The auncient ecclesiasticall histories of the first six hundred yeares after Christ, wrytten in the Greeke tongue by three learned historiographers, Eusebius, Socrates, and Euagrius. Eusebius Pamphilus Bishop of Cæsarea in Palæstina vvrote 10 bookes. Socrates Scholasticus of Constantinople vvrote 7 bookes. Euagrius Scholasticus of Antioch vvrote 6 bookes. VVhereunto is annexed Dorotheus Bishop of Tyrus, of the liues of the prophetes, apostles and 70 disciples. All which authors are faithfully translated out of the Greeke tongue by Meredith Hanmer, Maister of Arte and student in diuinitie. Last of all herein is contayned a profitable chronographie collected by the sayd translator, the title whereof is to be seene in the ende of this volume, with a copious index of the principall matters throughout all the histories

CAP. XX.* 1.1

Of the famous writers in Origens tyme and how the Emperours mother sent for him.

THere florished at that tyme many other learned and profounde ecclesiasticall persons, whose epistles writing from one to an other are at this daye to be seene and found reserued in the librarie buylded at Jerusalem by Alexander, who was bishope there at that tyme. from whence we haue compiled together the substance of this our present historie. of this number* 1.2 Beryllus (besides his epistles and commentaries••) hath lefte vnto the posteritie sundrye monu∣mentes of his sounde fayth, for he was bishope of Bostra in Arabia. Likewise Hippolytus bishope of an other place. There came also into our handes the disputation of Gaius a notable learned* 1.3 man had at Rome in the tyme of Zephyrinus agaynste Proclus a patrone of the Phrygian heres••e▪ in the which (to the confutation of the temeritie and bolde enterprise of the contrarye parte in al∣leaginge of newe founde scriptures) he maketh mention of therteene epistles of Sainct Paul, not* 1.4 naming the epistle vnto the Hebrevves in the number. For neither as yet of diuerse Romaines is that epistle thoughte to be Pauls.* 1.5 When Antoninus had bene Emperour seuen yeares and sixe moneths Macrinus succeeded him in the empire. And after that this Macrinus had departed this lyfe, in the firste yeare of his raygne, an other Antoninus tooke the imperiall scepter to rule ouer the Romaines, in the first yeare of whose coronation Zephyrinus bishop of Rome dyed: whē he had gouerned the ecclesiasticall seae the space of eyghteene yeares, whome Cal••stus succeeded. who continewing the space of fyue yeares lefte the churche to Vrbanus. Agayne after that Antoninus had bene Emperour foure yeares full, he dyed, in whose rowme Alexander immediately folow∣ed: at what tyme Philetus succeeded Asclepiades in the churche of Antioche. Then Mam•••• the Emperours mother, a woman (if there was then any suche in the worlde) very godly and religi∣ous (when the fame of Origen was spredde farre and nyghe enen vnto hir eares) thought hir selfe a happie woman if she myght see him, and ••eare his wisedome in holye scripture whiche all men wondered at, Wherefore remayning at Antioche she sent of hir garde for him, who also came, and after that he had continewed there a while and published many thinges to the glorie of God and of the power of his doctrine he returned againe vnto his accustomed schoole.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cap. 21. in the greeke
• * 1.2

  Beryllus. Hippolytus.
• * 1.3

  Gai{us} agaynst Proclus.
• * 1.4

  14. epistles of Paul.
• * 1.5

  an. do. 220: Macrin{us} suc∣ceedeth An∣toninus in the empire. Antoninus. 2 emperour: an. dom. 221. Calistu••. B. of Rome. Vrbanus. B. of Rome. Alexander Emperour an. dom. 224. Philetus. b. of Antioche.