time nearly like pupils their master, allowed him alone to perform the duties of expounding the sacred Scriptures, and other matters that pertain to the doctrines of the church.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE PERSECUTION UNDER MAXIMINUS.

BUT the emperor Alexander being carried off after a reign of thirteen years, was succeeded by Maximinus, who, inflamed with hatred against the house of Alexander, consisting of many believers, raised a persecution, and commanded at first only the heads of the churches to be slain, as the abettors and agents of evangelical truth. It was then that Origen wrote his book on Martyrdom, which he dedicated to Ambrose, and Protoctetus a presbyter of the church at Cesarea, because both of these encountered no common danger in the persecution. In which also it is said that these men were pre-eminent for (persevering in) their confession, as Maximinus did not reign longer than three years. Origen has assigned the time of this persecution, both in the twenty-second book of his Commentaries on John, and in different epistles.

CHAPTER XXIX.

OF FABIANUS, WHO WAS REMARKABLY APPOINTED BISHOP OF ROME BY A DIVINE COMMUNICATION.

GORDIAN Succeeded Maximinus in the sovereignty of Rome, when Pontianus, who had held the episcopate six years, was succeeded by Anteros in the church of Rome; he also was succeeded by Fabianus, after having been engaged in the service about a month. It is said that Fabianus had come to Rome with some others from the country, and staying there, in the most remarkable manner, by divine and celestial grace, was advanced to be one of the candidates for the office. When all the brethren had assembled in the church, for the purpose of ordaining him that should succeed in the episcopate, though

there were very many eminent and illustrious men in the estimation of many, Fabianus being present, no one thought of any other man. They relate, further, that a dove suddenly flying down from on high, sat upon his head, exhibiting a scene like that of the holy Spirit descending upon our Saviour in the form of a dove. Upon this the whole body exclaimed, with all eagerness and with one voice, as if moved by the one Spirit of God, that he was worthy; and without delay they took and placed him upon the episcopal throne. At the same time Zebinus, bishop of Antioch, dying, was succeeded in the government (of the church,) by Babylas, and at Alexandria, Demetrius held the episcopate forty-three years, and was succeeded in the office by Heraclas. But in the catechetical school there, he was succeeded by Dionysius, who was also one of Origen's pupils.

CHAPTER XXX.

THE PUPILS OF ORIGEN.

WHILST Origen was attending to his accustomed duties at Cesarea, many frequented his school, not only of the residents of the place, but also innumerable others from abroad, who left their country in order to attend his lectures. Of these the most noted whom we know is Theodorus, known also by the name of Gregory, and so celebrated among the bishops of our day; also his brother Athenodorus. Origen, seeing them excessively wrapt in the prosecution of the studies of the Greeks and Romans, infused into them the love of philosophy, and induced them to exchange their former zeal for the study of divine things. But after being with him five years, they made such improvement in the study of divine oracles, that both, though very young, were honoured with the episcopate in the churches of Pontus.

ance.

CHAPTER XXXI.

OF AFRICANUS.

AT this time, also, flourished Africanus, who wrote the books with the title Cesti. There is an epistle of his extant, addressed to Origen, in which he intimates his doubts on the history of Susannah, in Daniel, as if it were a spurious and fictitious composition; to which Origen wrote a very full answer. Other works of the same Africanus that have reached us, are his five books. of Chronography, a most accurate and laboured performIn these, he says that he had gone to Alexandria, on account of the great celebrity of Heraclas; the same that we have already shown was advanced to the episcopate there, and who was, also, very eminent for his skill in philosophical studies, and the other sciences of the Greeks. Another epistle of the same Africanus is also extant, addressed to Aristides, on the supposed discrepancy between Matthew and Luke in the genealogy of Christ. In this he most clearly establishes the consistency of the two evangelists, from an account which had been handed down from his ancestors, which, in its proper place, we have already anticipated in the first book of the work we have in hand.

CHAPTER XXXII.

THE COMMENTARIES THAT ORIGEN WROTE IN PALESTINE.

ABOUT this time, also, Origen composed his Commentary on Isaiah, as also on Ezekiel. Of the former, the third part of Isaiah, as far as the vision of the beast in the desert, have come down to us, consisting of thirty sections.* On Ezekiel there are twenty-five sections, which are all that he wrote upon this prophet. When he came to Athens, he finished his Commentaries on

Tóμo. The word rouos, from which we get tome, properly signifies a section; and as the sections of a work were sometimes on different scrolls, hence they were called books, volumes, and ropo.

Ezekiel, and also commenced his Notes on the Song of Solomon, and advanced there as far as the fifth book. But on his return to Cesarea, he also brought these to a close, in number ten. Why should we, however, give a minute statement of the man's labours, a performance, in itself, that would require a separate and distinct work? And, indeed, this has already been done by us in our life of Pamphilus, that holy martyr of our day, in which, after exhibiting the great zeal of Pamphilus, we also subjoin the catalogues of the library collected by him, of the works written by Origen and other ecclesiastical writers; by which any one that wishes may most satisfactorily learn what works of Origen have come down to us.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

THE ERROR OF BERYLLUS.

BERYLLUS, who was mentioned a little before, as bishop of Bostra in Arabia, perverting the doctrine of the church, attempted to introduce certain opinions that are foreign to Christian faith, daring to assert that our Lord and Saviour did not exist in the proper sense of existence, before his dwelling among men; and that neither had he a proper divinity, but only that divinity which dwelt in him from the Father. As the bishops had many examinations and discussions on this point with the man, Origen, who was also invited together with the rest, at first entered into conversation with him, in order to ascertain what opinion the man held. But when he understood what he advanced, after correcting his error, by reasoning and demonstration, he convinced him, and thus recovered him to the truth in doctrine, and brought him back again to the former sound opinion. There are also works still extant, both of Beryllus and the synod that was held on his account, containing the questions put to him by Origen, and the discussions held in his church, together with all that was done there. Innumerable other facts are reported by our elder brethren, which I

have thought proper to pass by, as having no reference to the objects of the present work; but whatsoever it was necessary to select of matters concerning him, these may be collected from that defence of him which we and Pamphilus, that holy martyr of our times, have written, which work we performed jointly, in order to obviate the malevolence of some.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

OF PHILIP CESAR.

GORDIANUS had held the government of Rome six years, when he was succeeded by Philip, together with his son Philip. It is said that, as a Christian, on the day of the last vigil of the passover, he wished to share with the multitude in the prayers of the church, but was not permitted by the existing bishop to enter before he had confessed his sins, and placed himself among the order of penitents. For otherwise he would never be received by him, unless he first did this, on account of the many crimes which he had committed. The emperor is said to have obeyed cheerfully, and exhibited a genuine and religious disposition in regard to his fear of God.

CHAPTER XXXV.

DIONYSIUS SUCCEEDS HERACLAS IN THE EPISCOPATE.

In the third year of this reign also, Heraclas dying, after an episcopate of sixteen years, was succeeded by Dionysius in the supervision of the church of Alexandria.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

OTHER WORKS WRITTEN BY ORIGEN.

THEN also, as was to be expected, our religion spreading more and more, and our brethren beginning to converse more freely with all, Origen, who they say was now more than sixty years of age, and who, from long practice had acquired the greatest facility in discoursing,