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at the end. Taking his starting points from this, the wretched Origen wrote commentaries on many of the scriptures, with Ambrose urging him to this and supplying both necessary needs abundantly and providing seven stenographers, who relieved one another as he dictated, and several calligraphers along with maidens trained in writing, and providing him unspeakable zeal for composing. But having slipped into the abyss of Hellenic mythological tales, he dogmatized on apocatastasis 439 and pre-existence and other impious doctrines; and for this reason he was cast out of the choir of the saints. Mammaea, the mother of the emperor Alexander, was exceedingly devout. She is said to have conversed with Origen while staying in Antioch, having summoned him from Pharos. And she was devoted to all the renowned teachers of the Christians at that time because of her faith in Christ. And Alexander, the son of Mammaea, after the slaying of Uranius the tyrant and his success against the Persians, upon returning to Rome, was killed along with his mother Mammaea in a military rebellion at Mogontiacum. Of the Persians, 1st, Artaxerxes, 15 years. 17th bishop of Rome, Urban, 7 years. 10th bishop of Antioch, Philetus or Philip, 8 years. 11th bishop of Antioch, Zebennus, 6 years. 35th bishop of Jerusalem, again Narcissus, 10 years. Emmaus, the village in Palestine, about which it is related in the holy gospels, was honored to be called Nicopolis by the emperor Alexander, when Africanus, who wrote the histories in a work of five books, went on an embassy. Africanus addresses to this Alexander the treatise in nine books entitled Cesti, containing powers of medicine and natural philosophy and agriculture and alchemy. Africanus says that Abgar, a holy man, the namesake of the former Abgar, was king of Edessa during these times. The Assyrians, therefore, reigned from Ninus and Semiramis until Beleous, son of Delcetades. For when the line of Semiramis ended with him, Belitaras a gardener reigned, and his line in succession until Sardanapalus, as it seems to Bion and Alexander Polyhistor. Sardanapalus 440 but Arbaces the Mede and Beleous the Babylonian killed, and transferred the kingdom to the Medes. The Assyrians therefore reigned for 1306 years. For so says Ctesias, and Diodorus Siculus agrees. And when the Medes had reigned for 30 years, Cyrus the Persian deposed the last king of the Medes, Astyages, and transferred the dominion to the Persians. And the Persians reigned for 228 years until Darius, son of Arsames, whom Alexander, son of Philip, defeated, and handed over the kingdom of the Persians to the Macedonians. And the Macedonians held the Persian dominion for 273 years, whom Arsaces the Parthian cast out and handed over the kingdom of the Persians to the Parthians; from which the kings of the Persians are also named Arsacids. And the Parthians reigned, beginning from Arsaces until Artabanus, for 270 years. And Alexander Mammaea reigned over the Romans when Artabanus the Parthian reigned over the Persians. And after Artabanus, the line of Chosroes began to reign. And it began thus: Artaxerxes, an obscure and inglorious Persian, having gathered undisciplined men, killed Artabanus and put on the tiara, and again brought back the kingdom to the Persians. He was a magus, and from him the magi became renowned among the Persians. And they say that the mother of Artaxerxes lived with a man named Pabek, a shoemaker by trade, but an astrologer and skilled in these matters. And that a soldier named Sananes, traveling through the country of the Cadusians, was received into the house of Pabek, and that Pabek foresaw, supposedly through astrology, that the offspring of Sananes would indeed be raised to great good fortune. And having no daughter or sister or any other female relative, he had his own wife lie with Sananes, and conceiving, she bore Artaxares. 441 From that Artaxares, therefore, who is also Artaxerxes, the [line] of Chosroes

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τέλει. Ἐκ τούτου λαβὼν ἀφορμὰς Ὠριγένης ὁ τάλας ὑπεμνημάτισε πολλὰς τῶν γραφῶν, Ἀμβροσίου παρορμῶντος αὐτὸν εἰς τοῦτο καὶ χορηγοῦντος ἀναγκαίας τε χρείας ἀφθόνως καὶ ταχυγράφους ζʹ παριστῶντος, ἀμείβον τας ἀλλήλους ὑπαγορεύοντος, καὶ καλλιγράφους πλείους ἅμα κόραις ἠσκη μέναις γράφειν, ἄφατόν τε προθυμίαν αὐτῷ παρέχοντος εἰς τὸ συντάττειν. ἀλλ' εἰς βάραθρον Ἑλληνικῆς τερατολογίας παρολισθήσας ἀποκατάστασιν 439 καὶ προΰπαρξιν ἐδογμάτισεν ἕτερά τε ἀνόσια δόγματα· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἁγίων ἐξώσθη. Μαμμαία τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος Ἀλεξάνδρου μήτηρ θεοσεβὴς ἦν σφόδρα. αὕτη λέγεται ὁμιλῆσαι τῷ Ὠριγένει ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διατρίβουσα, μεταπεμψαμένη αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ Φάρου. ἡ δ' αὐτὴ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ὀνομαστοῖς τηνι καῦτα Χριστιανῶν διδασκάλοις προσέκειτο διὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν. Καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μαμμαίας υἱὸς μετὰ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν Οὐρανίου τοῦ τυράννου καὶ τὴν κατὰ Περσῶν εὐδοκίμησιν ἐπανελθὼν ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἀναι ρεῖται σὺν μητρὶ Μαμμαίᾳ ἐν Μογοντιακῷ στρατιωτικῇ ἐπαναστάσει. Περσῶν αʹ Ἀρταξέρξης ἔτη ιεʹ. Ῥώμης ιζʹ ἐπίσκοπος Οὐρβανὸς ἔτη ζʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ιʹ ἐπίσκοπος Φίλητος ἢ Φίλιππος ἔτη ηʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ιαʹ ἐπίσκοπος Ζέβεννος ἔτη ςʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων λεʹ ἐπίσκοπος πάλιν Νάρκισσος ἔτη ιʹ. Ἐμμαοὺς ἡ ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ κώμη, περὶ ἧς φέρεται ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγε λίοις, Νικόπολις ἐτιμήθη καλεῖσθαι ὑπὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, Ἀφρικανοῦ πρεσβευσαμένου τὰς ἱστορίας ἐν πενταβίβλῳ συγγραψαμένου. Ἀφρικανὸς τὴν ἐννεάβιβλον τῶν Κεστῶν ἐπιγεγραμμένην πραγματείαν ἰατρικῶν καὶ φυσικῶν καὶ γεωργικῶν καὶ χυμευτικῶν περιέχουσαν δυνά μεις Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τούτῳ προσφωνεῖ. Ἀφρικανὸς Αὔγαρόν φησιν ἱερὸν ἄνδρα τοῦ πρώην Αὐγάρου ὁμώνυμον βασιλεύειν Ἐδέσσης κατὰ τούτους τοὺς χρόνους. Ἐβασίλευσαν οὖν Ἀσσύριοι ἀπὸ Νίνου καὶ Σεμιράμεως μέχρι Βελεοῦν τοῦ ∆ελκετάδου. εἰς τοῦτον γὰρ τοῦ Σεμιράμεως γένους λήξαντος, Βελι ταρᾶν κηπουργὸς ἐβασίλευσε καὶ τὸ ἐκείνου γένος ἑξῆς μέχρι Σαρδανα πάλου, καθὰ Βίωνι καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ δοκεῖ τῷ Πολυίστορι. Σαρδανάπαλον 440 δὲ ἀνεῖλεν Ἀρβάκης ὁ Μῆδος καὶ Βελεοῦς ὁ Βαβυλώνιος, καὶ μετήγαγεν εἰς Μήδους τὴν βασιλείαν. ἐβασίλευσαν οὖν οἱ Ἀσσύριοι ἔτη ατςʹ. οὕτω γὰρ λέγοντι Κτησίᾳ καὶ ∆ιόδωρος ὁ Σικελιώτης συμφθέγγεται. τῶν δὲ Μήδων λʹ ἔτη βασιλευσάντων, τὸν ὕστατον βασιλέα Μήδων Ἀστυάγην Κῦρος καθεῖλεν ὁ Πέρσης καὶ εἰς Πέρσας τὴν ἡγεμονίαν μετήγαγεν. Ἐβασίλευσαν δὲ οἱ Πέρσαι ἔτη σκηʹ μέχρις ∆αρείου τοῦ Ἀρσάμου, ὃν νικήσας ὁ Φιλίππου Ἀλέξανδρος Μακεδόσι τὴν Περσῶν βασιλείαν παρ έδωκεν. ἐκράτησαν δὲ τῆς Περσικῆς ἀρχῆς Μακεδόνες ἔτη ςζγʹ, οὓς ἐκ βαλὼν Ἀρσάκης ὁ Παρθυαῖος Πάρθοις τὴν βασιλείαν Περσῶν παρέδω κεν· ἔνθεν καὶ Ἀρσακίδαι οἱ βασιλεῖς Περσῶν ὀνομάζονται. Ἐβασίλευσαν δὲ Πάρθοι ἀπὸ Ἀρσάκου ἀρξάμενοι μέχρις Ἀρταβάνου ἔτη σοʹ. ἐβασίλευσε δὲ Ῥωμαίων ὁ Μαμμαίας Ἀλέξανδρος, ἡνίκα Ἀρτάβανος ὁ Πάρθος Περσῶν ἐβασίλευσε. μετὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀρτάβανον τὸ γένος Χοσρόου βασιλεύειν ἤρξατο. ἤρξατο δὲ οὕτως· Ἀρταξέρξης Πέρσης ἀφανής τε καὶ ἄδοξος ἀθροίσας ἄνδρας ἀτάκτους ἀνεῖλεν Ἀρτάβανον καὶ πε ριέθετο κίδαριν, καὶ αὖθις Πέρσαις ἐπανήγαγε τὴν βασιλείαν. ἦν δὲ μάγος καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου οἱ μάγοι γεγόνασι παρὰ Πέρσαις ἐπίδοξοι. λέγουσι δὲ τὴν τοῦ Ἀρταξέρξου μητέρα ἀνδρὶ συνοικεῖν Παβεκῷ τοὔνομα σκυτοτόμῳ μὲν τὴν τέχνην, ἀστρολόγῳ δὲ καὶ περὶ ταῦτα ἐνησκημένῳ. στρατιώτην δὲ ὀνόματι Σάνανον διὰ τῆς Καδουσαίων πορευόμενον χώρας ὑποδεχθῆναι εἰς τὸν οἶκον Παβεκῷ, καὶ προγνῶναι δῆθεν διὰ τῆς ἀστρολογίας τὸν Παβεκὸν ὅτι δὴ ἡ τοῦ Σανάνου γονὴ ἐπὶ μέγα εὐδαιμονίας ἀρθήσεται. μὴ ἔχων δὲ θυγατέρα ἢ ἀδελφὴν ἢ ἄλλο πρὸς γένος συναπτόμενον γύναιον, συγκατέκλινε τὴν ἰδίαν γαμετὴν τῷ Σανάνῳ, καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκε τὸν Ἀρταξάρην. 441 Ἐξ ἐκείνου τοίνυν τοῦ Ἀρταξάρου τοῦ καὶ Ἀρταξέρξου τὸ Χοσρόου