Jerome. Lives of Illustrious Men 76
76 Pierius the presbyter PL 23, 685
Pierius, presbyter of the church at Alexandria in the reign of Carus and Diocletian, at the time when Theonas ruled as bishop in the same church, taught the people with great success and attained such elegance of language and published so many treatises on all sorts of subjects (which are still extant) that he was called Origen Junior. He was remarkable for his self-discipline, devoted to voluntary poverty, and thoroughly acquainted with the dialectic art. After the persecution, he passed the rest of his life at Rome. There is extant a long treatise of his On the prophet Hosea which from internal evidence appears to have been delivered on the vigil of Passover.
Pierius, Alexandrinae Ecclesiae presbyter, sub Caro et Diocletiano principibus, eo tempore quo eam Ecclesiam Theonas episcopus regebat, florentissime docuit populos, et in tantam sermonis diversorumque tractatuum, qui usque hodie exstant, venit elegantiam, ut Origenes junior vocaretur. Constat hunc mirae ἀσκήσεως, et appetitorem voluntariae paupertatis fuisse, scientissimum dialecticae et rhetoricae artis, 917 et post persecutionem omne vitae suae tempus Romae fuisse versatum. Hujus est longissimus tractatus de propheta Osee, quem in vigilia Paschae habitum ipse sermo demonstrat.
Πιέριος, τῆς κατὰ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν Ἐκκλησίας πρεσβύτερος, ἐπὶ Κάρου καὶ Διοκλετιανοῦ βασιλέων, ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ, ἐν ᾧ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκκλησίαν Θεωνᾶς ἐπίσκοπος ἐκυβέρνα, ἀνθηρῶς τὸν λαὸν ἐδίδαξε, καὶ εἰς τοσαύτην τῶν τε λόγων καὶ διαφόρων ὁμιλιῶν, τῶν ἄχρι τήμερον τυγχανουσῶν, ἦλθεν εὐφυΐαν, ὥστε αὐτὸν νέον κληθῆναι Ὠριγένην. Ὡμολόγηται δὲ τοῦτον τῆς τε ἀσκήσεως καὶ ἑκουσίου πτωχείας γεγενῆσθαι ἐραστὴν, ἔμπειρον ὄντα διαλεκτικῆς καὶ ῥητορικῆς ἐπιστήμης, καὶ κατὰ τὸν 918 διωγμὸν, πάντα τὸν βίον ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ διατετελεκέναι. Ἔστι τούτου μακροτάτη ὁμιλία περὶ Ὠσηὲ Προφήτου, ἥντινα τῇ παννυχίδι τοῦ Πάσχα ἁρμόττειν πρὸς τὴν ἀνάννωσιν, αὐτὸς ὁ λόγος δηλοῖ.