Origen of Alexandria (ca. 185–254) was a leading third-century theologian and exegete who lived in Alexandria and later in Caesarea in Palestine.
Benedict XVI said, “[Origen’s] whole life was pervaded by a ceaseless longing for martyrdom. He was 17 years old when, in the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus, the persecution against Christians was unleashed in Alexandria. Clement, his teacher, fled the city, and Origen’s father, Leonides, was thrown into prison. His son longed ardently for martyrdom but was unable to realize his desire. So he wrote to his father, urging him not to shrink from the supreme witness of faith. And when Leonides was beheaded, the young Origen felt bound to welcome the example of his father’s life … And finally, this irresistible yearning was granted to him, at least in part. In the year 250, during Decius’ persecution, Origen was arrested and cruelly tortured. Weakened by the suffering to which he had been subjected, he died a few years later. He was not yet 70.”
Origen was appointed head of the Catechetical School in Alexandria when he was 18. The school was dedicated to instructing new converts to Christianity in preparation for baptism and offering opportunities for deeper learning to more mature Christians. Origen attracted a crowd of students and converted many to the faith. Many of his students suffered martyrdom.
Origen wrote many commentaries and homilies on Old and New Testament books. He helped people understand the different senses of Scripture.
Pope Benedict XVI said, “In his Homilies, Origen took every opportunity to recall the different dimensions of the sense of sacred Scripture that encourage or express a process of growth in the faith: there is the ‘literal’ sense, but this conceals depths that are not immediately apparent. The second dimension is the ‘moral’ sense: what we must do in living the word; and finally, the ‘spiritual’ sense, the unity of Scripture which throughout its development speaks of Christ.”
Regarding the senses of Scripture, Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture in the Church.”
The Catechism further states:
“A medieval couplet summarizes the significance of the four senses:
The Letter speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith;
The Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny.”
Origen promoted Lectio Divina, theprayerful readings of Scripture. In his letter to Gregory the Wonder Worker (Gregory Thaumaturgus), Origen urged the combination of prayer with the reading of Scriptures: wrote: “And applying yourself thus to the divine study, seek aright, and with unwavering trust in God, the meaning of the holy Scriptures, which so many have missed. Be not satisfied with knocking and seeking; for prayer is of all things indispensable to the knowledge of the things of God.”
Origen taught on the common priesthood of the baptized in the Church. In the ninth homily on Leviticus, Origen said, “Or are you ignorant that to you also, that is, to all of the Church of God and to the people of believers, the priesthood was given? Hear what Peter says about the faithful: You are ‘an elect race, royal, priestly, a holy nation, a chosen people.’ Therefore, you have a priesthood because you are ‘a priestly nation,’ and for this reason ‘you ought to offer an offering of praise to God,’ an offering of prayers, an offering of mercy, an offering of purity, an offering of justice, an offering of holiness. But in order to offer these things worthily, you must have clean clothes separated from the common clothing of the rest of humanity and have the necessary divine fire.”
奧利振廣泛解釋聖經
亞歷山大城的奧利振（ca.185-ca.254）是第三世紀的一位主要的神學家和解經學家，他居於亞歷山大城及後移居於巴勒斯坦的凱撒利亞。
本篤十六世說：「[奧利振] 的生命瀰漫着不停的殉道渴望。他17歲的時候，是在塞普蒂米烏斯·塞維魯君王統治的第10年，在亞歷山大城，爆發對基督徒的迫害。他的老師，革利免逃離這城市，他的父親，歐里克拉鐵斯投獄。強烈地期望着能夠殉道的他，卻不得要逞。所以他給父親修書，敦促他在信仰的最高見證中不要退縮。歐里克拉被處斬後，年輕的奧利振感到有責任去以父親生命作榜樣…。最後，這不能抗拒的渴求終於被允許了，最少是部份允許了。250年，德西烏斯迫害期間，奧利振被捕，並被殘酷地折磨，受盡酷刑，幾年後身體虛弱至死。死時不足70歲。」
奧利振在他18歲時被任命為教理講授學校的領導人。這學校是為教導新歸依基督者教義以準備領洗和給較成熟的教友，進一步學習的機會。奧利振吸引了一大群學生，並幫助多人歸化。不少他的學生也為信仰殉道。
奧利振寫了很多新舊約的解說和講道。他期望人們能夠明白聖經中各不同的意義。
本篤世六世說：「在他的講道中，奧利振緊抓每一個機會去回想聖經中不同層面的意義，這樣去鼓勵和表達信仰成長的過程：有的是‘字面’的意義，但卻隱藏一份深度，不是立即，顯而易見的。第二個層面是‘道德上’ 的意義：是我們活出自己聖言所應做的什麼。最後是‘靈性上’ 的意義，聖經上的統一性，在它的發展中闡述了基督。」
有關聖經的理解：天主教教理講述：「依照古老的傳統。聖經的意義，可分為兩種。即字面的意義和屬靈的意義。後者又分為寓意，倫理給末世的意義。四種意義，彼此深深地相協调，可確保教會，活生生的讀經，產生豐富的内涵。」
它更進一步說：
「中古代的一首短詩巧妙地總结了上述四種意義。
文字，事之所載；寓義，信之所賴； 倫理，行之所依；末世，心之所望。」
在2007年的接見羣眾，教宗本篤十六世聚焦於奧利振有關祈禱和教會的教導。
奧利振推廣以祈禱的精神來閱讀聖經。在他給額我是略的信中，奧利振敦促祈禱和閱讀聖經的結合。他寫道：「當你切身於閱讀聖經，追尋正確的和對天主堅定不移的信賴，你找到聖經的意義。。。不要滿足於叩問和尋找；因為祈禱為認識天主的事物中是不可或缺的」。
教宗—本篤十六世強調奧利振有關平信徒司祭職的教導。在一篇有關肋未紀的講道，奧利振說：「難道你不知道司祭職是賜給了你們、天主的教會、和對所有的信眾？請聽聖伯多祿對信徒怎樣說的：『你是一個特選的民族，王者，司祭，一個聖潔的民族』因此，你擁有司祭職是因為你們是司祭的王國，因此你們應該給天主奉獻讚頌的祭獻、祈禱的祭獻、憐憫的祭獻、純潔的祭獻、公義的祭獻、聖善的祭獻，但要堪當地奉獻這些一切，你應該有跟其他人民一般衣服分開的潔淨衣服，和必需的神聖火焰」。
