Origenes - Werke mit deutscher Übersetzung

The Homilies on the Book of Isaiah

In this volume, Origen’s seldom acknowledged homilies on Isaiah have been translated into German and provided with individual explanations as well as an extensive introduction. In the nine sermons preserved in Latin, the Alexandrian theologian analyses complex biblical motifs such as Israel’s stubbornness and Isaiah’s visions of God and the seraphim. Thus, within the context of a rich biblical and non-biblical tradition, which Origen deliberately connects with his exegesis and influenced by contemporary Platonic thought, a decidedly multi-layered account of the Book of Isaiah emerges, significantly contributing to the history of the interpretation of this key biblical text, as well as to the understanding of Origenian theology. Alongside questions concerning the historical tradition and reception of the text, the introduction also sheds light on the particularly complex background of Origen’s interpretation of Isaiah. The appendix also includes the collected testimonials to Origen’s lost Commentary on the Book of Isaiah, along with Theophilus of Alexandria’s original and translated treatise against Rigen’s exegesis, written during the first Origenian controversy.
Alfons Fürst/Christian Hengstermann, Origenes - Die Homilien zum Buch Jesaja (Origenes Werke mit deutscher Übersetzung 10), Berlin/New York: Verlag Walter de Gruyter, Freiburg/Basel/Wien: Verlag Herder, 2009, 400 Seiten, gebunden, Leinen, 104,95 €. ISBN 978-3-11-021509-0