Origen (185–254)

Origen was one of the earliest and most influential of the Greek preachers. He intertwined exegesis and preaching and created a sermon style that was essentially a running commentary of the text. This style dominated Christian preaching in the ancient church and continues to be used effectively today. In addition, Origen developed the allegorical method of exegesis, a method which is associated with the Alexandrian school of thought and the Eastern church. The allegorical interpretation of Scripture leads the listener to five possible meanings of the text: (1) the historical; (2) the doctrinal; (3) the prophetic; (4) the philosophical; and (5) the mystical sense. A Teacher of Preaching and Teaching The first period in Christian preaching is divided from the second by the work of Origen. He was truly an epoch-making man, in biblical learning, in ministerial education, and in homiletics. As to biblical learning, all Christian scholars in the next two centuries, and many in every subse…