Origen c.185-c.254AD
Christian scholar, theologian, and early Greek Father of the Church

Born of Greek parents probably in Alexandria, he studied at the catechetical school there, even though his parents may not have been Christians. He became head of the school (c.211-232AD), and was ordained in Palestine (c.230), but was denied the office of presbyter by an Alexandrian synod. He however returned to Palestine and established a new school of literature, philosophy and theology in Caesarea. He was imprisoned and tortured during the persecution under Decius in 250. His views on the unity of God and speculations about the salvation of the Devil were condemned by Church councils in the 5th and 6th centuries. His many writings extended over nearly the whole of the Old and New Testaments, and included a number of books on Matthew and John which are extant in Greek. His weighty Hexapla, the foundation of the textual criticism of the Scriptures, is mostly lost. His Eight Books against Celsus, preserved entire in Greek, constitute the greatest of early Christian apologies.