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having ambushed them in narrow, difficult places, they killed very many, with Gallienus the emperor also joining the attack and killing three thousand near the Nessos. Then Naulobatus, the leader of the Heruli, gave himself up to Gallienus the emperor and was deemed worthy of consular honor by him. But a certain Aureolus, a Roman general of Celtic origin, murders Gallienus. And these things are concerning Valerian and Gallienus the emperors. And it is worthwhile also to set forth the accounts of Dionysius the Great, bishop of Alexandria, concerning the same emperors and the persecution under them and of his own zeal and confession in Christ. 468 From the letter of Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, to Hermammon And to John also it is revealed concerning these things; “for to him was given,” it says, “a mouth speaking great and blasphemous things, and to him was given authority and forty-two months.” It is possible to wonder at both these things in the case of Valerian, and of these especially what came before, that we should understand how gentle and kind he was toward the men of God. For no other of the emperors before him was so kindly and favorably disposed toward them, not even those said to have been openly Christians as he was. From the beginning, he most intimately and lovingly received them openly, and his entire house was filled with the devout and was a church of God. But the teacher and chief of the magi from Egypt persuaded him to cast this aside, ordering the pure and holy men to be killed as being adversaries and hinderers of their utterly defiled and abominable incantations (for they are and were able, by being present and seen and merely by breathing and speaking, to scatter the plots of the wicked demons), suggesting that he perform unholy rites and accursed sorceries and ill-omened sacrifices, to slaughter wretched children and to sacrifice the offspring of unfortunate fathers, and to divide the entrails of the newborn, and to cut up and dismember the creations of God, as if he would be blessed by these things. To these things he adds, saying: Macrinus certainly offered them fine thank-offerings for his hoped-for reign. For first, though being styled the emperor's chief minister, he thought nothing reasonable or universal, but has fallen under a prophetic curse which says: “Woe to those who prophesy from their own hearts and do not see the whole.” For he did not understand universal providence, nor did he regard the judgment of him who is before all and in all. Therefore he became an enemy of his universal church, and he alienated and estranged himself from the mercy of God and banished himself as far as possible from his own salvation, in this verifying his own name. 469 And again after other things he says: For Valerian, having been led by God into these things, having been delivered 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 delusions and will repay their sins to them.” But this man, being driven mad for the empire beyond his worth and being unable to bear the imperial dignity with his crippled body, 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 the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.” For having cast upon the heads of his sons his own wicked desires which he could not obtain, he wiped off on them his own wickedness and his hatred toward God. And Dionysius the Great says these things concerning Valerian, but not also concerning Macrinus.

YEAR OF THE WORLD 5763. Years of the divine incarnation 263. Of Rome the 27th reigned

Claudius, one year. Claudius, having ruled one year. And they do also under him

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στενὰς δυσχωρίας ἐνεδρεύσαντες αὐτοὺς πλείστους ἀνεῖλον, συνδραμόντος καὶ Γαλιηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τρισχιλίους ἀνελόντος παρὰ τὸν Νέσσον. τότε Ναυλοβάτος ὁ τῶν Αἰλούρων ἡγούμενος Γαλιηνῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἔκδοτον ὑπατικῆς ἠξιώθη τιμῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ. Αὐρίολος δέ τις Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς Κελτικὸς τὸν Γαλιηνὸν δολοφονεῖ. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ Οὐαλε ριανοῦ καὶ Γαλιηνοῦ τῶν βασιλέων. Ἄξιον δὲ καὶ ∆ιονυσίου τοῦ μεγάλου ἐπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας παραθέ σθαι τὰς χρήσεις περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν βασιλέων καὶ τοῦ κατ' αὐτοὺς διωγμοῦ καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἐν Χριστῷ σπουδῆς καὶ ὁμολογίας. 468 ∆ιονυσίου ἐπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Ἑρμάμμωνα ἐπιστολῆσ Καὶ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ δὲ ἀποκαλύπτεται περὶ τούτων· ἐδόθη γὰρ αὐτῷ, φησί, στόμα λαλοῦν μεγάλα καὶ βλάσφημα, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία καὶ μῆνες τεσσαράκοντα δύο. ἀμφότερα δέ ἐστιν ἐπὶ Οὐαλεριανοῦ θαυμάσαι, καὶ τούτων μάλιστα τὰ πρὸ αὐτοῦ ὡς οὕτως ἔσχε, συννοεῖν ὡς μὲν ἤπιος καὶ φιλόφρων ἦν πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοῦ θεοῦ. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλος τις οὕτω τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλέων εὐμενῶς καὶ δεξιῶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς διετέθη, οὐδ' οἱ λεχθέντες ἀναφανδὸν Χριστιανοὶ γεγονέναι ὡς ἐκεῖνοι. οἰκειότατα ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ προσφιλέστατα φανερῶς ἦν αὐτοὺς ὑποδεχόμενος καὶ πᾶς τε ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ θεοσεβῶν πεπλήρωτο καὶ ἦν ἐκκλησία θεοῦ. ἀποσκευάσασθαι δὲ παρέπεισεν αὐτὸν ὁ διδάσκαλος καὶ τῶν ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου μάγων ὁ ἀρχισυν άγωγος, τοὺς μὲν καθαροὺς καὶ ὁσίους ἄνδρας κτείννυσθαι κελεύων ὡς ἀντιπάλους καὶ κωλυτὰς τῶν παμμιάρων καὶ βδελυκτῶν ἐπαοιδῶν ὑπάρ χοντας (καὶ γάρ εἰσι καὶ ἦσαν ἱκανοὶ παρόντες καὶ ὁρώμενοι καὶ μόνον ἐμπνέοντες καὶ φθεγγόμενοι διασκεδάσαι τὰς τῶν ἀλιτηρίων δαιμόνων ἐπιβουλάς), τελετάς τε ἀνάγνους καὶ μαγγανείας ἐξαγίστους καὶ ἱερουργίας ἀκαλλιερήτους ἐπιτελεῖν ὑποθέμενος, παῖδας ἀθλίους ἀποσφάττειν καὶ τέκνα δυστήνων πατέρων καταθύειν, καὶ σπλάγχνα νεογενῆ διαιρεῖν, καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κατακόπτειν καὶ καταχορδεύειν πλάσματα, ὡς ἐκ τούτων εὐδαιμονήσοντα. Τούτοις ἐπιφέρει λέγων· καλὰ γοῦν αὐτοῖς Μακρῖνος τῆς ἐλπιζομένης βασιλείας προσήνεγκε χαριστήρια. πρῶτον μὲν ἐπὶ τὸν καθ' ὅλου λόγον 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. οὐ γὰρ συνῆκε τὴν καθόλου πρόνοιαν, οὐδὲ τὴν κρίσιν ὑπείδετο τοῦ πρὸ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσι. διὸ καὶ τῆς μὲν καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ γέγονε πολέμιος, ἠλλοτρίωσε δὲ καὶ ἀπεξένωσεν ἑαυτὸν τοῦ ἐλέους τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ὡς πορρωτάτω τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας ἐφυγάδευσεν, ἐν τούτῳ τὸ ἴδιον ἐπαληθεύων ὄνομα. 469 Καὶ πάλιν μεθ' ἕτερά φησιν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ Οὐαλεριανὸς εἰς ταῦτα ὑπὸ θεοῦ προαχθείς, εἰς ὕβρεις καὶ ὀνειδισμοὺς ἐκθοθείς, κατὰ τὸ ῥηθὲν πρὸς Ἡσαΐαν· καὶ οὗτοι ἐξελέξαντο τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτῶν, ἃ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῶν ἠθέλησε, κἀγὼ ἐκλέξομαι τὰ ἐμπλέγματα αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἀνταποδώσω αὐτοῖς. οὗτος δὲ τῇ βασιλείᾳ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν παρα μανεὶς καὶ τὸν βασίλειον ὑποδῦναι κόσμον ἀδυνατῶν ἀναπήρῳ τῷ σώματι, τοὺς δύο παῖδας τὰς πατρῴας ἀναδεξαμένους ἁμαρτίας προεστήσατο. ἐναρ γὴς γὰρ ἐπὶ τούτων ἡ πρόρρησις, ἣν εἶπεν ὁ θεός· ἀποδιδοὺς ἁμαρτίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα ἕως τρίτης καὶ τετάρτης γενεᾶς τοῖς μισοῦσί με. τὰς γὰρ ἰδίας πονηρὰς ἐπιθυμίας ὧν εἰ τύχοι ταῖς τῶν υἱῶν κεφαλαῖς ἐπιβαλὼν εἰς ἐκείνους τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κακίαν καὶ τὸ πρὸς θεὸν μῖσος ἐξεμόρξατο. καὶ περὶ μὲν τοῦ Οὐαλεριανοῦ, οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ Μακρίνου ταῦτα ὁ μέγας λέγει ∆ιονύσιος.

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