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being called the king's, he thought nothing reasonable nor universal, but has fallen under a prophetic curse which says: 'Woe to those who prophesy from their own heart and do not see the whole at all'; 7.10.6 for he did not understand the universal providence, nor did he regard the judgment of him who is before all and through all and over all, for which reason he also became an enemy of his universal church, and estranged and alienated himself from the mercy of God, and banished himself as far as possible from his own salvation, in this verifying his own name." 7.10.7 And again, after other things he says: "For Valerian, having been led into these things by this man, given over to insults and reproaches, according to what was said to Isaiah: 'And these have chosen their own ways and their abominations, which their soul desired, and I will choose their mockings, and I will repay their sins to them'; 7.10.8 but this one, being mad for the empire beyond his desert and being unable with his crippled body to put on the royal apparel, set up his two sons to take up their father's sins. For clear in their case is the prophecy which God spoke: 'visiting the sins of fathers upon children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.' 7.10.9 For his own evil desires which 7.10.9 he failed to attain, he cast upon the heads of his sons, and on them he wiped off his own wickedness and hatred toward God." And concerning Valerian, so much from Dionysius. 7.11.1 And concerning the persecution in his time, which raged most violently, what he himself, along with others, endured for his piety toward the God of all, his own words will declare, which he, addressing Germanus, one of the bishops of his time who tried to speak ill of him, sets forth in this manner: 7.11.2 "I truly risk falling into great folly and insensibility, being forced to relate the wonderful dispensation of God concerning us; but since 'it is good,' he says, 'to hide the secret of a king, but glorious to reveal the works of God,' I will come to grips with the violence of Germanus. 7.11.3 I came to Aemilianus, not alone, but my fellow-presbyter Maximus and the deacons Faustus, Eusebius, Chaeremon followed me, and one of the brethren from Rome who was present entered with us. 7.11.4 But Aemilianus did not first say to me, 'Do not hold assemblies.' For this was superfluous to him and the last thing, as he was going back to the first; for his argument was not about not assembling others, but about we ourselves not being Christians, and he commanded us to cease from this, thinking that if I should change my mind, the others would also follow me. 7.11.5 And I answered, not inappropriately nor far from 'We must obey God rather than men,' but I openly testified that I worship the one true God and no other, nor would I change, nor would I ever cease from being a Christian. At this he commanded us to go away to a village near the desert called Cephro. 7.11.6 But hear the very words spoken by both, as they were recorded. "When Dionysius and Faustus and Maximus and Marcellus and Chaeremon were brought in, Aemilianus the prefect said: 'And I have spoken with you without writing concerning the clemency which our lords have shown toward you; 7.11.7 for they have given you an opportunity of salvation, if you are willing to turn to what is according to nature and worship the gods who preserve their empire, and to forget those things that are contrary to nature. What then do you say to these things? For I do not expect you will be ungrateful for their clemency, since they are urging you to what is better.' 7.11.8 "Dionysius answered: 'Not all men worship all gods, but each one certain ones, whom they esteem; we therefore worship the one God and creator of all things, who also committed the empire to the most God-beloved Valerian and Gallienus, Augusti; him we both revere and worship, and to him we continually pray for their empire, that it may remain unshaken.' 7.11.9 "Aemilianus

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λεγόμενος εἶναι βασιλέως, οὐδὲν εὔλογον οὐδὲ καθολικὸν ἐφρόνησεν, ἀλλ' ὑποπέπτωκεν ἀρᾷ προφητικῇ τῇ λεγούσῃ· οὐαὶ τοῖς προφητεύουσιν ἀπὸ καρδίας αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ καθόλου μὴ βλέπουσιν· 7.10.6 οὐ γὰρ συνῆκεν τὴν καθόλου πρόνοιαν, οὐδὲ τὴν κρίσιν ὑπείδετο τοῦ πρὸ πάντων καὶ διὰ πάντων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν, δι' ὃ καὶ τῆς μὲν καθολικῆς αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησίας γέγονεν πολέμιος, ἠλλοτρίωσεν δὲ καὶ ἀπεξένωσεν ἑαυτὸν τοῦ ἐλέους τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ὡς πορρωτάτω τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας ἐφυγάδευσεν, ἐν τούτῳ τὸ ἴδιον ἐπαληθεύων ὄνομα». 7.10.7 καὶ πάλιν μεθ' ἕτερά φησιν· «ὁ μὲν γὰρ Οὐαλεριανὸς εἰς ταῦτα ὑπὸ τούτου προαχθείς, εἰς ὕβρεις καὶ ὀνειδισμοὺς ἐκδοθείς, κατὰ τὸ ῥηθὲν πρὸς Ἡσαΐαν· καὶ οὗτοι ἐξελέξαντο τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτῶν, ἃ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῶν ἠθέλησεν, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐκλέξομαι τὰ ἐμπαίγματα αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἀνταποδώσω αὐτοῖς· 7.10.8 οὗτος δὲ τῇ βασιλείᾳ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἐπιμανεὶς καὶ τὸν βασίλειον ὑποδῦναι κόσμον ἀδυνατῶν ἀναπήρῳ τῷ σώματι, τοὺς δύο παῖδας τὰς πατρῴας ἀναδεξαμένους ἁμαρτίας προεστήσατο. ἐναργὴς γὰρ ἐπὶ τούτων ἡ πρόρρησις ἣν εἶπεν ὁ θεός· ἀποδιδοὺς ἁμαρτίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα ἕως τρίτης καὶ τετάρτης γενεᾶς τοῖς μισοῦσίν με. 7.10.9 τὰς γὰρ ἰδίας πονηρὰς ἐπιθυμίας ὧν 7.10.9 ἠτύχει, ταῖς τῶν υἱῶν κεφαλαῖς ἐπιβαλών, εἰς ἐκείνους τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κακίαν καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν μῖσος ἐξωμόρξατο». καὶ περὶ μὲν τοῦ Οὐαλεριανοῦ τοσαῦτα ὁ ∆ιονύσιος. 7.11.1 Περὶ δὲ τοῦ κατ' αὐτὸν διωγμοῦ σφοδρότατα πνεύσαντος οἷα σὺν ἑτέροις ὁ αὐτὸς διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν εὐσέβειαν ὑπέστη, δηλώσουσιν αἱ αὐτοῦ φωναὶ ἃς πρὸς Γερμανὸν τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ἐπισκόπων κακῶς ἀγορεύειν αὐτὸν πειρώμενον ἀποτεινόμενος, τοῦτον παρατίθεται τὸν τρόπον· 7.11.2 «εἰς ἀφροσύνην δὲ κινδυνεύω πολλὴν καὶ ἀναισθησίαν ὄντως ἐμπεσεῖν, εἰς ἀνάγκην συμβιβαζόμενος τοῦ διηγεῖσθαι τὴν θαυμαστὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς οἰκονομίαν τοῦ θεοῦ· ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μυστήριον, φησίν, βασιλέως κρύψαι καλόν, τὰ δὲ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀνακαλύπτειν ἔνδοξον, ὁμόσε χωρήσω τῇ Γερμανοῦ βίᾳ. 7.11.3 ἧκον πρὸς Αἰμιλιανόν, οὐ μόνος, ἠκολούθησαν δέ μοι συμπρεσβύτερός τέ μου Μάξιμος καὶ διά κονοι Φαῦστος Εὐσέβιος Χαιρήμων, καί τις τῶν ἀπὸ Ῥώμης παρόντων ἀδελφῶν ἡμῖν συνεισῆλθεν. 7.11.4 Αἰμιλιανὸς δὲ οὐκ εἶπέν μοι προηγουμένως «μὴ σύναγε». περιττὸν γὰρ τοῦτο ἦν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον, ἐπὶ τὸ πρῶτον ἀνατρέχοντι· οὐ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ μὴ συνάγειν ἑτέρους ὁ λόγος ἦν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ μηδ' αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς εἶναι Χριστιανούς, καὶ τούτου προσέταττεν πεπαῦσθαι, εἰ μεταβαλοίμην ἐγώ, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἕψεσθαί μοι νομίζων. 7.11.5 ἀπεκρινάμην δὲ οὐκ ἀπεοικότως οὐδὲ μακρὰν τοῦ πειθαρχεῖν δεῖ θεῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλ' ἄντικρυς διεμαρτυράμην ὅτι τὸν θεὸν τὸν ὄντα μόνον καὶ οὐδένα ἕτερον σέβω οὐδ' ἂν μεταθείμην οὐδὲ παυσαίμην ποτὲ Χριστιανὸς ὤν. ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐκέλευσεν ἡμᾶς ἀπελθεῖν εἰς κώμην πλησίον τῆς ἐρήμου καλουμένην Κεφρώ. 7.11.6 αὐτῶν δὲ ἐπακούσατε τῶν ὑπ' ἀμφοτέρων λεχθέντων ὡς ὑπεμνηματίσθη. «εἰσαχθέντων ∆ιονυσίου καὶ Φαύστου καὶ Μαξίμου καὶ Μαρκέλλου καὶ Χαιρήμονος, Αἰμιλιανὸς διέπων τὴν ἡγεμονίαν εἶπεν· «καὶ ἀγράφως ὑμῖν διελέχθην περὶ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τῶν κυρίων ἡμῶν ᾗ περὶ ὑμᾶς κέχρηνται· 7.11.7 δεδώκασιν γὰρ ἐξουσίαν ὑμῖν σωτηρίας, εἰ βούλοισθε ἐπὶ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν τρέπεσθαι καὶ θεοὺς τοὺς σῴζοντας αὐτῶν τὴν βασιλείαν προσκυνεῖν, ἐπιλαθέσθαι δὲ τῶν παρὰ φύσιν. τί οὖν φατὲ πρὸς ταῦτα; οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀχαρίστους ὑμᾶς ἔσεσθαι περὶ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν αὐτῶν προσδοκῶ, ἐπειδήπερ ἐπὶ τὰ βελτίω ὑμᾶς προτρέπονται». 7.11.8 «∆ιονύσιος ἀπεκρίνατο· «οὐ πάντες πάντας προσκυνοῦσι θεούς, ἀλλ' ἕκαστοι τινάς, οὓς νομίζουσιν· ἡμεῖς τοίνυν τὸν ἕνα θεὸν καὶ δημιουργὸν τῶν ἁπάντων, τὸν καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐγχειρίσαντα τοῖς θεοφιλεστάτοις Οὐαλεριανῷ καὶ Γαλλιήνῳ Σεβαστοῖς, τοῦτον καὶ σέβομεν καὶ προσκυνοῦμεν, καὶ τούτῳ διηνεκῶς ὑπὲρ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῶν, ὅπως ἀσάλευτος διαμείνῃ, προσευχόμεθα». 7.11.9 «Αἰμιλιανὸς