δοκοῦν ἱκανὸν ἐν λόγῳ τοῦ Παύλου (τοῦτο γὰρ ἢν ὄνομα τῷ ἀνδρί) συναγομένου παρ’ αὐτῷ οὐ μόνον αἱρετικῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμετέρων, οὐδεπώποτε προυτράπη κατὰ τὴν εὐχὴν αὐτῷ συστῆναι, φυλάττων ἐξ ἔτι παιδὸς κανόνα ἐκκΛησίας βδελυττόμενός τε, ὡς αὐτῷ ῥήματί φησίν που αὐτός, τὰς τῶν αἱρέσεων διδασκαλίας. προαχθεὶς δ’ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐν τοῖς Ἑλλήνων μαθήμασιν ἐκθυμότερόν τε [καὶ] μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν τῇ περὶ τοὺς λόγους ἀσκήσει ὅλον ἐπιδοὺς ἑαυτόν, ὡς καὶ παρασκευὴν ἐπὶ τὰ γραμματικὰ μετρίαν ἔχειν, μετ’ οὐ πολὺ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς τελειώσεως, τούτοις ἐπιδεδωκὼς ἑαυτόν, εὐπόρει τῶν ἀναγκαίων, ὡς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡλικίᾳ, δαψιλῶς.
AI English cleanup, gpt-5.4-mini, 2026-05-25
But when his father had been perfected by martyrdom, he was left destitute with his mother and six younger brothers, when he was not quite seventeen. His father's property was confiscated for the imperial treasury, and he found himself, along with his relatives, in want of the necessaries of life. Yet he was deemed worthy of divine aid, and met with welcome and refreshment from a certain lady, very rich in this world's goods, and otherwise distinguished, who was nevertheless keeping a well-known person, one of the heretics at Alexandria at that time. He was an Antiochene by race, but the lady we have mentioned kept him at her house as her adopted son, and treated him with especial honour. But although Origen of necessity had to consort with him, he used to give clear proofs of his orthodoxy, at that age, in the faith. For though very great numbers, not only of heretics but also of our own people, were gathered together with Paul (for that was the man's name), attracted by his apparent skilfulness in speech, Origen could never be persuaded to associate with him in prayer, keeping the rule of the Church, even from boyhood, and “loathing” — the very word he himself uses somewhere — the teachings of the heresies. His father had brought him forward in secular studies, and after his death he applied himself wholly with renewed zeal to a literary training, so that he had a tolerable amount of proficiency in letters; and, not long after his father's perfecting, by dint of application to these studies, he was abundantly supplied, for a person of his years, with the necessaries of life.