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The Church History of Eusebius
Chapter XIV.--The Scriptures mentioned by Him.
1. To sum up briefly, he has given in the Hypotyposes 1 abridged accounts of all canonical Scripture, not omitting the disputed books, 2 --I refer to Jude and the other Catholic epistles, and Barnabas 3 and the so-called Apocalypse of Peter. 4
2. He says that the Epistle to the Hebrews 5 is the work of Paul, and that it was written to the Hebrews in the Hebrew language; but that Luke translated it carefully and published it for the Greeks, and hence the same style of expression is found in this epistle and in the Acts.
3. But he says that the words, Paul the Apostle, were probably not prefixed, because, in sending it to the Hebrews, who were prejudiced and suspicious of him, he wisely did not wish to repel them at the very beginning by giving his name.
4. Farther on he says: "But now, as the blessed presbyter said, since the Lord being the apostle of the Almighty, was sent to the Hebrews, Paul, as sent to the Gentiles, on account of his modesty did not subscribe himself an apostle of the Hebrews, through respect for the Lord, and because being a herald and apostle of the Gentiles he wrote to the Hebrews out of his superabundance."
5. Again, in the same books, Clement gives the tradition of the earliest presbyters, as to the order of the Gospels, in the following manner:
6. The Gospels containing the genealogies, he says, were written first. The Gospel according to Mark 6 had this occasion. As Peter had preached the Word publicly at Rome, and declared the Gospel by the Spirit, many who were present requested that Mark, who had followed him for a long time and remembered his sayings, should write them out. And having composed the Gospel he gave it to those who had requested it.
7. When Peter learned of this, he neither directly forbade nor encouraged it. But, last of all, John, perceiving that the external 7 facts had been made plain in the Gospel, being urged by his friends, and inspired by the Spirit, composed a spiritual Gospel." 8 This is the account of Clement.
8. Again the above-mentioned Alexander, 9 in a certain letter to Origen, refers to Clement, and at the same time to Pantaenus, as being among his familiar acquaintances. He writes as follows:
"For this, as thou knowest, was the will of God, that the ancestral friendship existing between us should remain unshaken; nay, rather should be warmer and stronger.
9. For we know well those blessed fathers who have trodden the way before us, with whom we shall soon be; 10 Pantaenus, the truly blessed man and master, and the holy Clement, my master and benefactor, and if there is any other like them, through whom I became acquainted with thee, the best in everything, my master and brother." 11
10. So much for these matters. But Adamantius, 12 --for this also was a name of Origen,--when Zephyrinus 13 was bishop of Rome, visited Rome, "desiring," as he himself somewhere says, "to see the most ancient church of Rome."
11. After a short stay there he returned to Alexandria. And he performed the duties of catechetical instruction there with great zeal; Demetrius, who was bishop there at that time, urging and even entreating him to work diligently for the benefit of the brethren. 14
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See the previous chapter, note 3. ↩
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On the Antilegomena of Eusebius, and on the New Testament canon in general, see Bk. III. chap. 25, note 1. ↩
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On the Epistle of Barnabas, see Bk. III. chap. 25, note 20. ↩
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On the Apocalypse of Peter, see Bk. III. chap. 3, note 9. ↩
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On the Epistle to the Hebrews, see above, Bk. III. chap. 3, note 17. ↩
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On the composition of the Gospel of Mark, see Bk. II. chap. 15, note 4, and with this statement of Clement as to Peter's attitude toward its composition, compare the words of Eusebius in §2 of that chapter, and see the note upon the passage (note 5). ↩
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ta somatik?. ↩
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See Bk. III. chap. 24, note 7. ↩
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Mentioned already in chaps. 8 and 11. ↩
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We see from this sentence that at the time of the writing of this epistle both Pantaenus and Clement were dead. The latter was still alive when Alexander wrote to the Antiochenes (see chap. 11), i.e. about the year 211 (see note 5 on that chapter). How much longer he lived we cannot tell. The epistle referred to here must of course have been written at any rate subsequent to the year 211, and hence while Alexander was bishop of Jerusalem. The expression "with whom we shall soon be" (pros hous met' oligon esometha) seems to imply that the epistle was written when Alexander and Origen were advanced in life, but this cannot be pressed. ↩
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It is from this passage that we gather that Alexander was a student of Clement's and a fellow-pupil of Origen's (see chap. 8, note 6, and chap. 2, note 1). The epistle does not state this directly, but the conclusion seems sufficiently obvious. ↩
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The name Adamantius ('Adam?ntios from ad?mas unconquerable,hence hard, adamantine) is said by Jerome (Ep. ad Paulam, §3; Migne's ed. Ep. XXXIII.) to have been given him on account of his untiring industry, by Photius (Cod. 118) on account of the invincible force of his arguments, and by Epiphanius (Haer. LXIV. 74) to have been vainly adopted by himself. But Eusebius' simple statement at this point looks rather as if Adamantius was a second name which belonged to Origen from the beginning, and had no reference to his character. We know that two names were very common in that age. This opinion is adopted by Tillemont, Redepenning, Westcott, and others, although many still hold the opposite view. Another name, Chalcenterus, given to him by Jerome in the epistle already referred to, was undoubtedly, as we can see from the context, applied to him by Jerome, because of his resemblance to Didymus of Alexandria (who bore that surname) in his immense industry as an author. ↩
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On Zephyrinus, bishop of Rome, see Bk. V. chap. 28, note 5. He was bishop from about 198, or 199, to 217. This gives considerable range for the date of Origen's visit to Rome, which we have no means of fixing with exactness. There is no reason for supposing that Eusebius is incorrect in putting it among the events occurring during Caracalla's reign (211-217). On the other hand, it must have taken place before the year 216, for in that year Origen went to Palestine (see chap. 19, note 23) and remained there some time. Whether Origen's visit was undertaken simply from the desire to see the church of Rome, as Eusebius says, or in connection with matters of business, we cannot tell. ↩
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On Demetrius' relations to Origen, see chap. 8, note 4. ↩
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Histoire ecclésiastique
CHAPITRE XIV : QUELLES ÉCRITURES IL CITE
[1] Pour abréger, dans les Hypotyposes, il fait des exposés, sous forme de résumés, de toute l'Écriture testamentaire, sans omettre les livres controversés; je dis l'épître de Jude et les autres épîtres catholiques, celle de Barnabé et l'Apocalypse attribuée à Pierre. [2] Il dit que l'épître aux Hébreux est de Paul, qu'elle a été écrite aux Hébreux dans leur langue, mais que Luc l'a traduite avec soin et l'a publiée pour les Grecs ; voilà pourquoi on trouve à la traduction de cette épître le même air 195 qu'aux Actes. [3] Elle n'a pas l'inscription « Paul apôtre », et c'est naturel, « car, dit Clément, il l'adressait aux Hébreux qui avaient contre lui une prévention et qui le tenaient en défiance ; il fut tout à fait avisé pour ne pas les rebuter dès le début, de ne pas mettre son nom». [4] Ensuite un peu plus bas il ajoute : «Alors, ainsi que le disait le bienheureux presbytre, quand le seigneur Paul, qui était apôtre du Tout-Puissant, fut envoyé aux Hébreux, bien qu'il fût destiné aux Gentils, il ne s'intitula pas apôtre des Hébreux, par humilité et par respect pour le Seigneur, et aussi parce qu'il écrivait aux Hébreux par subrogation, étant le héraut et l'apôtre des Gentils. »
[5] Dans les mêmes livres, Clément établit encore, en ce qui regarde l'ordre des Évangiles, la tradition des anciens presbytres qui est la suivante. Il dit que les Évangiles qui contiennent les généalogies furent écrits avant les autres. [6] Celui de Marc fut entrepris de la façon suivante : Pierre prêchait publiquement à Rome la parole de Dieu, et exposait l'évangile sous l'action de l'Esprit; ceux qui avaient assisté à ses prédications (ils étaient nombreux) exhortèrent Marc qui avait accompagné Pierre depuis longtemps et qui se souvenait des choses dites par lui, à les consigner par écrit. Il le lit et il donna l'Évangile à ceux qui le lui avaient demandé. [7] Pierre l'apprit, et ne fit rien par ses conseils pour l'empêcher ni pour l'y pousser. Cependant Jean, le dernier, voyant que le côté matériel avait été mis en lumière dans les évangiles, poussé par les disciples et divinement inspiré par l'Esprit, fit un évangile spirituel. Voilà ce que dit Clément.1
[8] A son tour, Alexandre qui est mentionné plus haut parle de Clément en même temps que de Pantène, dans une lettre à Origène, comme de gens qui lui étaient connus; voici ce qu'il écrit : « Ce fut en effet aussi la volonté de Dieu, comme tu sais, que depuis le temps de nos aïeux, notre amitié demeurât inviolable et bien mieux qu'elle devînt plus ardente et plus forte.2 [9] Nous connaissons ces bienheureux pères qui nous ont précédés dans le chemin et vers qui nous serons bientôt : Pantène qui est vraiment bienheureux et maître, ainsi que le vénérable Clément qui est devenu mon maître et qui m'a secouru, et tel autre encore s'il en est quelqu'un. Par eux je l'ai connu, toi en tout excellent, mon seigneur et frère. » [10] Voilà ce qu'il écrit.
Quant à Adamantios (c'est le nom d'Origène), aux temps où Zéphyrin gouvernait l'église des Romains, il séjourna à Rome ainsi qu'il l'écrit quelque part en ces termes : « Ayant souhaité voir la très ancienne église, des Romains. » Il y resta peu et il revint à Alexandrie3 [11] où il remplit ses fonctions accoutumées à la catéchèse avec tout son zèle. Démétrius, qui était alors évêque de cette ville, l'encourageait et, pour ainsi dire, prenait sans hésitation l'initiative de lui demander de subvenir au besoin des frères.4
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Cf. II, xv. - προτρεπτικῶς mss., om. RUFIN ; cf. arm. : «ermahnte» ; πνευματικῶς, SCHWARTZ (d'après II, xv, 2: ἀποκαλύψαντος αὐτῷ τοῦ πνεύματος ; προφανῶς, VALOIS. — Un autre motif pour la composition du quatrième évangile est exposé III, xxiv, 7-13. ↩
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Alexandre, mentionné aux chapitres viii et xi, est désigné ici comme un élève de Clément d'Alexandrie et un condisciple d'Origène. ↩
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Ἀδαμάντιος;: deuxième nom ou surnom d'Origène. On peut se demander si ce sobriquet ne doit pas rentrer déjà dans la catégorie de ceux qu'a étudiés M. E. DIEHL, Rheinisches Museum, t. LXII (1907), p. 421 (résumé Rev. des revues dans la Revue de philologie, t. XXXII, p. 114,45). Il aurait, dès lors, une certaine portée pour l'histoire intérieure des chrétiens d'Egypte. - τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἐκκλησίας : Ῥωμαίων ABDM lat. arm., Ῥώμην ou Ῥώμης ERT. — Le pontificat de Zéphyrin va de 198 (199) à 217. Mais en 216, Origène se fixe en Palestine. ↩
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Cf. plus haut, viii, 3-5. ↩