writers really begins, not with Origen,[1] but with
Eusebius of Caesarea, who in his _Eccl. Hist._ iii. 38, writes as
follows: "Certain men have quite lately brought forward as written by
him (Clement) other verbose and lengthy writings, containing dialogues
of Peter, forsooth, and Apion, whereof not the slightest mention is to
be found among the ancients, for they do not even preserve in purity the
stamp of the Apostolic orthodoxy." Apion, the Alexandrine grammarian
and foe of Judaism, whose criticism was answered by Josephus, appears
in this character both in _Homilies_ and _Recognitions_, though mainly
in the former (iv. 6-vii. 5). Thus Eusebius implies (1) a spurious
Clementine work containing matter found also in our _Homilies_ at any
rate; and (2) its quite recent origin. Next we note that an extract in
the _Philocalia_ is introduced as follows: "Yea, and Clement the Roman,
a disciple of Peter the Apostle, after using words in harmony with these
on the present problem, in conversation with his father at Laodicea in
the _Circuits_, speaks a very necessary word for the end of arguments
touching this matter, viz. those things which seem to have proceeded
from _genesis_ (= astrological destiny), in the fourteenth book." The
extract answers to _Recognitions_, x. 10-13, but it is absent from our
_Homilies_. Here we observe that (1) the extract agrees this time with
_Recognitions_, not with _Homilies_; (2) its framework is that of the
Clementine romance found in both; (3) the tenth and last book of
_Recognitions_ is here parallel to book xiv. of a work called _Circuits_
(_Periodoi_).

This last point leads on naturally to the witness of Epiphanius (c.
375), who, speaking of Ebionites or Judaizing Christians of various
sorts, and particularly the Essene type, says (_Haer._ xxx. 15) that
"they use certain other books likewise, to wit, the so-called _Circuits_
of Peter, which were written by the hand of Clement, falsifying their
contents, though leaving a few genuine things." Here Ephiphanius simply
assumes that the Ebionite _Circuits of Peter_ was based on a genuine
work of the same scope, and goes on to say that the spurious elements
are proved such by contrast with the tenor of Clement's "encyclic
epistles" (i.e. those to virgins, (2) above); for these enjoin virginity
(celibacy), and praise Elijah, David, Samson, and all the prophets,
whereas the Ebionite _Circuits_ favour marriage (even in Apostles) and
depreciate the