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writings, curbing rashness and boldness, mentions only thirteen epistles of the holy apostle, not counting the one to the Hebrews with the others, since even to this day among some of the Romans it is not considered to be the apostle's. 6.21.1 But Macrinus succeeds Antoninus, who had reigned for seven years and six months; and when he had been in power for a year, another Antoninus again takes over the Roman rule; in his first year Zephyrinus, the bishop of the Romans, departed this life, having held the ministry for eighteen whole years; 6.21.2 after whom Callistus is entrusted with the episcopate, who, having survived for five years, leaves the ministry to Urban. After these, the emperor Alexander succeeds to the Roman rule, Antoninus having been in power for only four years. At this time also, in the church of the Antiochenes, Philetus succeeds Asclepiades. 6.21.3 The mother of the emperor, Mamaea by name, a most devout woman if ever there was one, the fame of Origen being heralded everywhere, so that it came even to her ears, made it a matter of great importance to be deemed worthy of the sight of the man and to make trial of his understanding in divine things, which was admired by all. 6.21.4 While staying in Antioch, then, she summoned him with a military escort; and having stayed with her for a time and having shown very many things for the glory of the Lord and the excellence of the divine teaching, he hastened to his accustomed pursuits. 6.22.1 At that time also Hippolytus, who composed many other commentaries, also produced the work On the Pascha, in which he sets forth a record of the times and, presenting a certain sixteen-year canon concerning the Pascha, brings the times to a close at the first year of the emperor Alexander; of his other writings, those which have come down to us are these: On the Hexaemeron, On the things after the Hexaemeron, Against Marcion, On the Song of Songs, On parts of Ezekiel, On the Pascha, Against all heresies, and very many others which you might find preserved among many. From that time also Origen began his commentaries on the divine scriptures, with Ambrosius urging him on not only with countless verbal exhortations and entreaties, but also with most abundant provision of the necessities. 6.23.2 For more than seven stenographers were present for him as he dictated, relieving one another at appointed times, and no fewer copyists, along with girls skilled in calligraphy; 6.23.2 for all of whom Ambrosius provided the necessary abundant supply of provisions; and indeed, in the exercise and study of the divine oracles he contributed unspeakable zeal to him, by which he especially urged him on to the composition of the commentaries. 6.23.3 While these things were thus, Pontianus succeeds Urban, who had been bishop of the Roman church for eight years, and in Antioch, Zebennus succeeds Philetus; 6.23.4 in their time Origen, on a journey to Greece through Palestine on account of a pressing need for ecclesiastical matters, receives the laying on of hands for the presbyterate in Caesarea from the bishops there. The things, therefore, that were stirred up against him on this account, and the decisions made by the heads of the churches about what had been stirred up, and whatever else he contributed to the divine word while in his prime, requiring a separate treatise, we have recorded moderately in the second book of the Apology which we have made on his behalf; 6.24.1 and to those things it would be necessary to add this, that in the sixth of his Expositions on John he indicates that he had composed the first five while still in Alexandria, and of this same treatise on the whole gospel only twenty-two volumes have come down to us; 6.24.2 and in the ninth of his commentaries On Genesis (there are twelve in all) he makes clear not only that those before the ninth were written in Alexandria, but also those on the first twenty-five Psalms and those on Lamentations, of which to us

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γραφὰς προπέτειάν τε καὶ τόλμαν ἐπιστομίζων, τῶν τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἀποστόλου δεκατριῶν μόνων ἐπιστολῶν μνημονεύει, τὴν πρὸς Ἑβραίους μὴ συναριθμήσας ταῖς λοιπαῖς, ἐπεὶ καὶ εἰς δεῦρο παρὰ Ῥωμαίων τισὶν οὐ νομίζεται τοῦ ἀποστόλου τυγχάνειν. 6.21.1 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ Ἀντωνῖνον ἔτη βασιλεύσαντα ἑπτὰ καὶ μῆνας ἓξ Μακρῖνος διαδέχεται· τούτου δ' ἐπ' ἐνιαυτὸν διαγενομένου, αὖθις ἕτερος Ἀντωνῖνος τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν παραλαμβάνει· οὗ κατὰ τὸ πρῶτον ἔτος ὁ Ῥωμαίων ἐπίσκοπος Ζεφυρῖνος μεταλλάττει τὸν βίον, ὅλοις ὀκτωκαίδεκα διακατασχὼν ἔτεσιν τὴν λειτουργίαν· 6.21.2 μεθ' ὃν Κάλλιστος τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἐγχειρίζεται, ὃς ἐπιβιώσας ἔτεσιν πέντε, Οὐρβανῷ τὴν λειτουργίαν καταλείπει. αὐτοκράτωρ Ἀλέξανδρος ἐπὶ τούτοις διαδέχεται τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν, ἐπὶ τέτταρσιν μόνοις· ἔτεσιν Ἀντωνίνου διαγενομένου. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων ἐκκλησίας Ἀσκληπιάδην Φιλητὸς διαδέχεται. 6.21.3 τοῦ δ' αὐτοκράτορος μήτηρ, Μαμαία τοὔνομα, εἰ καί τις ἄλλη θεοσεβεστάτη γυνή, τῆς Ὠριγένους πανταχόσε βοωμένης φήμης, ὡς καὶ μέχρι τῶν αὐτῆς ἐλθεῖν ἀκοῶν, περὶ πολλοῦ ποιεῖται τῆς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς θέας ἀξιωθῆναι καὶ τῆς ὑπὸ πάντων θαυμαζομένης περὶ τὰ θεῖα συνέσεως αὐτοῦ πεῖραν λαβεῖν. 6.21.4 ἐπ' Ἀντιοχείας δῆτα διατρίβουσα, μετὰ στρατιωτικῆς δορυφορίας αὐτὸν ἀνακαλεῖται· παρ' ᾗ χρόνον διατρίψας πλεῖστά τε ὅσα εἰς τὴν τοῦ κυρίου δόξαν καὶ τῆς τοῦ θείου διδασκαλείου ἀρετῆς ἐπιδειξάμενος, ἐπὶ τὰς συνήθεις ἔσπευδεν διατριβάς. 6.22.1 Τότε δῆτα καὶ Ἱππόλυτος συντάττων μετὰ πλείστων ἄλλων ὑπομνημάτων καὶ τὸ Περὶ τοῦ πάσχα πεποίηται σύγγραμμα, ἐν ᾧ τῶν χρόνων ἀναγραφὴν ἐκθέμενος καί τινα κανόνα ἑκκαιδεκαετηρίδος περὶ τοῦ πάσχα προθείς, ἐπὶ τὸ πρῶτον ἔτος αὐτοκράτορος Ἀλεξάνδρου τοὺς χρόνους περιγράφει· τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν αὐτοῦ συγγραμμάτων τὰ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐλθόντα ἐστὶν τάδε· Εἰς τὴν Ἑξαήμερον, Εἰς τὰ μετὰ τὴν Ἑξαήμερον, Πρὸς Μαρκίωνα, Εἰς τὸ Ἆισμα, Εἰς μέρη τοῦ Ἰεζεκιήλ, Περὶ τοῦ πάσχα, Πρὸς ἁπάσας τὰς αἱρέσεις, πλεῖστά τε ἄλλα καὶ παρὰ πολλοῖς εὕροις ἂν σῳζόμενα. Ἐξ ἐκείνου δὲ καὶ Ὠριγένει τῶν εἰς τὰς θείας γραφὰς ὑπομνημάτων ἐγίνετο ἀρχή, Ἀμβροσίου παρορμῶντος αὐτὸν μυρίαις ὅσαις οὐ προτροπαῖς ταῖς διὰ λόγων καὶ καρακλήσεσιν αὐτὸ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφθονωτάταις τῶν ἐπιτηδείων χορηγίαις. 6.23.2 ταχυγράφοι τε γὰρ αὐτῷ πλείους ἢ ἑπτὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν παρῆσαν ὑπαγορεύοντι, χρόνοις τεταγμένοις ἀλλήλους ἀμείβοντες, βιβλιογράφοι τε οὐχ ἥττους ἅμα καὶ κόραις ἐπὶ τὸ καλλιγραφεῖν ἠσκημέναις· ὧν ἁπάντων τὴν δέουσαν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἄφθονον περιουσίαν ὁ Ἀμβρόσιος παρεστήσατο· ναὶ μὴν καὶ ἐν τῇ περὶ τὰ θεῖα λόγια ἀσκήσει τε καὶ σπουδῇ προθυμίαν ἄφατον αὐτῷ συνεισέφερεν, ᾗ καὶ μάλιστα αὐτὸν προύτρεπεν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ὑπομνημάτων σύνταξιν. 6.23.3 τούτων δὲ οὕτως ἐχόντων, Οὐρβανὸν ἐπισκοπεύσαντα τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἐκκλησίας ἔτεσιν ὀκτὼ διαδέχεται Ποντιανός, τῆς δ' Ἀντιοχέων μετὰ Φιλητὸν Ζέβεννος· 6.23.4 καθ' οὓς Ὠριγένης, ἐπειγούσης χρείας ἐκκλησιαστικῶν ἕνεκα πραγμάτων ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα στειλάμενος τὴν διὰ Παλαιστίνης, πρεσβείου χειροθεσίαν ἐν Καισαρείᾳ πρὸς τῶν τῇδε ἐπισκόπων ἀναλαμβάνει. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τούτῳ περὶ αὐτοῦ κεκινημένα τά τε ἐπὶ τοῖς κινηθεῖσιν δεδογμένα τοῖς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν προεστῶσιν ὅσα τε ἄλλα ἀκμάζων περὶ τὸν θεῖον εἰσενήνεκται λόγον, ἰδίας δεόμενα συντάξεως, μετρίως ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ ἧς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πεποιήμεθα ἀπολογίας ἀνεγράψαμεν· 6.24.1 ταῦτα δ' ἐκείνοις δέοι ἂν ἐπιθεῖναι ὡς ἐν μὲν τῷ ἕκτῳ τῶν εἰς τὸ κατὰ Ἰωάννην Ἐξηγητικῶν σημαίνει τὰ πρότερα πέντε ἐπ' Ἀλεξανδρείας ἔτ' ὄντα αὐτὸν συντάξαι, τῆς δ' εἰς τὸ πᾶν εὐαγγέλιον αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο πραγματείας μόνοι δύο καὶ εἴκοσι εἰς ἡμᾶς περιῆλθον τόμοι· 6.24.2 κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἔνατον τῶν Εἰς τὴν Γένεσιν δώδεκα δ' ἐστὶν τὰ πάντα οὐ μόνον τοὺς πρὸ τοῦ ἐνάτου δηλοῖ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ὑπεμνηματίσθαι, καὶ εἰς τοὺς πρώτους δὲ πέντε καὶ εἴκοσι Ψαλμοὺς ἔτι τε τὰ εἰς τοὺς Θρήνους, ὧν εἰς ἡμᾶς