us ▁was ▁hence forward ▁known ▁as ▁Nic opol is . ▁ ▁African us ▁tra ve led ▁to ▁Greece ▁and ▁Rome ▁and ▁went ▁to ▁Alexand ria ▁to ▁study , ▁attract ed ▁by ▁the ▁fame ▁of ▁its ▁c ate ch et ical ▁school , ▁possibly ▁about ▁the ▁year ▁ 2 1 5 . ▁He ▁knew ▁Greek ▁( in ▁which ▁language ▁he ▁wrote ), ▁Latin , ▁and ▁Heb rew . ▁He ▁was ▁at ▁one ▁time ▁a ▁soldier ▁and ▁had ▁been ▁a ▁pag an ; ▁he ▁wrote ▁all ▁his ▁works ▁as ▁a ▁Christian . ▁ ▁Whether ▁African us ▁was ▁a ▁lay man ▁or ▁a ▁cler ic ▁remains ▁controvers ial . ▁Louis - S éb ast ien ▁Le ▁N ain ▁de ▁T ille mont ▁argued ▁from ▁African us ' s ▁address ing ▁the ▁priest ▁Or igen ▁as ▁" de ar ▁brother " ▁that ▁Julius ▁must ▁have ▁been ▁a ▁priest ▁himself ▁but ▁Gel zer ▁points ▁out ▁that ▁such ▁an ▁argument ▁is ▁incon clus ive . ▁ ▁Writ ings ▁African us ▁wrote ▁Chron ograph iai , ▁a ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁world ▁in ▁five ▁volumes . ▁The ▁work ▁covers ▁the ▁period ▁from ▁Cre ation ▁to ▁the ▁year ▁AD ▁ 2 2 1 . ▁He ▁calculated ▁the ▁period ▁between ▁Cre ation ▁and ▁Jesus ▁as ▁ 5 5 0 0 ▁years , ▁placing ▁the ▁Inc arn ation ▁on ▁the ▁first ▁day ▁of ▁AM ▁ 5 5 0 1 ▁( our ▁modern ▁March ▁ 2 5 ▁ 1 ▁BC ). ▁( Note ▁that ▁this ▁d ating ▁implies ▁that ▁the ▁birth ▁of ▁Jesus ▁was ▁in