6.31.1
XXXI. Ἐν τούτῳ καὶ Ἀφρικανὸς ὁ τῶν ἐπιγεγραμμένων Κεστῶν συγγραφεὺς ἐγνωρίζετο. ἐπιστοΛὴ τούτου Ὠριγένει γραφεῖσα φέρεται, ἀποροῦντος ὡς νόθου καὶ πεπλασμένης οὔσης τῆς ἐν τῷ Δαωιὴλ κατὰ Εουσάνναν ἱστορίας· πρὸς ἢν Ὠριγένης ἀντιγράφει πληρέστατα. τοῦ δ’ αὐτοῦ Ἀφρικανοῦ καὶ ἄλλα τὸν ἀριθμὸν πέντε Χρονογραφιῶν ἦλθεν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐπ’ ἀκριβὲς πεπονημένα σπουδάσματα· ἐν οἷς φησιν ἑαυτὸν πορείαν στείλασθαι ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν διὰ πολλὴν τοῦ Ἡρακλᾶ φήμην, ὃν ἐπὶ λόγοις φιλοσόφοις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις Ἑλλήνων μαθήμασιν εὖ μάλα διαπρέφατα, τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν τῆς αὐτόθι ἐκκγησίας ἐγχειρισθῆναι ἐδηλώσαμεν. καὶ ἑτέρα δὲ τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἀφρικανοῦ φέρεται ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς Ἀριστείδην, περὶ τῆς νομιζομένης διαφωνίας τῶν παρὰ Ματθαίῳ τε καὶ Λουκᾷ τοῦ χριστοῦ γενεαλογιῶν· ἐν ἧ σαφέστατα τὴν συμφωνίαν τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν παρίστησιν ἐξ ἱστορίας εἰς αὐτὸν κατελθούσης, ἢν κατὰ καιρὸν ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῆς μετὰ χεῖρας ὑποθέσεως προλαβὼν ἐξεθέμην.
XXXI. At that time Africanus also, the author of the books entitled Cesti,2 was well known. A letter of his, written to Origen, is extant; he was at a loss as to whether the story of Susanna in the book of Daniel were a spurious forgery. Origen makes a very full reply to it. And of the same Africanus there have reached us as well five books of Chronographies, a monument of labour and accuracy. In these he says that he himself made a journey to Alexandria because of the great fame of Heraclas; who, as we have stated,1 was greatly distinguished for philosophy and other Greek learning, and was entrusted with the bishopric of the church there. And another letter of the same Africanus is extant, to Aristides, On the supposed discord between the Genealogies of Christ in Matthew and Luke. In it he establishes very clearly the harmony of the evangelists from an account that came down to him, which by anticipation I set forth in the proper place in the first book of the present work.2