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that ancient one, but the one from Tiberias who lived in the times of the blessed Constantine the elder emperor, who also received from the emperor himself the dignity of the counts and received authority in Tiberias itself to found a church to Christ, and in Diocaesarea and in Capernaum and in the other places, who also suffered many things from the Jews themselves before he was presented to the emperor. For this Joseph was numbered among their men of rank. And these are those next to the patriarch, called apostles. They attend upon the patriarch and often with him, both by night and by day, they continually spend their time, in order to advise and report to him matters concerning the law. The patriarch at that time was Hillel by name—for I think that Joseph said this was his name, unless I am mistaken because of the time—and he was of the family of the 1.339 Gamaliel who had been patriarch among them. And it is possible to think, as others also have supposed, that these were of the family of that first Gamaliel in the time of the Savior, who, according to God, advised to abstain from the insolence against the apostles. And as he was dying, Hillel asked the bishop at that time, who was in the vicinity of Tiberias, and received from him the holy font at his departure under the pretext of a medical matter. For having sent for him through the aforementioned Joseph, as though he were a physician, and having made everyone go outside, he beseeched the bishop, saying, 'Grant me the seal in Christ'. And he, calling back the attendants, ordered water to be prepared, as if he were about to offer some help for the sickness by means of water to the patriarch who was gravely ill. And they did what was commanded; for they did not know. But the patriarch, feigning the need for privacy, made everyone go outside and is deemed worthy of the font and of the holy mysteries. 5. And Joseph himself related this to me. For from his own mouth I heard all these things and not from anyone else, in his old age, when he was about seventy years of age or even more. For I was lodged with him in Scythopolis; for having migrated from Tiberias, he had acquired distinguished properties there in Scythopolis. For in his house the blessed Eusebius, the bishop of Vercellae in Italy, was entertained when he was exiled by Constantius on account of his orthodox faith, and having gone there to visit him, I and the other brethren were also lodged with him 1.340. And having met with Joseph at his house and asking about his affairs and learning that he was one of the prominent men among the Jews, inquiring also about his situation and how he had converted to Christianity, we heard all these things clearly and not from the instruction of anyone else. Wherefore, considering the things concerning the man to be worthy of memory for the edification of the faithful, which were brought about because of the reason of those things in the treasuries being translated into Hebrew *, we have not carelessly set forth the whole cause of the aforesaid Joseph. For the man was not only deemed worthy to become a faithful Christian, but also one who strongly denounced the Arians. For in that city, Scythopolis I mean, this man alone was orthodox, but all were Arians. And if it were not that he was a count and the dignity of a count prevented the persecution of the Arians from him, the man would not have endured even to stay in the city, especially under Patrophilus the Arian bishop, who was very powerful in wealth and severity and in his acquaintance and boldness with the emperor Constantius. There was also another, a younger man in the city, from the Hebrews, who believed rightly, who did not dare openly *, but visited us secretly. And Joseph related something plausible and humorous, and I think perhaps that in this too he was telling the truth. For he said that when his

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παλαιὸς ἐκεῖνος, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀπὸ Τιβεριάδος ὁ ἐν χρόνοις τοῦ μακαρίτου Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ γέροντος γενόμενος, ὃς καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀξιώματος κομήτων ἔτυχε καὶ ἐξουσίαν εἴληφεν ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ Τιβεριάδι ἐκκλησίαν Χριστῷ ἱδρῦσαι καὶ ἐν ∆ιοκαισαρείᾳ καὶ ἐν Καπερναοὺμ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις, ὃς καὶ πολλὰ πέπονθεν ὑπ' αὐτῶν τῶν Ἰουδαίων πρὶν ἢ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐμφανισθῆναι. οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Ἰώσηπος τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀξιωματικῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐναρίθμιος ἦν. εἰσὶ δὲ οὗτοι οἱ μετὰ τὸν πατριάρχην, ἀπόστολοι καλούμενοι. προσεδρεύουσι δὲ τῷ πατριάρχῃ καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ πολλάκις καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ συνεχῶς διάγουσι, διὰ τὸ συμβουλεύειν καὶ ἀναφέρειν αὐτῷ τὰ κατὰ τὸν νόμον. ὁ δὲ πατριάρχης κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ Ἐλλὴλ τοὔνομα ἦν νομίζω γὰρ ὅτι οὕτως τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰώσηπος ἔλεγεν, εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ χρόνου σφάλλομαι, ἐκ γένους δὲ τοῦ 1.339 Γαμαλιὴλ ἐτύγχανεν τοῦ παρ' αὐτοῖς γενομένου πατριάρχου. ἔστι δὲ διανοηθῆναι, ὡς καὶ ἄλλοι οὕτως ὑπέθεντο, τούτους εἶναι γένους ἐκείνου τοῦ πρώτου Γαμαλιὴλ τοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος, τοῦ κατὰ θεὸν συμβουλεύσαντος ἀποσχέσθαι τῆς κατὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐπηρείας. τελευτῶν δὲ ὁ Ἐλλὴλ ἠξίωσε τὸν κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ἐπίσκοπον πλησιόχωρον τῆς Τιβεριέων ὄντα καὶ ἐκομίσατο παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸ ἅγιον λουτρὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐξόδῳ αὐτοῦ διὰ προφάσεως ἰατρικῆς ὑποθέσεως. μεταστειλάμενος γὰρ αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦ προειρημένου Ἰωσήπου ὡς ἰατρὸν ὄντα καὶ ποιήσας πάντας ἔξω γενέσθαι παρεκάλεσε τὸν ἐπίσκοπον λέγων «δώρησαί μοι τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ σφραγῖδα». ὁ δὲ μετακαλεσάμενος τοὺς ἐξυπηρετουμένους προσέταξεν ὕδωρ ἑτοιμασθῆναι, ὡς τῆς νόσου ἕνεκα βοήθημά τι προσφέρειν μέλλων δι' ὑδάτων νοσοῦντι βαρέως τῷ πατριάρχῃ. οἱ δὲ ἐποίησαν τὰ ἐπιτεταγμένα· οὐ γὰρ ἐγνώκεισαν. αἰδοῦς δὲ χάριν προφασισάμενος τοὺς πάντας ἔξω ποιήσας ὁ πατριάρχης τοῦ λουτροῦ καταξιοῦται καὶ μυστηρίων ἁγίων. 5. Ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπος ἐμοὶ αὐτῷ τοῦτο διελέχθη. ἐκ στόματος γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἀκήκοα ταῦτα πάντα καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ ἄλλου τινός, ἐν τῇ γηραλέᾳ αὐτοῦ ἡλικίᾳ, ὡς περί που ἐτῶν ἑβδομήκοντα γεγονότος αὐτοῦ ἢ καὶ πλειόνων. παρ' αὐτῷ γὰρ κατήχθην ἐν Σκυθοπόλει· μεταναστὰς γὰρ τῆς Τιβεριάδος καὶ κτήσεις ἐκεῖ ἐν Σκυθοπόλει διαφανεῖς ἐκτήσατο. ἐν γὰρ τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ ὁ μακαρίτης Εὐσέβιος ὁ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἐπίσκοπος Βριγκέλλας πόλεως, ὡς ἐξωρίσθη ὑπὸ Κωνσταντίου διὰ τὴν πίστιν τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας, ἐξενίζετο καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπίσκεψιν τούτου ἐγώ τε καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἀδελφοὶ ἐκεῖσε γενόμενοι καὶ αὐτοὶ παρ' αὐτῷ 1.340 κατήχθημεν. συντυχόντες δὲ τῷ Ἰωσήπῳ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ οἰκίας καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐρωτῶντες καὶ γνόντες ὅτι τῶν ἐμφανῶν ὑπῆρχεν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις, ἀνετάζοντες καὶ τὴν κατ' αὐτὸν ὑπόθεσιν καὶ πῶς εἰς τὸν Χριστιανισμὸν μετῆλθεν, ἀκηκόαμεν ταῦτα πάντα σαφῶς καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ ἐνηχήσεως ἑτέρου τινός. ὅθεν καὶ ἀξιομνημόνευτα εἰς οἰκοδομὴν πιστῶν νομίσαντες τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἄνδρα πραγματευθέντα διὰ τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν ἐν τοῖς γαζοφυλακίοις εἰς Ἑβραΐδα μετατεθέντων *, οὐ παρέργως τὴν πᾶσαν αἰτίαν τοῦ προειρημένου Ἰωσήπου παρεθέμεθα. ἦν γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ οὐ μόνον Χριστιανὸς πιστὸς καταξιωθεὶς γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἀρειανοὺς σφόδρα στηλιτεύων. ἐν γὰρ τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ, Σκυθοπόλει φημί, μόνος οὗτος ὀρθόδοξος ὑπῆρχεν, πάντες δὲ Ἀρειανοί. καὶ εἰ μὴ ὅτι κόμης ἦν καὶ τὸ τοῦ κόμητος ἀξίωμα ἐκώλυεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὸν τῶν Ἀρειανῶν διωγμόν, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἂν ὑπέστη κἂν ἐν τῇ πόλει διατρίβειν ὁ ἀνήρ, μάλιστα ἐπὶ Πατροφίλου τοῦ Ἀρειανοῦ ἐπισκόπου τοῦ πολλὰ ἰσχύσαντος πλούτῳ τε καὶ αὐστηρίᾳ καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Κωνστάντιον γνώσει τε καὶ παρρησίᾳ. ἦν δὲ καὶ ἄλλος τις νεώτερος ἐν τῇ πόλει ἀπὸ Ἑβραίων ὀρθῶς πιστεύων, ὃς οὔτε ἐτόλμα κατὰ τὸ φανερὸν *, ἀλλὰ κρυφίως ἡμᾶς ἐπεσκέπτετο. πιθανὸν δέ τι ὁ Ἰώσηπος καὶ γελοιῶδες ὑφηγεῖτο, οἶμαι δὲ τάχα ὅτι καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἠλήθευεν. ἔφασκε γὰρ ὅτι τελευτησάσης τῆς αὐτοῦ