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

ORIGENES. ORIGENES. 49
died about this time. Tillemont places his death empress Severa his wife, and others to Fabianus,
in the same year as Origen's expulsion, viz. A. D. bishop of Rome, and other leading ecclesiastics, to
231, correcting in a note the errors of Eusebius, in correct their misconceptions respecting himself.
his C/lronicon, as to the dates of these events. He made also a third journey into Arabia, where
Heraclas succeeded Demetrius; but though he had he convinced some persons of their error in bebeen the friend, pupil, and colleague of Origen, the lieving that the soul died with the body and was
change produced no benefit to the latter: the raised again with it; and repressed the rising
Egyptian clergy were too deeply committed to the heresy of the Elcesaitae, who asserted, among other
course into which Demetrius had led them, to allow things, that to deny the faith in a time of persecuthem to retract, and Origen remained in exile till tion was an act morally indifferent, and supported
his death. About this time he met with Gregory their heresy by a book which they affirmed to have
Thaumaturgus, afterwards bishop of Neocaesareia fallen from heaven. (Euseb. vi. 36, 37, 38.)
[GrREGORIUS THAUMATbURGUS], and his brother But the life of this laborious and self-denying
Athenodorus, who were then youths pursuing their Christian was drawing near its close. With the
studies. They both became his pupils, and the reign of Decius (A. D. 249-251) came a renewal
former of them his panegyrist. (Greg. Thaumat. of persecution [DECIus], and the storm fell fiercely
Panegyrica Oratio in Oriyen. ~ 5.) Maxilnin, who upon Origen. His friend Alexander of Jerusalem
had murdered the emperor Alexander Severus died a martyr: and he was himself imprisoned and
(A. D. 235) and succeeded to the throne, now com- tortured, though his persecutors carefully avoided
menced a persecution of the churchin which Origen's such extremities as would have released him by
friend Ambrose, who had also settled-at Caesareia, death. His tortures, which he himself exactly
where he had become a deacon, and Protoctetus, described in his letters, are related somewhat
a presbyter of the same church, were involved. vaguely by Eusebius. (Euseb. H. E. vi. 39.) HowOrigen, to encourage them to brave dearth for the ever, he survived the persecution, which ceased
truth, composed his treatise MIepl MapTrvpov, De upon, if not before, the death of Decius (A. D. 251).
llartyrio. They escaped, however, with life. He received during, or after, the persecution a
Origen himself is thought to have been at this time letter on martyrdom from Dionysius, who had now
at Caesareia in Cappadocia, where Firmilianus the succeeded Heraclas in the see of Alexandria.
bishop was his friend: for he appears to have been [DIONYSITJ, No. 2.] Whatever prospect this
concealed two years, during some persecution, in letter might open of reconciliation with the Alexthe house of a wealthy lady of the Cappadocian andrian Church was of little moment now. Origen
Caesareia, named Juliana (Pallad. Histor..Lausiae. was worn out with years, labours, and sufferings.
c. 147; comp. Tillemont, Mem. vol. iii. p. 542, He had lost by death his great friend and supand Huet, Origenian. lib. i. c. iii. ~ 2), from whom porter Ambrosius, who had not bequeathed any
he received several works of Symmachus, the legacy to sustain him during what might remain
Greek translator of the Old Testament. (Pallad. of life. But poverty had been through life the
i.c.; Euseb. HI. E. vi. 17.) If his journey into state which Origen had voluntarily chosen, and it
Cappadocia be placed in the reign of Maximin, he mattered but little to him that he was left destiprobably returned about the time of Maximin's tute for the brief remainder of his pilgrimage.
death (A. D. 238) to Caesareia in Palestine, and After the persecution, according to Epiphanius, he
there continued, preaching daily and steadily pur- left Caesareia for Jerusalem, and afterwards went
suing his biblical studies, composing his commen- to Tyre. He died in A. D. 253, or, at the latest,
taries on the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel and on early in 254, in his sixty-ninth year, at Tyre, in
the Canticles (Euseb. H. E. vi. 32), and labouring which city he was buried. (Hieron. De Viris
also at his Hexapla. These labours were hardly in- Illustr. c. 54.) His sufferings in the Decian perterrupted by a journey into Greece; for he continued secution appear to have hastened his end, and gave
his works when on his travels, and finished his com- rise to the statement, supported by the respectable
mentary on Ezekiel and commenced that on the authority of the martyr Pamphilus and others of
Canticles at Athens. (Euseb. ibid.) The date of the generation succeeding Origen's own time, that
this second journey into Greece is doubtful. he had died a martyr in Caesareia during the
According to Suidas (s. v.'Rptyrvis') the com- persecution. This statement, as Photius observes,
mentary on Ezekiel was composed when Origen was could be received only by denying the genuineness
in his sixtieth year, i e. in A. D. 245, and Eusebius of the letters purporting to have been written by
(H. E. vi. 32) says it was finished at Athens; Origen after the persecution had ceased. (Phot.
but Tillemont infers from the order of events in Bibl. Cod. 118.) It is remarkable that Eusebius
the narrative of Eusebius that the journey took does not distinctly record his death.
place before the death of the emperor Gordian III. There are few of the early fathers of whom we
(A. D. 244). If Tillemont's inference is sound, we have such full information as of Origen, and there
must reject the statement of Suidas; and we must are none whose characters are more worthy of our
also place before the death of Gordian, the visit esteem. His firmness in time of persecution; his
which Origen made to Bostra in Arabia (Euseb. unwearied assiduity both in his office of catechist
H. E. vi. 33), and his restoration to the then and his studies as a biblical scholar and theoloorthodox belief of Beryllus, bishop of Bostra, who gian; his meekness under the injurious usage he
had propagated some notions respecting our Lord's received from Demetrius and other members of
pre-existent nature, which were deemed heretical. the Alexandrian church; the steadfastness of his
[BERYLLUS.] During the reign of Philippus the friendship with Ambrose, Alexander of JerusaArabian (A. D. 244-249), Origen wrote his reply lem, and others; and his general piety and selfto the Epicurean Celsus, and his commentaries on denial, entitle him to our highest respect. His
the twelve minor prophets, and on the Gospel of bitterest enemies respected his character, and have
Matthew; also a number of letters, among which borne honourable testimony to his worth. The
were one to the emperor Philippus, one- to the chief ancient authorities for his life have been cited
VOL, IiL.