HELIODORUS (`FIXt6Scopos). 1. The treasurer of Seleucus Philopator. This king, being impo verished by his annual tribute of woo talents to the Romans, and tempted by false accounts of the enormous wealth stored up in the Jewish temple, sent Heliodorus to plunder these treasures. The attempt threw the people of Jerusalem, and espe cially the high-priest Onias III., into great anguish of mind ; and in consequence of their prayers, the sacrilege of Heliodorus was prevented by a 'great apparition' of a horse with a terrible rider upon him, who had complete harness of gold,' and was accompanied by two strong and lovely youths, who scourged Heliodorus with many sore stripes,' while the horse ran fiercely and smote at him with his fore feet' (2 Maccab. 8-27). Heliodorus desisted from the attentpt, and testified to Seleucus that the temple was defended by an especial power of God' (v. 38). This story of the vision of Heliodorus, familiar to all from Raphael's great picture in the Vatican, receives no support either from Josephus (21ntiq. xii. 3. 3), or from the author of the fourth book of Maccabees.'" This writer tells the story of Apollonius, but with different de tails. Jahn finds a supposed allusion to the story in a passage of Polybius, quoted by Josephus (Hebr. Commonwealth xci. E. T.) Heliodorus
aftenvards poisoned Seleucus, and aimed at seiz ing the crown, but was suppressed by Antiochus Epiphanes, with the assistance of Eumenes and Attalus of Pergamos, B.C. 175 (Appian, Syriaca xlv. 60-7o ; Dan. xi. 20 ; Joseph. Antiq. xii. 3. 4; 2 Maccab. ; 4 Maccab. ; Liv. xii. 24 ; Jahn, /. c. ; Prideaux, Connect. ii. 162, sq.) 2. Heliodorus, son of Theodosius, and born at Emesa in Syria, about A.D. 365. He became Bishop of Tricca in Thessaly, and strictly enforced celibacy on his priests. He is the author of an admirable Greek romance called YEtlaiopica ; and Nicephorus (H. E. xii. 34) says that, being re quired to suppress the book or lay down his bishopric, on the ground that the story injured thc morals of the young, he chose the latter alternative (p.aXX0v Aeo-Bat lep(ootivnv Xtreiv 1K tzloou rtUvaz 7-6 ob-rypaAua). But the story is alinost certainly false, for the cEthiopica (or Charideia, as it was sometimes called) was the most moral of Greek novels, and has no rovn'Accra epcuroat (Nice phor. L c.) in it (Socrates, H. E., v. 22 ; Phot. Cod. 72).—F. W. F.