OROSIUS, PAULErS, author of the once widely read was scarcely to be hoped for amongst Orientals who did not understand Latin, and whose sense of reverence was unshocked by the question of Pelagius "et pis est milli Augustinus ? " All that ()rosins succeeded in obtaining was John's consent to send letters and deputies to innocent of Rome ; and, after having waited long enough to learn the unfavourable decision of the synod of Diospolis or Lydda in December of the same year, he returned to north Africa, where he is believed to have died. According to Gennadius he carried with him recently discovered relics of the protomartyr Stephen from Palestine to the West.

The earliest work of Orosins, Consultatio sire Conlmonitorinnz ad Aagastinurn dc errore Priseillianistaram et. Origenistarum, explains its object by its title ; it was written soon after his arrival in Africa, and is usually printed in the works of Augustine along with the reply of the latter, Contra Priseillianistas et Origenistas Liter ad Orosiuni. His next treatise, Liter Apologetieus de arbitrii libertate, was written during his stay in Palestine, and in connexion with the controversy which engaged him there. It occurs in the Biblioth. Max. Pair., and also in Hardonin and Nansi. The Historic adversanz Paganos was undertaken at the suggestion of Augustine, to whom it is dedicated. When Augustine proposed this task he had already planned and made some progress with his own De Cicitatc Del ; it is the same argument that is elaborated by his disciple, namely, the evidence from history that the circumstances of the world had not really become worse since the introduction of Christianity. The work, which is thus a pragmatical chronicle of the calamities that have happened to mankind from the fall down to the Gothic period, has little accuracy or learning, and even less of literary charm to commend it ; but its purpose gave it value in the eyes of the orthodox, and tho Honnesta, Omega, or Ormista (Otiosii] [undi] Ilist[oria]), as it was called, speedily attained a wide popularity. A free abridged translation by King Alfred is still extant (Old English text, with original in Latin, edited by H. Sweet, 1883). The editio prinecps of the original appeared at Vienna (1471); that of Ilavercamp (Leyden, 1738 and 1767) has now been superseded by Zangemeister, who has edited the Mist. and also the Lit. Apol. in vol. v. of the Corp. Scr. Eeel. Lat. (Vienna, 1882). The "sources" made use of by Orosius have been investigated by Monier (Dr Orosii vita ejusque list. libr. 1-71. adnersus Paganos, 1344); besides the Old and New Testaments, he appears to have consulted Livy, Justin, Tacitus, Suetonius, Horns, and a cosmography, attaching also great value to Jerome's transla - tion of the Chronicles of Eusebius.