Homilies on Luke. (review)

Origen’s homilies on Luke (dated ca. 233–244) are the only extant patristic commentaries devoted to the Gospel of Luke before Ambrose’s Exposition on Luke (ca. 390). Prior to this translation, three translations of Origen’s extant homilies and of fragments of his lost commentary and homilies have been made into modern languages since the early 1960’s—one in French in 1962, one in Italian in 1969, and one in German in 1991–1992. Joseph Lienhard’s translation is the first translation of Origen’s homilies and commentary on Luke in English, a translation that has been eagerly awaited. It is an original work that deserves much praise.

Origen’s homilies on Luke in Greek are lost except for fragments. Thirty-nine of these homilies, however, survive through Jerome’s Latin translation (ca. 390–393). In this volume, Lienhard has translated all thirty-nine homilies from Max Rauer’s critical edition of Jerome’s Latin version, along with a translation of about 115 Greek fragments, also from Rauer’s edition. The translation comes with a helpful twenty-five-page introduction, extensive and valuable footnotes, a nicely organized general index, and an index of Holy Scripture. The translation is not overly literal, and is accurate and faithful to the Latin and the Greek text. The translation is also smooth and vivid, which is an achievement worth noting, since it is not easy to remain faithful to the Latin or the Greek, yet to provide a smooth rendering into English as well. The footnotes and the index of Holy Scripture indicate the translator’s wide knowledge of, and familiarity with, Scriptural texts and early church history.

The introduction provides an excellent brief biography of Origen, and a fine explanation of the style and the method of Origen’s biblical commentary, as well as a needed guide to the theology in Origen’s homilies on Luke. Its value, however, would have been all the greater, if Lienhard had dealt more comprehensively with the controversial points of Origen’s theology, even though Origen does not himself directly engage in much theological speculation in these homilies. It would have been helpful for the reader to be made aware of the wider context of Origen’s theology, so that he or she could read Origen’s homilies in light of such information.

Many biblical scholars regard Origen as perhaps the first systematic theologian in the Christian tradition and a study of his work is surely necessary for understanding the Platonic influence on early Christian theology. The homilies on Luke are also essential for understanding the influence of Origen’s thought, especially the influence of his threefold method of biblical exegesis, namely, literal, mystical, and allegorical, on later theologians and thinkers. For this reason, Lienhard’s English translation is not just a valuable work for scholars, but also an excellent teaching tool, a book for the classroom, one that could be profitably used in graduate courses or upper-division undergraduate courses. It makes Origen’s homilies accessible to those who have not yet mastered Latin and Greek, and opens up another avenue for their exposure to this Greek church father.