A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

116 PAPIAS. PAPIAS.
Brutulus is mentioned, who endeavoured to per- books; but his declaration must be understood as
suade his countrymen to renew the struggle against referring to other books than the Scriptures, and
the Romans, in B. c..322 [BRUTULUS], and in the even then, must not be too strictly interpreted, for,
great Social War, B. c. 90, Papius Mutilus was the according to Eusebius, he was not only well versed
leader of the Samnites against Rome [MuTILus]. in the Scriptures, but was a man of great general
Some of the Papii probably settled at Rome soon information (ra' 7ra'rTa o'iL uadAhUa ho'ylw'raTos).
after this event, and one of them finally obtained Eusebius, indeed, has elsewhere spoken slightingly
the consulship in A. D. 9. The Roman Papii were of his intellects, saying (c. 39) that he appears
divided into two families, the Celsi and iJutili: to have been "of small understanding," O-IKPOqs
the former are given under CELSUS, the latter are wv rev rove. We have observed that Papias may
spoken of under PAPIUS. have been still living when Irenaeus w-rrote his book
PA'PIAS, one of the principal officers of Sex. A dversus Haereses; but the Paschal or Alexandrian
Pompey, was one of the commanders of his fleet in Chronicle states that Papias suffered martyrdom at
the battle with Agrippa, off Mylae, B. c. 36. Pergamus, with several other persons, in the same
(Appian, B. C. v. 104, 106, &c.) He appears to year (A. D. 163) in which Polycarp suffered at
be the same person as the commander called De- Smyrna (Chron. Paschale, vol. i. p. 258, ed. Paris,
mochares by Dion Cassius (xlix. 2, 3) and Sueto- p. 206, ed. Venice, p. 481, ed. Bonn). He is
nius (Aug. 16). called Martyr by Stephanus Gobarus the Tritheist
PA'PIAS (rIairias), an early Christian writer. (Phot. Bibl. Cod. 232). That he was bishop of
He is described by Irenaeus (adv. Haeres. v. 33), the Church at Pergamus, and that he is rebuked
whom Jerome calls a disciple of Papias, in a pas- in the epistle to that Church in the Apocalypse
sage of which Eusebius (H. E. iii. 39) has preserved (c. ii.), is a mere conjecture, founded apparently
the original Greek, as "a hearer of John and a on Papias' belief in the Millennium, and on the
companion of Polycarp" [POLYCARPUvS]. Irenaeus place of his martyrdom. Halloix (Illustrium Or'ienalso speaks of him as "an ancient man" (dpXai'os tal. Eccles. Scriptor. Vitae, S. Papias, c. 3) has
dvep), an expression which; though ambiguous, cited, as referring to Papias of Hierapolis, a passage
may be understood as implying that he was still in certain Acta B. Onesimi, which states that he
living when Irenaeus wrote. It has been disputed was taken to Rome, imprisoned and tortured for
whether the John referred to in the statement of some time, and then released. But there is reason
Irenaeus was the Apostle John, or John the Elder, to believe that the Acta, if indeed they have any
an eminent Christian of the Church at Ephesus, to foundation in truth (comp. Tillemont, M11m. vol.
whom some have ascribed the book of Revelation ii. p. 298), refer to another Papias of much later
(Euseb. 1. c.). Jerome repeatedly describes Papias date (Henschenius, in Acta Sanctorum, Februarii,
as a hearer of the Evangelist John; probably fol- vol. iii. p. 287). He is called Saint by Jerome,
lowing Irenaeus, whom he apparently understood and is commemorated by the Romish Church on
as speaking of the Apostle. Eusebius also ap- the twenty-second of February. The ancient
pears to have understood Irenaeus to speak of the Martyrologies, however, in many cases, assign him
Apostle John, but he proceeds immediately to cite to other days.
a passage from Papias himself, which indicates that Papias was a millenarian. " He says (we quote
he was never personally acquainted with John the words of Eusebius, I. E. iii. 39) that there
or with any of the Apostles. But it may be will be for a thousand years after the resurrection
observed that the words of Papias equally exclude of the dead, a bodily reign of Christ on this earth. "
the supposition of his having been personally ac,- According to Stephanus Gobarus (apud Phot. 1. c.)
quainted with John the Elder; though Eusebius, he held that there would be the enjoyment of
either not properly considering them, or refer- sensible food in the Kingdom of Heaven, i. e. apring to some other passage of his works now parently during Christ's millennial reign. The millost, says that he called himself a hearer of the lenarians were sometimes called, from Papias, Paelder John, as well as of Aristion, whom Papias pianists, Ila7rLavraoral.
mentions in conjunction with him. Eusebius Papias wrote a work in five books, entitled Aostates also that Papias embodied in his writings y[wov icupiaice?rSy7eosv &ghCAa', Explanationunz
many particulars related by Aristion and John the Sermonum Domini Libri V. The work is lost,
Elder (aurTt irapao'aess), but it does not follow except a few fragments which have been preserved
that he received them directly from their lips. by Irenaeus, Eusebius, Maximus Confessor, and
(Euseb. I. e.) That Papias was a companion other writers, down to Theophylact and Oecuof Polycarp, his contemporary and the bishop menius. The fragments are valuable for the early
of a church in the same province, Proconsular traditions which theycontain respecting the writings
Asia, is likely enough; and we think it pro- of the New Testament, and which, in great degree,
bable that the statement of Irenaeus (which with were derived from John the Elder. According
Eusebius and Jerome we understand of John the to these traditions the Gospel of Matthew was
Apostle) was only a hasty and (as Papias' own written in Hebrew, and each one interpreted
words show) an erroneous inference that, as Poly- ('pU7tevoe) it as he was able; an obscure declaracarp had been a hearer of the Apostle, therefore tion which has caused much perplexity. The
his companion Papias must have been one too. evangelist Mark is described as the interpreter
Papias was bishop of Hierapolis, on the border of (E~piU7eUvrs) of Peter, and as writing from his dicPhrygia (Euseb. H. E. iii. 36, 39), where he was ac- tation. Papias also cited or mentioned the first
quainted with the daughters of the Apostle Philip, Epistle of Peter and the first of John; and refers
whohadfixed hisresidencethere,but musthave died, to the history of the woman taken in adultery conas the passage referred to above as cited by Eusebius tained in the Gospel of John, ch. viii. vs. 2, &c.
shows, before Papias' time. Papias speaks of himself Several fragments of Papias were published by
as devoted more to inquiries about the traditions Halloix (Illustr. Orient. Eccles. Scriptor. Vitae)
respecting the Apostles and their teachings, than to Grabe (Spicilegium SS. PP. vol. i.), and MUliter