Photius, Library 118.92a41-93a29
created: This entry is taken from Library 118.92a41-93a29 written by Photius in 845-855 C
edition published: 2023-06-30-05:00
language: grc; grc
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https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/148

τῆς Καισαρείας

,

Καισάρειαν τὴν ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ

,

Καισαρείᾳ

,

Caesarea

, and

Caesarea in Palestine

are directly attested at Photius, Library 118.92a41-93a29. This passage was written ca. 845-855 C.E. possibly in Constantinople. Photius I was ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople in 858-867 and 877-886, as well as an unparalleled intellectual luminary for his age. Apart from his distinguished ecclesiastical career, he engaged in polymathic teaching and research, supported by his vast personal library. Photius wrote an expansive compendium of classical writings in 280 volumes or codices, his Library (Βιβλιοθήκη) or Thousandsfold Book (Μυριόβιβλον), which included epitomes, excerpts, and commentaries mainly on historical, rhetorical, and theological works, many of which are otherwise lost. Several passages discuss the renowned leaders of the Church at Caesarea in Palestine. Here Photius recounts the defense of Origen by Pamphilus and Eusebius, briefly describing his career and death at Caesarea.

Ἀνεγνώσθη Παμφίλου τοῦ μάρτυρος καὶ Εὐσεβίου ὑπὲρ Ὠριγένους. Τόμοι δὲ τὸ βιβλίον ϛʹ, ὧν οἱ μὲν εʹ Παμφίλῳ τὸ δεσμωτήριον οἰκοῦντι συμπαρόντος Εὐσεβίου ἐξεπονήθησαν, ὁ δὲ ἕκτος, ἐπεὶ ὁ μάρτυς ξίφει τοῦ ζῆν ἀπαχθεὶς ἀνέλυσε πρὸς ὃν ἐπόθει Θεόν, Εὐσεβίῳ λοιπὸν ἀπαρτίζεται. Καὶ ἄλλοι δὲ πλεῖστοι κατ’ ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ καὶ ἀξιολογώτατοι ἀπολογίας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ συνετάξαντο. Φασὶ δὲ τὸν Ὠριγένην ἐν τοῖς κατὰ Σεβῆρον διωγμοῖς γράψαι Λεωνίδῃ τῷ πατρὶ ἐπαλείφοντα πρὸς τὸν τοῦ μαρτυρίου δρόμον, ὃν καὶ καλῶς δραμόντι τῶν βραβείων τυχεῖν ἐξεγένετο, καὶ αὐτὸν δὲ ἀποδύσασθαι σπεύδειν πρὸς τὸ αὐτὸ τῶν ἀγωνισμάτων στάδιον, τὴν δὲ μητέρα καὶ ἄκοντα δυνηθῆναι τῆς ὁρμῆς ἐπισχεῖν· καὶ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἐπιστολῇ οἰκείᾳ ἐπισημαίνεται. Φασὶ δὲ αὐτὸν ὅ τε Πάμφιλος μάρτυς καὶ ἕτεροι πλεῖστοι, οἵτινες ἀπ’ αὐτῶν τῶν ἑωρακότων Ὠριγένην τὰ περὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἠκριβώσαντο, διαβοήτῳ μαρτυρίῳ τοῦ βίου ἐξεληλυθέναι ἐπ’ αὐτῆς τῆς Καισαρείας Δεκίου τὴν κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ὠμότητα πνέοντος. Οἱ δέ φασιν αὐτὸν ἕως Γάλλου καὶ Βολουσιανοῦ διαρκέσαντα, καὶ ἑξηκοστὸν ἔνατον ἔτος τῆς ἡλικίας ἄγοντα ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ τελευτῆσαι καὶ ταφῇ παραδοθῆναι. Ἔστι δὲ μᾶλλον οὗτος ὁ λόγος ἀληθής, εἴ γε αἱ φερόμεναι αὐτοῦ μετὰ τὸν Δεκίου διωγμὸν ἐπιστολαὶ οὐκ ἔχουσι τὸ πλαστόν. Παντὸς δὲ μαθήματος ἰδέαν φασὶν αὐτὸν καὶ μετελθεῖν καὶ διδάσκειν. Τοῦτον τοίνυν τὸν Ὠριγένην, ὃν καὶ Ἀδαμάντιον ἐπονομάζεσθαί φασιν, ὅτι ἀδαμαντίνοις δεσμοῖς ἐῴκεσαν οὓς ἂν δήσειε λόγους, ἀκροατὴν καὶ διάδοχον λέγουσι γενέσθαι Κλήμεντος τοῦ Στρωματέως καὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν Ἀλεξανδρείαν ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ διδασκαλείου· Κλήμεντα δὲ Πανταίνου γενέσθαι λέγουσι καὶ ἀκροατὴν καὶ τοῦ διδασκαλείου διάδοχον, Πάνταινον δὲ τῶν τε τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἑωρακότων ἀκροάσασθαι οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καί τινων αὐτῶν ἐκείνων διακοῦσαι. Τὰς δὲ κατὰ Ὠριγένους κινήσεις ἐκεῖθεν λέγουσιν ἐκρυῆναι. Δημήτριος Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπεσκόπει, ὃς Ὠριγένην δι’ ἐπαίνων εἶχε καὶ ἐς τοὺς φιλτάτους συνέταττεν. Ἀλλ’ Ὠριγένης μέλλων ἀπαίρειν εἰς Ἀθήνας χωρὶς τῆς τοῦ οἰκείου γνώμης ἐπισκόπου εἰς πρεσβύτερον οὐ δέον ἀναβιβάζεται. Θεότεκνος δ’ ἦν ὁ κατὰ Καισάρειαν τὴν ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ τὸν ἀρχιερατικὸν χειρίζων νόμον ὁ τῆς Ὠριγένους αὐτουργὸς χειροτονίας, ἔχων συνευδοκοῦντα καὶ τὸν Ἱεροσολύμων Ἀλέξανδρον. Τρέπεται διὰ τοῦτο Δημητρίῳ εἰς μῖσος τὸ φίλτρον καὶ οἱ ἔπαινοι πρὸς τοὺς ψόγους καὶ σύνοδος ἀθροίζεται κατὰ Ὠριγένους ἐπισκόπων καί τινων πρεσβυτέρων. Ἡ δέ, ὡς ὁ Πάμφιλός φησι, ψηφίζεται μεταστῆναι μὲν ἀπὸ Ἀλεξανδρείας τὸν Ὠριγένην, καὶ μήτε διατρίβειν ἐν αὐτῇ μήτε διδάσκειν, τῆς μέντοι τοῦ πρεσβυτηρίου τιμῆς οὐδαμῶς ἀποκεκινῆσθαι. Ἀλλ’ ὅ γε Δημήτριος ἅμα τισὶν ἐπισκόποις Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀπεκήρυξε, συνυπογραψάντων καὶ τῇ ἀποφάσει τῶν συμψήφων αὐτῷ γεγενημένων. Φυγαδευθέντα δὲ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας τὸν Ὠριγένην Θεότεκνος ὁ Παλαιστίνης ἀσμένως τε διάγειν ἐν Καισαρείᾳ ὑπεδέξατο, καὶ τοῦ διδάσκειν πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν ἐνεχείρισε. Καὶ τὰς μὲν αἰτίας ἐξ ὧν συνέβη τὰς διαβολὰς ἐκραγῆναι τῷ Ὠριγένει, ταύτας φησί. Τὴν δὲ ὑπὲρ Ὠριγένους ἀπολογίαν, ὡς ἔφημεν, ὁ Πάμφιλος σὺν Εὐσεβίῳ καθειργμένος τῷ οἰκήματι συνεγράψατο, καὶ ταύτην πρὸς τοὺς ἐν μετάλλοις διὰ Χριστὸν ταλαιπωρουμένους διεπέμψατο, ὧν ἦν τὸ ἀκροθίνιον Πατερμούθιος ὁ μετὰ βραχὺ τῆς Παμφίλου ἀναλύσεως διὰ πυρὸς καὶ αὐτὸς σὺν ἑτέροις τὸν βίον τελειωθείς. Ἦν δὲ Παμφίλου διδάσκαλος ὁ Πιέριος, τοῦ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ καὶ αὐτὸς προεστηκὼς διδασκαλείου. Μάρτυς δὲ καὶ ὁ Πιέριος ἅμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ Ἰσιδώρῳ τῶν ἀθλητικῶν ἀξιωθέντες στεφάνων, οἷς ὥς φασι καὶ νεὼς καὶ οἶκοι ὑπὸ τῶν εὐσεβούντων ἱδρύθησαν. Ὁ δὲ θεῖος Πάμφιλος πρεσβύτερος ἦν. Καὶ πολλὰ δὲ τῶν Ὠριγένους εἰς τὴν θείαν γραφὴν ἐξηγήσεων ἰδίᾳ χειρὶ λέγουσιν αὐτὸν γεγραφέναι.

[Ed. Bekker 1824-1825 with ref. Henry 1959]

Read In Defense of Origen by Pamphilus the martyr and Eusebius. The book has six volumes, five of which were written by Pamphilus when he was in prison in the company of Eusebius; the sixth was completed by Eusebius, when the martyr had been deprived of life by the sword and was released to God, whom he desired. Many other distinguished persons at that time wrote in defense of Origen. It is said that Origen, during the persecutions under Severus, wrote to his father Leonides to urge him on to the race to martyrdom, which it turned out he ran well and won the prize. (It is) also (said) that he had prepared to rush into the same stadium for contests, but his mother against his will restrained his competitive drive. He attests to this himself in a private letter. Pamphilus the martyr and many others who have ascertained information about Origen from those who knew him say that he departed life through renowned martyrdom at Caesarea when Decius was blasting forth his cruelty against the Christians. Others say that he lived until the time of Gallus and Volusianus, and, when he reached his 69th year of life, he died at Tyre and was delivered to burial. This is the most accurate account, assuming that the letters postdating the Decian persecution that we have from him are not fictional. They say that he pursued and taught every field of knowledge. This man Origen—he was surnamed Man of Steel, they say, because his expression of thought seemed to be bound together by chains of steel—they say was the student of Clement, (author) of Stromateis, and his successor at the Ecclesiastical School in Alexandria. Now Clement, they say, was student of Pantainos and his successor at the School; and Pantainos, they say, studied with those who knew the apostles, and indeed even heard the teachings of some of those men themselves. The movement against Origen began, they say, as follows. Demetrius, bishop of Alexandria, had openly celebrated Origen and accepted him among his closest associates. But Origen, who was about to depart from Athens without the permission of his bishop, ascended in an improper manner to the priesthood. Theotecnus, the archbishop of Caesarea in Palestine, handled the ordination of Origen with sole authority over the appointment, receiving the approval of Alexander, bishop of Jerusalem. For this reason Demetrius’ affection turned to matred and his praise to blame. A synod of bishops and certain priests was called together in opposition to Origen. This synod, as Pamphilus says, resolved that Origen should transfer away from Alexandria, and that he should not spend time or teach there, but that he should in no way be removed from his priesthood. Nonetheless, Demetrius and certain Egyptian bishops proclaimed (Origen’s) renunciation from sacred service, and those who voted with him in favor of the decision signed on as well. After Origen had been banished from Alexandria, Theotecnus, bishop of Palestine, gladly welcomed him to live at Caesarea and conferred on him the full authority to teach. Pamphilus says that these are the reasons why the calumnies broke out against Origen. Pamphilus wrote In Defense of Origen, we have said, when he was imprisoned in a cell with Eusebius. He sent it forth to those Christians suffering hard labor in the mines in Christ’s service. Their chief was Patermythios, who, shortly after the release of Pamphilus, ended his own life with others on the pyre. The teacher of Pamphilus was Pierius, also himself the head of the School at Alexandria. Pierius was a martyr too, along with his brother Isidore, both men worthy of the crown of (Christ’s) champion. Churches and houses (of prayer?) were established by the faithful for them. Saint Pamphilus was a priest, and they say that he copied by his own hand many of Origen’s commentaries on Holy Scripture.

[Adapted from Freese 1920 with ref. to Henry 1959]

Works Cited

[...] 118 92a41-93a29
[...] 207-208

Additional Bibliography

[...] 2 90-92

[*Eusbeius, Church History 6.19.15-19

*Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos, Church History 5.14-18

*Photius, Library 117.91b26-39]

[Alexandria

Jerusalem

Palestine

Tyre]

[Alexander, bishop of Jerusalem

Clement of Alexandria

Decius, emperor

Demetrios, bishop of Alexandria

Eusebius

Gallus, emperor

Leonides of Alexandria

Origen

Pamphilus

Pantainos

Patermythios

Septimius Severus, emperor

Theotecnus, bishop of Caesarea

Volusianus, emperor]

[Christianity

Education (sacred)

Government and Law

Greek Literature

Roman History]