---
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: 153 of 177
url: https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/153/
cite: "Paulus Orosius, tr. S. Alexander Laurent (AI-assisted, 2026), Seven Books of History against the Pagans, section 153. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/153/"
---

# 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.

## 153. Book 7 · Chapter 19

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/153/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/orosius-historiae/153/#p-N

[¶0] In the year 987 from the founding of the City, Maximinus, the twenty-second from Augustus, was created emperor by the army without any consent of the senate, after he had waged war successfully in Germany, and he carried out a persecution against the Christians — the sixth from Nero.

> Latin: 1 Anno ab urbe condita DCCCCLXXXVII Maximinus uicensimus secundus ab Augusto nulla senatus uoluntate imperator ab exercitu, postquam bellum in Germania prospere gesserat, creatus persecutionem in Christianos sextus a Nerone exercuit.

[¶1] But soon, that is, in the third year of his reign, he was killed by Pupienus at Aquileia and made an end both of the persecution and of his life. He had launched the persecution against priests and clerics, that is, teachers, chiefly on account of the Christian household of Alexander, whom he had succeeded, and of his mother Mamaea, and above all on account of the presbyter Origen.

> Latin: 2 sed continuo, hoc est tertio quam regnabat anno, a Pupieno Aquileiae interfectus et persecutionis et uitae finem fecit. qui maxime propter Christianam Alexandri, cui successerat, et Mameae matris eius familiam persecutionem in sacerdotes et clericos, id est doctores, uel praecipue propter Origenem presbyterum miserat.

*Note: Maximinus was killed by his own troops while besieging Aquileia in 238; Pupienus, whom the senate had made emperor against him, was then at Ravenna. Orosius follows Eutropius (9.1).*

[¶2] In the year 991 from the founding of the City, Gordian, the twenty-third from Augustus, was created emperor and held the office for six years. For Pupienus, the slayer of Maximinus, and his brother Balbinus, who had usurped the empire, were soon killed in the Palace.

> Latin: 3 Anno ab urbe condita DCCCCLXLI Gordianus uicensimus tertius ab Augusto imperator creatus est mansitque in eo annis sex. nam Pupienus, interfector Maximini, et frater eius Balbinus, qui usurpauerant imperium, in Palatio mox interfecti sunt.

*Note: The manuscripts read DCCCCLXLI, an impossible numeral; one manuscript spells out 991, the reading taken here (AD 238). This is Gordian III. Pupienus and Balbinus were colleagues chosen by the senate, not brothers; Orosius adds “his brother” on his own.*

[¶3] Gordian, still quite a boy, when about to set out for the east to the Parthian war, opened the gates of Janus, as Eutropius writes; whether anyone closed them after Vespasian and Titus, I do not remember anyone having written, although Cornelius Tacitus records that they were opened by Vespasian himself a year later.

> Latin: 4 Gordianus admodum puer in orientem ad bellum Parthicum profecturus, sicut Eutropius scribit, Iani portas aperuit: quas utrum post Vespasianum et Titum aliquis clauserit, neminem scripsisse memini, cum tamen eas ab ipso Vespasiano post annum apertas Cornelius Tacitus prodat.

[¶4] So Gordian, after waging great battles successfully against the Parthians, was killed by the treachery of his own men not far from Circesium, on the Euphrates.

> Latin: 5 igitur Gordianus ingentibus proeliis aduersum Parthos prospere gestis suorum fraude haud longe a Circesso super Euphraten interfectus est.