The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.

CHAP. XXIII. Concerning Origen's Studiousness, and how he was honour'd with the dignity of Priesthood.

a 1.1 ABout this time was the beginning of Ori∣gen's writing Commentaries upon the holy Scriptures: Ambrosius chiefly inciting him to it by innumerable instigations, not with supplications and bare words onely, but also with most plenti∣full supplies of all things necessary: For there were alwaies by him when he dictated, more in number then seven Notaries, which at set times chang'd courses with one another. Neither was there a less number of them which wrote books fair, together with Girls who had been instructed to write nearly and handsomely. To all these Ambrosius libe∣rally afforded a sufficient supply of all things ne∣cessary. And indeed he conveigh'd into Origen an unspeakable alacrity, in his study and labour about the divine Oracles. By which means chiefly he induced him to write Commentaries: whilest these things were in this posture, Pon••ianus succeeds Urbanus who had been Bishop of Rome eight years: And Zebinus [succeeds] Phi∣letus in the Bishoprick of Antioch. At which time, (the necessitie of the b 1.2 Churches Affaires constraining him) Origen made a journey through Palestine into Greece; And received the Order of Priesthood at Caesarea, by the imposition of the hands of the Bishops there. But what combustions were hereupon rais'd concerning him, and what c 1.3 Decrees were made by the Prelates of the Churches upon these commotions: And what ever else he, continuing to be of great esteem con∣tributed to the Preaching of the divine Word: [these things] requiring a distinct Volume, we have in some measure declared in the second book of our Apologie, which we wrote in defence of him.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Here the Maz. M. S. and that most excel∣lent Copie of Rufinus which we have often quoted, begin this chap. 23. But Rufinus's book instead of chap. 23. calls it the 20. Hieranymus takes these words [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] in a bad sence, as if Origen had set himself to write in emulation of Hippolytus; and referrs 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to Hippolytus▪ which is not so, for we must understand 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which thing is common, and so the sence is plain, to wit, from this time. Vales.
• b 1.2

  Rufinus's Version may here well serve instead of a Com∣ment upon this place, who has rendred it thus, he was intrea∣ted by the Churches of Achaia to come thi∣ther to con∣vince Here∣ticks, who grew strong in those parts. So also says Hieronymus in his Ca∣talogue. Vales.
• c 1.3

  Eusebius ought here to have recited the decrees of the Bishops against Origen, as being matter most accommodate to an Ecclesiastick History; and might better have omitted other things concerning him, and have inserted these, as most pertinent: but we ought not to blame Eusebius for this omission here, because it had been super∣fluous, having before declared them in his second book De Defen∣sione Origenis: which books some men, through their immoderate hatred to Origen, envied us the use of. There is nothing of Eusebius, and Pamphilus the Martyrs Apologia Origenis extant, except some fragments which Photius preserv'd as it were from shipwrack. He, in his Biblioth, chap. 118. says that there were two Synods summon'd against Origen; the first decreed that Origen should be banisht out of the Church of Alexandria, but did not divest him of his Priest∣hood: the second, which was assembled by Demetrius, consisting of Aegyptian Bishops, degraded Origen from the Office of a Priest, to which Decree almost all the Bishops of the world subscrib'd, as Hie∣ronymus says, whose words Rufinus relates in a Apolog. Hironymus also adds that he was not onely depos'd but also excommunicated by Demetrius. But this Decree of Demetrius's was ineffectual, for two reasons, first, because he issu'd it out against him, in his absence, with∣out any legal citation; and secondly, because this sentence was not confirm'd by the Authority of many Bishops, particularly not by the Bishop of Rome. Wherefore Origen still retain'd his Priests-Office, and continued Preaching in the Church, as Eusebius witnesses in this book, and Pamphilus in his first book Apologiae Originis. Vales.