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they reigned, according to some, for twenty-two days, but according to others, for not quite three months. After these, some have written that a certain Pompeianus held the rule of the Romans, but that he fell from it very quickly, as if having enjoyed the power in a dream, for not yet two months had passed, and he was deprived both of the monarchy and of his life, having been killed; but by whom and for what reason, not having found out, I too have passed over in silence; others, some other. after whom they have recorded that Pupienus was succeeded by Balbinus; and that he too, having tasted but a little of the supreme power, for they assign his rule to three months, was also killed, just as Gordian arrived from Libya, who there, as has already been said by me, had been proclaimed before. But Gordian, having arrived at Rome, fell ill, partly because he was very old, for he had lived seventy-nine years, and partly because, having spent time at sea during the voyage, he was completely exhausted, and from this sickness he passed away, having spent only twenty-two days in this state; and he had as successor to the throne his own son, also called Gordian and having the same name as his own father. 3.128 Some, then, have recorded that these things followed in this way, but others say that some rose up against the elder Gordian, who had been proclaimed emperor in Libya, and that when battle was joined, Gordian's men were defeated, and many of them, and indeed his son also, were killed; and that he, being overcome with grief because of this, hanged himself and thus removed himself from life. But those who assign the rule of the Romans to his son, the young Gordian, after the death from sickness of the elder Gordian, have written that he marched against the Persians and engaged them, and in the battle, while riding his horse and encouraging his men and rousing them to valor, when the horse slipped and fell with him, his thigh was broken, and so he was carried back to Rome, and died from the fracture, having ruled for six years. And Urban, the bishop of Rome, having served as bishop for eight years during the reign of Maximinus, died; whom Pontianus succeeded. And of the church of Antioch, Zebinus presided after Philetus. And during the reign of the young Gordian, Pontianus, who presided over the faithful in Rome, departed this life and had Anterus as his successor, having devoted himself to the ministry for six years. But Anterus, having guided the church for a very brief time, passed on to another life. After him Fabianus obtained the high priesthood by divine vote, as Eusebius relates. For it is said that when the faithful were gathered so that the one who was to preside over the episcopate might be elected by them, there was present 3.129 Fabianus also, having just come from the country; no one, however, gave any thought to him as one who would preside over the church, but there were others about whom the assembled were concerned as to which of them might be preferred. Meanwhile a dove flew down and settled on Fabianus' head; and thereupon all who were gathered there used one voice as if by a signal, and cried "Worthy!" to him, and brought the man to the throne of the high priesthood without any delay. Then also Zebinus, who presided over the church of the faithful in Antioch, departed this life and is succeeded by Babylas. And Origen, living at that time in Caesarea in Palestine, acquired many students from many places, and he had also the great Gregory the Wonderworker and his brother Athenodorus as hearers of his discourses. And at that time Africanus the chronicler was also well-known. And after the young Gordian, another Gordian again took hold of the rule, related by birth, as the story goes, to the departed Gordians. who, having marched into Persia and made war on them, while Sapor the son of Artaxerxes was ruling the nation, both defeated the enemy and recovered for the Romans both Nisibis and Carrhae, which had been seized by the Persians under Maximinus, then towards

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ἐβασίλευσαν κατὰ τινὰς μὲν ἡμέρας δύο καὶ εικοσι, καθ' ἑτέρους δὲ οὐχ ολους μῆνας τρεῖς. Μετὰ δὲ τούτους οἱ μὲν Πομπηιανόν τινα συγγεγράφασι τὴν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐσχηκέναι ἀρχήν, ταχύτατα δ' ἐκπεπτωκέναι αὐτῆς, ὡς ἐν ὀνείρῳ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἀπολαύσαντα, ουπω γὰρ δύο παρεληλυθέναι μῆνας, καὶ στερηθῆναι αὐτὸν πρὸς τῇ μοναρχίᾳ καὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἀναιρεθέντα· παρὰ τίνων δὲ καὶ διὰ τίνα αἰτίαν, μὴ εὑρηκώς, παρεσιώπησα καὶ αὐτός· οἱ δ' ετερόν τινα. μεθ' ον Πούπλιον ἀντεισαχθῆναι Βαλβῖνον ἱστόρησαν· καὶ μικρόν τι κἀκεῖνον τῆς αὐταρχίας ἀπογευσάμενον, ἐπὶ τρισὶ γὰρ μησὶν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀρχὴν περιγράφουσιν, ἀναιρεθῆναι κἀκεῖνον, αρτι καταλαβόντος ἐκ Λιβύης Γορδιανοῦ, ος ἐκεῖ, ὡς ηδη μοι ἐρρήθη, προανηγόρευτο. τὸν δὲ Γορδιανὸν τῆς ̔Ρώμης ἐπιβεβηκότα νοσῆσαι, τὸ μὲν οτι ὑπέργηρως ην, ἑβδομήκοντα γὰρ καὶ ἐννέα ἐβίω ἐνιαυτούς, τὸ δ' οτι χρονοτριβήσας ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ κατὰ τὸν πλοῦν πάνυ τεταλαιπώρητο, καὶ ἐκ τῆς νόσου ταύτης ἐκλελοιπέναι, μόνας εικοσι καὶ δύο ἡμέρας ἐν ταύτῃ διαγαγόντα· καὶ σχεῖν ἐπὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ διάδοχον τὸν οἰκεῖον υἱόν, Γορδιανὸν κἀκεῖνον καλούμενον καὶ ὁμωνυμοῦντα τῷ οἰκείῳ πατρί. 3.128 Οἱ μὲν ουν ουτω παρηκολουθηκέναι ταῦθ' ἱστορήκασιν, οἱ δὲ τῷ πρεσβύτῃ Γορδιανῷ ἀναρρηθέντι κατὰ Λιβύην αὐτοκράτορι φασὶν ἐπαναστῆναί τινας, καὶ μάχης συγκροτηθείσης ἡττηθῆναι τοὺς τοῦ Γορδιανοῦ, καὶ πολλοὺς αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἀναιρεθῆναι· τὸν δὲ ὑπεραλγήσαντα διὰ τοῦτο ἀπάγξασθαι καὶ ουτως ἑαυτὸν τῆς ζωῆς ὑπεξαγαγεῖν. Οἱ δὲ τῷ υἱῷ ἐκείνου τῷ νέῳ Γορδιανῷ τὴν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν μετὰ τὸν ἐκ νόσου θάνατον τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου Γορδιανοῦ προσκληροῦντες, κατὰ Περσῶν αὐτὸν γεγράφασιν ἐκστρατεύσαντα καὶ συμβαλόντα αὐτοῖς κἀν τῇ μάχῃ τὸν ιππον ἐλαύνοντα καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους παραθαρρύνοντα καὶ πρὸς ἀλκὴν ἐπαλείφοντα, ὀλισθήσαντος δὲ τοῦ ιππου καὶ συμπεσόντος αὐτῷ, τὸν μηρὸν κατεαγῆναι, καὶ ουτως ἀνακομισθῆναι εἰς ̔Ρώμην, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ κατάγματος τελευτῆσαι, ἐπὶ εξ ἐνιαυτοὺς αὐταρχήσαντα. Οὐρβανὸς δὲ ὁ τῆς ̔Ρώμης ἀρχιερεὺς ετεσιν ἀρχιερατεύσας ὀκτὼ τοῦ Μαξιμίνου βασιλεύοντος ἀπεβίω· ον Ποντιανὸς διεδέξατο. τῆς δ' ̓Αντιοχέων ἐκκλησίας μετὰ Φιλητὸν προέστη Ζεβῖνος. ἐπὶ δέ γε Γορδιανοῦ τοῦ νέου ὁ τῶν ἐν ̔Ρώμῃ πιστῶν προεστηκὼς Ποντιανὸς μεταλλάξας τὸν βίον εσχε διάδοχον τὸν ̓Αντέρωτα, ἐν εξ ετεσι τῇ λειτουργίᾳ ἐσχολακώς. ὁ δέ γε ̓Αντέρως ἐπὶ βράχιστον πάνυ καιρὸν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἰθύνας πρὸς αλλην ζωὴν μετελήλυθε. μεθ' ον Φλαβιανὸς θείᾳ ψήφῳ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης τετύχηκεν, ὡς ἱστορεῖ ὁ Εὐσέβιος. λέγεται γὰρ τῶν πιστῶν ἀθροισθέντων, ωστε τὸν μέλλοντα τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς προστῆναι παρ' αὐτῶν ἐκλεγῆναι, παρεῖναι 3.129 καὶ τὸν Φλαβιανὸν αρτι ηκοντα ἐξ ἀγροῦ· μὴ μέντοι παρά του λόγον γενέσθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς προστησομένου τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἀλλ' ἑτέρους ειναι περὶ ων ην τοῖς συνειλεγμένοις φροντὶς τίς αν προκριθείη αὐτῶν. ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ περιστερὰν καταπτῆναι καὶ ἐφιζῆσαι τῇ τοῦ Φλαβιανοῦ κεφαλῇ· κἀντεῦθεν απαντας τοὺς ἠθροισμένους ἐκεῖ μιᾷ χρήσασθαι φωνῇ ωσπερ ἀπὸ συνθήματος, καί "αξιος" ἐπιβοῆσαι αὐτῷ, καὶ τῷ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης θρόνῳ τὸν ανδρα προσενεγκεῖν μηδέν τι μελλήσαντας. τότε καὶ ὁ τῆς ἐν ̓Αντιοχείᾳ τῶν πιστῶν ἐκκλησίας προεστηκὼς Ζεβῖνος τὸν βίον λιπὼν ὑπὸ Βαβύλα διαδέχεται. ̓Ωριγένης δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ διατρίβων τηνικαῦτα Καισάρειαν πολλοὺς μὲν καὶ πολλαχόθεν ἐκέκτητο φοιτητάς, ειχε δὲ καὶ τὸν μέγαν Γρηγόριον τὸν θαυματουργὸν καὶ τὸν τούτου ὁμαίμονα ̓Αθηνόδωρον τῶν ἑαυτοῦ λόγων ἀκροατάς. τότε δὲ καὶ ̓Αφρικανὸς ὁ συγγραφεὺς ἐγνωρίζετο. Μετὰ δὲ τὸν νέον Γορδιανὸν ετερος αυθις Γορδιανὸς τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπελάβετο, κατὰ γένος, ὡς λόγος, προσήκων τοῖς ἀπελθοῦσι Γορδιανοῖς. ος ἐκστρατεύσας εἰς Πέρσας καὶ πολεμήσας αὐτοῖς, Σαπώρου τοῦ υἱοῦ ̓Αρταξέρξου τοῦ εθνους ἡγεμονεύοντος, ηττησέ τε τοὺς ἐναντίους, καὶ Νίσιβιν καὶ Κάρας ̔Ρωμαίοις αυθις ἐπανεσώσατο, ὑπὸ Περσῶν ἐπὶ Μαξιμίνου ὑφαρπασθείσας, ειτα πρὸς