Lexington Books / Fortress Academic
Pages: 202
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
978-1-9787-0108-3 • Hardback • April 2018 • $117.00 • (£90.00)
978-1-9787-0109-0 • eBook • April 2018 • $111.00 • (£85.00)
Stephen Bagby teaches humanities at The Covenant School in Dallas.
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1: Sin in the Second and Third Centuries
Chapter 2: Original Sin
Chapter 3: Parameters of Volitional Sin
Chapter 4: Practice of Volitional Sin
Conclusion
Bibliography
Bagby’s thesis is that Origen’s extensive (though neglected) engagement with Paul’s Epistle to the Romans forced him to develop, even alter, some of his earlier conceptions about original sin, resulting in a significant advance over his own early thoughts and the views of his predecessor Clement of Alexandria. Origen’s commentary on St. Paul thus exhibits a coherent and deeply Christian doctrine of sin that is faithful to Scripture. Bagby’s insightful study is worthy of his mentors, Ayres and Louth, and forms a nice complement to P. Beatrice’s work, The Transmission of Sin, which has recently appeared in English dress. Students of theology are now well-equipped to grasp the range of early Christian views of volitional and original sin in the centuries before Augustine.
— Thomas Scheck, Ave Maria University
Stephen Bagby’s Sin in Origen’s Commentary on Romans is carefully researched and closely argued. It will be an important work for Origen scholars and those who work with early Christian doctrine. There has been no monograph-length study of Origen’s doctrine of sin for more than a half-century, and never one in English.
— Ronald E. Heine, Northwest Christian University
Bagby has sinned boldly! This monograph offers a crisp and vivid presentation of Origen’s account of sin against its second and third century background. Focusing on Origen’s commentary on Romans Bagby’s book will be of great interest to all students of Origen’s anthropology, to all interested in the evolution of Christian accounts of sin, and should be required reading for all who still cling to simplistic accounts of the differences between ‘Greek’ and ‘Latin’ theology on this central question.
— Lewis Ayres, Durham University and Australian Catholic University