Ezekiel there are twenty-five books, which are all that he wrote upon this prophet. But when he came to Athens, he, indeed, finished his Commentaries on Ezekiel, but 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 in troduce 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; 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 numbered himself with those who were referred to transgressors, and had space for repentance. 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 au 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, permitted his discourses to be taken down by ready writers, a thing which he had never allowed before. At this time, also, he composed in eight books a reply to that work written against us by Celsus the Epicurean, bearing the title, "The True Doctrine," and the twenty-five books on Matthew's gospel, those also on the twelve apostles, of which we have found only twenty-five. There is also an epistle of his extant, addressed to the emperor Philip, and another to his wife Severa; several others also to different persons. Of these as many as we have been able to collect, scattered in the hands of different individuals, we have reduced to certain distinct books, in number exceeding one hundred. But he also wrote to Fabianus bishop of Rome, and to many others of the bishops of churches respecting his orthodoxy; and of these you have the proofs in the sixth book of our Apology for the man.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

The dissension of the Arabians.

BUT about this time, also, other men sprung up in Arabia as the propagators of false opinions. These asserted, that the human soul, as long as the present state of the world existed, perished at death and died with the body, but that it would be raised again with the body at the time of the resurrection. And as a considerable council was held on account of this, Origen being again requested, likewise here discussed the point in ques

tion with so much force, that those who had been before led astray, completely changed their opinions.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

The heresy of the Helcesaites.

ANOTHER error also sprung up about this time, called the heresy of the Helcesaites, which, however, was almost stifled in its birth. But it is mentioned by Origen, in his public lecture on the eighty-second Psalm: "A certain one, says he, came recently with a great opinion of his abilities, to maintain that ungodly and wicked error of the Helcesaites, which has but lately appeared in the churches. The mischievous assertions of this heresy, I will give you, that you may not be carried away with it. It sets aside certain parts of the collective Scriptures, and it makes use of passages from the Old Testament, and from the gospels. It rejects the apostle altogether. It asserts, also, to deny (Christ) is indifferent, and that one who has made up his mind, in case of necessity will deny with his mouth, but not in his heart. They also produce a certain book, which they say fell from heaven and that whoever has heard and believed this, will receive remission of sins; a remission different from that given by Christ." And such is the account respecting these.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

The persecution of Decius.

PHILIP, after a reign of seven years, was succeeded by Decius, who, in consequence of his hatred to Philip, raised a persecution against the church, in which Fabianus suffered martyrdom, and was succeeded as bishop of Rome by Cornelius. -In Palestine, however, Alexander, bishop of Jerusalem, was again brought before the tribunal of the governor, at Cesarea, and after an eminent perseverance in his profession, though

crowned with the hoary locks of venerable age, he was cast into prison. After giving a splendid and illustrious testimony at the governor's tribunal, and expiring in prison, he was succeeded by Mazabanes as bishop of Jerusalem. But Babylas, like Alexander, dying in prison at Antioch, after his confession, the church there was governed by Fabius. But the number and greatness of Origen's sufferings there during the persecution, and the nature of his death, when the spirit of darkness drew up his forces, and waged a war with all his arts and power against the man, and assailed him particularly beyond all that were then assaulted by him; the nature and number of bonds which the man endured on account of the doctrine of Christ, and all his torments of body, the sufferings also which he endured under an iron collar, and in the deepest recesses of the prison, when for many days he was extended and stretched to the distance of four holes on the rack; besides the threats of fire, and whatsoever other sufferings inflicted by his enemies he nobly bore, and finally the issue of these sufferings, when the judge eagerly strove with all his might to protract his life (in order to prolong his sufferings,) and what expressions after these he left behind, replete with benefit to those needing consolation, all this the many epistles of the man detail with no less truth than accuracy.

CHAPTER XL.

What happened to Dionysius.

I SHALL now subjoin the occurrences that befel Dionysius, from his epistle to Germanus, where, speaking of himself, he gives the following account: "But I speak before God, and he knows that I lie not; it was never by my own counsel, nor without divine intimation, that I projected my flight. But before the persecution of Decius, Sabinus, at the very hour, sent Frumentarius to search for me. And I indeed, staid at home about four days, expecting the arrival of Frumentarius. But he went about examining all places, the roads, the rivers, the fields, where he suspected that