---
title: "Seven Books of History against the Pagans"
author: "Paulus Orosius"
translator: "S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026)"
title_ru: "История против язычников"
title_fr: "Histoires contre les païens"
title_de: "Sieben Bücher Geschichte gegen die Heiden"
languages: [la, en]
shelf: "Church Fathers"
section: 151 of 177
url: https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/151/
cite: "Paulus Orosius, tr. S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026), Seven Books of History against the Pagans, section 151. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/151/"
---

# Seven Books of History against the Pagans

*Paulus Orosius, tr. S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026)*

Russian: История против язычников · French: Histoires contre les païens · German: Sieben Bücher Geschichte gegen die Heiden

Augustine's pupil tells the whole of world history to prove that the Christian times are not the worst.

## 151. Book 7 · Chapter 17

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/151/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/151/#p-N

[¶0] In the year 944 from the founding of the City, Severus — an African by birth, from Tripolitania, of the town of Leptis — who wished to be called Pertinax after the name of the emperor whose murder he had avenged, the seventeenth from Augustus, obtained the empire, now left without a ruler, and held it for eighteen years.

> Latin: 1 Anno ab urbe condita DCCCCXLIIII Seuerus, genere Afer Tripolitanus ab oppido Lepti, qui se ex nomine imperatoris, quem occisum ultus fuerat, Pertinacem appellari voluit, septimus decimus ab Augusto destitutum adeptus imperium XVIII annis tenuit.

[¶1] Savage by nature and constantly provoked by many wars, he ruled the commonwealth most bravely indeed, but with the greatest toil. Pescennius Niger, who had aspired to tyranny in Egypt and Syria, he defeated at Cyzicus and killed.

> Latin: 2 hic natura saeuus, multis semper bellis lacessitus, fortissime quidem rempublicam sed laboriosissime rexit. Pescennium Nigrum, qui in Aegypto et Syria ad tyrannidem adspirauerat, apud Cyzicum uicit et interfecit.

*Note: Niger’s forces were beaten near Cyzicus in 193, but Niger himself was defeated at Issus in 194 and killed near Antioch.*

[¶2] The Jews and Samaritans, who were attempting to rebel, he restrained with the sword. He overcame the Parthians, the Arabs and the Adiabeni.

> Latin: 3 Iudaeos et Samaritas rebellare conantes ferro cohercuit. Parthos Arabas Adiabenosque superauit.

[¶3] He tormented the Christians in the fifth persecution from Nero, and very many of the saints were crowned with martyrdom in various provinces.

> Latin: 4 quinta post Neronem persecutione Christianos excruciauit, plurimique sanctorum per diuersas prouincias martyrio coronati sunt.

[¶4] This profane presumption of Severus against the Christians and the Church of God was followed at once by heavenly vengeance carried out hard on its heels. For immediately Severus was snatched away — or rather dragged back — from Syria into Gaul to a third civil war;

> Latin: 5 hanc profanam in Christianos et Ecclesiam Dei praesumptionem Seueri caelestis ultio e uestigio acta subsequitur. nam continuo rapitur uel potius retrahitur in Galliam Seuerus e Syria ad tertium ciuile bellum;

[¶5] for he had already waged one at Rome against Julianus and another in Syria against Pescennius, and a third was being stirred up by Clodius Albinus, the accomplice of Julianus in the killing of Pertinax, who had made himself Caesar in Gaul; in this war much Roman blood was shed on both sides. Albinus, however, was crushed and killed at Lyon.

> Latin: 6 unum iam enim Romae aduersus Iulianum, aliud in Syria contra Pescennium gesserat, tertium Clodius Albinus, Iuliani in occidendo Pertinace socius, qui se in Gallia Caesarem fecerat, suscitabat; cuius bello multum utrimque Romani sanguinis fusum est. Albinus tamen apud Lugdunum oppressus et interfectus est.

[¶6] Severus, the victor, was drawn into the British provinces by the revolt of almost all the allies; there, after many great and heavy battles had been fought, he decided that the part of the island he had recovered should be separated from the other, unconquered peoples by a rampart. So he drew a great ditch and a very strong rampart, fortified besides with numerous towers, for 132 miles from sea to sea.

> Latin: 7 Seuerus uictor in Britannias defectu paene omnium sociorum trahitur, ubi magnis grauibusque proeliis saepe gestis receptam partem insulae a ceteris indomitis gentibus uallo distinguendam putauit. itaque magnam fossam firmissimumque uallum, crebris insuper turribus communitum, per centum triginta et duo milia passuum a mari ad mare duxit.

*Note: Severus campaigned in Scotland in 208–211 and rebuilt Hadrian’s Wall, which runs about eighty Roman miles; the 132 miles come from Eutropius (8.19).*

[¶7] And there, at the town of York, he died of disease. He left two sons, Bassianus and Geta: of these Geta was judged a public enemy and perished, while Bassianus, taking the surname Antoninus, gained possession of the rule.

> Latin: 8 ibique apud Eboracum oppidum morbo obiit. reliquit duos filios, Bassianum et Getam: quorum Geta hostis publicus iudicatus interiit, Bassianus Antonini cognomine adsumpto regno potitus est.

*Note: Geta was murdered on his brother’s orders in December 211 and his memory then condemned; Orosius, like Eutropius, passes over the murder.*