one of the most celebrated ecclesiastical writers, greatest geniuses, and most learned men of Origen, the primitive church, during the third century, was born at Alexandria in the year 185; and was surname Adamantius, either from his indefatigable application to study, or from the firmness he discovered amidst the torments he suffered for the faith. Leonidas, his father, trained him at home with great care, and made him apply to the study of the Holy Scriptures from his infancy, in which he made surprising progress. The son's inclination and turn suited exactly with the father's design; for he pursued his studies with a most extraordinary zeal and ardour: and, being endowed with a quick apprehension and a strong imagination, did not content himself with that sense which at first presented itself, but farther endeavoured to dive into mysterious and allegorical explications of the sacred books. He would sometimes even puzzle his father, by too much soliciting him for reconcile meanings; which obliged the good man to reprehend him a little, and withal to advise him not to attempt to penetrate too far in the study of the Holy Scriptures, but to content himself with their most clear, obvious, and natural sense. Hence it appears, how early he was seized with that furor allegoricus, as a learned modern calls it, that rage of expounding the Scriptures allegorically, which grew afterwards to be even a distemper, and carried him to excesses which can never be excused (A). He had afterwards in philosophy Ammonius the celebrated Christian philosopher, and St Clement of Alexandria for his master in divinity. At 18 years of age he succeeded that great man in the office of catechist; an important employment, which consisted in teaching divinity, and expounding the Scriptures. Leonidas his father had suffered martyrdom the year before, during the persecution of Severus in 202; and Origen had shewn such eagerness to follow his father to martyrdom, that his mother was obliged to hide his clothes to prevent his going abroad. Origen had a great concourse of auditors who attended his school, some of whom were of the faithful, and the others pagans. He confirmed and strengthened the first in their faith, and converted most of the others; and there were such a number of martyrs amongst his disciples, that it might be said, that he kept rather a school of martyrdom than of divinity. He taught the doctrines of Christianity to the girls and women as well as to the men; and taking in a too literal sense what Christ says of becoming voluntary eunuchs, castrated himself to prevent his deserving or suffering scandal. He took a voyage to Rome in 211, in the beginning of Caracalla's reign, under the pontificate of Zephyrinus. At his return he published many works, by which he acquired an extraordinary reputation, that drew to him a great number of auditors. But Demetrius, bishop of Alexandria, conceiving a jealousy of him, endeavoured by various pretences to injure him. At length Origen went to Antioch, whether the empress Mammea had sent for him to hear him discourse on the Christian religion. He did not however stay long there, but returned to Alexandria, where he continued to teach till the year 228, when he left that city, and travelled into Achaia. In that journey he went into Palestine, and was ordained by the bishops of that province at 42 years of age. His being ordained by foreign bishops, without the permission of Demetrius, renewed that prelate's resentment against him; on which Origen hastily returned to Alexandria, to endeavour to mollify him: but Demetrius drove him from thence in 231, and caused him to be excommunicated, and even deposed in a council held in Egypt. Origen then retired to Caesarea in Palestine, where he raised a celebrated school, and had St Gregory Thaumaturgus, and a great number of other persons who were illustrious for their virtue and learning, for his disciples. He afterwards travelled to Athens; and then, at the desire of Firmianus, stayed some time at Cesarca in Cappadocia; whence he was invited into Arabia, to convince and bring back to the truth Beryllus bishop of Bostra; who maintained that the Word had no existence before his incarnation. Origen had the happiness to make him sensible of his mistake; and some years after was sent for into Arabia by an assembly of bishops, to dispute against the Arabians, who maintained that the souls of the dead remained in a state of insensibility till the general resurrection. At length the seven persecutions of the Christians began in the reign of Decius, and none were used with greater severity than Origen. He supported with incredible constancy the dreadful torments which the persecutors of the Christians invented against them; torments that were the more inappurable, as they were made to continue a long time, and as they took the greatest care to prevent his expiring in the midst of his tortures: but in the midst of the most excruciating torments, he discovered an heroic courage, and suffered nothing to escape him that was unworthy a disciple of Jesus Christ. He died at Tyre in 254, aged 69. He was the author of a great number of excellent works. The principal of those which have been handed down to us are, 1. A Treatise against Celsus, of which Spencer has given a good edition in Greek and Latin, with notes: this learned treatise has been translated into French by Elias Bouhureau, a protestant minister, born at Rochelle. 2. A great number of Homilies, with Commentaries on the Holy Scriptures. 3. Philocalia, and several other

(A) He is the first Christian (whose notions on this subject have come down to us) who believed in the restitution of all things. This is his sixth distinguishing tenet; to which is added this singular notion, that as Christ had been crucified in this world to save mankind, he is to be crucified in the next to save the devils. The other obnoxious tenets of Origen are these five: viz. 1. That in the Trinity the Father is greater than the Son, and the Son than the Holy Ghost. 2. The pre-existence of souls, which Origen considered as sent into mortal bodies for the punishment of sins committed in a former state of being. 3. That the soul of Christ was united to the world before the incarnation. 4. That the sun, moon, and stars, &c. were animated and endowed with rational souls. 5. That after the resurrection, all bodies will be of a round figure. It is probable that the mystic theology of the modern Quakers and other sects is derived from Origen. See Mosheim. Eccl. Hist. vol. 1st. other treatises. 4. Fragments of his Hexaples, collected by Father Montfaucon, in two volumes folio. Of all Origen's books, the loss of the Hexaples is most to be regretted. This work was thus named from its containing fix columns; in the first of which was the Hebrew text of the Bible; in the second, the same text in Greek characters; in the third, the Greek version of the Septuagint; in the fourth, that of Aquila; in the fifth, that of Symmachus; and in the sixth Theodotion's Greek version. This admirable work gave the first hint for our Polyglot Bibles.

5. The book of Principles; of which we have only an incorrect Latin version. In all his writings he discovers a surprising degree of modesty, candour, and humility; a noble and sublime genius, profound learning, and vast erudition. His manners were extremely pure, and he had a warm zeal for spreading the truths and morals of the Gospel.

Much has been written both for and against this celebrated father, both by his contemporaries and others: he has indeed suffered great abuse, which he did not deserve, and which we shall not retail; contenting ourselves with the following account of his character by Dupin, and some remarks on it by Dr Jortin. "Origen (says Dupin) had very quick parts, a very strong and enlarged imagination; but he relied too much on the vivacity of his genius, and often lost himself, out of too great carelessness to fathom and subtilize every thing. He had a very happy invention, and a more happy delivery of what he invented: but he had not that exactness in his inventions, nor that gracefulness of delivery as might be wished. He carried on his works with so great ease, that he is said to have dictated to seven or eight persons at a time; and he was so ready in expressing himself, that he made the greatest part of his homilies extempore: upon which account his style was not very correct or coherent. He had a vast memory, but often trifled too much to it. He was a person of most profound learning: he particularly studied Plato's philosophy, and was indeed too much addicted to it for a Christian. He understood likewise the doctrines of other philosophers. He applied himself mightily to the study of human learning. He was neither ignorant of history nor mythology; and he had as great a knowledge in all the profane sciences, as those who studied nothing else. But he particularly excelled in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, which he learned all by heart; and that he might neglect nothing for attaining a right understanding of the letter thereof, he carefully examined all the versions of the Bible, and compared them all together with the Hebrew text, subjoining a literal commentary upon the most difficult places. He was not very well skilled in the Hebrew; yet he knew enough of it to understand it, and to observe the difference of the text and the translations. Nevertheless, he did not adhere to the literal explication of the Bible, but thought it necessary, for the sake of gaining it credit with the heathens, who despised its plainness and simplicity, and of rendering it more useful to the world, to give mystical and allegorical interpretations of every thing in it."

Dr Jortin tells us, "That Origen was very learned and ingenious, and indefatigably industrious. His whole life from his early years was spent in examining, teaching, and explaining the Scriptures; to which he joined the study of philosophy and of all polite literature. He was humble, modest, and patient, under great injuries and cruel treatment, which he received from Christians and Pagans: for though he ever had a considerable number of friends and admirers, on account of his amiable qualities and useful accomplishments, he was persecuted and calumniated by men, who had neither his learning nor his virtue, degraded from the order of presbyters, driven from his home, and excommunicated by one Demetrius bishop of Alexandria, who envied him, lays Eusebius, for the reputation which he had gained. His inquisitive genius, and his mixing philosophy with Christianity, led him perhaps into some learned singularities and ingenious reveries; but he was by temper far from dogmatizing in such points, from fomenting schisms, and setting up himself for the head of a party. He lived in times when Christians were not so shackled with systems and determinations as they were afterwards, nor so much exposed to disingenuous and illiberal objections; and had more liberty to pursue their inquiries and to speak their mind.—He was ever extremely sober and exemplary, practicing what he preached to others; and he lived and died poor, and destitute even of common conveniences."—The most complete edition of his works is that of Father Delarue, a Benedictine, in Greek and Latin. The celebrated Montfaucon likewise published, in 2 vols folio, some remains and fragments of his Hexapla.

He ought not to be confounded with another Origen, a Platonic philosopher, and the disciple and friend of Porphyry, who studied philosophy under Ammonius: perhaps this Origen was the founder of the Origenians.