CHAPTER XXXIII

THE ERROR OF BERYLLUS

BERYLLUS, who was mentioned a little before, as bishop of Bostra in Arabia, perverting the doctrine of the church, attempted to introduce certain opinions that are foreign to Christian faith, daring to assert that our Lord and Saviour did not exist in the proper sense of existence, before his dwelling among men; and that neither had he a proper divinity, but only that divinity which dwelt in him from the Father. As the bishops had many examinations and discussions on this point with the man, Origen, who was also invited together with the rest, at first entered into conversation with him, in order to ascertain what opinion the man held. But when he understood what he advanced, after correcting his error, by reasoning and demonstration, he convinced him, and thus recovered him to the truth in doctrine, and brought him back again to the former sound opinion. There are also works still extant, both of Beryllus and the synod that was held on his account, containing the questions put to him by Origen, and the discussions held in his church, together with all that was done there. Innumerable other facts are reported by our elder brethren, which I have thought proper to pass by, as having no reference to the objects of the present work; but whatsoever it was necessary to select of matters concerning him, these may be collected from that defence of him which we and Pamphilus, that holy martyr of our times, have Written, which work we performed jointly, in order to obviate the malevolence of some.