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Chapter 1. Comparison of the piety of Constantine with the wickedness of the persecutors. Meanwhile, as the devil, a hater of good, always envious of the good of the Church, in the midst of peace and joy stirred up storms and turmoil against it, the basileus, beloved by God, did not neglect his duties, but always acting contrary to what tyrant cruelty had recently dared to do, he appeared above every enemy and adversary. While apostates from the true God were forced by all kinds of violence to worship false gods, he proved their non-existence with words and deeds, and convinced them to recognize one that truly exists. They mocked Christ the God in blasphemous terms 247 , but he called the very thing that the atheists especially reviled his protection and boasted of the trophy of (the Lord’s) suffering 248 . They drove out the homeless and homeless worshipers of Christ, and he returned them and brought them all into the dwellings that belonged to them. They stained them with dishonor, but he made them worthy of respect and an object of imitation for everyone. They took property from God-fearing people and unlawfully sold it at public auction, 249 and he returned to them what had been taken away and added to it a lot of gifts. Those, in written commands, publicly slandered the primates (of the Church), but he exalted and exalted these men with his honors, glorified them with his charters and laws 250. They dug up the very foundations of the houses of prayer and destroyed them from top to bottom, and he decreed by law: to raise those that remained, and to build new, most magnificent ones at the expense of the basileus’ treasures. They ordered that the Inspired Scriptures be destroyed and burned, and he issued an order to multiply their copies and give them magnificent bindings at the expense of the royal treasury. They ordered that the bishops should not dare to establish assemblies anywhere, but he gathered them to him from all dioceses and allowed them to enter the royal palace, enter the inner chambers of the palace, eat food with him and participate in his royal meal. They honored the demons with their offerings, and he denounced this delusion, and constantly distributed the useless substance of the offerings to people who could use it profitably. They ordered the churches to be lavishly decorated, but he destroyed them to the ground, especially the churches that were respected by the lawless. They subjected God's servants to the most shameful executions, and he persecuted their perpetrators and tried to ensure that they suffered punishment pleasing to God, and never ceased to honor the memory of God's holy martyrs. Those God-fearing men were expelled from the royal houses, and he always especially trusted them, recognizing them as more disposed and faithful than anyone else. They were lower than money and enslaved their souls to the passions of Tantalus 251, and he opened treasuries with royal generosity and generously distributed rich gifts from them. They committed countless murders in order to plunder and sell the property of those being killed; on the contrary, during the entire reign of Constantine the sword hung on the judges without action, because both the common people and the government people were under more paternal power than under violent rule. Having looked at this, everyone would rightly say that then some new and transformed life began, then in the place of darkness a wondrous light suddenly shone for mortals. And it must be admitted that all this was the work of God himself, who, in the person of his beloved basileus, showed an enemy to the crowd of atheists. Chapter 2. More about the piety of Constantine, who freely confessed the sign of the cross. In fact, when people were found, such as had never been seen before, and they dared to commit such insolence against the Church, which had not been heard of for centuries, then truly God Himself revealed some wondrous deed, and through Constantine accomplished something that could neither be accepted by ear nor conveyed to the eye. What miracle, granted to mortals by the wisdom of God, could be more amazing than the virtue of the basileus? He honored the Christ of God with all determination and in front of everyone, not ashamed of the saving name, he became an object of respect for his honor and designated himself by it, either protecting his face with a saving sign 252, or adorning himself with this victorious trophy 253. Chapter 3. About his image, which showed a cross at the top and a disgraced dragon at the bottom. Namely, in the picture, nailed high at the entrance to the palace of the basileus, he depicted, for everyone to see, above the head of his face a saving (banner), and under his feet a dragon rushing into the abyss, under the guise of which he meant a hostile and hostile beast, through the tyranny of the atheists, persecuting the Church of God, for the Scriptures in the books of the divine prophets call this beast a dragon and an insidious serpent. Therefore, through a wax cast and painted image, the basileus wanted to show everyone that this dragon under the feet of him and his descendants was struck by an arrow in the very belly and cast into the abyss of the sea. By this, of course, he pointed to the secret enemy of the human race, whom he represented as being cast into the abyss of destruction by the power of the saving sign that was above his head. And all this was depicted in the picture with colored paints. I am amazed at the high wisdom of the basileus: he, as if by divine inspiration, drew exactly what the prophets once announced about this beast, who said that God would raise a great and terrible sword against the dragon, the fleeing serpent, and destroy him in the sea 254. Having drawn these images, the basileus, with the help of painting, presented a faithful imitation of the truth. Chapter 4. More about the disputes raised in Egypt by Arius. Meanwhile, as all this was accomplished at the request of the basileus, the storm of hatred that greatly shook the Church of God in Alexandria, as well as the evil of the schism in Thebes and Egypt 255, greatly outraged his soul. In every city, bishops entered into struggle with bishops, people rebelled against people, and everyone, like the Simpligades 256, clashed with each other, so that the embittered, in the heat of frenzy, attempted wicked deeds and dared to insult the image of the basileus. However, this did not so much arouse anger in him as emotional grief: he greatly grieved over the madness of madmen 257. Chapter 5. About the discrepancy regarding Easter. Another strong disease also appeared, and even before these evils, a disease that had been raging for so long, disagreement arose regarding the saving holiday of Easter. Some argued that this should follow the custom of the Jews, others, on the contrary, said that it was necessary to more carefully observe the times and in no way follow the error of people who were alien to the grace of the Gospel. So, when all the peoples had been in disagreement regarding this subject for many years, the divine decrees were in confusion, when the perversion of time in relation to the same holiday aroused the greatest discord between the celebrants, since on the same days some indulged in fasting and exploits, while others replaced their labors with rest, in these circumstances there was no person who could find a cure against such an evil, because the struggle between those of different minds seemed tantamount to 258. It was easy for Almighty God alone to heal this evil, and one of all those living on earth, Constantine, appeared before Him as the performer of such blessings. Hearing about everything that had been said and realizing that the letter he had sent to Alexandria remained unfulfilled, he immediately reflected with himself and decided that on this occasion he should wage a new war against the secret enemy who was outraged by the Church. Chapter 6. About how Constantine ordered to gather for the Council in Nicaea. Then, as if preparing the phalanx of God against him, the basileus convened an Ecumenical Council and invited bishops from everywhere with respectful letters. In fact, it was not a simple command, the favor of the basileus was revealed in this case, for some bishops were given the right to travel at the expense of the treasury, 259 others were provided with many pack animals. A city suitable for the Council was also appointed; this city, with the same name as the victory, was Nicaea, in Bithynia 260. As soon as the command spread everywhere, everyone, as if leaving some kind of fence, hurried with full readiness (to the Council), because they were drawn there by the hope of prosperity, the desire for peace and the desire to see the extraordinary miracle of such a great sovereign. When everyone came together, it was revealed that this business was the work of God. Here men gathered, very different from each other not only in soul, but also in body, and country, and place, and language, and one city received them all, and in this city they all formed, as it were, one great wreath of priests, woven from beautiful flowers. Chapter 7. About the Ecumenical Council, which brought together bishops from all nations. So, the foremost servants of God from all the Churches that filled Europe, Libya and Asia gathered in one place. One house of worship, as if spread by God himself, accommodated Syrians and Cilicians, Phoenicians and Arabians, residents of Palestine and Egyptians, Thebans 261, Libyans 262 and those who arrived from Mesopotamia 263. Even the Persian bishop 264 was present at the Council, and the Scythian bishop 265 was not rejected by him. Pontus 266 and Galatia 267, Pamphylia 268 and Cappadocia 269, Asia 270 and Phrygia 271 also represented the chosen ones. Even Thracians 272 and Macedonians 273, Achaeans 274, Epirus 275 and inhabitants of countries even further 276 met here. Along with others, the most famous bishop of Spain itself sat at the Council 277. Only the primate of the royal city 278 was not present because of his old age, and therefore the presbyters who performed his office 279 were present instead. Such and such a wreath, bound by the bonds of peace, representing in our time the image of the apostolic face, was brought by the only basileus Constantine to Christ the Savior from time to time, as a godly gift for victory over enemies and rebels. Chapter 8. That they were gathered from different nations (similarly), as stated in the Acts of the Apostles. And in the time of the Apostles, as the word of God testifies, “men gathered in reverence from all the people under heaven” (Acts 2:5). Among them were “the Parthians, and the Medes, and the Elamites, and those living in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and in Asia, in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the countries of Libya, even under Cyrene; and those who came were Romans, Judas, and strangers, Cretans and Arabians” (Acts 2:9-11). But if there was anything they lacked, it was precisely that they were not all servants of God, while in the present assembly there were many bishops, numbering more than two hundred and fifty 280 , and the presbyters, deacons, readers and many others who accompanied them could not even be counted 281 . Chapter 9. On the virtue and age of two hundred and fifty bishops. Of the servants of God, some were famous for the word of wisdom, others were adorned with the severity of life and asceticism, and others were distinguished by their meekness of disposition. There were among them those who were respected for their longevity, there were others who shone with youth and spiritual vigor, and there were also persons who had recently entered the field of ministry. All of them, by order of the basileus, were generously given daily allowances. Chapter 10. The council in the palace of the basileus, where Constantine arrived and sat together with the bishops. When, on the day appointed to resolve the bewilderment of the disputants, everyone appeared at the Council with their opinion, then all those invited to this meeting entered the inner chambers of the royal palace, which in their vastness apparently surpassed the others, and in which many seats were arranged in order on both sides, entered and took their proper places. Meeting with due deanery, the Council at first maintained silence and awaited the arrival of the basileus. Finally, one person entered, then another and a third from the basileus's circle, then others entered, but not from ordinary hoplites and doryphorians, but from his faithful friends. When the sign that usually announced the arrival of the basileus was given, and everyone stood up, he himself entered and stepped into the middle of the meeting. It was like a heavenly angel of God, whose ceremonial clothes shone with lightning bolts of light, whose purple shone with fiery rays and was decorated with the iridescent shine of gold and precious stones. Such was the decoration of his body. And his soul, obviously, was adorned with reverence and fear of God, this was expressed in his downcast gaze, the blush on his face, and the movements of his gait. Other signs were no less distinctive; he surpassed those around him in height, and beauty of appearance, and majestic slenderness of body, and the strength of invincible strength, and all this, combined with the gentleness of his disposition and the meekness of his truly royal condescension, showed better than any word the superiority of his mind. Having reached the beginning of the rows, he first stopped in the middle, and when they placed a small chair made of gold in front of him, he sat down, but not before the bishops gave him a sign. After the basileus, everyone did the same. Chapter 11. Silence at the Council after the words spoken by Bishop Eusebius. One of the bishops who occupied the first place on the right side stood up, greeted the basileus with a short speech and offered thanks for him to Almighty God 282. When he sat down again, at first there was silence, and everyone’s eyes were fixed on the basileus, and then, looking around at those present with a bright and cheerful look and collecting his thoughts, the basileus in a quiet and meek voice made the following speech: Chapter 12. Speech of Constantine to the Council on Peace 283. “The purpose of my desire, friends, was to enjoy the contemplation of your gathering. Having achieved this, I thank the All-Tsar for the fact that, in addition to other countless blessings, he granted me to see this best of all blessings - I mean the blessing that I see all of you in a general meeting, and that you all have one common way of thinking. So, let no envious enemy disturb our well-being, and after, by the power of God the Savior, the atheism of tyrants has been completely overthrown, let no insidious demon reproach the Divine Law; for the internal discord of the Church is more terrible and painful for me than any war or battle; it saddens me more than anything external. Therefore, when, by the will and assistance of the All-Good, I won victory over my enemies, I considered it my first duty to give thanks to God and rejoice with those whom he freed through me. Then, against all expectations, having learned about your disagreement, I did not leave this unattended, but, wanting to help heal evil with my help, I immediately gathered all of you. I rejoice in seeing your gathering, but I think that my desires will only be fulfilled when I see that you are all animated by one spirit and observe one common, peaceful agreement, which, as dedicated to God, you must proclaim to others. Do not hesitate, O friends, servants of God and good servants of our common Lord the Savior, do not hesitate to consider the causes of your discord at their very beginning, and resolve all controversial issues through peaceful resolutions. Through this you will accomplish what is pleasing to God and bring the greatest joy to me, your co-servant. Chapter 13. About how he persuaded dissenting bishops to agree. Having said this in the language of the Romans 284, (basileus), with the help of an interpreter, conveyed his speech to those who presided (προεδροις) at the Council. Then some began to blame their neighbors, others defended themselves and blamed each other. While many objections were made from both sides, and for the first time a great dispute arose, the basileus listened to everyone kindly, accepted the proposals with attention, and, analyzing in detail what was said by both sides, little by little he reconciled the stubborn contenders. Meekly talking to everyone in the Hellenic language, which he also knew, he was somehow sweet-tongued and pleasant. Convincing some, admonishing others with words, praising others who spoke well, and inclining everyone to like-mindedness, he finally harmonized the concepts and opinions of everyone regarding controversial (subjects). Chapter 14. Unanimous definition of the Council regarding the Faith and (celebration of) Easter. For a consistent confession of the Faith, the saving celebration of Easter had to be celebrated by everyone at the same time. Therefore, a general resolution was made and approved by the signature of each of those present. Having completed these affairs, the basileus said that he had now won a second victory over the enemy of the Church, and therefore celebrated a victorious celebration dedicated to God 285. Chapter 15. How Constantine, on the occasion of his twentieth birthday, shared a meal with the bishops. At that very time the twentieth year of his reign was completed. And while, on this occasion, all nations celebrated public celebrations, the basileus himself instituted a feast and celebrated at it together with the already reconciled servants of God, as if offering through them a fitting sacrifice to God. None of the bishops was deprived of participation in this royal feast, and this event is beyond any description. Doryphoros and hoplites with drawn swords stood around the royal palace and guarded its entrances. The servants of God fearlessly passed between them and reached the inner chambers of the basileus. Then, some of them reclined with the basileus 286, while others sat on the benches on both sides of the chamber. It seemed that this was an image of the kingdom of Christ, and what happened seemed like a dream, not reality. Chapter 16. Gifts to bishops and letters to all. After the solemn refreshment, the basileus added to his friendliness that he honored each bishop, according to the degree of his dignity, with gifts, and to those who were not present at the Council, in memory of this event he sent a handwritten letter, which I will place in this story about him, as if on a table. It is as follows: Chapter 17. Epistle of Augustus Constantine to the Churches on the Council of Nicaea 287. Pious Constantine to the Churches. “Knowing from the successful course of public (καινον) affairs how much the goodness of divine power means, I considered it my first duty to take care that among all the most blessed communities of the universal (καθολικης) Church, the same Faith, sincere love and harmonious reverence for the Almighty God are observed. But since this could not come into an unchangeable and firm order until all, or at least very many, bishops had gathered in one place, and had examined every subject relating to the divine Faith, I gathered as many bishops as possible and, as one of you all (for I confess that I feel great pleasure in being your co-celebrant), being present at the Council myself, I have hitherto subjected everything to proper examination until it was pleasing to the Guardian of all God’s thought was not illuminated by light as the basis of unity, so there was no longer any room for differences of opinion or dispute about the Faith.” Chapter 18. His (message) about agreement regarding the celebration of Easter and against the Jews. “At the same Council there was a study regarding the holiest day of Easter, and the general opinion was recognized as good: for everyone and everywhere to celebrate it on the same day, for what could be more beautiful and splendid when the holiday, which gives us the hope of immortality, is invariably celebrated by everyone according to the same order and in a known way? First of all, it seemed indecent to celebrate that most holy holiday according to the custom of the Jews, who, having desecrated their hands with an unlawful act, as unclean, were rightly punished with spiritual blindness. Having rejected their custom, it would be much better to continue in the same true order that we have observed from the very first day of the passion to the present, the image of this celebration for future centuries. Let us have nothing in common with the hostile crowd (οχλου) of the Jews, because the Savior has shown us another path; before us lies a field consistent with and corresponding to our most sacred Faith. By entering upon it with one mind, beloved brothers, let us separate ourselves from that shameful society, for truly the boasting of the Jews is strange, as if, regardless of their decree, we cannot observe this. And what can those who, having committed Deicide (κυριοκτονιαν) and Parricide (πατροκονιον), think correctly, have gone mad and are no longer driven by common sense, but by unbridled desire, wherever their hostile rage directs them. That is why they do not see the truth in this either, but being in error and standing very far from proper correction, they celebrate Easter on a different occasion in the same year 288 . Why follow them when it is known that they suffer from such a terrible disease of delusion? We, of course, will not tolerate our Easter being celebrated on another occasion in the same year. And if what has been said is not enough, then your prudence itself should take every possible care and wish that your pure souls do not in any way communicate with the customs of the most unworthy people. Moreover, it should be noted that in such a matter and regarding such a holiday of Faith, it is unlawful to maintain disagreement, for our Savior gave us one day to celebrate our liberation, that is, the day of the Passion, and deigned that his universal Church should be one and the same, the members of which, no matter how scattered in many and different places, were nevertheless warmed by one spirit, that is, by the one will of God. So, let the prudence of your reverence consider how bad and indecent it is that at certain times some observe fasting, while others celebrate feasts, and that after the days of Easter, some spend time in celebration and peace, while others keep the prescribed fasts. Therefore, Divine Providence was pleased that this should be properly corrected and brought to one order, to which, I think, everyone will agree.” Chapter 19. The exhortation to follow in this is better than most of the Ecumene. “When all this had to be corrected so that we would have nothing in common with the Deicides and Patricides, and when the order followed in this regard by all the Churches of the western, southern, northern and some eastern dioceses of the empire is truly decent, and therefore is now recognized by all as the same, then I guarantee that your prudence will also like it; your prudence, of course, will gladly accept what is unanimously and harmoniously observed in Rome and Africa, in all of Italy, Egypt, Spain, Gaul, Britain, Libya, in the whole of Hellas, in the eparchies of Asia, Pontus and Cilicia 289, it will consider that in the named places there is not only a greater number of Churches, but also that they all desire this order as the best. Yes, it seems that common sense demands that we have no communication with the perjured Jews. In short: according to the general judgment of all, it was decided to celebrate the most holy holiday of Easter on the same day. It is not appropriate to have differences in attitude towards such a sacred subject; it is much better to follow the established opinion 290. Chapter 20. Exhortation to obey the decisions of the Council. If this is so, then joyfully accept God’s grace and truly the divine commandment, for everything that is done at the holy Councils of bishops must be attributed to the will of God. Therefore, having announced the decisions of the Council to all our beloved brothers, you must accept and confirm both what was spoken about before and the time of celebration of the most holy day, so that when my long-standing desire is fulfilled - to see your love in person, I can celebrate the holy holiday with you on the same day and rejoice with you in everything, seeing that the cruelty of the devil, with the help of divine power, has been tamed by our deeds, and that our deeds are flourishing everywhere. faith, peace and harmony. May God protect you, dear brothers!” The basileus sent the same message to each diocese, so that in it, as in a mirror, he could show readers the purity of his thoughts and piety before God. Chapter 21. Advice to returning bishops regarding unanimity. When the Council was about to leave, the basileus gathered all the bishops together and delivered an admonishing speech to them. In this speech, he inspired those present to take care of maintaining peace with each other, to avoid stubbornness in disputes and not to envy the bishop who had gained fame through wisdom in words, but to consider the merits of one as a common good. “The best,” he said, “should not be proud of the mediocre, for only God knows who, in fact, is better, and they should condescend to the weak in a tone of forgiveness, because what is truly perfect is rare everywhere. We must excuse unimportant mistakes to each other and have condescension towards human weakness, highly value mutual agreement, so that through personal enmity we do not give a reason to censure the divine law to those who are ready to censure it, whereas, seeing in us everything worthy of imitation, they could easily preserve themselves from this; do not be embarrassed by the fact that not everyone benefits from the instructions, for some listen to them to ask for alms, others run to the sermon to seek patronage, others greet the preachers as people who kindly receive them, and some love them because they give gifts. There are not many true lovers of the word, and lovers of truth are also rare. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt to everyone and, like a doctor, to give everyone what is necessary for their salvation, so that the saving teaching is glorified among everyone and in everything.” First of all, he gave such admonitions to the bishops and then asked them to diligently pray to God for him. Having arranged this, he allowed each of them to return to their place of residence. The bishops departed cheerfully, and everyone was inspired by the unanimity that the basileus had instilled in them; everyone, distant from each other at a great distance, united in him, as in a common body 291. Chapter 22. About how the basileus convinced some (verbally) and wrote to others, also about the distribution of money. Expressing his joy at the successful completion of the matter, the basileus presented those who were not present at the Council with the rich fruits of his messages, and ordered all peoples, in cities and villages, to make a large cash distribution, and with this he honored the holiday of his twenty-year reign. Chapter 23. About how he wrote to the Egyptians and persuaded them to peace. But while peace was established everywhere, irreconcilable strife continued among the Egyptians. This again upset the basileus, although it did not arouse anger in him. Showing them all kinds of honors, as fathers, or better, as prophets of God, he called them to himself and, another time, again kindly entered into mediation between them, again gave them gifts, prescribed them a way of life in his message (επιστολες), sealed the decisions of the Council with his seal, convinced them to observe mutual agreement, not to dissolve or dissect Church, but remember the judgment of God. The basileus wrote to them about all this in a special letter 292. Chapter 24. About how often he wrote to bishops and people about spiritual subjects. He also wrote about countless other subjects similar to these, and wrote many letters. In his letters, the thrice blessed (τρισμακαριας) husband urged the bishops to observe church benefits. He even addressed the common people, calling his subjects his brothers, co-workers and servants of the Church. If time permits, we will collect all his letters in a separate essay, so as not to interrupt the connection of history. Chapter 25. About how he commanded to build a prayer temple in Jerusalem on the sacred site of the resurrection of our Savior. Having thus arranged everything rationally, the God-loving basileus began to create the greatest monument in Palestine. Which one exactly? He wanted to make the most sacred place of the saving resurrection in Jerusalem a glorious object of universal reverence. Therefore, he ordered to immediately build a house of prayer there and conceived this not without inspiration from above, but being moved by the spirit of the Savior himself. Chapter 26. That the wicked covered the divine tomb with embankments and built them with idols (ειδωλας απχρυψαν). Once wicked people, or better to say, through them, all the demonic forces made an effort to hide in darkness and consign to oblivion that divine monument of immortality, where a luminous Angel descended from heaven rolled away the stone from the souls that were petrified and imagined finding the living Christ among the dead, where he spoke the gospel to the wives and, throwing away the stone of unbelief from their thoughts, led them out of error regarding the concept of life The one they were looking for. Some atheists and wicked men intended to hide this saving cave from the eyes of people, with the insane intention of hiding the truth through this. Having used a lot of labor, they brought earth from somewhere and filled the whole place with it. Then, having raised the embankment to a certain height, they paved it with stone, and under this high embankment they hid the sacred cave. Having completed such work, they only had to prepare on the surface of the earth a strange, in truth, tomb of souls, and they built a gloomy dwelling for dead idols, a hiding place (μυχον) for the voluptuous demon of love, where they brought hateful sacrifices on unclean and vile altars. This is how, and not otherwise, they thought to carry out their idea if they managed to hide that sacred cave under disgusting sewage 293. Unhappy, they were unable to understand that it was not natural for the One who had conquered death to leave his great feat a secret. If it is impossible for the sun, shining above the earth and flowing its usual path across the sky, to hide from human nature, then the saving power is superior to the sun: illuminating the souls of people, and not bodies, it fills the whole world with its radiant rays. True, the intentions of atheists and wicked people against the truth were long-lasting; neither of the rulers, nor of the military leaders, nor of the basileus themselves was found anyone capable of exterminating insolence except one, beloved by the All-Tsar - God. Guided by the spirit of God, he did not ignore that place, which, according to the intent of the enemies, was littered with all sorts of unclean substances and given over to complete oblivion, did not succumb to the malice of the perpetrators of this evil, but, calling on God for help, ordered to cleanse the mentioned place, thinking that, being desecrated by the enemies, it should be decorated with greater splendor. By the force of this command, the refuge of deception is immediately destroyed from top to bottom, the dwelling of error with all the statues and demons is overthrown and excavated. Chapter 27. About how Constantine ordered the materials of the church to be scattered and the embankments to be torn down. The basileus’ jealousy was not limited to this; he ordered the material from the excavated idol church, consisting of stones and trees, to be taken and thrown far from that place, which was immediately done. But this is not enough: the basileus, inspired from above, ordered that the very soil in that place be excavated to a considerable depth, and the soil, defiled by idolatry libations, be removed as far from there as possible. Chapter 28. Opening of the most holy tomb. This was also done immediately. When they removed layer after layer, suddenly in the depths of the earth, beyond all hope, an empty space appeared, and then the Honest and All-Holy Sign of the saving Resurrection (ελπιδα πασανανεφαινετο). Then the most sacred cave became for us the image of the Savior who had returned to life, hidden in darkness, it finally came to light again and to those who came to see it, it presented an amazing story of the miracles that took place in it, with deeds, louder than any voice, testifying to the resurrection of the Savior. Chapter 29. About how the basileus wrote to the archons and Bishop Macarius about the construction of the church. Having completed this, the basileus immediately made pious orders and, having given a generous donation, ordered to build a prayer house befitting God near the saving cave with royal splendor and wealth. Having assumed this long ago and with the greatest insight, having considered the future, he ordered the archons of the eastern dioceses to assist in the luxurious, magnificent and rich decoration of the church with generous and plentiful offerings, and to the bishop who then ruled the Church of Jerusalem 294 he sent a message in which he clearly set out the saving teaching of the Faith and wrote like this: Chapter 30. Epistle of Constantine to Macarius on the construction of the church (ακο δομης) to the Savior. The winner Constantine, the Great Augustus - Macarius. “The goodness of Our Savior is so great that it seems that no word is sufficient to adequately describe a real miracle. The sign (γηωρισμα) of the most holy passions, hidden underground for so long and remaining in obscurity for centuries, finally, through the overthrow of the common enemy, shone forth for the servants of the Lord freed from him and, truly, serves as an object beyond all surprise. If now all the so-called wise men from all over the world gathered in one place and wanted to say something worthy of the event, they could not even briefly describe it. This miracle is as much higher than everything in the Ecumene that is contained within the human mind, just as the heavenly is superior to the human. Therefore, my first and only goal is always that faith in the truth is daily confirmed by new miracles, and that in this way our souls, with all humility and like-mindedness, are zealous for the preservation of the holy law. I want to convince you especially in a matter that is obvious to everyone, that is, I am most concerned about how a holy place, as if by the will of God, was cleansed from the shameful accessories of the church, as if from some burden, that place which, according to the judgment of the Almighty, was holy from the very beginning, and when faith in saving suffering was illuminated through it with a new light, became even more sacred - how to decorate this place with beautiful buildings. Chapter 31. That this church should be built better than all other churches of the Ecumene in terms of the splendor of its walls, columns and marble. Therefore, your foresight should so arrange and take such care of everything necessary that not only the church itself would be more magnificent than all the churches existing anywhere, but also the other buildings with it would be much more excellent than the most beautiful buildings in the cities. As for the construction and elegant decoration of the walls, know that we entrusted the care of this to the eparch of those eparchies 295, our friend Drakilian 296, and to the archon of your diocese. At the request of my piety, it was ordered that, under their care, artists and craftsmen, and everything, at the discretion of your foresight, necessary for the construction should be immediately delivered to you. As for the columns and marbles, which ones you recognize as the most precious and useful, consider them in detail and, without delay, write to me, so that from your letter I can see how many materials are required, and deliver them from everywhere. Chapter 32. That, regarding the dignity of the vault, the choice of artists and materials, Macarius consulted with the archons. Moreover, I want to know what kind of church vault you like, mosaic or otherwise decorated. If it is mosaic, then everything else in it can be decorated with gold. Your Reverence will soon inform the above-mentioned advisers how many artisans, artists and costs will be required. Try also to immediately inform me not only about the marbles and columns, but also about the mosaic, which you recognize as the best. May God protect you, beloved brother!” Chapter 33. About the fact that the built church of the Savior resembled the new Jerusalem foretold by the prophets. This is what the basileus wrote, and his words were immediately translated into deeds: on the site of saving suffering, a new Jerusalem was erected 297, in contrast to the so-called ancient one, which, after the lawless murder of the Lord, to punish its wicked inhabitants, was subject to extreme devastation 298. In contrast to this Jerusalem, the basileus, at the expense of rich and numerous contributions, built a church to commemorate the Savior's victory over death, perhaps the same church that the prophetic word calls the new and young Jerusalem, and in whose glory, according to the inspiration of the Spirit of God, so much is said in Scripture. However, in advance, as the head of everything, (the basileus) strengthened the sacred cave, the divine tomb, at which the luminous Angel once announced to everyone about the rebirth granted through the Savior. Chapter 34. Description of the structure of the most holy tomb This cave, as the head of everything, was decorated in advance by the Christ-loving generosity of the basileus with excellent columns and numerous decorations. Chapter 35. Description of the courtyard (αιθρυ) and porticoes. From the cave there is access to a vast open-air area. This area is paved with shiny stone and bordered on three sides by long, continuous porticoes. Chapter 36. Description of the walls, roof, decorations and gilding of the church building. Next to the cave, on its eastern side, stands a basilica - an extraordinary building, immeasurable in height, extraordinary in breadth and length. Its inner side is covered with multi-colored marble 299, and the outer appearance of the walls, shining with polished and solid stones, seems extremely beautiful and is in no way inferior to marble. As for the roof, its outer side above the dome, for protection from winter rains, is covered with lead 300, and the inner side, decorated with deep carvings, spreading, like a great sea, over the entire basilica in mutually connected arcs, and everywhere shining with gold, illuminates the entire church as if with rays of light. Chapter 37. Description of the double porticoes on both sides of the church and the three gates on its eastern side. On both sides of the church, along its entire length, there are two lines of double porticos - upper and lower; at the top they are also dotted with gold. The porticoes on the front side of the basilica are supported by majestic columns, and the internal ones, opposite them, lie on branches, covered on the outside with numerous decorations. The three gates facing the sunrise are very well constructed to receive the multitude of worshipers of what is inside the church. Chapter 38. Description of the semicircle, twelve columns and urns. Opposite this gate stands the main object of the entire semicircle (the altar), rising to the very height of the basilica. According to the number of the twelve Apostles of the Savior, it is crowned with twelve columns, the tops of which are decorated with huge vases cast from silver (πεποιημενος) - a beautiful offering to God from the basileus himself. Chapter 39. Description of the courtyard, porches and entrances. From here, going to the entrances located in front of the church, you step onto the porch. Here you see the first courtyard and porticos on both sides, and after all the gates, behind the gates, in the very middle of the shopping area, there is an excellently arranged place in front of the gates, which reveals to those passing by a striking internal view of the church. Chapter 40. About the multitude of offerings. Having built the church as a living testimony to the saving Resurrection, the basileus equipped it with rich royal utensils and decorated everything with inexpressibly elegant treasures of numerous offerings, such as gold, silver, precious stones, and various materials. We would not have enough time to describe each of these artistically decorated utensils in relation to their size, multitude and variety. Chapter 41. About the construction of churches in Bethlehem and on the Mount of Olives. Having completed the work here, (the basileus) very splendidly decorated other places, marked by two mysterious caves. He gave due honor to one, as the place of the first theophany of the Savior and His birth in the flesh 301; He honored the other as a monument to His ascension to heaven standing on the top of a mountain 302. By generously decorating these places, he perpetuated the memory of his mother, who provided so many benefits to the human race. Chapter 42. That these churches were built by Constantine’s mother, Vasilisa Elena, when she came there to worship. For having recognized it as her business to repay to the All-Tsar - God the debt of her pious disposition, also intending to thank Him with prayers for her son, such a basileus, and for her offspring - the God-loving Caesars, his children, this old woman of extraordinary intelligence, with the speed of a youth, hurried to the east and with royal care surveyed the wondrous land, the eastern eparchies, cities and villages, with the goal of accomplishing her due. worshiping the feet of the Savior, according to the word of the prophet: “let us bow down in the place where His feet stood” (Ps. 131:7), and left the fruit of our own piety to future posterity. Chapter 43. More about the Church of Bethlehem. At the same time, she erected two churches to the worshiped God: one at the cave of birth, the other on the mountain of ascension, for Emmanuel (God with us) deigned to be born for us underground, and the Jews recognize Bethlehem as the place of his carnal birth. Therefore, the most pious Vasilisa decorated this sacred cave in every possible way and honored the burden of the Mother of God with wondrous monuments. And a little later, the basileus honored the same cave with his offerings, adding gold and silver gifts and various veils to the bounty of his mother. In addition, the mother of the basileus, in memory of the ascension of the Savior of all into heaven, erected tall buildings on the Mount of Olives: she crowned the very top of this mountain with the sacred house of the church and church. There, in that very cave, according to legend, the Savior of all initiated his disciples into unspoken secrets. Basileus honored the Great Tsar there with various gifts and decorations. These holy and most beautiful churches, worthy of eternal memory, as signs of pious disposition, were erected to God the Savior over two mysterious caves by the God-loving mother of the God-loving Basileus, the august Helen, by the royal permission of her son. A little later, the old woman reaped the worthy fruits of her piety, for she spent the entire time of her life until old age in all prosperity, with deeds and words bearing the abundant fruits of saving commandments; she led this well-ordered, carefree life in perfect health of soul and body, and therefore, while still here receiving a reward from God for good deeds, she was awarded a pious death. Chapter 44. About Elena’s generosity and charity. Traveling throughout the entire East with royal splendor, she showered countless benefits on both the population of the cities in general and, in particular, on everyone who came to her; her right hand generously rewarded the troops and helped the poor and helpless a lot. She provided monetary benefits to some, provided others with clothing in abundance to cover their nakedness, freed others from shackles, relieved them of hard work in the mines, ransomed them from lenders, and returned some from imprisonment. Chapter 45. About the reverence with which Elena appeared in churches. But while being glorified by such deeds, Elena did not forget to serve God. They always saw how she went to God's church and decorated houses of worship with brilliant jewelry, not leaving churches in the smallest cities without attention. They saw how this wonderful wife, in modest but decent clothes, mingled with the crowd of people and expressed her reverence for God with all sorts of godly deeds. About how she, having lived for eighty years and given orders, died. Having already completed quite a long journey of (earthly) life, (Vasilisa) was called to a better inheritance almost in the eightieth year of her life. Before her death, she made a spiritual will, ordered and declared her last will in favor of her only son, Basileus, autocrat of the monarch, and her grandchildren, his children, the Caesars. At the same time, she divided her own estate, which she had throughout the Oikumene, among her grandchildren. Having thus ordered, she ended her life in the presence, in the eyes and in the arms of such a great son who served her. It seemed to right-thinking people that this blessed wife did not really die, but only changed and transferred from earthly life to heavenly life, that her soul, accepted by the Savior, was transformed into an incorruptible and angelic being. Chapter 47. About how Constantine buried his mother and how much he respected her during his lifetime. And the body of the blessed one was also awarded extraordinary honors. Accompanied by numerous doryphoros, it was transferred to the royal city 304 and there it was placed in the royal tomb. Thus died the mother of the basileus, worthy of unforgettable memory both for her God-loving deeds and for the successive and wondrous branch that grew from her, (that is, for Constantine), who must be pleased both for other reasons and for the sake of his respect for his parent; for from an unpious basileus he created her so pious that she seemed to be instructed in the rules of piety by the common Savior Himself of all, and clothed her with such royal honors that among all nations and throughout the army she was called Augusta and Basilisa, and her face was depicted on gold medals. Moreover, Constantine gave her the right to use the royal treasury at her own request and dispose of everything as she wanted and as seemed best to her, so that in this respect, too, her son made her fate excellent and enviable. Therefore, when considering the qualities that perpetuate the memory of Constantine, we should rightly pay attention to the fact that, honoring his mother out of an abundance of piety, he fulfilled the divine laws requiring due respect for parents 305. In this way, the basileus accomplished such wonderful deeds not only in Palestine; he built new churches in all eparchies, giving them a much more superior appearance than the one in which they were located before. Chapter 48. About how he built churches in Constantinople in memory of the martyrs and destroyed all idolatry. Thus, wanting to distinguish the city of the same name, he decorated it with many chapels, magnificent churches to the martyrs and majestic buildings, which he built partly on the outskirts, partly within the city, and by this honoring the memory of the martyrs, at the same time he dedicated his own city to their God. Inspired by heavenly wisdom, Constantine recognized it as fair for the city, adorned with his name, to be cleansed of all idolatry, so that not only the imaginary images of the gods that were revered in the temples, but also the altars themselves, stained with the blood of animals, so that neither sacrificial burnt offerings, nor demonic holidays, nor any other pagan customs could be seen anywhere in it. Chapter 49. The sign of the cross in the palace and the image of Daniel at the springs. Near the springs, in the middle of the market square, you see the symbol of the good shepherd 306, familiar to readers of the Divine Scriptures; you also see Daniel 307 sculpted in copper along with lions and shining with golden shrouds. Love for the divine so powerfully possessed the soul of the basileus that in the most excellent of all the churches of the royal palace, in the gilded recess of the ceiling, in the very middle of it, he ordered to establish a magnificent painting depicting the symbol of saving suffering, which was composed of various precious stones, richly set in gold. This symbol seemed to the God-loving basileus to be the guardian of his kingdom. Chapter 50. That he built churches in Nicomedia and other cities. Constantine decorated his city with such images. And he also honored the metropolis of Bithynia with a sacred gift - a huge and magnificent church, and there, at the expense of the royal treasury, he built a victorious trophy for the Savior over enemies and God-fighters, and in other dioceses, especially the main (κρατιστειουσας) cities, he exalted the splendor of prayer buildings, for example, Metropolis of the East 308 - a city bearing the name of Antiochus. In it, as in the capital (εθνων) of the local peoples, he consecrated a church, one of a kind both in size and beauty. On the outside he surrounded the church with a wide fence, and on the inside he raised it to an extreme height. This church has the appearance of an octagon, surrounded by many buildings, porticoes, upper and lower choirs. Basileus richly decorated it with gold, copper and other precious substances. Chapter 51. About the fact that he ordered the construction of a church in Mavri. Such were the most excellent gifts of the basileus. Having also learned that the same Savior, who recently lived on earth, in ancient times had already appeared to the God-loving Palestinian men at the so-called Moorish oak tree 309, he commanded that a prayer house be erected there as well, who appeared to God. On this occasion, a personal decree was sent to each of the local archons: to bring the work begun to completion, and to me, the writer of this story, the basileus sent a wise teaching, of which I think to place an exact list in this word, so that readers have a sufficient understanding of his God-loving care. Condemning what he learned about the deeds that took place at the mentioned place, he writes word for word like this: Chapter 52. Epistle of Constantine to Eusebius about Mauri. The winner Constantine, the great Augustus, Macarius and other Palestinian bishops: “One and the greatest benefit shown to you by my most pious mother-in-law was that until now she discovered the madness of wicked people hidden among you with her letters to us, and disposed us to subject this hitherto undetected evil, albeit late, to necessary and decent healing, for to desecrate holy places with obscene sacrifices is truly great wickedness. What exactly, beloved brothers, hid from your vigilance, about which our mentioned mother-in-law, out of her holy jealousy, could not keep silent? Chapter 53. About the fact that here the Savior appeared to Abraham. She says that the place bearing the name of the Moorish Oak, where, as is known, Abraham lived 310, is dishonored in every possible way by the wicked, that idols worthy of complete destruction are placed near this tree, and that near it an altar is built on which unclean sacrifices are constantly offered 311. Since all this is incompatible neither with our present reign, nor with the holiness of the mentioned place, then I consider it necessary to inform your honesty that we have declared by letter to our most glorious committee and friend Acacius, that the idols, as many as there are in the mentioned place, should be immediately put to fire, and the altar should be destroyed to the ground, and that everyone who, after our command, dares to commit any impiety there, would be sentenced to death. executions. We ordered that place to be decorated with a clean basilica building in order to make it a worthy refuge for holy people. And if anything is done contrary to our command, my little one must be immediately notified through your letters, so that the person exposed as a criminal of the law can be subjected to the strictest punishment. You are not unaware that in that place God and the Lord of all appeared to Abraham for the first time, talked with him, therefore, there he received his beginning and ritual (θρησκεια) of holy service. There, first the Savior himself with two angels honored Abraham with his glorious appearance, there God began to appear to people, there He foretold to Abraham about the future of his seed 312, and now he fulfilled his foreshadowing, there He foretold that Abraham would be the father of countless nations 313. If all this is true, then the mentioned place, it seems to me, is worth it for your care to keep it clean from all desecration and raise it to ancient holiness, so that nothing else can be done on it except the service befitting the Almighty, our Savior and Lord of all God. All this you must observe with due care if your integrity wants, as I am sure, that my intentions, undertaken solely from a sense of piety, will be carried into execution. May God protect you, beloved brothers!” Chapter 54. Widespread destruction of churches and idols. The basileus did all this, of course, for the glory of the Saving Power, and in these ways he continued to give honor to the Savior God, and to denounce the wicked errors of the pagans in every possible way. Therefore, as a result of the command of the basileus, the vestibules of the city churches, thanks to the removal of the doors, were rightly exposed, the ceiling vaults, after breaking the roof above them, deteriorated, the copper statues, which had long been honored by the delusion of the ancients, were taken out and placed on display throughout all the squares of Constantinople; so that the spectators greeted, as a shameful spectacle, in one place - the Pythia 314, in another - Sminthia 315, in the circus itself - the Delphic tripod 316, and in the palace - the Helliconian muses 317. In general, the entire city of the same name as Basileus was filled with the most skillful copper sculptures, which were considered sacred by all nations. Possessed by the disease of delusion, people late realized that for entire centuries they had in vain made numerous sacrifices and burnt offerings to their idols under the name of gods, they realized only when the basileus turned these very images into toys for the amusement and laughter of spectators. But the basileus acted differently with the golden images. Having learned that many, like foolish children, are cowardly afraid of these monsters of error cast in gold and silver, he considered it necessary to destroy them, like stumbling blocks thrown under the feet of people walking in darkness, and through this make the royal path easy and smooth for everyone. Having come to this idea, Constantine reasoned that to implement it, neither hoplites nor a large army were needed: one or two devoted persons were enough for him, who, obeying his single command, went to all nations. Inspired by the piety of the basileus and their own reverence for the holy cause, they appeared among numerous popular communities, and in all cities and eparchies they destroyed the old error. Commanding the priests themselves, with loud laughter and shame, to bring the imaginary gods out of the dark gorges into the light, they exposed these ghosts and revealed to everyone the ugliness hidden under their painted images 318; then, separating the substances that were apparently suitable, and testing them with smelting and fire, everything useful and necessary was stored in a safe place for safekeeping, and then what remained useless, as a memory of shame, was returned to the wicked. At the same time, the wondrous basileus did something else. When the dead idols of precious substance were thus laid out, he proceeded to the idols cast of copper; and these also prisoners, the gods of old fairy tales, were taken away entangled in hair ropes. Chapter 55. Destruction of the church and destruction of debauchery in Phoenician Afaka. After this, the basileus seemed to light some kind of brightly burning torch, and with his royal eye he looked to see if the remnants of error were hiding somewhere. Just as a clear-sighted celestial eagle sees the most distant earthly objects from above, so he, living in the royal dwelling of his beautiful city, saw from afar a certain fatal net for catching souls, hiding in the Phoenician country. These were a grove and a church - not in the middle of the city, not in the squares and streets, where many of them were set up to decorate the cities: both were located in a deserted place, far from crossroads and highways, on one of the heights of Lebanon, in Afak, and were dedicated to the shameless goddess Aphrodite 319. There was a school of villainy for all the dissolute, with great desire to corrupt their bodies, there some effeminate people, men - not men, having renounced their honorable sex, appeased the demon with female passion, and women in that church, as in an illegal and apostate place, had unnatural intercourse, secretly united in marriage, and committed unspeakably shameful and disgusting deeds. There were no observers over the actions taking place there, because not a single honest person dared to enter there; however, they could not hide from the great basileus. Having learned about them by the power of his own royal insight, he considered that very church unworthy of sunlight and ordered it to be destroyed to the ground with all the things that were in it. So, at the behest of the basileus, all the inventions of debauchery and delusion were immediately destroyed, the military detachment began to cleanse that place, and people, hitherto depraved, were taught abstinence by the formidable will of the basileus, so that even those who were considered wise men among the worshipers of idols - and they experienced the vanity of their lives. Chapter 56. Destruction of the Church of Asclepius in Aegina Great was the misconception of the supposed sages regarding the Cilician idol 320. Countless people resorted to him as a savior and a doctor, who allegedly appeared to those sleeping in his church, or healed those suffering from bodily illnesses: in fact, he was a destroyer of souls, distracting people prone to deception from the true Savior and leading them to godless error. Therefore, acting according to the accepted rule and considering the jealous God to be the true Savior, the basileus ordered to destroy this church to the ground. Thus, the miracle, glorified by famous philosophers, with one wave of his hand, was dug up with an armed hand and scattered on the ground, and at the same time, not a spirit, nor even a god, lurking there, was destroyed, but some kind of deception of souls that had deceived people since time immemorial. So, who promised to free others from evils and disasters, and to protect himself, did not find any other means except that, according to the myth, he was struck by lightning 321. Meanwhile, the deeds of our basileus, pleasing to God, are not a myth: this church was destroyed to the ground, obviously by the power of the Savior himself, destroyed so that not a trace of the former madness remained in that place. Chapter 57. About how the Hellenes, having rejected idols, turned to the knowledge of God. Thus, all the former superstitious people, having seen with their own eyes the exposure of their error and actually seeing the emptiness of the churches and idols that were everywhere, either turned to the saving teaching, or, without doing this, began to despise the vanity of their ancestors, laugh and mock the ancient gods whom they had previously recognized. And how could they think otherwise, seeing the greatest abomination hidden under the external image of idols? For inside them were either the bones of dead bodies and dry skulls, poorly covered by the cunning of deceivers, or dirty rags filled with disgusting uncleanness, or heaps of hay and straw. Seeing all this collected inside the soulless idols, they began to blame both themselves and their fathers for the greatest recklessness, especially when they were convinced that in their mysterious sanctuaries and in the idols themselves there was no spirit, no soothsayer, no god, no prophet, as they had previously believed, and not even a dark and gloomy ghost. Therefore, those sent by the basileus were given free access to every dark cave and every secret refuge, inviolable and inaccessible places, the innermost parts of the churches were frequented by warriors. Thanks to this, the centuries-old blindness of reason that possessed the Hellenes became clear and exposed to everyone. Chapter 58. About how, having destroyed the church of Aphrodite in the city of Heliopolis, Constantine was the first to build a church there. And this can rightly be attributed to the valiant actions of the basileus, as well as his particular definitions in each eparchy, for example, in the Phoenician Heliopolis. Here the inhabitants, paying homage to unbridled lust under the name of the goddess Aphrodite, allowed their wives and daughters to indulge in shameful fornication, but a new and wise law came from the basileus, strictly prohibiting all previous customs 322. To this the basileus also added written instructions, as if he had been specially sent from God for this purpose, to teach people the rules of abstinence. Not disdaining to talk with these subjects, he wrote a message to them, in which he urged them to quickly recognize the all-good God. To his words, he now again added the deeds corresponding to them, that is, he founded (in Heliopolis) a prayer house for the Church and a magnificent church, so that what had not been heard by ear since the beginning of the century has now actually happened: the city of superstitious people was honored to have God’s church, presbyters and deacons, and a bishop dedicated to the God of all presides over the local Christians. Moreover, taking care of the greatest conversion of people to the word, the basileus made many donations here to help the poor, and thereby encouraging them to hasten to the saving teaching, he himself said almost the same thing as the Apostle said: “whether through guilt, or through truth, let Christ be preached” (Phil. 1:18). Chapter 59. About the indignation that Eustathius aroused in Antioch. But while, under such circumstances, everyone lived complacently, and the Church of God everywhere and among all peoples rose in every possible way, envy, hostile to goodness, again rose up against such a happy course of affairs, in the assumption that, perhaps, the basileus himself, bored with our turmoil and disorder, would change his attitude towards us. Having caused a terrible fire, she subjected the Antiochian Church to deplorable disasters, so that she almost destroyed the city itself to the ground, for when the Christians of the Antiochian Church were divided into two parties, and the city community (πολεως αυτοις) came into hostile conflict with the archons and troops, then the matter would certainly have come to arms, if God care and fear in relation to the basileus did not curb the aspirations of the plebs (πληθους). However, the gentleness of the basileus, as if a savior and doctor of souls, again introduced verbal healing to the ill. Having sent to the people, in the form of a meek embassy, ​​a committee from among the most distinguished and honorable men of the court, he exhorted them in his letter to take care of a peaceful disposition towards each other, and taught them to act worthy of piety; he also justified them in his letter, assuring that he himself had found out who was the culprit of the indignation that had occurred. I would have included these letters, filled with no less important instruction and usefulness, in this essay, if they had not brought disgrace to the condemned. Having made it a rule: not to recall anything bad in my memory, I will leave them and present here only those that he wrote, rejoicing in the peace and harmony of others. With these letters (Constantine) convinced the Antiochians not to appropriate for themselves someone else's primate, through whom peace was established among them, but, according to the custom of the Church, to elect as their shepherd whom the common Savior himself would indicate. He wrote specifically about his decrees on this occasion: both to the people themselves and to the bishops 323. Chapter 60. Epistle of Constantine to the Antiochians, telling them not to take Eusebius away from Caesarea, but to choose another (bishop) for themselves. Victorious Constantine, great Augustus to the people of Antioch (τω λοω). “The prudent and wise people of this age are very pleased with your like-mindedness. And I myself, Brothers, caused by the law, your life and zeal, decided to love you with immortal love. To be guided by correct and sound reason is, in fact, the true fruit of goodness. And what would be more decent for you? It is not surprising if I say that the truth of salvation is more important to you than the reason for hatred. Between brothers to whom God has commanded the same thing - to follow the straight and true path to an immaculate and holy home, between such brothers, what could be more precious than sympathy for the common good? Especially when this matter of yours is given an excellent direction by lawful teaching, and when we wish to make your mind firm through good decisions. Perhaps you will find it surprising: what could such a beginning of my word mean? Okay, I won’t shy away and won’t deny announcing the reason. With gratitude I read your business papers about the Caesarea bishop Eusebius, who, due to his learning and exemplary life, has long been well known to me. From these papers it is clear that you extol him with excellent praises and reviews and want to take credit for yourself. What do you think came to my mind when I tried to enter into an accurate understanding of the truth on this subject? What concern did I notice in this desire of yours? Oh, holy faith, which was taught to us in the teachings and heart of the Savior as a way of life! How difficult it would be for you to resist sins if you did not refuse to serve self-interest! And it naturally seems to me that he who has won the victory itself is the one who primarily strives for peace, so that there is no person who would not rejoice when peace is possible for him. Now I ask, brothers: why do we decide to do something that can cause offense to others? Why do we strive for something that can shake faith in our conviction? I praise, of course, the husband whom you consider worthy of honor and your favor, however, what should not be destroyed is what should remain firm and unchangeable for everyone, that is, everyone should think only of themselves and enjoy only household goods. And as if, in a real controversial election, it is impossible to put in comparison with that husband - I don’t say one, but many! Moreover, when neither fear nor anxiety disturbs church dignitaries, then they should be equal and loved equally by everyone. And it will be unfair if the consideration of this matter causes offense to others, because all minds, whether they seem lower or higher, equally accept and preserve divine dogmas, so that, in relation to the general law, some are no less than others. To state the well-known truth definitely, the acquisition of the mentioned husband will have to be called not an acquisition, but rather a kidnapping, and this act will turn out to be a matter of violence, not justice. One way or another, the people think, I openly and decisively declare that this will serve as a reason for accusation, because this reason can arouse an extraordinary uprising. After all, lambs also reveal the property and strength of teeth when the usual care of the shepherd becomes worse, and they do not see the same care for themselves. If so, and we are not deceived, then first of all, brothers, see how extensive and great the benefit you will receive from the very beginning. Firstly, your mutual sincerity and affection for each other will be recognized as not diminished in the least. Secondly, this man, who came to you for legal consultation, according to the judgment of God, will receive a worthy fruit in a feeling of no small joy that you have discovered such a high opinion of his excellent qualities. So, in accordance with the good practice you have adopted, proceed to choose for yourself such a husband as you need, and in this case, eliminate all excitement and ugly outcry; because the cry is always unfair, and sparks and flames are always born from the collision of different people. That’s how I would like to please God and you, that’s how I would like to live by your prayers, as I love you and the shelter of your meekness. Having thrown out that uncleanness from it, add unanimity to your good morals, firmly plant the banner on your ship and, so to speak, sail with iron oars towards the heavenly light. And to do this, place an incorruptible load on the ship, because everything that harms the ship is scooped out of its hold. Therefore, try now to arrange your affairs in such a way that next time it seems unnecessary to us either to completely put a limit to your reckless and useless jealousy, or to destroy it at the very beginning. May God protect you, beloved brothers!” Chapter 61. Epistle of Constantine to Eusebius, in which he praises him for his renunciation of the bishopric of Antioch. Message from the basileus to me after my renunciation of the bishopric of Antioch. The winner Constantine, the great Augustus to Eusebius. “I read your letter many times and realized that you exactly followed the rule of church teaching. Yes, to remain firmly in what pleases God and in accordance with the apostolic tradition is a holy thing. Consider yourself happy because the testimony of the entire, so to speak, Ecumene recognized you as worthy of being a bishop over the entire Church, 324 for if they want to have you as their bishop, then through this your happiness will undoubtedly increase. But you, in your prudence, did well that, having decided to keep the divine commandments, the apostolic and ecclesiastical rule, you renounced the episcopate over the Antiochian Church and wanted to remain in the one over which, by the will of God, you accepted the episcopate from the very beginning. I have already written about this to the people and to other colleagues, who themselves wrote to me about the same thing. Having read my letters, your holiness will easily notice that I wrote them at the inspiration of God himself, seeing resistance to justice in the Antiochians. It will be necessary to inform their council about your prudence, so that my decree will be known to the entire Antiochian Church. May God protect you, beloved brother." Chapter 62. Epistle of Constantine to the Council about not taking Eusebius away from Caesarea. The winner Constantine, the great Augustus to Theodotus, Theodorus, Narcissus, Aetius, Alpheus and other bishops in Antioch “I read the messages of your prudence and approved the wise determination of your colleague Eusebius. Partly from your messages, partly from the letters of the most illustrious men, Acacius and Strategy, having learned about the progress of the matter and having properly discussed it, I wrote to the people of Antioch, which was pleasing to God and in accordance with the rules of the Church. I ordered a copy of this letter to be attached to this message, so that you yourself could know what, according to the demands of justice, I decided to write to the people. Although your letters contained the idea that, in accordance with the opinion of the people and the advice of your prudence, the most holy Bishop of Caesarea, Eusebius, would preside over the Church of Antioch and take care of it, however, the message of Eusebius seems to be more in compliance with the church decree. I consider it necessary to declare to your prudence my own opinion. It has come to my attention that a resident of Caesarea in Cappadocia, presbyter Eutropius, also presbyter of Arethusa, George 325, whom Alexander consecrated to this rank in Alexandria, are men of proven faith: therefore, I was pleased to suggest to your prudence that when electing a bishop, these and others whom you recognize as worthy of the episcopal rank should be named, and in this case to act in accordance with tradition apostolic. For, having prepared this, your prudence, according to the power of church decree and apostolic tradition, will be able to arrange the ordination in such a way as the teaching of the Church requires. God bless you, beloved brothers!” Chapter 63. About how Constantine tried to eradicate heresies. He made such admonitions to the primates of the Churches for the glorification of the divine word. When he destroyed the differences and put God’s church in a state of unanimity, he considered it necessary to move from here to another kind of atheists, who were, as it were, a hidden poison for human life. Some disastrous people appeared who, wearing the guise of piety, corrupted the cities. The saving word once called them false prophets and ravenous wolves, and foretold them like this: “Take heed of the lying prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will know them” (Matthew 7:15–16). Having sent decrees to the hegemons of the provinces (εθνοσ ηγεμοσι), the basileus persecuted the entire tribe of such people, and, above the law, presented to their faces a soul-saving instruction, in which he aroused them to immediate repentance and called the Church of God a haven of salvation for them. Listen to how he talks to them in his message. Chapter 64. Constantine's Decree against Heretics Victorious Constantine, great Augustus, to heretics. “Now learn from my law, Novatians 326, Valentinians 327, Marcionites 328, Paulians 329, the so-called Catathrygians 330 and all who multiply heresies through their teaching, learn how much lies your vanity contains, how much destructive poison your teaching contains, from which the healthy are subject to illness, and the living to eternal death! O you enemies of truth, warriors of life, advisers of destruction! Everything about you is contrary to the truth, everything is in tune with shameful vices, everything is filled with absurdities and fictions, from which you weave deception, with which you corrupt the infidels and block the light of the believers. Under the guise of piety, always committing obscene things, you infect everyone, cover an impeccable and clear conscience with deadly ulcers, and steal, so to speak, the very day from the eyes of men. But why talk about everything separately, when I have little time and leisure to properly describe your evil actions? Your absurdities are so complex and immense, so disgusting and filled with all kinds of cruelty, that even a whole day would not be enough to depict them. Moreover, it is necessary to block the ears from such objects and avert the sight, so that their detailed disclosure does not tarnish the true and pure valor of our faith. So what? Will we continue to tolerate such evil? But through long-term indulgence, this fatal disease will infect the healthy. So, why not root out such a great evil at its very, so to speak, root, as quickly as possible and with common efforts? Chapter 65. On the alienation of places where heretics gathered. If your disastrous wickedness cannot be tolerated any longer, then we command by law that henceforth none of you dare hold meetings. Therefore, all your houses in which you hold your meetings are ordered to be destroyed, because our concern regarding this subject requires that not only in public, but also in private houses, even in some secluded places, there should be no accumulations of your superstitious madness. Those who will turn to the right and pure faith, enter the Catholic Church, partake of its holiness, and through this will be able to achieve the truth, will do much better. So, in our prosperous time, may this deception of your corrupted mind be destroyed - I mean the wicked and disastrous dissent of heretics and schismatics, for the prosperity that we enjoy by the grace of God requires that those who live in good hopes turn from every disorderly error to the right path, from darkness to light, from vanity to truth, from death to salvation. And since this requires a strong means, we, as has been said, have ordered all the refuges of your superstition, that is, the prayer houses of all heretics, if you can call them prayer houses, to be taken away without resistance and immediately transferred to the Catholic Church, and the other places to be transferred to the state treasury, so that for the next time there will be no opportunity for you to gather. So, from this day forward, let your lawless congregations not dare to hold meetings in any place, either public or private. So be it." Chapter 66. About how many heretics turned to the universal Church when wicked books were found in their possession. Thus, by the force of the royal decree, the dark gorges of the Gentiles were destroyed, and the animals, that is, the leaders of their godlessness, took flight. And of those who were deceived by them, some, fearing the royal threat, pretended for a while and with false feelings crawled into the Church: for when the decree ordered to look for the books of heretics, then they seized everyone who was engaged in this forbidden art; and therefore they were ready to do anything to find salvation for themselves in pretense. Others, on the contrary, as if with sincere affection, moved on to hope for the best. The latter were carefully distinguished by the primates of the Churches, and those who tried to penetrate the Church under the guise of pretense, covering themselves with sheep's clothing, were driven far away, while others who did this with pure intention were tested for a long time and, having become sufficiently confident, were added to the number of Christians admitted to sacred meetings. This is how they treated dishonest Gentiles. Those who themselves did not introduce any impiety into the teaching of faith, but were only separated from the society of believers through the efforts of other schismatics, were immediately accepted into the Church. The latter, as if returning from a foreign land to their fatherland in droves, recognized the Church as their mother, and the longer they were separated from it, the more cheerfully and joyfully they entered into it. Thus, the members of the common body, coming into unity, were combined into a harmonious whole, and the universal Church of God, gathered in itself, shone alone: ​​there were no heretical or schismatic societies anywhere else on earth 331. The reason for this unique and great feat was the only one of all, the basileus beloved by God. Caesarea Palestine is a city on the Mediterranean coast of Palestine, the capital of the province since 6 AD, a bishopric since the 2nd century. from R.H. Eusebius was Bishop of Caesarea from 313 until his death in 339. Eusebius himself tells in his “Church History” (IX, 5) about the reign of Galerius: “At that time, the “Acts of Pilate” were invented - notes full of all kinds of blasphemy against Christ; at the direction of the ruler, lists of these “Acts” were sent throughout the country under his control with the order to place them everywhere in villages and cities in full view of everyone; teachers, instead of studying academic subjects, were ordered to read them in schools and force students to learn them by heart.” Eusebius is referring to the cross, despised as an instrument of execution by pagans and Jews and glorified by Constantine on his banner. Sale at public auction of the property of those executed or simply confiscation of property with subsequent sale, usually accompanying deprivation of honor. This punishment became a norm in Roman law from the time of the Civil Wars and since then remained a sure and simple way to replenish the treasury for not too picky emperors. This refers to the decree of 313 on the immunity of all clergy (including subdeacons and readers) from municipal duties and partial exemption from property duties. In the first centuries of Christianity, the sign of the cross was usually applied to the face. As St. writes, for example. Hippolytus of Rome: “Always try to sign the sign of the cross on your forehead” (“Apostolic Tradition”, 42). In this case, Eusebius calls the banner of Constantine a trophy. This word originally did not mean something captured in battle, but a sign of victory constructed on the battlefield from the enemy’s weapons. In the time of Eusebius, it was generally a sign of victory. Is. 27.1. This passage from Eusebius is extremely interesting from the point of view of the question of state power in the early Church. Already St. Hippolytus of Rome emphasizes in his essay “On Christ and Antichrist,” XXV, when interpreting the explanation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream by the prophet Daniel (Dan. 7:2-14), the fact that the Roman Empire is not the last kingdom on earth, after it there will be ten more. But in this same work of his, the image of the beast is firmly adopted for the very concept of the earthly (pagan) kingdom. St. Gregory the Theologian (Sermon 4. accusatory of King Julian) also compares Julian the Apostate with the serpent. Thus, this picture does not at all indicate any Christian sacralization of royal power, and does not indicate a victory over the dragon-Antichrist in the final sense. This picture indicates the victory over a particular manifestation of the Antichrist - the Roman pagan state, which, of course, is compared with the final victory over the Antichrist. Since the Christian worldview often correlates any life event with the image of the Holy Scriptures and any partial victory over the beast correlates with the final victory over the Antichrist. This refers to the Meletian schism. The ancients called the islands at the entrance to the Black Sea Simpligades, which allegedly collided, converged with one another and crushed the ships that fell between them. Insulting the images of the emperor is one of the most terrible crimes falling under the lese majeste law. Disputes about the time of celebrating Easter are known long before the events described by Eusebius. In 155, a disagreement arose between St. Polycarp of Smyrna and Anicetus of Rome; in 167, a dispute arose in Laodicea about the date - the Savior suffered on the 14th or 15th of Nisan. In 190–192 - a dispute between Victor of Rome and Polycrates of Ephesus, the latter defended the Asia Minor practice (the 14th day of the lunar month of Nisan, no matter what day of the week it falls on.) against the Roman one. The persistent followers of this heresy had already broken away from the Church by the time of Eusebius. In this case, the Council of Nicaea dealt with the “protopaschites,” a Syrian sect that celebrated Easter on Sunday, but certainly in the same month as the Jews, and therefore sometimes before the vernal equinox. That is, use state mail. Even Augustus organized a state post office - the obligation of certain cities and villages to display replacement horses in lieu of part of the taxes. How important the privilege of using state mail was was can be judged by the fact that the governor of Bithynia, Pliny the Younger, requested permission from Trajan himself to use the state mail for private purposes. Bithynia is a province in Asia Minor, on the eastern shore of the Hellespont. Located directly opposite Constantinople. This refers, of course, to Thebes of Egypt. Eusebius here lists not by ethnicity (in this case, say, listing Thebans and Egyptians would look absurd), but by the names of the provinces into which the Empire was divided after the administrative reform of Diocletian. Therefore, what is meant here is not the entire northern coast of Africa - Libya in a geographical sense, but two provinces of the diocese of Egypt - Libya Lower and Upper (Cyrenaica). Since Eusebius below speaks separately about John of Persia and the representatives of Simeon of Ctesiphon, most likely here he means James of Nisibis (Nisibis is the capital of the province of Mesopotamia). This refers to John of Persia; in addition, elders representing Simeon of Ctesiphon were present at the council. Most likely, this means Theophilus of Gotha. Most likely, Eusebius does not mean the diocese of Pontus, but a province on the northern coast of Asia Minor (the main cities are Neocaesarea, Trebizond), then we are talking about Paul of Neocaesarea and Spyridon of Trimythus. In the northwestern part of Asia Minor there were two provinces (I and II) Galatia. It is also possible that Eusebius is referring to Nicasius of Dijon, who came from Gaul, which the Greeks also often called Galatia. Pamphylia is a province on the southeastern coast of Asia Minor, the capital of which was St. Nicholas Myrrh of Lycia. Cappadocia (I and II) are provinces in the central part of Asia Minor. At the Council there were bishops from both of these provinces - Leontius of Caesario-Cappadocia and Eupsychius of Tyana. Most likely, what is meant is not a part of the world or the diocese of Asia, but a province on the western coast of Asia Minor, from which Menophant of Ephesus, condemned by the Council as an Arian, was from. Phrygia and Phrygia II are provinces in the western part of Asia Minor; in this case, apparently, this means simply Phrygia, from which Nunechius of Laodicea arrived at the Council. Pistus of Marcianopolis arrived at the Council from the diocese of Thrace (province of Mysia Inferior). We are not talking about the diocese of Macedonia, but about the province with this name, since Eusebius then lists the provinces of this diocese. Alexander of Thessalonica (Macedonia I) came from this province to the Council. This does not mean a people, but the inhabitants of the province of Achaia, which includes the Peloponnese, Attica, Boeotia and Phocis - the entire mainland of classical Greece. Old and New Epirus are provinces on the western coast of the Balkan Peninsula. It is curious that Eusebius, when listing the bishops who arrived at the council, follows the order of provinces by dioceses. Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia - these are almost all the provinces of the diocese of Pontus, only Armenia and Paphlagonia are missing. Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia are the main provinces of the diocese of Asia. “Even” in relation to the meeting of Macedonians and Thracians, who lived in almost neighboring provinces, seems to be explained if we assume that Eusebius followed not a geographical, but an administrative order - then he means inhabitants from different dioceses and even from different prefectures. St. Silverius, Pope. True, Sozomen (“Ecclesiastical History”, I, 17) speaks of St. Pope Julia, as occupying the Roman see at this time, but this is an obvious mistake. Presbyters Viton and Vincent. According to the views of that time, a bishop cannot represent a bishop as an equal. Constantine the Great gives the number 300 or more than 300, Eustathius of Antioch 270. The traditional 318 appears in 359–360 in Hilary of Pictavia, in 362 in Basil the Great, and in 369 in Athanasius of Alexandria. (V.V. Bolotov, “Lectures on the history of the ancient Church”, M., 1994, part IV, p. 24.) According to V.V. Bolotov (“Lectures on the history of the ancient Church”, M., 1994, part IV, p. 23), each bishop was given the right to have with him two presbyters and three ministers. Theodoret of Cyrus (“Ecclesiastical History”, 1, 7.) says that the king was greeted by Eustathius of Antioch with a speech. Sozomen speaks of Eusebius of Caesarea. This speech is set out in full by Gregory, presbyter of Caesarea (Combefis. Auctar. t. II. p. 555) and by Baronius (item 59). This (ceremonial) opening of the cathedral took place on June 14, 325. It is possible that the work of the cathedral began earlier (after June 3), but the meetings were preliminary. This speech is also given by Sozomen (“Ecclesiastical History”, 1, 19) Latin is the official language of the Empire. Eusebius completely omits the dispute with the Arians in his work. The reasons for this are obvious - at the time of writing his work, Constantius was in power, clearly patronizing the Arians. And the adoption of the term “consubstantial,” and even with the direct participation of Constantine for this term, clearly denigrated both the council and Constantine from the point of view of the semi-Arian Eusebius. This silence of Eusebius is especially characteristic in light of the fact that at the council it was adopted (with the addition of the term “consubstantial”) precisely the symbol of the Caesarean church. (see bl. Theodoret of Cyrus, “Ecclesiastical History”, I, 12. - Eusebius’ message to his flock.) Both the Hellenes and the Romans feasted while lying down. Eusebius does not mention or cite in his work two more letters of Constantine, sent after the council - to the Alexandrian Church against Arius and to all bishops and peoples. Since the Easter new moon began among the Jews on the fifth of March and ended on the third of April; sometimes it turned out that their Easter began before the equinox, and therefore took place twice in one year. The same thing will happen if we consider the Jewish celebrations of Easter within the solar, or Julian, year. – Approx. translator Cilicia (I and II) are provinces on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. For the "due time" the practice of the Roman Church was adopted. “It was united in him” - that is, in like-mindedness, and not in Constantine. As Socrates relates (I.25–27), some time after the Council of Nicaea, having made feigned repentance, Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognis of Nicaea were returned from exile. They had already petitioned the king for the return of Arius, supposedly completely Orthodox. But Athanasius of Alexandria, who had already become a bishop by this time, refused to accept Arius into communion (as Socrates says, Sozomen says that Constantine only demanded that neither the Arians nor the Meletians close churches). Constantine, misled by Eusebius and Theognis, threatened Athanasius with deposition for disobedience (Socrates gives an excerpt from this letter - I.27). The accusation of stubbornness was then supplemented by the accusation that Athanasius ordered the Egyptians to sell linen garments to the Alexandrian church. (Sozomen (II.22) writes about these clothes as imposing a tax beyond the usual.) This accusation was refuted by two Alexandrian presbyters, who were in Nicomedia at that time, and proved to the king that this accusation was a lie. It was after this that the king called St. Afanasia to himself. Sozomen talks about what happened next: “But the king rejected the slander of his accusers, allowed Athanasius to return home, and in a letter to the Alexandrian people, testifying to his high honesty and right faith, he said that he was pleased to talk with this man and to be convinced that he was a man of God, that he had endured accusations of envy and appeared superior to his accusers.” Eusebius, apparently, has in mind the emperor’s letter, in which he convinces St. Athanasius did not close churches to heretics and Meletians. Most likely, these works were carried out during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, when, by his order, the colony of Aelia Capitolina was organized on the site of Jerusalem. At this time, the Jerusalem church was ruled by St. Macarius I (313–333). Min, relying on Socrates and Theodoret, argues that we are talking here about the praetorian prefect. A hidden allusion to the famous place of the Apocalypse, Eusebius again correlates the future deliverance from the Antichrist during the Second Coming with his present deliverance from the persecuting emperors. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 71 A.D. Titus, in his place in 123, Hadrian built the city of Aelia Capitolina. By his order, the Church of Jupiter Capitolinus was erected on the site of the Jerusalem Temple. Minh cites a passage of a poetic description of this marble, belonging to Gregory of Nazianzus, orat 32: ... Perhaps the method of covering the roofs of churches with lead, which was not very common in the East, was brought by St. Constantine from Gaul, where it was very common. Yes, St. Gregory of Tours reports the destruction of the church of Vasso-Galata under the emperor Gallienus and also speaks of a lead roof (History of the Franks, I.32). This refers to Bethlehem (Matthew 2.1). Eusebius, speaking about the birth of the Savior, follows the tradition of the Ancient Church, in which both Christmas and the Baptism of the Lord were perceived to a large extent as one event, even during the celebration the two holidays were not distinguished, but one was celebrated - Epiphany. The Ascension of the Lord took place in Bethany (Luke 24:50), on the Mount of Olives. At this time, when the iconostasis in its modern form had not yet taken shape, a veil or curtain was used instead, which was often embroidered with various images. Body of St. Queen Helena, according to Nicephorus (L. 8, cap. 30), was transferred from Palestine first to Rome, and then, two years later to Constantinople. Helen died twelve years before the death of Constantine, that is, in 327. – approx. translator This refers to one of the ten commandments given to Moses (Ex. 20:12). See Matt. 18.12–14; OK. 15, 4–6; In. 10, 1–16. This refers to Antioch on the Orontes. Eusebius calls it a metropolis not in the ecclesiastical sense - the primate of the Antiochian Church has long been called the patriarch, but in the secular sense - as the residence of the committee of the East. Life XVIII. In early Christian literature, this interpretation of the Old Testament Epiphany is very often found - as the appearance of the Savior to Abraham with two angels. See eg. Quintus Septimius Florent Tertullian “On the Flesh of Christ”, 7. This place was also called Terevinium and was two hundred and fifty stadia from Jerusalem. (Ermiy Sozomen, “Ecclesiastical History.” II. 4) Ermiy Sozomen talks in more detail about this veneration of the Mamrian oak by the pagans: “The natives and the most distant inhabitants of Palestine, the Phoenicians, the Arabians, and even now, during the summer, annually celebrate a solemn holiday there. By that time, many people gather there to trade, to sell and buy. This holiday is respected by everyone: - both by Jews, because they are proud of the patriarch Abraham (as their ancestor), and by pagans, because angels appeared in that place, and by Christians, because here the One who later came to earth for the salvation of mankind, born of the Virgin, appeared to the righteous. And everyone honors this place in accordance with the rules of their worship of God: some - sending up prayers to the God of all, others - calling on angels and pouring wine, or sacrificing a palm, an ox, a goat, a sheep, a rooster, for each of the best and most precious animals he had, he carefully fed throughout the whole summer, and, according to a vow, saved for the feast of that holiday for himself and for his own. Out of respect for the place, or out of fear of God's punishment, no one gets close to their wives there, although on holiday they take special care of embellishments and outfits and, if necessary, go out and walk - no one also indulges in debauchery, although everyone has common tents and spends the night together. That place is open, occupied by arable land and not built up with houses, with the exception of a dwelling near an oak tree, which in ancient times belonged to Abraham, and a well dug by him. During the holiday, no one draws water from this well, because, according to pagan custom, some place lighted candles on it, others pour wine into it, or throw pies, coins, myrrh, odorous substances - and therefore the water, mixing with the substances thrown into it, naturally becomes unfit for use. While all this was happening according to what had been said, with the gaiety characteristic of pagans, the mother of Constantine’s wife came there on a pilgrimage and told the king about it” (“Church History”, II, 4). Life 12.7; 13.15–16; 14.18; 15.5; 15.18. Pythias is an epithet of Apollo. It is connected with the myth of Apollo’s killing of the monster Python, either by his son Pythaeus, or because he promotes decay with his golden arrows. Eusebius in this case has in mind a specific statue, also called - as Sozomen explains (Ecclesiastical History, II, 5): “This is the statue of Apollo, which was in the oracle of Python.” It is curious that all of the listed epithets of Apollo and the Muses are associated with games. Sminthius (mouse) is an epithet of Apollo, appears already at the beginning of the Iliad (I.39). He was revered in Rhodes, where games were dedicated to him. The tripod on which the priestess sat in Delphi - the Pythia who made predictions. Hellikonian muses - from Mount Helikon in Western Boeotia, which was considered the seat of the muses. Games were held near this mountain. Sozomen also mentions the famous statue of Pan, donated to the Delphic sanctuary by Pausanias and the pan-Greek league after the victory at Plataea (Hermias Sozomen, “Ecclesiastical History”, II, 5.). The statues were usually painted and sometimes provided with clothing. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Herodotus in his “History” (I, 105) also mentions the sanctuary of Aphrodite Urania in Ascalon (as the most ancient), and also mentions the eunuch priests (enareans). In both cases, the cult of the goddess Astarte (Ishtar) is meant. Information about the existence of any large and famous sanctuary of Asclepius in Cilicia has not reached us. The only known Aegina is an island and city off the coast of Attica. Pausanias, in his “Description of Hellas,” reports about the sanctuary of Asclepius in this city (“Description of Hellas,” book 2, XXX). Asclepius, in Greek mythology the god of healing, before being taken to Olympus in this capacity, was struck by lightning by Zeus for raising the dead (see Hyginus, Myths, 49; Apollodorus, Mythological Library, III, x, 3.). Apparently, Eusebius is referring to the prohibition of concubinage by Constantine - the law of April 29, 336 (“Code of Theodosius”, 4, 6, 3; “Code of Justinian”, 5, 27, 1). This custom, very widespread in the East, also fell under this law. Herodotus, for example, describes church prostitution in Babylon, obligatory for all women of the city once a year (History, I, 199). He also talks about a similar custom among the Lydians (I, 93). It may be true that here we are simply talking about terrible licentiousness in morals, against which the decree was directed. Ammianus Marcellinus, for example, mentions the death penalty for adultery under Valentinian, and as not an isolated case. (“Roman History”, XXVIII, 28.) However, Sozomen, who also cites this order of the king as a private one, explains this custom: “and among the Phoenicians who lived in Lebanon and Hierapolis, the custom of dishonoring virgins ceased before they copulated with their husbands, with whom they were legally married after experiencing an initially lawless mixture” (Ermias Sozomen, "Ecclesiastical History", I. 8). Eusebius here deliberately does not report the causes of this “fire.” Socrates Scholasticus makes up for this omission of our author. “At that time in Antioch on the occasion of his (Eustathius of Antioch) deposition, there was a strong indignation, and even after, when a bishop was elected, such enmity often flared up that the people, divided into two sides, almost destroyed the entire city. Some sought to transfer Eusebius Pamphilus from Caesarea Palestine to Antioch, while others tried to restore Eustathius. The city community joined both sides, so that, finally, a detachment of troops entered the city, as if against an enemy, and, of course, it would have come to swords if God and fear of the king had not tamed the popular unrest, for the king with his messages, and Eusebius with his refusal, stopped the rebellion” (Socrates Scholasticus, “Ecclesiastical History”, I, 24). Of course, the expression of Constantine cannot be understood as the universal Church, since the main patriarchates at that time quite enjoyed equal honor - at least on the part of Constantine himself. This is evidenced by his behavior during the Arian dispute, in contrast to the dispute, say, with Paul of Samosata, when the point of view of the Roman bishop was accepted as correct. Therefore, by Constantine’s expression “over the whole church” one should understand the Church of Antioch, in contrast to the Church of Caesarea - not “all”, but a part included in the Antiochian patriarchate. Min speaks of the author’s mistake; the Aretuz presbyter’s name was Christopher. Novatians are followers of the Roman antipope Novatian (d. 268), who broke away from the Church on the issue of accepting into the Church those who had sinned, who considered it impossible to accept into the Church those who had sinned - those who had renounced or had stained themselves with grave sins - adultery, murder, etc. Valentinians are followers of the Gnostic Valentinus (d. c. 161). Marcionites are followers of Marcion, whose main starting point was the denial of the identity of the God of the New and Old Testaments. The Paulians are followers of Paul of Samosata, who rejected the reality of the incarnation of Christ and taught about the “energetic” communication of the human nature of the Savior and the Second Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity. Catafrigians or Montanists, after their founder Montanus. A sect that arose in Phrygia and separated from the Church on the issue of the “New Prophecy” given to Montanus and his followers, which “clarified” and “deepened” the New Testament. Of course, this is only a rhetorical statement by Eusebius. Most of the sects survived the time of Constantine for a long time - for example, the Novatians (who, however, Constantine did not persecute) were known even at the beginning of the 7th century. You might be interested in: