Aristo of Pella

ARISTO OF PELLA: Reputed author of a “Dialogue between Jason and Papiscus concerning Christ.” The work was known to Celsus, and Origen (Contra Celaum, iv. 52) defends it against his contemptuous opinion without naming the author. Maximus Confessor in his scholia to the “Mystic Theology” of Dionysius the Areopagite (chap. i., p. 17, ed. Corderius) ascribes it to Aristo of Pella, and Eusebius (Hist. eccl., iv. 6) quotes from Aristo (without naming the work) concerning the war of Bar-Kokba. Citations in Jerome show that the author used the Bible-version of Aquila. A letter, wrongly attributed to Cyprian (Opera, iii. 119-120, ed. Hartel), states that a certain Celsus made a Latin translation of the Dialogue, probably in the fifth century, and tells that Jason was a Jewish Christian and Papiscus an Alexandrian Jew and that the former converted the latter. The work was probably written between 140 and 170 and was used by Tertullian and Cyprian, and made the basis of other works of a similar character.

(A. Harnack.)

Bibliography: A. C. McGiffert, Dialogue between a Christian and a Jew, New York, 1889; Harnack, Litteratur, i. 92-95; Krüger, History, 104-105; Schürer, Geschichte, i. 63-65, Eng. transl., I. i. 69-72.