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of the one presiding. In which it seemed right to receive3.135 those who had lapsed in the time of the persecution, if they returned, and to heal them with the medicines of repentance. But as for Novatus, who did not obey what was decided by the synod, those divine fathers of the church excommunicated him and denounced him as a hater of the brethren. And Eusebius mentions a certain story from a letter of Dionysius, who was bishop of the church of Alexandria, of the following kind. For he says that Dionysius wrote these things word for word: "There was among us a certain Serapion, a faithful old man, who had lived blamelessly, but who had fallen in the time of trial. This man often prayed, and no one paid attention to him; for he had sacrificed. But having fallen ill, for three successive days he remained speechless and unconscious. And having recovered a little on the fourth day, he called his grandson, and said, "Hurry, call one of the presbyters for me"; and again he was speechless. The boy ran to the presbyter; but he was not able to come, for he was sick, but since an order had been given by me, that those departing this life, if they should ask, and especially if they happened to have beseeched it before, should be absolved, so that they might depart with good hope, he gave a small portion of the eucharist to the boy, having ordered him to moisten it and to drop it into the old man's mouth. The boy returned, bringing it. And when he drew near, before he entered, Serapion revived again and said, "Have you come, child? The presbyter was not able to come, but you do quickly what was commanded and release me." The boy moistened it, and at the same time poured it into the old man's mouth, and after he had swallowed a little, he immediately gave up the spirit. Was he not clearly preserved and did he not remain until he should be released, and with his 3.136 sin absolved, be able to be acknowledged for the many good things which he had done?" The letter of Dionysius relates these things. But Decius, being so disposed toward those who worship Christ, not having completed two whole years in the rule of the Romans, was most shamefully destroyed. For when the barbarians were plundering the Bosphorus, Decius engaged with them and killed many. But when they were hard-pressed and asked to be allowed to leave all the booty, if they were permitted to withdraw, Decius did not yield, but placed Gallus, one of the senate, at the pass of the barbarians, ordering him not to allow them to pass through. But Gallus, plotting against Decius, suggested to the barbarians, since there was a deep marsh nearby, to draw up for battle there. And when the barbarians had thus drawn up for battle and had turned their backs, Decius pursued. And he himself, with his son and a multitude of the Romans, had fallen into the marsh, and all perished there, so that not even their bodies were found, being buried in the mud of the marsh. So Gallus took power, whom some of the writers say was also called Volusianus, as having two names, while others have written that Volusianus was his son and co-ruled with him. Gallus therefore, having seized the rule of the Romans, made a treaty with the barbarians on the terms of their receiving an annual tribute from the Romans and not plundering the Roman lands. And having made a treaty thus, he returned to Rome, and proclaimed his son Volusianus as Caesar. And this one also became harsh toward the 3.137 Christians, and no less than Decius, raising a persecution against them and killing many. And again under him the movement of the Persians began, and Armenia was seized by them, as its king, Tiridates, fled, and his children went over to the Persians. And Scythians also invaded Italy, being a multitude almost beyond number, and they overran Macedonia and Thessaly and Greece. And it is said that a certain portion of them, having passed through the Bosphorus and having crossed Lake Maeotis, came to the Euxine sea and sacked many lands. And many other nations also at that time rose up against the Roman dominion. But also a plague at that time fell upon the lands, beginning from Ethiopia and spreading over almost every land, both eastern and western, and it emptied many of the cities of their inhabitants, for

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προϊσταμένου. ἐν ῃ προσδέχε3.135 σθαι μὲν τοὺς ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ διωγμοῦ παραπεπτωκότας δεῖν εδοξεν, ἐπιστρέφοντας, καὶ μετανοίας φαρμάκοις θεραπεύειν αὐτούς· τὸν δὲ Ναυάτον τοῖς τῇ συνόδῳ δόξασι μὴ πειθόμενον οἱ θεῖοι πατέρες ἐκεῖνοι τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀπηλλοτρίωσαν καὶ ἀπεκήρυξαν ὡς μισάδελφον. Μέμνηται δέ τινος ὁ Εὐσέβιος ἱστορίας ἐξ ἐπιστολῆς ∆ιονυσίου τοῦ τῆς ̓Αλεξανδρέων ἐκκλησίας ἐπισκοπήσαντος τοιαύτης. φησὶ γὰρ ταῦτ' ἐπιστεῖλαι πρὸς ῥῆμα τὸν ∆ιονύσιον "Σαραπίων τις ην παρ' ἡμῖν πιστὸς γέρων, ἀμέμπτως μὲν βιούς, ἐν δὲ τῷ πειρασμῷ πεσών. ουτος πολλάκις ἐδεῖτο, καὶ οὐδεὶς προσεῖχεν αὐτῷ· καὶ γὰρ ἐτεθύκει. νοσήσας δὲ τριῶν ἑξῆς ἡμερῶν αφωνος διετέλεσε καὶ ἀναίσθητος· ἀνασφήλας δὲ τῇ τετάρτῃ βραχύ, προσεκαλέσατο τὸν θυγατριδοῦν, καί «σπεῦσον» ειπε, «κάλεσόν μοι τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τινά»· καὶ πάλιν ην αφωνος. εδραμεν ὁ παῖς ἐπὶ τὸν πρεσβύτερον· ὁ δὲ ἀφικέσθαι μὲν οὐκ ἠδυνήθη, καὶ γὰρ ἠσθένει, ἐντολῆς δὲ παρ' ἐμοῦ δεδομένης, τοὺς ἀπαλλαττομένους τοῦ βίου, εἰ δέοιντο, καὶ μάλιστα εἰ πρότερον ἱκετεύσαντες τύχοιεν, ἀφίεσθαι, ιν' εὐέλπιδες ἀπαλλάττοιντο, βραχὺ τῆς εὐχαριστίας δέδωκε τῷ παιδαρίῳ, ἀποβρέξαι κελεύσας καὶ τῷ πρεσβύτῃ κατὰ τοῦ στόματος ἐπιστάξαι. ἐπανῆκεν ὁ παῖς φέρων. ἐγγὺς δὲ γενομένου, πρὶν εἰσελθεῖν, ἀνενέγκας πάλιν ὁ Σαραπίων «ηκες» εφη «τέκνον; καὶ ὁ μὲν πρεσβύτερος ἐλθεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθη, σὺ δὲ ποίησον ταχέως τὸ προσταχθὲν καὶ ἀπάλλαττέ με.» ἀπέβρεξεν ὁ παῖς, καὶ αμα τε ἐνέχεε τῷ στόματι τοῦ πρεσβύτου, καὶ μικρὸν ἐκεῖνος καταβροχθίσας εὐθέως ἀπέδωκε τὸ πνεῦμα. αρ' οὐκ ἐναργῶς διετηρήθη καὶ παρέμεινεν εως λυθῇ καὶ τῆς 3.136 ἁμαρτίας λυθείσης ἐπὶ πολλοῖς οις επραξε καλοῖς ὁμολογηθῆναι δυνηθῇ;" ταῦτα ἡ τοῦ ∆ιονυσίου διέξεισιν ἐπιστολή. ∆έκιος δὲ ουτω διατεθεὶς εἰς τοὺς τὸν Χριστὸν σεβομένους, οὐδὲ δύο ολους ἐνιαυτοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἀνύσας ἀρχῇ αισχιστα διεφθάρη. βαρβάρων γὰρ ληιζομένων τὸν Βόσπορον ὁ ∆έκιος αὐτοῖς συνεπλέκετο καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνῄρει· τῶν δὲ στενοχωρηθέντων καὶ αἰτουμένων ἀφεῖναι τὴν λείαν πᾶσαν, εἰ παραχωρηθεῖεν ἀναχωρῆσαι, ὁ ∆έκιος οὐκ ἐνέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ Γάλλον ενα τῶν τῆς συγκλήτου τῇ διόδῳ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπέστησε, μὴ συγχωρῆσαι κελεύσας αὐτοῖς παρελθεῖν. ὁ δὲ Γάλλος ὑπέθετο τοῖς βαρβάροις, ἐπιβουλεύων ∆εκίῳ, πλησίον τέλματος βαθέος οντος, ἐκεῖ παρατάξασθαι. ουτω δὲ παραταξαμένων τῶν βαρβάρων καὶ τὰ νῶτα τρεψάντων ὁ ∆έκιος ἐπεδίωκε· καὶ αὐτός τε σὺν τῷ υἱῷ καὶ πλῆθος τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐνεπεπτώκει τῷ τέλματι, καὶ πάντες ἐκεῖσε ἀπώλοντο, ὡς μηδὲ τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν εὑρεθῆναι, καταχωσθέντα τῇ ἰλύϊ τοῦ τέλματος. Κρατεῖ ουν ὁ Γάλλος, ον τινὲς μὲν τῶν συγγραφέων καὶ Βολουσιανὸν κεκλῆσθαί φασιν ὡς διώνυμον, αλλοι δὲ τὸν Βολουσιανὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ειναι γεγράφασι καὶ συνάρχειν αὐτῷ. κρατήσας τοίνυν τῆς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ὁ Γάλλος ἀρχῆς, σπένδεται τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐπὶ συνθήκαις τοῦ λαμβάνειν ἐκείνους παρὰ ̔Ρωμαίων δασμὸν ἐνιαύσιον καὶ μὴ τὰ ̔Ρωμαίων ληίζεσθαι. καὶ σπεισάμενος ουτως ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς ̔Ρώμην, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Βολουσιανὸν ἀνηγόρευσε Καίσαρα. βαρὺς δὲ καὶ ουτος γέγονε τοῖς 3.137 χριστιανοῖς, καὶ οὐχ ηττον ∆εκίου, διωγμὸν κατ' αὐτῶν ἐγείρας καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνελών. ηρξατο δ' αυθις ἐπὶ τούτου ἡ κίνησις τῶν Περσῶν, καὶ κατεσχέθη παρ' αὐτῶν ἡ ̓Αρμενία, τοῦ ταύτης βασιλέως Τιριδάτου φυγόντος, τῶν δὲ παίδων ἐκείνου προσρυέντων τοῖς Πέρσαις. καὶ Σκύθαι δὲ εἰς τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν εἰσέβαλον, πλῆθος οντες σχεδὸν ὑπερβαῖνον καὶ ἀριθμόν, καὶ Μακεδονίαν καὶ Θεσσαλίαν καὶ ̔Ελλάδα κατέδραμον. λέγεται δὲ τούτων μοῖράν τινα διὰ Βοσπόρου παρελθοῦσαν καὶ τὴν Μαιώτιδα λίμνην ὑπερβᾶσαν ἐπὶ τὸν Ευξεινον γενέσθαι πόντον καὶ χώρας πορθῆσαι πολλάς. καὶ αλλα δὲ πολλὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν τότε κατὰ τῆς ̔Ρωμαϊκῆς ἐπικρατείας ὡρμήκεσαν. ἀλλὰ καὶ λοιμὸς τηνικαῦτα ταῖς χώραις ἐνέσκηψεν, ἐξ Αἰθιοπίας ἀρξάμενος καὶ πᾶσαν σχεδὸν ἐπινεμηθεὶς χώραν ἑῴαν τε καὶ ἑσπέριον, καὶ πολλὰς τῶν πόλεων τῶν οἰκητόρων ἐκένωσεν, ἐπὶ