Eusebius Book 6, Section 3

6.3.1

ΙIΙ. Σχολάζοντι δὲ τῇ διατριβῇ, ὥς που καὶ αὐτὸς ἐγγράφως ἱστορεῖ, μηδενός τε ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας τῷ κατηχεῖν ἀνακειμένου, πάντων δ’ ἀπεληλαμένων ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπειλῆς τοῦ διωγμοῦ, προσῄεσαν αὐτῷ τινες ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ· ὧν πρῶτον ἐπισημαίνεται γεγονέναι Πλούταρχον, ὃς μετὰ τὸ βιῶναι καλῶς καὶ μαρτυρίῳ θείῳ κατεκοσμήθη, δεύτερον Ἡρακλᾶν, τοῦ Πλουτάρχου ἀδελφόν, ὃς δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς παρ’ αὐτῷ πλείστην βίου φιλοσόφου καὶ ἀσκήσεως ἀπόδειξιν παρασχών, τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων μετὰ Δημήτριον ἐπισκοπῆς ἀξιοῦται. ἔτος δ’ ἦγεν ὀκτωκαιδέκατον καθ’ δ’ τοῦ τῆς κατηχήσεως προέστη διδασκαλείου· ἐν ᾧ καὶ προκόπτει ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ Ἀκύλαν τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἡγούμενον διωγμῶν, ὅτε καὶ μάλιστα διαβόητον ἐκτήσατο παρὰ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως ὁρμωμένοις ὄνομα δι’ ἢν ἐνεδείκνυτο πρὸς ἅπαντας τοὺς ἁγίους ἀγνῶτάς τε καὶ γνωρίμους μάρτυρας δεξίωσίν τε καὶ προθυμίαν. οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἐν δεσμοῖς τυγχάνουσιν, οὐδὲ μέχρις ὑστάτης ἀποφάσεως ἀνακρινομένοις αὐνὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ ταύτην ἀπαγομένοις τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ τοῖς ἁγίοις μάρτυσιν, πολλῇ τῇ παρρησίᾳ χρώμενος καὶ ὁμόσε τοῖς κινδύνοις χωρῶν· ὥστε ἤδη αὐτὸν προσιόντα θαρσαλέως καὶ τοὺς μάρτυρας μετὰ πολλῆς παρρησίας φιλήματι προσαγορεύοντα πολλάκις ἐπιμανεὶς ὁ ἐν κύκλῳ τῶν ἐθνῶν δῆμος μικροῦ δεῖν κατέλευσεν, εἰ μὴ τῆς θείας δεξιᾶς βοηθοῦ καθάπαξ τυγχάνων παραδόξως διεδίδρασκεν, ἡ δ’ αὐτὴ θεία καὶ οὐράνιος χάρις ἄλλοτε πάλιν καὶ πάλιν καὶ οὐδ’ ἔατιν ὁσάκις εἰπεῖν, τῆς ἄγαν περὶ τὸν Χριστοῦ λόγον προθυμίας τε καὶ παρρησίας ἕνεκεν τηνικαῦτα ἐπιβουλευόμενον αὐτὸν διεφύλαττεν. τοσοῦτος δ’ ἦν ἄρα τῶν ἀπίστων ὁ πρὸς αὐτὸν πόλεμος, ὡς καὶ συατροφὰς ποιησαμένους, στρατιώτας αὐτῷ περὶ τὸν οἶκον, ἔνθα κατέμενεν, ἐπιστῆσαι διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν τὰ τῆς ἱερᾶς πίστεως κατηχουμένων παρ’ αὐτῷ. οὕτω δὲ ὁσημέραι ὁ κατ’ αὐτοῦ διωγμὸς ἐξεκάετο, ὡς μηκέτι χωρεῖν αὐτὸν τὴν πᾶσαν πόλιν, οἴκους μὲν ἐξ οἴκων ἀμείβοντα, πανταχόθεν δὲ ἐλαυνόμενον, τῆς πληθύος ἕνεκεν τῶν δι’ αὐτοῦ τῇ θείᾳ προσιόντων διδασκαλίᾳ· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ κατὰ πρᾶξιν ἔργα αὐτῷ γνηστωτάτης φιλοσοφίας κατορθώματα εὗ μάλα θαυμαστὰ περιεῖχεν (“οἷον γοῦν τὸν λόγον, τοιόνοδε,” φασίν, “τὸν τρόπον’’ καὶ “οἷον τὸν τρόπον, τοιόνδε τὸν λόγον” ἐπεδείκνυτο), δι’ ἃ δὴ μάλιστα, συναιρομένης αὐτῷ δυνάμεως θείας, μυρίους ἐνῆγεν ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτοῦ ζῆλον.

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III. And while he was devoting himself to teaching, as he himself informs us somewhere in writing, since there was no one at Alexandria set apart for catechetical instruction (for all had been driven away by the threat of the persecution), some of the heathen approached him to hear the word of God. Of these Plutarch is pointed out as being the first, who after a noble life was adorned also with a divine martyrdom; and the second, Heraclas, Plutarch's brother. He also, in his own person, afforded a noteworthy example of a philosophic life and of discipline, and was deemed worthy of the bishopric of Alexandria in succession to Demetrius. Origen was in his eighteenth year when he came to preside over the catechetical school, and at this time also he came into prominence when the persecutions were going on under Aquila, the governor of Alexandria. Then also he won himself an exceedingly wide reputation among all those of the faith, by the kindly help and goodwill that he displayed towards all the holy martyrs, unknown and known alike. For he was present not only with the holy martyrs who were in prison, not only with those who were under examination right up to the final sentence, but also when they were being led away afterwards to their death, using great boldness and coming to close quarters with danger; so that, as he courageously drew near and with great boldness greeted the martyrs with a kiss, many a time the heathen multitude round about in its fury went near to stoning him, but for the fact that time after time he found the divine right hand to help him, and so escaped marvellously; and this same divine and heavenly grace on other occasions again and — it is impossible to say how often — preserved him safely, when plots were laid against him at that time because of his excessive zeal and boldness for the word of Christ. And so great, then, was the war of unbelievers against him, that soldiers were placed in groups for his protection round the house where he abode, because of the number of those who were receiving instruction from him in the sacred faith. Thus day by day the persecution against him blazed, so that there was no longer any place for him in the whole city; from house to house he passed, but was driven from all sides, on account of the numbers who through him came over to the divine teaching. For in his practical conduct were to be found to a truly marvellous degree the right actions of a most genuine philosophy (for—as the saying goes—“as was his speech, so was the manner of life” that he displayed, and “as his manner of life, so his speech”), and it was especially for this reason that, with the co-operation of the divine power, he brought very many to share his zeal.

6.3.2

Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἑώρα φοιτητὰς ἤδη πλείους προσιότας, αὐτῷ μόνῳ τῆς τοῦ κατηχεῖν διατριβῆς ὑπὸ Δημητρίου τοῦ τῆς ἐκκλησίας προεστῶτος ἐπιτετραμμένης, ἀσύμφωνον ἡγησάμενος τὴν τῶν γραμματικῶν λόγων διδασκαλίαν τῇ πρὸς τὰ θεῖα παιδεύματα ἀσκήσει, μὴ μελλήσας· ἀπορρήγνυσιν ἅτε ἀνωφελῆ καὶ τοῖς ἱεροῖς μαθήμασιν ἐναντίαν τὴν τῶν γραμματικῶν λόγων διατριβήν, εἶτα λογισμῷ καθήκοντι, ὡς ἂν μὴ γένοιτο τῆς παρ’ ἑτέρων ἐπικουρίας ἐνδεής, ὅσαπερ ἦν αὐτῷ πρότερον τερον λόγων ἀρχαίων συγγράμματα φιλοκάλως ἐσπουδασμένα, μεταδούς, ὑπὸ τοῦ ταῦτα ἐωνημένου φερομένοις αὐτῷ τέτταρσιν ὀβολοῖς τῆς ἡμέρας ἠρκεῖτο. πλείστοις τε ἔτεσιν τοῦτον φιλοσοφῶν διετέλει τὸν τρόπον, πάσας ὕλας νεωτερικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ἑαυτοῦ περιαιρούμενος, καὶ διὰ πάσης μὲν ἡμέρας οὐ σμικροὺς ἀσκήσεως καμάτους ἀναπ<ιμπ>λῶν, καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς δὲ τὸν χρόνον ταῖς τῶν θείων γραφῶν ἑαυτὸν ἀνατιθεὶς μελέταις, βίῳ τε ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα ἐγκαρτερῶν φιλοσοφωτάτῳ, τοτὲ μὲν τοῖς ἐν ἀσιτίαις γυμνασίοις, τοτὲ δὲ μεμετρημένοις τοῖς κατὰ τὸν ὕπνον καιροῖς, οὗ μεταλαμβάνειν οὐδ’ ὅλως ἐπὶ στρωμνῆς, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τοὔδαφος διὰ σπουδῆς ἐποιεῖτο· πάντων δὲ μάλιστα τὰς εὐαγγελικὰς τοῦ σωτῆρος φωνὰς φυλακτέας ᾤετο εἶναι δεῖν τάς τε περὶ τοῦ μὴ δύο χιτῶνας μηδ’ ὑποδήμασιν Χρῆσθαι παρ’. αινούσας μηδὲ μὴν ταῖς περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος χρόνου φροντίσιν κατατρίβεσθαι. ἀλλὰ καὶ μείζονι τῆς ἡλικίας προθυμίᾳ χρώμενος, ἐν φάει καὶ γυμνότητι διακαρτερῶν εἰς ἄκρον τε ὑπερβαλλούσης ἀκτημοσύνης ἐλαύνων, τοὺς ἀμφ’ αὐτὸν εἰς τὰ μάλιστα κατέπληττεν, μυρίους μὲν λυπῶν εὐχομένους αὐτῷ κοινωνεῖν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων δι’ οὓς ἑώρων αὐτὸν εἰσφέροντα περὶ τὴν θείαν διδασκαλίαν καμάτους, οὐ μὴν αὐτός γε ἐνδιδοὺς ταῖς καρτερίαις. λέγεται γοῦν καὶ πλειόνων ἐτῶν γῆν πεπατηκέναι μηδενὶ μηδαμῶς κεχρημένος ὑποδήματι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἴνου χρήσεως καὶ τῶν ἄλλων παρὰ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν τροφὴν πλείστοις ἔτεσιν ἀπεσχημένος, ὥστε ἤδη εἰς κίνδυνον ἀνατροπῆς καὶ διαφθορᾶς τοῦ θώρακος περιπεσεῖν.

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And when he saw still more pupils coming to him (for the task of instruction had been entrusted by Demetrius, the president of the church, to him alone), considering that the teaching of letters was not consonant with training in the divine studies, without more ado he broke off the task of teaching letters, as being unprofitable and opposed to sacred study; and then, for the good reason that he might never be in need of others’ assistance, he disposed of all the volumes of ancient literature which formerly he so fondly cherished, content if he who purchased them brought him four obols a day. For a great number of years he continued to live like a philosopher in this wise, putting aside everything that might lead to youthful lusts; all day long his discipline was to perform labours of no light character, and the greater part of the night he devoted himself to studying the divine Scriptures; and he persevered, as far as possible, in the most philosophic manner of life, at one time disciplining himself by fasting, at another measuring out the time for sleep, which he was careful to take, never on a couch, but on the floor. And above all he considered that those sayings of the Saviour in the Gospel ought to be kept which exhort us not to provide two coats nor to use shoes, nor, indeed, to be worn out with thoughts about the future. Yea, he was possessed of a zeal beyond his years, and by persevering in cold and nakedness and going to the extremest limit of poverty, he greatly astounded his followers, causing grief to numbers who besought him to share their goods, when they saw the labour that he bestowed on teaching divine things. But he was not one to slacken endurance. He is said, for example, to have walked for many years without using a shoe of any description, yea more, to have refrained for a great many years from the use of wine and all except necessary food, so that he actually incurred the risk of upsetting and injuring his stomach.

6.3.3

Τοιαῦτα δὴ φιλοσόφου βίου τοῖς θεωμένοις ‘ παρέχων ὑποδείγματα, εἰκότως ἐπὶ τὸν ὅμοιον αὐτῷ ζῆλον πλείους παρώρμα τῶν φοιτητῶν, ὥστε ἤδη καὶ τῶν ἀπίστων ἐθνῶν τῶν τε ἀπὸ παιδείας καὶ φιλοσφίας οὐ τοὺς τυχόντας ὑπάγεσθαι τῆ δι’ αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίᾳ· οἷς καὶ αὐτοῖς γνησίως ἐν βάθει ψυχῆς τὴν εἰς τὸν θεῖον λόγον πίστιν δι’ αὐτοῦ παραδεχομένοις, διαπρέπειν συνέβαινεν κατὰ τὸν τότε τοῦ διωγμοῦ καιρόν, ὡς καί τινας αὐτῶν ἁλόντας μαρτυρίῳ τελειωθῆναι.

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And by displaying proofs such as these of a philosophic life to those who saw him, he naturally stimulated a large number of his pupils to a like zeal, so that, even among the unbelieving Gentiles and those from the ranks of learning and philosophy, some persons of no small account were won by his instruction. By his agency these very persons received the faith of the divine Word truly in the depths of the soul, and were conspicuous at the persecution then taking place; insomuch that even some of them were arrested and perfected by martyrdom.