CHRONICON PASCHALE. | EUSEBIUS. | In the 133rd year of the Ascension | At this time _very severe of the Lord _very severe persecutions | persecutions having disturbed_ having dismayed_ ([Greek: | ([Greek: anathorubêsantôn]) anasobêsantôn]) _Asia_, many were | _Asia, Polycarp_ is perfected by _martyred_, among whom _Polycarp_.... | _martyrdom_ ... and in the same | writing concerning him were | attached other martyrdoms ... * * * * * | and next in order ([Greek: hexês]) | memoirs of _others_ ([Greek: | allôn]) also, who were martyred and in _Pergamum others_ ([Greek: | _in Pergamum_, a city of Asia, heteroi]), among whom was PAPIAS and | _are extant_ ([Greek: pheretai]), many others ([Greek: alloi]), whose | Carpus and PAPYLUS and a woman martyrdoms _are extant_ ([Greek: | Agathonice.... pherontai]) also in writing.... | | * * * * * | * * * * * | _Justin_, a philosopher of the | And at the same time with these word received among us ([Greek: tou | ([Greek: kata toutous]) _Justin_, kath' hêmas logou]), _having | also who was mentioned shortly presented a second book in defence of | before by us, _having presented the doctrines received among us_ to | a second book in defence of the Marcus Aurelius and Antoninus Verus, | doctrines received among us_ to the emperors, _is decorated_ not | the aforementioned rulers, _is long after _with the divine_ crown of | decorated with divine martyrdom_, _martyrdom, Crescens_ accusing (?) | a philosopher _Crescens_ ... him. | having hatched the plot against | him, etc.
The sequence of events, and the correspondence of individual phrases, alike show that the compiler of this Chronicle derived his information from the History of Eusebius [148:2]. But either he or his transcriber has substituted a well known name, _Papias_, for a more obscure name, _Papylus_. If the last letters of the word were blurred or blotted in his copy of Eusebius, nothing would be more natural than such a change. It is only necessary to write the two names in uncials, [Greek: PAPIAS PAPYLOS], to judge of its likelihood [149:1]. This explanation indeed is so obvious, when the passages are placed side by side, that one can only feel surprised at its not having been pointed out before. Thus the martyrdom of Papias, with its chronological perplexities (such as they are), disappears from history; and we may dismiss the argument of the author of _Supernatural Religion_, that 'a writer who suffered martyrdom under Marcus Aurelius (c. A.D. 165) can scarcely have been a hearer of the Apostles' [149:2].