E00266: Eusebius of Caesarea, in his Ecclesiastical History, reports that, in 238, *Fabianus (bishop and martyr of Rome, S00147) was elected to the episcopate in a miraculous way. Written in Greek in Palestine, 311/325.

Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History 6.29

(1.) Γορδιανοῦ δὲ μετὰ Μαξιμῖνον τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν διαδεξαμένου, τῆς κατὰ Ῥώμην ἐκκλησίας Ποντιανὸν ἔτεσιν ἓξ ἐπισκοπεύσαντα διαδέχεται Ἀντέρως καὶ τοῦτον Φαβιανός, ἐπὶ μῆνα τῇ λειτουργίᾳ διακονησάμενον. (2.) ἐξ ἀγροῦ φασιν τὸν Φαβιανὸν μετὰ τὴν Ἀντέρωτος τελευτὴν ἅμ’ ἑτέροις συνελθόντα ἐπιχωριάζειν τῇ Ῥώμῃ, ἔνθα παραδοξότατα πρὸς τῆς θείας καὶ οὐρανίου χάριτος ἐπὶ τὸν κλῆρον παρεληλυθέναι. (3.) τῶν γὰρ ἀδελφῶν ἁπάντων χειροτονίας ἕνεκεν τῆς τοῦ μέλλοντος διαδέξασθαι τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν συγκεκροτημένων πλείστων τε ἐπιφανῶν καὶ ἐνδόξων ἀνδρῶν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐν ὑπονοίᾳ ὑπαρχόντων, ὁ Φαβιανὸς παρὼν οὐδενὸς μὲν ἀνθρώπων εἰς διάνοιαν ᾔει, ὅμως δ’ οὖν ἀθρόως ἐκ μετεώρου περιστερὰν καταπτᾶσαν ἐπικαθεσθῆναι τῇ αὐτοῦ κεφαλῇ μνημονεύουσιν, μίμημα ἐνδεικνυμένην τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν σωτῆρα τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς καθόδου· (4.) ἐφ’ ᾧ τὸν πάντα λαόν, ὥσπερ ὑφ’ ἑνὸς πνεύματος θείου κινηθέντα, προθυμίᾳ, πάσῃ καὶ μιᾷ ψυχῇ ἄξιον ἐπιβοῆσαι καὶ ἀμελλήτως ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς λαβόντας αὐτὸν ἐπιθεῖναι.

‘(1.) When Gordian succeeded Maximinus in the government of the Romans [AD 238], Anteros succeeded Pontianus, who had been bishop of the Church of Rome for six years; he served in his ministry for one month and was succeeded by Fabianus. (2.) They say that Fabianus came and settled in Rome from the countryside along with others, after the death of Anteros, and there he came to office in the most extraordinary way, by the intervention of the divine and heavenly grace. (3.) For, as the brethren were all assembled for the purpose of electing him that would succeed to the episcopate, and several notable and distinguished men were in the thought of many, no one thought of Fabianus who was present. But they relate that, all of a sudden, a dove flew down from above and sat on his head, in clear imitation of the descent of the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove upon the Saviour. (4.) Thereupon, all the people, as if moved by one common divine inspiration, acclaimed him as worthy, with all eagerness and with one soul, and, without delay, they took and placed him on the episcopal throne.’

Text: Schwartz et al. 1999. Translation: Oulton 1926, modified.