dorus, surnamed Gregory, and Athenodorus, both bishops, in divine philosophy.

A.D. 241. Florentius, bishop of Vienne, was illustrious for his life and learning, and he lived till the reign of Gallienus and Volusianus, and was banished and endured martyrdom.

A.D. 242. Fabian ruled the Roman Church. At whose promotion the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, descended on

his head.

A.D. 243. Gordian, who was still a boy, marching against Parthia in the east, was slain by the treachery of his friends, near Circea, on the Euphrates.

A.D. 244. Philip was elected emperor; he reigned seven years, and associated Philip, his son, with himself, as partner in the empire.

A.D. 245. The emperor Philip is made a Christian, being the first of all the emperors who was so. And he remained a Christian unto the end.

A.D. 246. Origen wrote eight volumes, disputing against a certain Celsum, an Epicurean philosopher, who had written books against us. And Hieronymus testifies that he had read

five thousand books of this writer.

A.D. 247. The year of the nativity of Christ was celebrated by the most Christian emperor Philip.

A.D. 248. The third year of Philip's reign, the thousandth year from the foundation of Rome was completed.

A.D. 249. Pope Fabian appointed that a new chrism should be made every year, and the old one burnt.

A.D. 250. Philip, both the father and the son, were both, although in different places, murdered in a military tumult by the treachery of Decius.

A.D. 251. Decius, the originator of the civil war, became emperor, and reigned a year and three months. He, out of hatred of Philip, whom he had succeeded, disseminated deadly edicts, for the persecution and slaughter of the Christians; and he was the seventh, since Nero, who had raged against the worshippers of Christ. At this time, also the blessed Fabian suffered at Rome. And at Ephesus the seven Holy Sleepers lay hid on Mount Cælius. Alexander the bishop suffered at Jerusalem, and Laurentius and Hippolytus at Rome.

A.D. 252. Gallus, having obtained the kingdom, with his son Volusianus, held it for thirty-one years and five months.

At

A.D. 255.

VALERIAN TAKEN PRISONER.

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which time a terrible pestilence raged throughout almost all the provinces of the Roman empire, beyond a question as divine vengeance for the injuries done to the name of Christ. At the same time, the presbyter Origen, whom we have spoken of above, died. His writings are found, in some passages, to be corrupted by heretical errors. For he asserted that all who had ended their lives in sins, even in the greatest, and the devil and all his angels, are to be purified after a long time, and restored to the kingdom of God; and that some again fall into torments, and again return to happiness. And he says that all rational creatures always have been, and always will be, going through these alternations of happiness and misery. He is related to have published a thousand tracts and more, and many books of commentaries; and he castrated himself for the sake of chastity, although he did not do it scientifically. And he acted in that, as the pilot of a ship would, who, seeing a tempest coming, for the sake of avoiding the storm, were in a passion to break his rudder, and bury the vessel in the waves. At the same time, Cyprian, the light of the doctors, flourished at Carthage .

In this year, also, Cornelius was elected bishop of the city of Rome, and held the chair two years and as many months, and ten days. He, being asked by a certain matron named Lucinia, for the bodies of Peter and Paul, took them out of the catacombs by night, and Lucinia placed the body of the blessed Paul in her farm in the road to Ostia, where he was beheaded. The corpse of the blessed Peter, pope Cornelius placed near the spot where he had been crucified. The same year, Gallus and Volusianus, while carrying on a civil war against Emilianus, who was plotting a revolution, were slain : and Æmilianus also died in the third month of his tyranny.

A.D. 253. Valerian succeeded to the empire with his son Gallienus, and reigned fifteen years. He was the first person who worshipped the saints to such a degree that his house was believed by the faithful to be the church of God.

A.D. 254. Lucius was elected bishop of the city of Rome, and held the chair three years, three months, and three days. A.D. 255. Valerian, immediately after having set on foot the eighth persecution against the Christians, was taken prisoner by Sapor, king of Persia, and deprived of his eyes, and kept in ignominious slavery among the Persians as long as he lived ; and he lived to a great age. Gallienus, terrified by so

clear a judgment of God, restored peace to the church by a lukewarm satisfaction.

A.D. 256. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, receives the crown of martyrdom. His life, and an account of his passion, have been written by Pontianus, his deacon, and left by him to the faithful, for their edification.

A.D. 257. Stephen was elected to the Roman chair, which he held four years, three months, and three days. He ordered the priests and Levites not to wear their sacred vestments in daily use, but only in the church.

A.D. 258. The Germans invaded all Italy in a hostile manner, and penetrated as far as Ravenna.

A.D. 259. Greece, Macedonia, Pontus, and Asia were destroyed by an inundation of the Goths.

A.D. 260. Sixtus was elected to the Roman chair, and held it for two years, eleven months, and six days, and then it was

vacant.

A.D. 261. Postumius, by means of great bloodshed for twenty-one days, seized the supreme power in Gaul, and he retained it ten years, displaying great virtue and moderation. He expelled the enemies who had previously got the mastery, but he was nevertheless slain in a sedition of the soldiers.

A.D. 262. Victorinus was created emperor by the Gauls, and, after a short time, was slain at Vienne.

A.D. 263. Dionysius was appointed pope, and occupied the Roman chair two years and two months.

A.D. 264. Gregory, bishop of Neo Cæsarea in Pontus, wishing to build a church, was hindered by some mountain. And as there was not room for building the church, he, by his prayers, removed the mountain, and founded the church.

A.D. 265. Felix was appointed to the Roman chair, and occupied it two years, ten months, and twenty-five days. About the same time, also, Lupicinus, bishop of the church at Vienne, flourished with great renown.

A.D. 266. Gallienus, the emperor, having deserted the republic, and given himself up to licentiousness at Milan, was slain. A.D. 267. Claudius assumed the supreme power with the good-will of the senate, and reigned two years.

A.D. 268. Eutychianus became pope of Rome, and continued so for eight years, ten months, and three days. And the see was vacant eight days.

A.D. 277.

ANATOLIUS, BISHOP OF LAODICEA.

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A.D. 269. Claudius attacked the Goths, who had now for fifteen years been devastating Illyricum and Macedonia, and routed them with incredible slaughter. And a golden shield in the senate house, and a golden equestrian statue in the Capitol were decreed him by the senate. But immediately after this, he fell sick and died at Smyrnium.

A.D. 270. Quintillus, the brother of Claudius, a man of singular moderation, having been elected emperor by the army, was slain on the seventeenth day of his reign.

The same year, Madion, a presbyter of the church at Antioch, argued against Paul of Samosata, the bishop of Antioch, who asserted the doctrine that Christ was a man of common nature; and only notaries were present at the argument.

A.D. 271. Aurelian obtained the empire, and held it four years and six months, a man eminent for military excellence. A.D. 272. Aurelian undertook an expedition in the Danube, and defeated the Goths in great battles.

A.D. 273. Aurelian surrounded the city of Rome with stronger walls, and rendered it impregnable. The same year, Paul, who has been mentioned above, is convicted of his heresy at Antioch, and condemned.

A.D. 274. After Aurelian had decided to adopt measures of persecution against the Christians, a thunderbolt fell at his feet, to the great alarm of the bystanders. And not long afterwards, he was killed on a journey.

A.D. 275. Tacitus became emperor. He reigned six months; and after he was slain in Pontus, Florian succeeded to the empire, and reigned eighty-eight days, and was slain at Tarsus.

The same year, Eutychianus, bishop of Rome, received the crown of martyrdom, and was buried in the cemetery of Calixtus; and he had buried three hundred and forty-two martyrs with his own hand.

A.D. 276. Caius was made bishop of the city of Rome, and remained so eleven years, four months. In which year, also, Probus obtained the empire, and reigned six years and four months.

A.D. 277. Anatolius, bishop of Laodicea, in Syria, flourished, and was greatly celebrated. The greatness of his genius may be plainly known from the book which he composed on the subject of Easter, and from the ten books of his arithmetical institution.

A.D. 278. The insane heresy of the Manicheans rose up; the author of which was Manes. These men teach that there are two principles, one of good and the other of evil, one of light and the other of darkness; they affirm that souls flow from God as from a kind of spring; they reject the Old Testament, and receive the New in part. About the same time, Simplides, bishop of Vienne, a man of wonderful sanctity, flourished.

A.D. 279. Probus, the emperor, completely delivered France from the barbarians by whom it had been long occupied, having at last defeated the enemy, in many terrible battles.

A.D. 280. Probus carried on two wars, one in the east, in which he defeated and took prisoner the tyrant Saturninus, the other in which he defeated Proculus and Bonosus in great battles at Agrippina, and slew them. Archelaus, bishop of Mesopotamia, composed an account of the argument which he held against Manichæus of Persia, which was published in the Syrian language, but has been translated, and is in the hands of many of the Greeks.

A.D. 281. The emperor Probus was slain at Sirmium in a military tumult. The second year of his reign was, according to the Hebrews, the beginning of the eighty-sixth jubilee, in which are contained four thousand two hundred and fifty years. A.D. 282. Carus became emperor, and reigned two years with his sons Carinus and Numerianus.

A.D. 283. Phierius, presbyter of Alexandria, under Theonas, the bishop, taught the people, and composed different books of tracts. He was also master of so elegant a style, that he was called the younger Origen.

A.D. 284. Carus being occupied with the Persian war, after he had taken two most noble cities, Colon and Ctesiphon, and had triumphed over the Persians, was struck by lightning in his camp on the Tigris, and died.

CH. V.-A.D. 285 TO 340.

Diocletian's reign-Carausius in Britain-Constantius-Galerius Maximian-The empress Helena-The persecution of Diocletian Amphibalus-Saint Albanus-Diocletian and Maximian abdicate the throne-Constantine is made emperor in Britain-Comes to Rome -Octavius Silvester-The Arrian heresy-Death of Constantine.

A.D. 285. Diocletian obtained the empire of Rome, and held