Jerome. Lives of Illustrious Men 24
24 Melito the bishop PL 23, 643
Melito of Asia, bishop of Sardis, addressed a book to the emperor Marcus Antoninus Verus, a disciple of Fronto the orator, in behalf of the Christian doctrine. He wrote other things also, among which are the following: On the passover, two books, one book On the lives of the prophets, one book On the church,one book On the Lord’s day, one book On faith, one book On the psalms (?) one On the senses, one On the soul and body, one On baptism, one On truth, one On the generation of Christ, On His prophecyone On hospitality and another which is called the Key—one On the devil, one On the Apocalypse of John, one On the corporeality of God, and six books of Eclogues. Of his fine oratorical genius, Tertullian, in the seven books which he wrote against the church on behalf of Montanus, satirically says that he was considered a prophet by many of us.
Melito Asianus, Sardensis episcopus, librum imperatori M. Antonino Vero, qui Frontonis oratoris discipulus fuit, pro Christiano dogmate dedit. Scripsit quoque et alia, de quibus ista sunt, quae subjecimus: De Pascha libros duos, de Vita Prophetarum librum unum, de Ecclesia librum unum, de Die Dominica librum unum, de Sensibus librum unum, de Fide librum unum, de Plasmate librum unum, de Anima et Corpore librum unum, de Baptismate librum unum, de Veritate librum unum, de Generatione Christi librum unum, de Prophetia sua librum unum, de Philoxenia librum unum, et alium 867 librum qui Clavis inscribitur; de diabolo librum unum, de Apocalypsi Joannis librum unum, περὶ Ἐνσωμάτου Θεοῦ librum unum, et Ἐκλογῶν libros sex. Hujus elegans et declamatorium ingenium Tertullianus in septem libris, quos scripsit adversus Ecclesiam pro Montano, cavillatur, dicens eum a plerisque nostrorum prophetam putari.
Μελίτων Ἀσιανὸς, Σαρδέων, Ἐπίσκοπος βίβλον βασιλεῖ Μάρκῳ Ἀντωνίνῳ Βήρῳ, ὃς Φρόντωνος τοῦ ῥήτορος μαθητὴς ἐγεγόνει, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τῶν χριστιανῶν δόγματος ἐπέδωκεν. Ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ ἕτερα, ἀφ' ὧν τάδε ὑπετάξαμεν· περὶ τοῦ Πάσχα λόγους δύο, περὶ Βίου πρωφητικοῦ λόγον ἕνα, περὶ Ἐκκλησίας λόγον ἕνα, περὶ Ἡμέρας Κυριακῆς λόγον ἕνα, περὶ Διανοίας λόγον ἕνα, περὶ τῶν Πιστῶν λόγον ἕνα, περὶ Πλάσεως ἕνα, περὶ Ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος ἕνα, περὶ Βαπτίσματος ἕνα, περὶ Ἀληθείας ἕνα, περὶ Γεννήσεως Χριστοῦ ἕνα, περὶ Προφητείας ἰδίας ἕνα, περὶ Φιλοξενίας ἕνα, καὶ ἕτερον λόγον ὃς ἐπιγράφεται Κλεὶς, περὶ Διαβόλου ἕνα, περὶ Ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰωάννου ἕνα, καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἐνσωμάτου θεοῦ λόγον ἕνα, Ἐκλογῶν λόγους ἕξ. Τούτου τὴν εὐφυΐαν ἐπαινῶν 868 Τερτυλλιανὸς ἐν τοῖς ἑπτὰ λόγοις, οὓς ἔγραψε κατὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπὲρ Μοντανοῦ, λέγει ὅτι πολλοὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων νομίζουσιν αὐτὸν προφήτην.