Eusebius Book 5, Section 13

5.13.1

XIII. Ἐν τούτῳ καὶ Ῥόδων, γένος τῶν ἀπὸ (??) Ἀσίας, μαθητευθεὶς ἐπὶ Ῥώμης, ὡς αὐτὸς ἱστορεῖ, Τατιανῷ, ὃν ἐκ τῶν πρόσθεν ἔγνωμεν, διάφορα συντάξας βιβλία, μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν καὶ πρὸς τὴν Μαρκίωνος παρατέτακται αἵρεσιν· ἢν καὶ εἰς διαφόρους γνώμας κατ’ αὐτὸν διαστᾶσαν ἱστορεῖ, τοὺς τὴν διάστασιν ἐμπεποιηκότας ἀναγράφων ἐπ’ ἀκριβές τε τὰς παρ’ ἑκάστῳ τούτων ἐπινενοημένας διελέγχων ψευδολογίας. ἄκουε δ’ οὗν καὶ αὐτοῦ ταῦτα γράφοντος· “ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ παρ’ ἑαυτοῖς ἀσύμφωνοι γεγόνασιν, ἀσυστάτου γνώμης ἀντιποιούμενοι. ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς τούτων ἀγέλης Ἀπελλῆς μέν, ὁ τὴν πολιτείαν αεμνυνόμενος καὶ τὸ γῆρας, μίαν ἀρχὴν ὁμολογεῖ, τὰς δὲ προφητείας ἐξ ἀντικειμένου λέγει πνεύματος, πειθόμενος ἀποφθέγμασι παρθένου δαιμονώσης, ὄνομα Φιλουμένης · ἕτεροι δέ, καθὼς καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ναύτης [Μαρκίων], δύο ἀρχὰς εἰσηγοῦνται· ἀφ’ ὧν εἰσιν Ποτῖτός τε καὶ Βασιλικός . καὶ οὗτοι μὲν κατακολουθήσαντες τῷ Ποντικῷ λύκῳ καὶ μὴ εὑρίσκοντες τὴν διαίρεσιν τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς οὐδ’ ἐκεῖνος, ἐπὶ τὴν εὐχέρειαν ἐτράποντο καὶ δύο ἀρχὰς ἀπεφήναντο φιλῶς καὶ ἀναποδείκτως· ἄλλοι δὲ πάλιν ἀπ’ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἐξοκείλαντες, οὐ μόνον δύο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τρεῖς ὑποτίθενται φύσεις· ὧν ἐστιν ἀρχηγὸς καὶ προστάτης καθὼς οἱ τὸ διδασκαλεῖον αὐτοῦ προβαλλόμενοι λέγουαιν.”

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XIII. At this time too Rhodon, of Asiatic race, was, as he narrates himself, the pupil at Rome of Tatian, whom we have mentioned above, and composed various books, among others especially one directed against the heresy of Marcion. He says that it was divided in his time into various opinions, and, describing accurately those who had caused the divergence, he refutes the false teaching devised by each of them. Listen then to him when he writes thus: “Therefore they have ceased to agree among themselves, maintaining inconsistent opinions. One of their herd is Apelles, who is reverenced for his life and old age. He admits that there is one Principle, but says that the prophecies are of an opposing spirit, and he was persuaded by the utterances of a possessed maiden named Philumene. But others, such as the captain himself [Marcion], introduced two Principles. To them belong Potitus and Basilicus. These followed the wolf of Pontus, not perceiving the division of things, any more than he, and turning to a simple solution, announced two principles, baldly and without proof. Others again, passing into worse error, supposed that there are not only two but even three Natures, of whom the chief and leader is, as those state who represent his school.”

5.13.2

Γράφει δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς ὡς καὶ εἰς λόγους ἐληλύθει τῷ Ἀπελλῇ, φάσκων οὕτως · “ ὁ γὰρ γέρων Ἀπελλῆς αυμμίξας ἡμῖν, πολλὰ μὲν κακῶς λέγων ἠλέγχθη· ὅθεν καὶ ἔφασκεν μὴ δεῖν ὅλως ἐξετάζειν τὸν λόγον, ἀλλ’ ἕκαστον, ὡς πεπίστευκεν, δια- μένειν· σωθήσεσθαι γὰρ τοὺς ἐπὶ τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον ἠλπικότας ἀπεφαίνετο, μόνον ἐὰν ἐν ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς εὐρίσκωνται· τὸ δὲ πάντων ἀσαφέστατον ἐδογματίζετο αὐτῷ πρᾶγμα, καθὼς προειρήκαμεν, τὸ περὶ θεοῦ. ἔλεγεν μὲν γὰρ μίαν ἀρχὴν καθὼς καὶ ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος.’’ εἶτα προθεὶς αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν τὴν δόξαν, ἐπιφέρει φάσκων· “ λέγοντος δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν ἴ’ πόθεν ἡ ἀπόδειξις αὕτη ἀοῖ, ἢ πῶς δύνασαι λέγειν μίαν ἀρχήν; φράσον ἡμῖν ’ ἔφη τὰς μὲν προφητείας ἑαυτὰς ἐλέγχειν διὰ τὸ μηδὲν ὅλως ἀληθὲς εἰρηκέναι· ἀσύμφωνοι γὰρ ὑπάρχουσι καὶ ψευδεῖς καὶ ἑαυταῖς ἀντικείμεναι. τὸ δὲ πῶς ἐστιν μία ἀρχή, μὴ γινώσκειν ἔλεγεν, οὕτως δὲ κινεῖσθαι μόνον. εἶτ’ ἐπομοσαμένου μου τἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, ὤμνυεν ἀληθεύων λέγειν μὴ ἐπίστασθαι πῶς εἷς ἐστιν ἀγένητος θεός, τοῦτο δὲ πιστεύειν. ἐγὼ δὲ γελάσας κατέγνων αὐτοῦ, διότι διδάσκαλος εἶναι λέγων, οὐκ ᾔδει τὸ διδασκόμενον ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ κρατύνειν.’’

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The same writer (Rhodo) says that he conversed with Apelles, and states it thus: “For the old man Apelles, when he consorted with us, was proved to make many false statements. Hence also he used to say that it is not necessary to investigate the argument fully, but that each should remain in his own belief, for he asserted that those who placed their hope on the Crucified would be saved, if they persisted in good works. But, as we have said before, the most obscure part of all the doctrines which he put forward was about God. For he kept on saying that there is only one Principle, just as our doctrine.” Then after expounding all his opinions he goes on as follows: “And when I said to him, Where is this proof of yours, or how can you say that there is one Principle? Tell us,” he said, “that the prophecies refute themselves by not having spoken the truth at all, for they are inconsistent and false and contradict themselves. But as to how there is one Principle, he said that he did not know it, but merely inclined to that view. Then, when I adjured him to speak the truth, he swore that he was speaking the truth when he said that he did not know how the unbegotten God is one, but that he believed it. But I laughed at him and condemned him, because, though he called himself a teacher, he did not know how to establish what he taught.”

5.13.3

Ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ δὲ συγγράμματι Καλλιστίωνι προσφωνῶν ὁ αὐτὸς μεμαθητεῦσθαι ἐπὶ Ῥώμης Τατιανῷ ἑαυτὸν ὁμολογεῖ· φησὶν δὲ καὶ ἐσπουδάσθαι τῷ Τατιανῷ ἐπικεκρυμμένον βιβλίον· δι’ ὧν τὸ ἀσαφὲς καὶ ἐπικεκρυμμένον τῶν θείων γραφῶν παραστήσειν ὑποσχομένου τοῦ Τατιανοῦ, αὐτὸς ὁ Ῥόδων ἐν ἰδίῳ συγγράμματι τὰς τῶν ἐκείνου προβλημάτων ἐπιλύσεις ἐκθήσεσθαι ἐπαγγέλλεται. φέρεται δὲ τοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς τὴν ἑξαήμερον ὑπόμνημα. ὅ γέ τοι Ἀπελλῆς οὗτος μυρία κατὰ τοῦ Μωυσέως ἠσέβησεν νόμου, διὰ πλειόνων συγγραμμάτων τοὺς θείους βλασφημήσας λόγους εἰς ἔλεγχόν τε, ὥς γε δὴ ἐδόκει, καὶ ἀνατροπὴν αὐτῶν οὐ μικρὰν πεποιημένος σπουδήν. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τούτων·

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In the same work, speaking to Kallistio, the same writer states that he had been himself a disciple of Tatian at Rome, and he says that Tatian had prepared a book on Problems, in which he undertook to set out what was unclear and hidden in the divine Scriptures, and Rhodo himself in his own work announces that he will set out the answers to Tatian's Problems. There is also extant a treatise of Rhodo on the Hexaemeron. Apelles, however, uttered countless impieties against the law of Moses, and in many treatises blasphemed the divine words with no little zeal, as it seemed, for their refutation and overthrow, as he at least thought. So much then concerning these.