Riemer Roukema: The Retrieval of Origen’s Commentary on Micah

Origen wrote commentaries on eleven of the twelve Minor Prophets, but except for two fragments these works are lost as such. However, in other works, both of Origen himself and of later authors who used his commentaries, a considerable part of his interpretations of these prophets has been preserved. This paper will deal with the retrieval, as far as possible, of Origen’s interpretation of Micah. Apart from passages in Origen’s own works, Jerome’s Commentary on Micah is a particularly rich source of the former’s explanations, which are sometimes confirmed by Eusebius of Caesarea and other authors. Beside a few of Origen’s Christological explanations of Micah this paper will particularly deal with his views of the primordial fall of the pre-existent creatures and their ultimate restoration. It is remarkable how many allusions to these speculations he found in Micah.