Miscellaneous Coptic Texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, Part 1

Miscellaneous Coptic Texts in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, Part 1

Translated by E. A. Wallis Budge

Manuscripts of the 5th–10th century

The first twelve of eighteen Coptic texts that Budge first published: an encomium on Theodore the Anatolian, discourses on the Virgin Mary attributed to Cyril of Jerusalem, Demetrius of Antioch, Epiphanius and Cyril of Alexandria, the teaching of Apa Psote, a discourse of Severus of Antioch on the compassion of God, a discourse of Cyril of Jerusalem on the discovery of the Cross, three texts on Mercurius the martyr, and a discourse on the archangel Gabriel. Many are legendary, and the names of the authors are those that the manuscripts give.

I. The Encomium of Theodore, Archbishop of Antioch, on Theodore the Anatolian

1 (Brit. Mus. MS. Oriental, No. 7030) The encomium which saint apa theo-dore, archbishop of antioch, pronounced on the valiant saint, the victorious warrior of antioch, the destroyer of the persians, saint theodore the ana-tolian. HE SPAKE ALSO CONCERNING HIS ORIGIN, AND HIS RACE (OR, FAMILY), AND HIS CAREER AS A SOLDIER, AND HIS GLORIOUS CAREER AS A GENERAL, AND THE AMOUNT OF HIS ANNUAL INCOME. AND HE ALSO SPAKE CONCERNING THE DAY WHEREON HE ENDED HIS CAREER …THAT IS TO SAY, THE WELFTH DAY OF THE MONTH TÔBE. HE SPAKE ALSO CONCERNING APA GAIUS, THE ARCHBISHOP OF ANTIOCH, UNDER WHOM THE FIRST OF ALL THE MARTYRS SUFFERED. HE ALSO SPAKE BRIEFLY CONCERNING SAINT APA GAUDIUS. IN THE PEACE OF GOD. AMEN. The orchard is a pleasant place, and the trees thereof ester round about it, they flourish [and] are laden with fit, O my beloved. The blossom is pleasant and glorious, and emitteth a sweet and choice odour. All the great ones are round about it, and the mighty men and the Generals voice and are glad therein. These words do not [apply] to

2 He is commemorated in the Ethiopian Church on the twelfth day of the month Ter, i.e. December 7; a short life of him is given in the Syriarium (Ter xii = the Coptic Tobe xii), and a longer one in Brit. Mus. MS. Orient., No. 689, ff. P P Antioch only, but also to the heavenly Jerusalem, the habitation of all the saints. And even though Diocletian, the lawless one, overthrew the houses of the Generals of my city of Antioch because of his wrath against them, Christ Himself, the Beloved of the Father, hath built them up into a palace in His City of Truth, the Jerusalem of heaven. And even though Diocletian, the lawless one, separated them (i. e. these Generals) from their parents, and from their brethren, and from their kinsfolk who were living upon the earth, Christ, the King of kings, called them 'brethren' and 'companions', even as He called the Apostles, at the time when they were on the earth. An earthly king called the valiant men of my city to him as 'recruits', but the Deathless King, Christ, hath called them 'My victorious warriors in the strife'. And I, Theodore, who am the least among men, when I look upon [the remains of] their habitations upon this earth which

3 Diocletian made into a desert, straightway I say, 'Where are the kings who have died, and the Generals whom Diocletian made?' The mighty ones of my city hath this evil beast cast down to the ground because of his hatred towards them. But God, Who loveth the race of man, hath received them unto Himself in His kingdom, and hath given unto them an inheritance in His kingdom, [which is] a city that cannot be laid waste, whereof the trees never wither, and the fruits of the trees never perish. This is the place of joy and of gladness and of exultation for ever! Take shame to thyself this day, O Diocletian, who art in the deepest Amente, whilst all the saints are in the kingdom that is in the heavens! The lawless kings have been cast into Amente because of the evil which they have done to the holy martyrs; and these holy men are in the kingdom that is in the heavens. Thou wouldst have carried them, O transgressor of the law, into a city over which a mortal kin reigned, but they removed themselves into a city over which death hath no power. Thou didst not make them die,

4 O transgressor of the law, as every one else [dieth], but thou didst kill them by means of the death of violence. And in very truth, O Diocletian, when I remember thy rule, and the evil which thou hast done unto the noblemen of Antioch, I curse thee, [and] I revile thee, [and] I call thee by evil names, O thou evil, blood-shedding lion, thou bear that didst drink blood at all times, thou dragon that dost well in the abyss! Furthermore, when I remember also the honours which they have received in the heavens, and that their memorial shall abide [for ever] in the world, then the nations perceive that the power of healing is bound in their holy bodies, and that healing is graciously granted into those who are sick in the name[s] of the saints, and that martyriums are built in their names, one after the other, upon the earth, I say straightway, that thou wast born with evil destiny and for thine own destruction alone. But it has a glorious destiny for these saints and martyrs to bring their lives to an end through thee, for they have received destructible crowns in the kingdom which is in the heavens.

5 For in very truth when I remember what thou didst do into Saint Theodore the Anatolian, I am amazed, and I make with wonder, for indeed great were the evils which thou didst inflict upon that brave warrior of Antioch, O Dioletian. When I consider the tree whereon they crucified Theodore the Anatolian, the tree that was anointed with his her blood, and I remember the one hundred and fifty-three was which they drove into his holy body on the tree, I weep bitterly with many tears, and I curse thee, O Diocletian. But when I gaze up into the heavens, and I see his (i. e. Theodore's) throne on the right hand of Michael, outside the Veil of the Father, straightway I utter cries of joy, and I say, 'Will it is that thou wast born, O Diocletian, so that thou minest put to death this valiant warrior Theodore the

6 Anatolian, and so enable him to acquire this great honour in the heavens before Christ Jesus!' Behold, the tree whereon they crucified thee did the Emperor Constantine command to be made into the doors of his martyrium, and into the apse of his chamber of sacrifice, and into the bier whereon his holy body [lay]. When I think, [O Diocletian,] what thou didst do unto Victor, the son of Romanus, I am smitten with wonder that thou wast not ashamed before his father who put him to death. When I look upon the stone slabs over which they dragged him, and which were smeared with his holy blood, and when I think upon the fetters which they bound on his feet and legs, and which now hang on the doors of his holy martyrium wherein he driveth out devils and also upon the stone slabs that were smeared with his blood, and that are now laid down in his martyrium and illumine (? the...

7 of my city, I give thanks unto God and I say, 'Well it is that thou wast born, O Diocletian so that thou mightest put these saints to death whereby they became the equals of the angels in the heavens and on the earth!' When I look at the sword of Horion, the companion of the saint Apa Victor, and the flat shield of gold which hangeth in his martyrium, again do I lift up my eyes to the heights of heaven, and I see his crown of gold, and his royal sceptre, and four and twenty angels bearing them in the heavens. And I also see the King Christ comforting him saying, 'I liken Mine own sufferings unto thine, O M chosen one, Victor!' When I see his courtyard planted with trees, and a fountain of water placed in the midst thereof, and the pillars wherefrom honey is flowing at all times, and I see the joy in his monastery which is stablished in the heavens, and how they bear him from this side to that, I exclaim, 'Well it is that thou wast born, O Diocletian, so that thou mightest put to death upon earth this mighty warrior, and so enable him to receive an inheritance in the heavens!' And straightway I bless the true Creator, the Christ, Who hath remembered my city of Antioch, and hath raised up unto us these great and brilliant luminaries, these true pearls in the house of righteous kings, these warriors who were mighty men of war.

8 For at the moment when I am walking in their maryriums on the earth, and I see the pictures of them drawn side by side as if they had just come forth from the battle in which they had been fighting, straightway I rejoice, and utter cries of gladness. I am unable to keep fast hold upon the seal of my lips a second time, neither am I able to set bridle in my lips and mouth concerning the state of joy which I see them; and I cannot restrain my tongue and revent it from performing its function, and I must declare their honourable estate. 9 For when I look upon the palace of Diocletian, this murderer of the mighty men of Antioch, which is now under the settled governance of the God-loving imperor, and when I see his places of idols, which are now id waste, and which have been made into churches, wherein he ready the Books of the Gospels, and when I see his throne lawlessness, which hath been removed from under him, and his bedchamber of lawlessness, which hath been destroyed, exclaim, 'Well it is that the pride of that arrogant man Diocletian hath been abased, and that there hath been raised for us the humble and God-loving Emperor Constantine, who hath remembered his fellowship with them and his rank of General, and that the throne of Antioch hath been bestowed upon him!' For when I see Martha, the mother of Apa Victor, weeping for her son with burning of heart, and when I hear Thebasia, the sister of Apa Claudius, weeping for her brother with sorrow of heart, and when I see Tekharis, the sister of Theodore the Anatolian, at the foot of the tree

10 Probably Claudius the martyr mentioned in the Synaxarium (See 11 = June 5); for a fuller life of him see Brit. Mus. MS. Orient., N. 686, weeping for her brother, and when I see Asenneth, the sister of Apa Stephen, the son of Basilides, weeping for her brother, when, I say, I see all these [women] weeping I exclaim, 'It is a dire calamity that thou wast born, O Diocletian!' Yet again, afterwards, when I lift up min eyes to heaven, and see these saints sitting upon thrones of glory, and the angels crowning them with crowns, I exclaim 'Well it is that thou wast born [O Diocletian], for it is through thee that these saints have received crowns!' And when I see their martyrisms that have been built around my city of Antioch like a wall, and when I hear the bells of gold that hang in the innermost parts of their martyrisms, and when I see the multitudes of people exulting in their holy festivals, straightway I rejoice, and I bless my King Christ saying, 'Well it is that God hath raised up for us these great and brilliant light-givers, which illumine all our city these physicians who are healers of our souls and of our bodies at the same time, these Generals who are to be feared these fighters who contend at all times for the Name of Christ, these master-warriors who at all times do battle with Satan! Well also is it that God hath raised up for us the God-loving Emperor Constantine, who was a General like unto them when they were in the body with him, who hath built their martyrisms with every possible honour, who hath sought out their bodies, and who hath brought them into the light, and they comfort their followers with us all, and the strengthen our whole city.'

11 Our God-loving Emperor hath known their might from the time when they were in the body with him, for they were warriors who did battle with the wicked Barbarians. What Constantine saw that he had become Emperor [he knew] that he had especial need of them in the war, for he knew the they were of more value than many mighty men of war. He ascribed glory unto them, and especially because they had magnified him in the exalted dignity of his kingdom, in his wish to stablish the fellowship of the Anatolian. He knew his valour, and the honourable renown which he possessed through his parents, and he ascribed glory to him in order that he might exalt him the more. And I, Theodore, the least of all men, will not hold my peace concerning the commemoration of this holy man Theodore the Anatolian. For, if we eat at his table, his valour will give [me] courage; if I fall down, he will lift me up; if mine adversary pursue me, he will deliver me out of his hand; if my ship be about to be engulfed in the waters, he will act as pilot for me, and will bring me to dry land; if I blunder stupidly in my encomium upon him, he will bear patiently with me, until I cease to err, and until my mad fit turneth away from me. Therefore I will allow my tongue to perform its function in its own proper manner, and I will speak about the commemoration of this holy man, Theodore the Anatolian. I will open my mouth with gladness, and I will declare the things which the Holy Spirit shall cause to enter into my mouth.

12 Now, the holy man Theodore, whose festival we are celebrating this day, was the son of Soterichus, the brother of Ptolemy, the governor, the father of Apa Claudius. They were men of Tarsus of Cilicia, and they were in the same garden together. And the fathers of the two men Apa Theodore and Apa Claudius were the sons of a man whose name was Samar. He was not indeed a man who possessed very large sums of money, but he grew wheat on large tracts of land, and he had gardens, and vineyards, and orchards. He was not, however, a merchant who trafficked in all the things which he had in that region, because of the greatness of his possessions. And after a long time he died, like every other man, and left whatsoever property he had to his ix ib sons, Ptolemy, the father of Apa Claudius, and Soterichus, the father of Apa Theodore. And when the mourning ceremonies for their father had come to an end, a great strife broke out between the two brethren Ptolemy and Soterichus, concerning the property of their father. And the two [brothers] rose up and came to Antioch, to the feet of the king, so that he might settle the dispute between them. And Ptolemy, the father of Apa Claudius, was older than

13 Soterichus, the father of Apa Theodore. And Ptolemy gave a centenarius of gold behind the back of (i.e. unknown to) Soterichus, the father of Apa Theodore, to Euius the king, and when the king saw their wealth, and their military rank, he gave his daughter to Ptolemy to wife. And [concerning] Soterichus, the father of Theodore, Ptolemy informed Euius the king, saying, 'He is my brother, and the same father begat both [of us]'; and he made him a fellow ruler and councillor. And the king sent to Tarsus, and removed them to Antioch. And the king gave his brother's daughter, whose name was Sophia, to Soterichus to wife. And the two [brothers] became exceedingly powerful, and they flourished in Antioch, for the king loved them. And whensoever [the troops] went out to exercise both brothers mounted the king's chariots. And, moreover, the matter became well known that each of the two brothers had married a daughter of the king.

14 And after these things the two brilliant luminaries, Theodore and Claudius, were born, and straightway the Archbishop, 15 Apa Gaius, was sent for, and he prayed over the two children. And [their fathers] made a great feast for the Archbishop, and for the nobles of the palace, and for all [the people of] Antioch on that day. And the fathers of the children would not give them names without the opinion of the Archbishop, and Apa Gaius blessed them in the impulse of his spirit. And when the days of their purification were accomplished, the Archbishop took the two children, and set them before the altar of sacrifice; and when he had prayed over them he uncovered their faces, and he saw the names of both of them written upon their foreheads. The letter THETA was written upon [the forehead of] the son of Soterichus, and the letter GAMMA was written upon [the forehead of] the son of the daughter of the king; and these two written signs were visible to every one. And the people marvelled, and Apa Gaius the Archbishop was exceedingly astonished at what had happened to the little children. And a voice was heard from the support whereon the little children were lying, [saying], 'Theodore the Anatolian, Claudius the Persian.' And the Archbishop offered up sacrifice that day, and [the fathers] lighted a great bonfire in Antioch, and made a great feast whereto every one came. And the dwellers in the palace loved Claudius because of his noble rank; now this was before his father Ptolemy became king, though he was [already] the equal of the king.

16 And they appointed free women to be nurses to the two children, and to bring them up. And Father Apa Gaius the Archbishop baptized the two children, who were full cousins (literally, brethren) each of the other, and of the same stock (or, family), and he gave unto each a name according to the lot that had been ordained for him. And whilst he was considering the name of Saint Theodore, his mother called him 'the Anatolian', according to the name of her city Anatolia. And they gave to Saint Apa Claudius the name of 'the Persian', because his mother was by race a Persian. 17 And it came to pass that some years after these holy men were born Euius the king died, and [Ptolemy], the father of Pa Claudius, became the king, and Soterichus, the father of Pa Theodore, became the equal of the king, and they administered the affairs of the kingdom. And there was a certain great merchant in Antioch, who was a neighbour of Soterichus, and whose name was Romanus, and he was exceedingly rich, and he gave a centenarius of gold to Soterichus, the father of Apa Theodore, that he might make him a General in the Imperial Army. And Soterichus took the money, and gave unto him the power and authority that belonged to the rank of General, for he was his sister's husband. And in those days, that is to say, in that very same year wherein these two saints Theodore and Claudius were born, [birthday] sacrifices were offered up on behalf of the two children, and all the people of Antioch marvelled at their magnificence. And their fathers made a feast for all the people of the city, and for twenty-seven days they celebrated the birthdays of the two little children, both in the

18 palace and in the houses of the widows and orphans. And they inscribed the names of the two [children] upon the four-gated castle of the city, thus, 'Theodore and Claudius, the sons of the king.' And the two children were taught in the same school. And all the people of the city desired to see them because of their beauty, and because of their noble rank, and their intelligence, and their handsome faces, and the splendour of their apparel. And a great number of cymbals and instruments of music played before them whensoever they wished to go into the church to partake of the Sacrament, and a proclamation was made by the herald everywhere throughout the city, saying, 'Claudius and Theodore, the sons of the king, wish to go into the church to partake of the Sacrament.' Thereupon a multitude of people would gather together upon the dung-heaps of the city of Antioch, and upon the mounds in the city, and upon the roofs of their houses, so that they might see them sitting upon the king's chariot. And the people used to decorate the road by which they came to the church with [banners of] purple cloth and byssus, and with linen streamers, and with yellow banners (?),

19 and they used to sweep the road clean, and strew it with the choicest aromatic herbs, and with [branches of] laurel and syringa. And whilst the two children sat side by side in the place of honour which was set apart for them in the church, all the people sat behind them and admired their beauty And their mothers made pomegranates in gold and silver wherefrom they sprinkled water over them. Their tables and their drinking cups were of gold and silver, and their stands were inlaid with precious stones, that is to say, emeralds, and topazes, and diamonds, and chrysolite. And the name of each of the children was written upon their tables in equal size, and in an equally splendid manner. And my Father, Apa Gaius, administered the Sacrament to them. And I, Theodore, the least of all men, acted as attendant at the feet of my Father, Apa Gaius, on that day. And when these children came into the church to partake of the Sacrament the Archangels Michael and Gabriel stood by their side. And Michael took hold of the hand of Saint Theodore, and placed his sword in his hand, saying, 'Take this for thyself, O Theodore. Thou shalt conquer, and thou shalt prevail, and thou shalt put to flight thine enemy therewith, like Benaiah, the mighty man of Israel. Thy hand shall fight, and thy right hand shall conquer. I am Michael the Archangel.

20 Christ hath already given thee unto me as a favour in His kingdom, and thou shalt take my strength [with thee] into battle, for there hath already been given unto thee in the heavens the name of "Theodore, the mighty General".' And Gabriel, who was on the right hand of Claudius, reached out to him the sword of fire which was in his hand, saying, 'Take this for thyself, for the destruction of the Barbarians, and put to flight the Persians therewith. Take unto thee also, O Claudius, my great humility and glory. They call me God and man, and they shall call thee "General and son of the King". Theodore hath been given into the hand of my fellow archangel in the heavens, and thou hast been given unto me in the heavens.' And when Apa Gaius had seen the vision, he marvelled and was exceedingly perturbed, and he rose up and said unto me, 'My son Theodore, whether I die or whether I live, Claudius and Theodore shall be renowned throughout the whole world for their valour. For I say unto thee, O my son Theodore, that the names of these children shall be as famous as the names of the Apostles of Christ, and that their names shall reach even unto the Persians.' And I entreated pardon

21 from him, and I said, 'Forgive me, O my holy father. Peradventure thou hast only imagined that thou hast seen these things concerning these sons of the king.' And he said unto me, 'My son Theodore, I saw the two children given into the hands of the two Archons of the Court of the King Christ, namely, Michael and Gabriel, who will make them to be victorious in battle. It hath been shewn unto me that the lot of Theodore appertaineth to Michael, and that Claudius hath been given into the hand of Gabriel. And I believe, O my son Theodore, that [these archangels] shall bless them in their life and in their death.' And after these things they came out of the church that day in great honour and glory, both of them, and the holy men [directed] the ship of the government, and their names were written upon their banners (?) as captains of war and as sons of the king. And their fathers made a bracelet of gold for each of them, and unto each a thousand slaves were given, and the distinguishing apparel of a prince was [placed] upon each of them. They resembled each other in their features, and in their graciousness, and in their understanding, and in their noble bearing. And it was arranged that the sister of

22 Theodore should be married to Apa Claudius, and Theodore the Anatolian to the sister of Apa Claudius, for thus one royal family would be united to another royal family, and honourable rank would be added to honourable rank, and majesty would be added to majesty, and renown to renown. But from the moment wherein the angel of the Lord touched them he removed from them external pollution, and every blemish of this world, and they were made to forget marriage and the taking of wives, and they became like unto the angels, that is to say, like unto those who had been made eunuchs by the hands of men. From that day the holy men never entered into a bath to wash themselves therein, and they never stripped their bodies naked. And the poor, and the widows, and the orphans thronged to the road along which the holy men passed, and they waited there to receive alms from the hands of their servants, to whom their lords gave money to give unto those who were in need in the streets; and the yearly allowance of each of the holy men from the king's palace was one thousand pieces of money. And the holy men never wished to be present at a feast accompanied by the music of cymbals and pipes. They had no liking whatsoever for the places where theatrical spectacles were exhibited, and they greatly disliked the places where instrumental music was performed. They felt no desire for

23 any woman of pleasure, and they never allowed their gaze to rest upon any beautiful woman as the sons of a king are wont to do. They took no delight whatsoever in the pomp and ceremony of this world, but they passed their time in reciting the passages of Scriptures which they had learned by heart, and psalms and prayers, and they spent their nights in watching [and prayer]. When they wished to learn about military operations they used to take the BOOK OF ALEXANDER, and read it, and they were made happy thereby. And these holy men passed fifteen years in the splendour of the kingdom. In their youth all the soldiers in the army loved them as they loved the angels of God, because of their generosity and because of their holy lives, and at length the Persians heard of their names, and marvelled thereat. Now in those days there was war between the Persians and the Romans, because of certain ships which had been seized (or, plundered) on the road (i.e. on the high seas); and finally an exceedingly fierce struggle took place between them, and very large numbers of men were killed on several occasions during that war. And the Emperor of Rome dispatched

24 his army of soldiers and his own son with his own warlike host; and Soterichus was in the palace with his son Theodore, for they were in charge of the throne of the Kings (or, Emperors). Then after these things [there was] a second war, [and the two armies] came face to face on the river Tanobis. And the King of the Romans spake to his host, saying, 'Whatsoever ye are able to carry off as spoil from the Persians, ye are permitted to possess as your own property'; and the King of the Persians spake to his host in similar terms. For the rest, [the two armies] actually faced each other, and they spread out over very much ground, and they passed forty days, each army being spied upon by the other on the river Tanobis, and they allowed their beasts to graze before they fought. And they formed cunning schemes concerning the conduct of the war.

25 When the Devil, who is the hater of every good thing, saw that the Romans and the Persians did not join battle, he went to the Persians in the form of an envoy of the Romans, and he accused the King of the Persians and his host, saying, 'Wherefore are ye sitting down and not fighting each other? The Romans despise you and your host. They call you "godless heathen". They hold in contempt your gods, the sun and the moon, and they say that they are not gods at all. They have determined to plunder your cities, and to burn them with fire, and to lay them waste, and to throw your temples down to the ground, and to seize your king, and to make him a slave at their feet. I know the Romans well, and they are men who are altogether merciless. Behold, the things which I have heard I declare unto you. And if ye permit them to slip through your hands, and do not slay them, there will rise up from among

26 them certain men of might and valour who shall reduce you to slavery utterly, for, behold, a spirit hath come into them which shall conquer irresistibly in the war. And I will tell you the names [of these men]. The greatest among them is Theodore the Anatolian, whose voice is like unto the roaring of a lion. His sword, wherewith he will fight against you, is a blazing fire. If he proveth himself to be greater than ye he will reduce you to absolute slavery. And here is another man, one Claudius, an exceedingly mighty man of valour; and if he proveth himself to be greater than ye he will reduce you to absolute slavery. And another s Justus, and there are Stephen, and Dioscurus, and an Egyptian, that is to say, Theodore the General, and another is Apa Patēr, who is an exceedingly mighty man of valour, and another is Euius, and those who follow. Now therefore shew ye yourselves bold in dealing with these mighty men of war concerning whom I have told you, and concerning whom I have spoken to you with all these words, and with all the words of accusation.' And having said [these things] to the Persians, he disappeared from them.

27 And he changed his form (i. e. disguised himself), and come to the others (i. e. the Romans), and he took the form of an envoy of the Persians, and corrupted the heart of the others (i. e. the Romans), saying, 'These are the things which the Persians are saying: We will not turn back until we have spoiled all the territory of the Romans. We will take its king to our country, with a yoke on his neck, like the collar on a dog, and we will make his sons slaves, xc xc and they shall labour for us even as do the men of Babylon.' And when the envoy had said these things to the Romans, he disappeared from them. And he took his seat between the camps of the two armies, that is, between the Persians and the Romans, and he cast dissension and enmity between them. The first time they joined in battle ten thousand men were killed. On the second day on which they fought twenty thousand men were killed. In the first defeat that took place the Romans captured the son of the King of the Persians in his chariot. And on the third day after the capture of the son of the King of the Persians the Persians took to flight, and their whole army

28 scattered itself in all directions because of the defeat that had taken place, and because of the great quantity of blood that had been shed, and the putrefying dead bodies that were strewn about. And the Romans cried out, 'We have carried off the son of the King of the Persians,' and there was great joy [among them]; and [when] they came to the river Tanobis, the Romans bathed therein because of their fatigue and because of the blood of those whom they had killed. And when the Persians had searched for their prince, and had not found him in his chariot, they were greatly dis- turbed. And they said, 'How is it possible for us to explain to his father that he hath been captured? Since it is absolutely necessary for us to fill his father's hands, let us pursue the Romans and take the son of our king out of their hands before we depart to our own country.' Then straightway they pursued the Romans, who were halting by the river Tanobis, and were wishing to cross it, and to depart to their own country. And the Persians separated the chariot wherein Claudius was from the rest of the host,

29 for they thought that he was the son of their king. And the Persians and the Romans fought together once again, and the Persians killed five thousand men of the enemy, and they vanquished the Romans, and captured Claudius, and fled to their country. And the Romans grieved because the son of their king had been captured, and the Persians also grieved because the son of their king had been captured. And when at length the Persians took Claudius to the country of Persia, they set him before their king, and they said unto him, 'O our lord, thine enemy hath captured Kratôr thy son; but behold, we have brought the son of their king unto thee.' And when the king had looked at Claudius, he said unto him, 'Art thou the son of the King of the Romans?' And the king marvelled at him, because of his beauty and intelligent looks, and at the grace and dignity with which he wore his royal apparel, and his youthful head-dress and his whole bearing and appearance proclaimed him to be the son of a king. And the King of the Persians said unto him, 'Art thou the son of a king?' And Claudius answered and said, 'Once I was the son of the King of the Romans, but this day I am a slave at the feet of the king before whom I stand.'

30 And after these things, [when] the priests looked at Claudius, and saw that he was exceedingly fair in form, they said unto the king, 'Verily, this [man] is suitable for offering us as a sacrifice to the gods, for the salvation of thy son whom the Romans have captured in battle.' And straightenly the queen looked out of the window in her chamber, and when she saw that Claudius was very handsome she led him exceedingly. And she came down in haste, and said unto the king, 'O king, live for ever! I entreat thee to do no evil to this young son of a king, for he is fair in his beauty, and in his bearing, and in his intelligence. Wilt thou no bear in thy mind, O king, that it was the womb of a woman which carried this [prince], like every other person, and that it was the breasts of a woman that suckled him, even as my beloved son was suckled at my breasts? And as I am

31 reduced to misery because of [the loss of] my beloved son, even so will the mother of this [prince] be reduced to misery because of [the loss of] him. And if thou dost destroy this prince, his father will hear the news thereof, and he will kill my beloved son, and through his death we shall be childless. For in very truth, O king, it is a righteous judgement, ordained by heaven, that each man shall have authority over his own son. I will never permit thee, O king, to kill this young man whose beauty is fair, and who is noble and is the son of a king. And thou knowest well that we had arranged this year to take a bride for our son, and a bridegroom for his sister, if we saw a bride and a bridegroom of sufficiently noble birth. And if it happen that our son be sent back to us, I will give Kesen my daughter to him (i.e. the prince here) to wife, and I will send him to his father in great honour.

32 And the queen moved the heart of the king by [her] laudatory words concerning Claudius, and she caused him to reverse his intentions, and not to put him to death. And Claudius was shedding floods of tears in the house of the queen, saying, 'Who will make known to my father and to my mother concerning my tribulation, and who will tell them about the wretched state wherein I am, saying, Thy son Claudius is in the hand of Death, and in the power of the King [of Persia]? Who will be my envoy this day, and make known to my father and to my mother that I am alive by the mercy of God? Who will console my father and my mother for my anguish? Who will instruct my father and my mother, saying, Treat with the greatest kindness and consideration the son of the King of the Persians who tarriet with you as a guest, so that God may set mercy in respect of me in the heart of his father, and that he may shew mercy towards me? Who will bear a report of me, and inform my brother Theodore, saying, Claudius enquireth after the lovingly? Who will bear a report of me, and inform my

33 beloved sister concerning my tribulation of heart? Who will speak unto my beloved mother and say, Make mourning for your son Claudius, who is in the hand of a king [who is] a wicked tyrant? O would that I could find one kind friend unto whom I could send a letter, and who would take it and deliver it to Ptolemy my father! I know of no man in this country whom I could hire and dispatch to my father and to my mother, to give them information about me, and to tell them what I am doing.' These and other things of like character did Saint Claudius letter in his bedchamber, and he wept. And the daughter of the king stood up, and heard the sounds of his [weeping], and she herself wept because of the tender (or, affecting) words which he uttered. And straightway, behold, a vision of light rose up before him, and the whole place became as it were filled with burning fire, and even the palace of the king not forth flames. And forthwith the Archangel Gabriel appeared unto the holy man Claudius, and he spake unto him, saying, 'Hail, Claudius, unto whom I gave thy name at the time of [thy] first reception of the Sacrament! Hail, then whom I have watched over from thy childhood! Why did thou weep and heave sighs? Although thou art in the hands of a mortal king, the King of heaven and of earth is wishing over thee, and He is on every side. I am Gabriel, in whose hands the King of Truth, Christ, gave thee when thou wast a child, and Christ gave also Theodore the Anatoan into the hand of Michael the Archangel, so that he might watch over him. Why art thou afraid of mortal sokers on earth whilst an Angel of God is watching over the, and is on every side of thee?'

34 and Claudius said unto him, 'My lord, I am afraid of twrthings by turns since I have fallen into the hands of evil Bararians: If they kill me, [or] if they make me a sacrifice to their god, my disgrace lieth with the God of heaven; but if they yoke me in polluted marriage against my will, I shall produce [for their benefit] a son of the race of my fathers.' q The Archangel Gabriel said unto him, 'I say unto thee that neither of the evils which thou art thinking of shall come upon thee. Since thou hast come to this country, O Claudius, needs must that Theodore the Anatolian shall come to thee, and thou shalt see him face to face, and the name of each one of you shall become famous, because a great commotion shall take place in all this country in connection with your names. The peace of my Lord Christ shall be with thee, and thou shalt have salvation in His holy Name.' And as the Archangel Gabriel was saying these words he disappeared from the saint.

35 And when the queen saw this vision of light which had risen upon Claudius, [who was] in the midst of fire, she was very greatly disturbed in her mind, and she came down to the king. And she said unto him straightway, 'O my lord the king, make haste and send away this son of a king to his father, for we are bound so to do. I have seen the fire which he hath been producing all the evening, in the chamber wherein he is, and it is certain that the God of his fathers will destroy our city for his sake.' And when the king heard these words he was willing to send away Claudius to his country, but the nobles of the palace would not permit him to do this. And the queen said unto him, 'If thou loves thy son, treat thou this son of a king with honour and consideration, for perhaps God will incline the heart of his father to treat our own son well. And if my counsel be pleasing unto thee, and my words also enter into thine ears give him parchment and ink, and let him write to his father with his own hand, saying, I am alive, and no evil thing whatsoever hath been done unto me. Peradventure [his father] will send our beloved son back to us, and we will

36 dispatch his son to him with great honour. And if it his wish, I will give unto him Gesen my daughter to wife.' And the king was persuaded by the words of Aliphorus to queen, and straightway he made them set Claudius before him. And the king said unto him, 'Tell me: Which of the gods of thy father was it who came to thee this evening, when the light of [his] fire was so great that it flamed throughout the palace? Was he not the Anatolian god whose name hath become famous everywhere? Behold, for three nights I have been seeing a vision, and [have heard voices] calling to me and saying, Behold, Theodore the Anatolian shall come unto you to blot you out. It must be he, and peradventure it was he who came unto thee this evening wishing to consume us.' And the holy man Apa Claudius said unto King Agaborne, for this was his name, 'Nay, my lord the king, [he was not my God,] but only an angel of my Lord Jesus Christ, who came unto me this evening. It was he who saved me from death in the midst of thy host, and it is he also who hath put mercy in thy Feol. heart towards me, and caused thee to treat me in such generous wise. As concerning Theodore the Anatolian, of whose name thou hast heard, he is my brother.' And the king said unto Saint Apa Claudius, 'I wish thee to write letter to thy father with thine own hand, [and ask him] to send my son to me with Theodore the Anatolian, whom should like to see; then I will release thee, and thou shalt depart to thy father with honour.'

37 And Saint Apa Claudius wrote to his father the folwing words: 'In the Name of the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Ghost, the Trinity, holy, consubstantial, immutable, unchangeable, and unknowable, the Power Who supporteth the heavens and the earth and the elements, Who cannot be dissolved, Who, by His operation which is without fatigue, [maketh] the Sun to know [his course], Who maketh the Moon to change from his crescent shape to his complete circle, Who painteth the heavens with forms made of light-giving stars, and Who guardeth the kingdom of Ptolemy my father: Take joy to thyself, for I am alive. I am Claudius thy son, whom the Persians captured in the war; but God hath spared me, and hath given unto me favour before the king and the queen. But first of all, O my father, shew kindness and consideration to the son of the king who is in thy power. I write unto thee, O my beloved mother, and unto thee, O my sister Thebasia, and unto thee, my beloved brother Theodore the Anatolian, to enquire concerning (i.e. salute) you all in the Lord. And

38 next I enquire concerning the nobles in the palace, and my father Apa Gaius the Archbishop. Behold, I declare unto you that I am living in the apartments of the queen in great honour. Moreover, send the son of the king hither in charge of my friend Theodore the Anatolian. Then will the king release me, even as he hath promised. I am Claudius thy son, and I write unto thee, O Ptolemy my father, with mine own hand.' And he wrote in the letter other matters of a privy nature concerning himself, and his father, and his mother, A and he gave the letter to the king. And now, O my beloved, I must make known unto you what things were happening among the Romans after they had stopped fighting and had returned to their city. It came to pass that when they searched among their host, they could not find Claudius in his chariot. And what happened in the palace at the time when it was reported there that Claudius had been captured? As soon as his

39 mother heard [this] she rent her garments, and put ashes on her head, and plucked out her hair; and Thebasia, the sister of Claudius, did likewise, and Ptolemy his father [mourned] most of all; and the nobles of the palace [mourned] with him. And his slaves rent their garments, and all the widows and orphans wept for him, because of the alms which he had been in the habit of giving to them and to the poor and needy. And his mother made lamentation for him, saying, 'Woe is me, O my beloved son Claudius! What can I, even I, do in the war, my son? Neither can a royal chariot [do aught], now that thou hast been taken from me. Who is the man, and where can I find him, by whom I can send to thee my questions concerning thee? Thy sister Thebasia mourneth, and she weepeth bitterly because of thy sorrow of heart, O my beloved son! What shall I do with thy royal crown, since thy sweet face hath been snatched away from me? What shall I do with thine armlet (or, bracelet) of gold, O my son, now that thou hast been carried off into a foreign country? O would that I could make acquaintance with the barbarian who hath carried thee off, for I would give unto him thy price four times over, and then he would send thee to me. What barbarian is there wicked enough to do harm to Claudius, my son, if he hath once seen him?

40 I adjure ou, O ye generals of the king, and ye nobles of the palace, of my beloved son Claudius hath been slain, shew me the truth, and I will give everything which I possess if only may bring his body into my house. And I will make ready for burial in a manner that befitteth it, and I will try it in the tomb of the king, and I will weep over it. Deradventure I shall be comforted somewhat thereby, though think it to be impossible. There is no consolation for the Queen when her lord is removed. There is no consolation in the palace wherein there is weeping. There is no consolation for the mother bird when they have stolen her young birds from her. There is no consolation for the orphan when they have carried away his parents. There is no rejoicing for the window when her helper hath been removed, and it is impossible for me to find either consolation or rejoicing now that my beloved son Claudius hath been carried off from me. Thou blest no brother, O my son, from whom I might derive my consolation. Verily I have looked upon thee daily as an angel of God. I shall never be comforted again, because thy sweet face hath been snatched away from me.' In brief, there was very great lamentation spread abroad throughout the whole city of Antioch.

41 Some said, 'How goodly was his form!' And others said, 'How suitable he was to hold royal rank!' And others said, 'What a soldierly [prince] he was!' And the king was wholly crushed by grief for [the loss of] his son Claudius. 42 Then after these things Soterichus, the father of Apa Theodore, went to [Ptolemy] and said unto him, 'O king, live for ever! Though thy son Claudius hath been taken captive, behold, the son of the King of Persia hath been brought unto thee, and he is alive. Come, examine him, and make him write to his father. If thy son Claudius is alive, the King of Persia will then release him, and thou wilt set at liberty his son.' And the king said unto Soterichus, 'Send a message to the archbishop, and let him bring the son of the King of the Persians to thee, and let him write to his father about my beloved son Claudius.' After these things each side waited for a month. When the letter of Claudius arrived in Antioch, O what great rejoicing there was in it on that day! And when the letter had been read, and the name of Saint Theodore the Anatolian was found [mentioned] therein, the king asked about him, and wished to see him; and straightway the king sent for him and his company of soldiers. Now Theodore was stationed in a watch-tower on the frontier to keep the Barbarians in check, and he did not know what had happened to Claudius.

43 And when after these things Saint Theodore came to the palace, he found the servants of Claudius, with their garments that were upon them rent. And he asked them, saying, 44 'What hath happened that ye grieve so deeply and so sorrowfully?' And they informed him of what had happened to Claudius, and he wept greatly for him. And he went into the presence of the king, and he began to praise Claudius his son to him, and he spake, saying unto him, 'Be not sad of heart, O king, for I will go and will bring back thy son Claudius to thee in this place. Even if I have to die with him, I will never relax my efforts until I bring him back to thee.' And the king made every preparation possible for their expedition, so as to make them set out [quickly] on the road; but the queen could not be persuaded to send Theodore for her son lest the King [of Persia] should seize and keep him, because she loved him exceedingly. And she said, 'I am afraid lest the [Persian] king make himself master of them both, and I have to suffer grief because of them.' Then the king sent to the archbishop, and said unto him, 'My holy father, guard carefully the son of the king who is thy guest, until I require him at thy hands, because I would make peace with his father;

45 he shall send my son back to me, and I will send his son back to him.' And the archbishop said unto him, 'My lord the king, he is in the bishop's house with me, and I eat at the same table with him, but in his side there are the remains of a wound caused by an arrow during the war, and he is ill through it.' And the king said unto the archbishop, 'Take the state physician to him, and he shall cal him, and meanwhile I will write to his father. And to thou make thyself ready, O my father, [for] thou shalt to the King of the Persians, and thou shalt bring back to me my son Claudius on account of whom I am grieving.' And the archbishop said unto him, 'According to thy command thy servant shall depart in haste.' And the king sent soldiers, and noblemen of his kingdom, and an exceedingly great number of rich presents, and Saint Theodore, but the son of the King of the Persians was kept under restraint. I Theodore, the least of all men, was then a presbyter, and was under the direction of my father, Apa Gaius the archbishop, and I was his deputy.

46 Then after these things they (i.e. the archbishop and Theodie) took the road to the country of the Persians, and they sent croys before them to announce to the King of the Persians that they were coming on a mission of peace. And the king sent out heralds to proclaim to all the inhabitants of the city, saying, 'Come ye to me, for my son hath arrived, and Theodore the Anatolian with him, and let us find out what kind of a man he is.' And they decorated the palace with lamps and garlands in their honour, and all the multitudes thronged out to meet them, for the name of the Anatolian had spread abroad everywhere. And when the Romans had come into the city, all the people were greatly excited, and even the women went up on the roofs [to look at them]. And the archbishop disclosed his business unto the king. And the king said unto him, 'Art thou the god of the Romans that thou wearest the kind of garb which is upon thee?' And the archbishop said unto him, 'Nay, I am not God—let it not be [that any one should suppose that I am!]—but I am His high priest, and I pray for the sins of the people. The King of the Romans hath sent me

47 unto thee that I may give unto thee these gifts and good news of thy son who is alive.' And the king said unto him, 'Why didst thou not bring him here?' The archbishop said unto him, 'He is in Antioch; but I swear, O king, by thy salvation, that thy son is alive, and that it is I who will bring him to thee if thou wilt release Claudius and give him to me.' The king said unto him, 'Where is Theodore the Anatolian? I would see him.' And the archbishop said unto him, 'He is outside in the palace, with the king's scribes, and the nobles of the palace'; and straightway the king commanded that Theodore should be brought to him. And the king said unto him, 'Art thou Theodore the Anatolian? Tell me now why the strength (i. e. renown) of thy name hath spread abroad to such an extraordinary degree.' And the holy man said unto him, 'Strength, and might, and battle belong to the Lord. As for the name by which men call me, it was the Archangel Michael who gave it unto me.' And the king said unto him, 'I will not let thee depart. Wilt thou not perform acts of valour in this city, that I may see thee?' And the holy man said unto the king, 'I have already told thee that strength

48 and might belong unto the Lord. But I tell thee that if I had been present at the fight thy soldiers would not have been able to carry away Claudius out of our hands. However, permit me to see Claudius, and let me hold converse with him before I do the mighty thing which thou shalt see.' And the king made them to bring forth Saint Claudius from the apartments of the king, and he set him before Saint Theodore. And when Theodore saw him, he and Claudius began to shed tears together, and they kissed each other's neck, and the king permitted them to see each other and to hold converse together for a week of days. And when the queen saw their faces she lusted for the young men, and she sent for a painter of portraits, who kept his gaze upon the two young men for a long time, and then drew likenesses of them upon the wall of her bedchamber. Then after these things Apa Claudius inquired concerning the welfare of his kinsfolk and household, and [Saint Theodore] said unto him, 'Hath the king done thee my harm?' And Claudius said unto him, 'Nay, my beloved brother, he hath not, but he is seeking to yoke me in filthy

49 carriage with his daughter.' And Saint Theodore said unto him, 'Fear thou not, O my beloved brother Claudius, behold, Michael and Gabriel also are a defence for both of us, for declare unto thee that no evil thing shall happen unto us.' And it came to pass after a month of days that the archbishop went to the king, saying, 'O our lord the king, we live tarried in this country sufficiently long for our business; I miss us now, and let us depart to our country, and we will send thy son to thee.' And the king said unto him, 'I will not let Theodore go until thou hast sent hither to me my safe and sound'; and thereupon the archbishop made known unto Saint Theodore the words of the king. And it came to pass on the morrow that the queen went to the king, and she asked him, saying, 'Wilt thou give our daughter to Claudius to wife? for she loveth him exceedingly.' And Apa

50 Claudius said unto the queen, 'My parents and the archbishop have already yoked me in marriage before I came to this place. It is impossible for me to put aside that marriage and to break the law of my parents.' And when the queen saw that she was unable to change their purpose, she became exceedingly wroth, saying, 'Unless my son is restored to me first of all I will not permit you to depart.' And it came to pass after these things that, when Theodore and Claudius were in prison, behold, Michael and Gabriel came down from heaven [into the city], and they were in the form of soldiers. And they cried out, saying, 'O ye Persians, what do ye sitting down in this wise? Behold, Theodore the Anatolian and Claudius have come against you to wipe you off the earth. They shall fight with their swords, and their hands shall obtain the mastery.' And the voices of the angels filled the whole city with great terror and quaking, and the angels opened the doors of the prison, and they seized Theodore and Claudius, and they brought them outside. And Michael handed his sword to Saint Theodore, and Gabriel handed his sword of fire to Claudius, in order that they might fight against the Persians with them. And Saint Theodore

51 cried out to the Persians, saying, 'I am Theodore the Anatolian, and have come to wipe you off the earth'; and the angels cried out with their voices from one end of the city to the other. Then the mighty men were terrified, and the strong men cast away their swords and fled, and the free and high-born folk were terrified, and those who were sucking at the breast were afraid and fled. And straightway they (i. e. Theodore and Claudius) fought against the Persians in the middle of the market-place of the city, and they slew twenty thousand of them. And the Persians cried out, 'Be content 52 O Theodore the Anatolian, for thou hast captured the whole country.' And they went back into the city, and they seized the king on his throne, and they brought him outside the city, together with the archbishop. And the king marvelled at what had taken place, for all his host had gathered together to him, and no man was able to withstand (or, contradict) him (i. e. Theodore), and his mighty men were not able to fight against him because of his valour. And the king said unto the archbishop, 'Did I not say unto thee, Thou art the god of the Romans? Thou hast given such great power unto these two young men that they have laid waste all this city, being afraid of no one, and they have put to confusion all these multitudes, and they have turned the city into a wilderness, and although there are six hundred thousand men in it, they are powerless to fight against Theodore, nay, they have betaken themselves to flight quickly.' And the archbishop said unto him, 'I told thee on a former occasion that I was not God— let it not be [that any one should think that I am!]—but that I was His high priest.' And Saint Theodore said unto the king, Didst thou not say unto me, I wish to see some mighty deed of valour performed by thee before I let you go? Now, behold, thou hast seen a little of my might, which my King hath given unto me.

53 May His power never cease to be in the Romans.' And the king said unto the holy man Theodore, Yesterday I was king, but to-day I am thy slave. Come thou and sit upon my throne, and I will wait upon thee as a slave.' And the holy man said unto him, 'The thrones which ly Lord hath promised unto me and unto my brother Claudius be in the kingdom that shall endure, and they shall be for er in the heavens; they do not belong to the earth, but to the heavens, and we both shall attain them in the same city. But fear thou not, O king, these same holy ones who permitted the archbishop to be brought into this country shall in like manner take thee to thy palace.' And they took him away on the throne, and he fell into a state of great fear. 54 Then the [arch]angels went to the temple wherein were te priests, and they cried out, saying, 'Theodore the Anatolian hath come against you to wipe you off the earth'; and the temple fell down upon their heads, and a fire broke out within it. And, moreover, another great miracle took place in the country of the Persians, which my father Apa Gaius related unto me. The [arch]angels made the tablets in the queen's bedroom, where she had had the portraits of these holy men painted, to go forth therefrom throughout all the city in the form of soldiers of war, and the [arch]angels cried out before them, saying, 'Behold, Theodore the Anatolian cometh against you to wipe you off the earth.' And to this very day the portraits of Theodore and Claudius march out to attack [the foe in] all the land of the Persians. And whensoever there is a war between the Persians and the Romans, and they begin to fight each other, straightway Saint Theodore sendeth forth his voice into the [territory of the Persians, saying, 'Theodore the Anatolian and Claudius are coming against you to wipe you off the earth.' And immediately the horses, whereon are mounted the portraits of these saints which were painted in the queen's bedchamber, neigh, and they gallop forthwith through the country of all the Persians, under the influence of the names of Saint Theodore the Anatolian and Saint Claudius, before the [troops] have begun to fight at all.

55 And it came to pass after these things they returned to their country of [Antioch, and the archbishop and those who had gone there with them did not carry away with them any gifts (or, spoil) whatsoever from the Persians. And when the Romans had entered into the royal city, certain envoys came and informed the king, saying, 'Theodore hath come, and thy son Claudius [with him].' Thereupon great rejoicings were made, and all the people, from the least even unto the greatest, were gathered together and waited in order to see these holy men; and they decorated the whole city. And the mother of Apa Claudins [and his sister mounted the royal chariots, and came out to meet them on the road, even as in days of old Joseph went forth to meet his father Jacob. Who can describe the joy and gladness which [they felt] at that time? And the archbishop told the king and the members of the court concerning the greatness of God, and the mighty deeds of these holy men.

56 Now I, Theodore, the least of all men, acted as servant to the son of the King of the Persians in the episcopal house of my father Apa Gaius. And when the prince died, I went to my father and I informed him, saying, 'The son of the King of the Persians is dead.' And straightway the king sent and carried away his body to the palace, into the assembly of the nobles, and they examined it, and found in it no mark of any violence whatsoever, with the exception of the scar of the wound caused by an arrow, which he had received in the war. And the king and the archbishop grieved for him exceedingly. And the king commanded the archbishop to prepare the body for burial with great honour, [and he swathed it] in rich clothes, and [anointed it] with sweet unguents, and laid it in a chest; and it was committed to the care of the archbishop until the letters that had been dispatched had reached the prince's father. And before much time had passed the father of Apa Claudius (i.e. 'tolemy) died, and [the people of the palace] asked for Claudius in order that they might make him king; but is mother carried him away and hid him. And there was certain noble in the palace whose name was Umerianus, and they took him, and made him king, and they did not by any further heed to the matter.

57 And it came to pass after these things that a report reached the King of the Persians that [Kratōr] the son of the King of the Persians, who had been committed to the care of the archbishop, was dead, and war was declared against Umerianus, as at the beginning; and the Persians forgot the overthrow that had happened to them through the favour of Theodore the Anatolian. And when Umerianus had been informed of the report about the war he was greatly disturbed, and he said, 'Woe is me! I gave all the wealth which I had gotten by trafficking, and all that which had been laid up by my fathers, in order to obtain it (i. e. this throne), and behold, the Barbarians have risen up against me, and they wish to kill me.' And fear and trembling laid hold upon him, and he wept abundantly. And he summoned the nobles of the palace, Soterichus the father of Apa Theodore, and Romanus the father of Apa Victor, and Basilides the father of Apa Stephanus, and he said unto them, 'Let Claudius come and sit upon the throne in the place of his father, for I am not strong enough to fight against the Barbarians.' Saint Claudius said unto him, 'I will never

58 sit upon the royal throne. Let the heart of the king be strong, and let him sit upon the throne, and we will be thy servants all the days of thy life, and thou must live in the faith of our fathers.' And the nobles of the palace swore unto the king, and Claudius and Theodore with them, 'There shall no evil befall thy kingdom.' And the king said unto them, 'Having seized the kingdom from his father (i. e. Ptolemy), I am afraid that he (i. e. Claudius) will commit some deed of treachery against me in the war, and will kill me. But, even if he hath some quarrel against me in his heart, let them take an oath to me by the Gospel, and I will believe them.' And in this way was the heart of the king assured, and he dismissed them. And the Devil appeared unto Umerianus, saying, 'O King Umerianus, what dost thou sitting down? Dost thou believe the oath of Theodore and Claudius? In war no promise and no word [are sacred], and in war there is neither brother nor

59 friend. If thou wishest to rule as king rise up, and to-morrow send them to Egypt to join the recruits; for these are the men who will fight against thee. I tell thee, O king, that I know a certain young man in the country of the south who is called Akrippita, and he is a goat-herd on an estate which is situated in my own district of Psoi (i. e. Syis, or, Ptolemaïs); send a messenger and bring him to this city, for he is the man who shall fight [successfully] against the Persians.' Now he spake these words concerning Diocletian, who was in the nome of Psoi, herding the goats of my father, namely Apa Psote. And Apa Psote himself tended the sheep of his father, and they were neighbours (or, friends) each of the other. And Apa Psote used to do deeds of charity, and he sang, and he danced. The Psalter was in the hand of Apa Psote, who recited from memory the Psalms both by day and by night; and the musical instrument (or, organ) was in the hand of Akrippita, and when he sang his goats used to butt at and scatter the sheep of Apa Psote. And he (i. e. Apa Psote) sought them out, saying, 'O flock of the nome of Psoi, he who hath reared you shall cease to say beasts, and shall slay men.'

60 And it came to pass that an imperial officer was dispatched to the south] by the command of Umerianus the king, and then he had arrived at the nome of Psoi, he found Akrippita and Apa Psote pasturing their sheep in the fields. And Apa Psote said unto Akrippita, 'Behold, thy father hath summoned thee to make thee king.' Thereupon Akrippita helped upon the horse of the imperial officer, and he galloped about hither and thither, and he took his sword, and drew it out of its sheath, and rushed into the midst to the sheep of Apa Psote, and slew a great number of them. One of them he stabbed through the neck, and of others he hiked off their fore legs and hind legs. And when Apa Psote saw his savage fury, he said unto him, 'Hold, enough, for thou art shedding innocent blood. The heart of thy father should be well pleased that he hath begotten thee. Burn thy sword to its sheath, for thy time to shed blood has not yet come for thee. Where was Death that he came to my father before coming to thee? Where were the nurses we kill the newly born infants that they did not kill thee when thou wast drinking thy mother's milk?' And when

61 Apa Psote had said these things the son of perdition drew his sword, and leaping upon his horse rode him at Apa Psote, wishing to kill him. And Apa Psote said unto him, 'Be content, and kill me not before my time hath come'; and Anastasius the imperial officer marvelled at his bold and warlike disposition, saying, 'Verily, he is well suited for fighting.' And Apa Psote said unto him, 'He is well fitted for the war of perdition.' And after these things the impious Akrippita was taken to the imperial city of Antioch; now at that time he was in the twentieth year of his age, and the king issued an order announcing his appointment in the army. And the eldest daughter of Umerianus lusted for him, and he relinquished the duties of war, and performed the duties of a stableman and fed the beasts, and she occupied herself daily with him in works of self-indulgence and luxury.

62 And it came to pass after these things that Umerianus died in battle, and his daughter seized the kingdom [and held it] for three years, and Akrippita was kept hidden in her power. And afterwards she gave a centenarius of gold to the magnates of the palace, before they had inscribed her name with his, and they bestowed great honours upon Akrippita. Then she seated him upon the throne of Umerianus her father, because he had abated her virginity. And after these things Theodore the Anatolian came into the war chamber, and they told him that Diocletian had become king. And he said, 'Who is Diocletian? And what manner of man is he?' And he went into the presence of Diocletian with Claudius, and they said unto him, 'Who hath made thee king of this city?' And Diocletian said [unto them], 'It belongeth to you, and to your father, I am not a king, and it is not my desire to possess the kingdom.' And straightway Saint Theodore laid hold of his hand, and lifted him off the throne, because he had not as yet won a splendid victory, but was afraid. And Saint Theodore said unto him, 'Get up. Thou wast a swine-herd in thy native country. Why should an Egyptian sit upon the imperial throne whilst there are Romans alive to sit upon it?' And they seated Claudius upon the throne.

63 Then a great cry broke out in the palace, and the people said, 'Theodore the Anatolian hath performed mighty deeds of valour this day in the palace, and there is no man in all Antioch who can gainsay him.' And the holy man Apa Claudius was not willing to sit upon the throne of kings, for he had no desire for the kingship (or, the kingdom); on the contrary, he rose up [and departed] speedily, whilst the whole multi- tude was crying out, 'Worthy, worthy, worthy. Claudius hath been made king.' And the impious Diocletian was afraid, and he had gone and hidden himself for seven days with the queen, and he could not be found, and the throne was vacant. And that royal whore looked out of a window in her bedroom, and she said, 'Who is the Anatolian that he should set the king upon his throne? Who is [this] soldier of my father that he should gainsay my father's daughter?

64 Who is this marcher on his feet that he should gainsay the daughter of a king? The Anatolian belongeth to the army, and the kingdom belongeth to Diocletian. But I am a second Herodias, and I have not yet performed my judgement upon him.' When Saint Theodore heard these things, he drew his sword, and he rushed from the royal throne to the door of the palace, and he slew eleven hundred officers and men of high rank, and thirteen hundred soldiers and men-at-arms. And the herald made a proclamation, saying, 'Many ask of me a king; the kingdom belongeth by right to Claudius, but Theodore hath fought and hath gained the victory.' And when the queen heard these things she was greatly afraid, and she took her father's crown, and his sceptre, and his royal apparel, and she hid them deep down in a chamber below the foundations of the palace. And she cried out, saying, 'O Theodore the Anatolian, take these things and

65 do thou become king, for thou hast captured the whole country. From this day onwards I will be thy servant I adjure thee by the salvation of Claudius, thy friend, and by the life of Justus, my brother, not to destroy the kingdom because of me.' And after these things [Theodore] set fire to the gates of the palace in order that he might burn up every one in it, and this he did because Diocletian had been made king; and there was no man who was able to gainsay him. And Soterichus his father, and Basilides, and Romanus cast themselves down before him, saying, 'O our Lord Theodore the kingdom hath belonged unto thee every day, and especially is it thine this day wherein thy strength hath manifested itself. We all are thy slaves. Set thou a curb on thy power, and do not burn down the place or fight [against us], for [the evil] which hath been already done sufficiently And straightway he burst into tears, saying, O how awful is the act of violence which hath been perpetrated this day in this city! That a woman should make a goat-herd kind over us whilst these hosts of fighting men are in Antioch. If there be any justice at all in the world Claudius and Justus merit the sovereignty.'

66 And there was great wonderment in the city of Antioch concerning the large number of people who had been slain in the palace, and for whom their parents wept. Some said 'The Anatolian hath slain the King and the Queen'; and others said, 'Righteous judgement hath been performed this day'; and others said, 'The kingdom belongeth to his parents and brethren.' And it came to pass that a great riot broke out that day. And when the district had quieted down 67 little the queen came forth, and she went very early in the morning to the house of Apa Claudius, to visit his mother, and his sister, and the sister of Apa Theodore; and she went before them, for they were her cousins. And the sister of Apa Claudius and the sister of Apa Theodore came to the palace to their brothers, and they made supplication unto them until they relented somewhat, and then they extinguished the fire which was burning down the gates of the palace. And straightway Michael came down from heaven, and he laid his right hand upon the breasts of these holy men, and he said unto Saint Theodore, 'Put thy sword into its sheath, for great is the slaughter that hath taken place. Knowest thou not, O Saint Theodore, that when thou fightest no man is able to stand before thy anger? For strength and valour were given unto thee by the Lord.' And Saint Theodore said unto Michael, 'O my Lord, is it not a marvellous thing for an Egyptian goat-herd to be made king over us by the whim of a woman whilst a royal prince is in the palace?' And Michael said unto him, 'The mighty man who is long-suffering is the mighty man whom the Lord loveth.' And straightway Saint Theodore cast himself down and worshipped God, saying, 'Forgive me, O my Lord Michael.' And Michael said unto him, 'It is not a wonderful thing that Diocletian hath become king, seeing that a time hath been granted unto him by God.

68 But what is a wonderful thing is that Pilate and Herod remained seated whilst the Son of God stood before them. And this also is like unto it—Diocletian shall become king over the Romans.' And Saint Theodore said unto Michael, 'If it be the command of God that Diocletian is made king, what right have I to resist this commandment?' And Michael declared unto him other mysteries that concerned Diocletian, and he then disappeared from him in peace. Amen. 69 And as soon as it was daylight on the morrow Saint Theodore came to the palace, and he cried out, saying, 'Whosoever visheth to become king, behold, the throne is vacant.' And the fear of the Anatolian filled all Antioch, and there was no man who was able to sit upon the throne for a month of days, that is to say, until he gave the people the promise that he would not attack them a second time. And the impious queen gave very large sums of money to the soldiers, and at length they found Diocletian, who had passed another fort days serving as a groom in a stable, fear, up to that time having prevented him from becoming king. And then, when Diocletian had become king, he gained a little courage. And Saint Theodore went to visit him, and Diocletian rose up before him, and said unto him, 'Hail, Theodore! Come, and I seat thyself upon the throne, and do thou become king.' And the holy man said unto him, 'Keep the faith, and do what is just, and so shall thy kingdom be strong.' And the impious Diocletian gained power and authority by degrees, and he attended services in the church, and he received the Sacrament. And my father Apa Gaius used to go to see him daily, and to converse with him, and he encouraged him to do the things that were good. And Diocletian placed the whole of the country of Egypt under the authority of the archbishop, and made him rule over it.

70 And he remembered Apa Psote as the region of the south (Marès), who was his friend and companion before he became king, and he had him made a bishop. And the king lived in the faith, and he performed good works of all kinds up to the time when the Wicked Enemy, I mean to say the Devil, sowed his tares in him. And he passed a decree and sent an order to the people of Jerusalem to discover the Cross of our Lord Jesus the Chrystals, according to the advice of my father Apa Gaius. But the Wicked Enemy would not permit this to be brought about, for he knew that if the Cross were to be made manifest it would tear up all his paths. 71 Then the impious king felt fear because of Theodore and Anatolian, and the queen spake unto him, saying, 'Be patient for a little time, until war shall break out, and I will give a large sum of money to the young soldiers so that they may put him to death.' And the king said unto her, 'I am afraid to send him out to the war, lest the men-at-arms or, the army) rise up against me, and put me to death.' And Diocletian sent a message to Theodore very often, saying, Dost thou wish me to sit on the throne, or dost thou wish me to depart to my own country?' And Theodore would say unto Diocletian, 'Sit thou upon the throne, for the kingdom belongeth to thee. Be not afraid, O king, for I will never do anything that is evil unto thee'; and the archbishop used to go [to visit] Diocletian and those who restrained him from evil.

72 And in those days a great war broke out between the Romans and the Persians, and a report reached the king, saying, 'The Persians have arrived at a watch-tower on the frontier, and have laid waste the whole country.' And the king was greatly disturbed, and he said, 'What business is this of mine, and what have I to do with the kingdom? The kingdom belongeth to Theodore and Claudius.' And these holy men said unto the king, 'The kingdom belongeth unto thee, because it was given unto thee by heaven.' And when the king went into the presence of the queen, and she saw that he was disheartened, and was troubled in his mind, she said unto him, 'Why art thou cast down and in such a terrible state of distress? I wish that thou wouldst promise Theodore and Claudius great honours, and that thou wouldst send them to the war, during which they would be killed, and then thou wouldst cease to be troubled by them.' And when the king heard these words he sent for the archbishop, and gave him a very large sum of money in order that he might offer up a sacrifice unto God, and that by these means he might obtain success in the war.

73 And Diocletian sent a message to these holy men, saying, 'What is the meaning of this war that hath come upon us?' And they said unto him, 'The war is of God: it is He Who hath lifted Himself up against thee.' And the king said unto them, 'Let the baggage-waggons and the chariots be made ready, and get ye up on them together with those who belong to them, and take your regiments of soldiers, and depart to the war. And ye shall continue to inspire them with courage, being behind them, until ye conquer in the fight.' And these holy men said unto the king, 'We will get upon neither chariot nor baggage-waggon; nevertheless we will go to the war.' And the king said unto them, 'Go into the store where the equipments for war are kept, and take therefrom whatsoever things will suffice for you and your soldiers during the war, and until ye return in triumph.' And after these things they departed to the war, and fought against the Persians and they were victorious, and they captured the son of the King of the Persians, and they set him before the king (i.e. Diocletian). And Theodore said unto him, 'Behold the son of the King of the Persians, whom I have been able to bring

74 before thee through the might of my King, the Christ, but we cannot allow him to pass under the care of any other man except the archbishop.' And the king said unto them, 'Whatsoever ye wish to do in my kingdom that do, and no man shall hinder your commands from being accomplished. And the king said unto the archbishop, Take the son of the King of the Persians, and keep him under thy charge'; and thus saying he gave the prince to him, and all the nobles were gathered together there and were witnesses of this act. And after these things, when the son of the King of the Persians had been under the care of the archbishop for a considerable time, his father heard that he was under the care of the archbishop. And the King of Persia sent many valuable gifts to him, and the archbishop set free his son, and no man knew anything about the matter. And the archbishop took the money of the bribes, and spent it among the poor in the city, and on the widows and the orphans, and on the sacrifice and offerings of all kinds for the churches. And the Devil appeared to the impious Diocletian and said unto him, 'The art sitting down; what art thou doing? The archbishop

75 hath set free the son of the King of the Persians without thy order! He hath received the price of the young man and he hath given it unto the poor of the city, and he hath not considered thee at all in the matter. Behold, for years past the archbishop hath spent the money which he hath received in giving alms.' And the king called the nobles of the palace, and he informed them of the secret act of the archbishop concerning which the Devil had told him. And straightway Diocletian sent unto the archbishop, saying, 'My father, what is [this] rumour about the son of the King of the Persians who hath been living under thy charge?' And the Archbishop said unto him, 'As the Lord Jesus Christ liveth, and I swear by thy salvation, O King, that two months ago when he was committed to my charge there was a wound in his side which he received in battle, and that he died during thy absence at the war, O my Lord King. And I prepared him for burial in an honourable manner, and I laid him in the bishop's house.' And the king made them bring him (i. e. the body) into his presence, and the Persian prince was arrayed in purple. And the king said unto the archbishop, 'Thou shalt swear to me that this is indeed the son of the King of the Persians.' And straightway the archbishop took an oath to the king, saying, 'This is indeed he'; and no man knew wherefore he had taken the oath.

76 And the archbishop came out from the presence of the king. And the Devil in his mad rage was not satisfied about the archbishop until the third war which took place. And they (i. e. the Romans) captured Nikometes, the son of the King of the Persians, and they brought him before the company of soldiers. And when Saint Theodore and Saint Claudius saw him they recognized him, and knew that he was the son of the King of the Persians, and that the archbishop had released him. And straightway they wept, because of what had taken place, and they sent him away in order that they might not new him that their wish was to set him free for the sake of the archbishop. And news of the affair spread abroad through the camp that Nikometes, the son of the King of the Persians, had been captured, and the rumour of the capture entered the

77 & 1 oh & 2 & 1 ou ears of the king. And the king sent unto Saint Theodore and said unto him, 'My lord general, they have informed me that thou hast conquered in the war, and that thou hast captured the son of the King of the Persians; if this be so, take his gold chain and collar for thyself. Tell me, however, so that I myself may know whether this thing be true or not for the archbishop swore to me that he was dead.' And the holy man Theodore said unto the king, 'It is his brother whom we have captured.' And straightway the holy man (i.e. Theodore) stripped Nikometes of his royal apparel in order that he should not be recognized, and he gave him other rearmament instead, and entreated him, saying, 'Tell not the king that thou art Nikometes, the son of the King of the Persians

78 And the king called the holy man Theodore, and said unto him, 'Describe unto me the son of the king whom thou hast captured in battle.' And the holy man said unto him, 'Nikometes is dead, and this prince whom we have captured is his brother; let us ask him concerning his brother. The archbishop wrote to his father saying that he was dead. When the son of the king heard these words he did according to what the holy man [Theodore] had commanded him. And when the king had come into the city of Antioch with his hosts, and with the son of the King of the Persian Saint Theodore and Saint Claudius received the prince at trust from the king's hand, for Diocletian was unable to prevent them since they were imperial noblemen, and they took him to the archbishop, and they wished to set him free. And the Persian noblemen Panikéros and Leontius came to Antioch, to the feet of Theodore and Claudius, and they brought very many gifts from the father of Nikometes, in order that they might let him go. And the Devil appealed

79 unto Diocletian the king, and said unto him, 'My son Diocletian, have I begotten thee in vain? Have I given unto thee all these gifts, and this royal sceptre in vain? O thou ungrateful one, I have given unto thee the wife of a king, I have arrayed thee in the purple, I have put a royal sword in thy hand instead of the cudgel of the goat-herd. O thou ungrateful one, I have seated thee in authority over thousands of thousands of people, and I have made the daughter of a king to put the signet ring of her father upon thy finger. All these things have I done for thee, and thou dost not understand my glory!' And Diocletian answered, saying, 'Who art thou that darest to say such things as these unto me? Thou art either the Anatolian, the object of boasting of the kingdom, or thou art Claudius, one of the kings who reign jointly.' And the Devil said unto him, 'By Jupiter, this day shall these two names be blotted out in the whole world, and among men they shall nevermore be heard. What hast thou to do with these men, who provoke me to anger, that thou utterest their names to me?' And the king said unto him, 'The Anatolian and Claudius are the objects of boasting of [my] kingdom. I take refuge in them, for unto them belongeth the kingdom through their parents.' And the Devil said unto him, 'Until this very day thou art in fear of those tyrants.' And the king said unto the Devil, 'I know

80 that the queen did once gainsay Theodore, and that she raised me up on the royal throne, and [that she was] in no wise afraid of him.' And the Devil said unto him, 'Those days have passed, but the fear of them will remain with thee always. Understand what I will say unto thee. I am thy father, and am possessed of demoniacal power. Why art thou afraid of Theodore and Claudius? The son of the King of the Persians hath been committed to the care of the archbishop [by them], and they wish to let him escape and to say unto thee "He is dead". Have they not already accepted his 81 price (or, ransom)? They know that thou art afraid of them. Will not the archbishop let him escape, and deceive thee once again, saying, "He is dead," and "It is his brother whom we have taken"? I want to make thee give me the promise that thou wilt kill all three of them, the Anatolian, and the archbishop, and Claudius, so that the kingdom may be thine and thine only, and then I will stablish thy kingdom for thee And the king said unto the Devil, 'If I kill these men, wh is there to fight for me, and prevent the Barbarians from wresting the kingdom from me?' And the Devil said unt Oṛ the king, 'Dost thou not yet know that it was I who, unt this present, have fought for thee? It was not the Anatolia who captured the son of the King of the Persians, but I, an the soldiers who are under me, and it was my gods who gav me the strength that enabled me, at length, to capture him And the king said unto the Devil, Which of the gods sha we worship besides Jesus?' And the Devil said, 'Thou mu never again utter the name of that other one [in my presence] and thou must cast forth from thy mind [the memory of

82 God whom the Hebrews put to death. But open thie eyes, and behold my gods, and see how very many they ae in number, and look also at the multitudes of my soldiers!' And straightway the Devil made a large number of demos to take the forms of soldiers, and they were gathered togethr to him, and were ready to join the war. And besides thee seventy demons took the forms of false gods, and mae themselves manifest to Dioeletian. And the Devil said urch him, 'Thou wilt now know that the fear of the Anatolian ad of Claudius need not terrify thee. And the archbishop hath sent away the son of the King of the Persians, and hath Oṛ taken his price, and hath divided it among the three of thm without thy knowledge, and without considering that thu art the king. He swore a false oath to thee at the first tire, and on this occasion also lies have been told to thee. Thu must know that the things which I tell thee are true. I swir by thy salvation, O Dioeletian, that I will make thee to re the Anatolian and Claudius in great disgrace. I will brig upon them a death as evil as that which his (i. e. their) Lad suffered. I caused five nails to be driven through the hails

83 of their Lord on the Cross, and I have prepared one hunch and fifty and three nails to be made ready to be driven into the body of the Anatolian, on the great persea tree which is by the gate of the palace, and his sister shall see his death. And as for Claudius, I will cause a spear to be thrust into his side, even as I caused a spear to be driven through the side of his Lord on the Cross. And as I caused to be slain Peter and Paul His Apostles with the sword, even so will I put to death these others, in order that the kingdom may become thine, O Diocletian.' And when the Devil had said these things to the king he disappeared. 84 And the impious king went to the queen in her house early the following morning, and told her of everything which the Devil had said unto him. And that whore-queen rejoiced exceedingly over [the idea] of the death of these holy men, and she said unto him, 'Thou must know the truth. They brought the son of the King of the Persians hither, and then let him escape; and everything which hath been said to thee concerning them is true.' And after these things they brought the son of the King of the Persians, and set him before the king, and he made this confession to him, saying, 'I am he who was captured both on the first and on the second occasion, and concerning whom the archbishop swore an oath that the son of the King of the Persians, who had been committed to the care of the archbishop, was dead.' And when he had said these words the king rejoiced greatly. And he sent and brought the archbishop, who swore an oath to him similar to that which he had sworn the first time. And straightway the king became furiously angry, and he went into all the churches of the city, and he carried away from them the vessels of gold and silver and [inlaid with] precious stones, and he fell upon all the possessions in the house of the archbishop, and he killed him.

85 Now Saint Theodore was in the war with his soldiers. And his sister wrote to him and told him everything that had happened in the palace, and Saint Theodore grieved because of what (sic) (sic) had taken place in the city. And after these things the whore-queen spake unto the king, saying, 'Thou art sitting down; what art thou doing? Quick, quick, kill Theodore and Claudius at the beginning of the persecution.' And the king said unto the queen, 'By what means can we kill them whilst they have all their soldiers with them? [If we do, I fear] that the soldiers will revolt against me, and take away my kingdom from me.' And she said unto him, 'Fear not, O King. Write a letter unto him and say, "Come hither quickly by thyself, for there is a private matter concerning the King of the Persians, which I would discuss with thee."'

86 When he shall come unto thee take him inside the bedroom, III (sic) and whilst thou art holding converse with him and paying him compliments have the executioners ready, and cast fetters upon him, and kill him secretly.' And the impious king was persuaded by the pestilential words of the queen, and he prepared sixteen guards (?) for him and nails. And he wrote to Saint Theodore flattering words which were full of craftiness, and the holy man Theodore came to the palace. And when the king saw him he smiled a crafty smile upon him, saying, 'Every one will die of joy because the mighty warrior hath come into the palace! Thy arrival is auspicious (or, welcome), O lord Theodore, thou victorious war-captain! Death hath visited the Persians (?) and the son of the King of the Persians. Take these presents from his father into the house of the archbishop, for no other man is worthy of them.' And the holy man laid down his sword, and he went into the presence of the king, and the king rose up and saluted him, and he made a sign to the sixteen guards (?), and they cast fetters upon him. And the holy man said unto

87 him, 'This day the treachery with which Judas treated the III (sic) Christ hath made itself manifest in thee, O king, but thou art more treacherous than Judas.' And the executioners made tighter their fetters upon Theodore as if they intended to kill him thereby. And they dragged him to the persea tree which was in front of the palace gate that they might hang him upon it. And the holy man said unto them, 'My brethren, loosen the bonds on me for a little time, for I would utter a short prayer to my King, the Christ, before ye put me to death'; but they would not let them release him, for they were afraid that he would kill them. And Saint Theo- dore answered and said, 'My brethren, release me, for I will & 2 never do evil unto any man. Have not I done for you many good things? By the might of my King, the Christ, I will not do evil unto you, for I have already bound myself in my own fetters for the sake of the Name of Christ.'

88 And when he saw that they would not be persuaded to release him, he threw out both his arms at the same moment, and broke the bonds wherewith he was fettered, and hurled the sixteen guards (?) back on the ground, and they fell upon their faces. And he knelt down, and worshipped God, and he spread out his hands, and prayed thus: 'I give praise unto Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst fashion me when I was in my mother's womb, Whose angel bestowed upon me [my] name from my childhood, Whose grace sustained me, Who didst give me strength in the war, even as Thou gavest strength to Joshua, the son of Nun, [when] Thine angel fought for him, and as Thou didst to Shimei, who destroyed the foreign tribes. And I myself have destroyed the Persians in Thy holy Name, and mine enemies have been put to shame,

89 and have fallen at my feet. I give thanks unto Thee, O my Lord, that Thou hast removed the fetters wherewith I was bound so that I might pray unto Thee. Give Thou me strength, O my Lord, so that I may be able to bear up under the tortures that are awaiting me, for I am flesh and blood, like every other man. Let Thy mighty angel stand by me in this hour and until I have completed my strife. Deprive Thou me not, O my Lord, of Thy goodness, and count not against me the great quantity of blood which I have shed in the war, for it was Thou Who didst strengthen me by Thy [?] power and Who didst make me slay them (i. e. the enemy). Let not my sword pass into the hand of any other man. Glory be unto Thee for ever and ever! Amen.'

90 And when he had said these words he called to the executioners that were round about him, saying, 'Call to the soldiers, and let them cease to be disturbed. My time hath passed, I have done nothing; my period of life hath come to an end.' And straightway he brought his hands to his side and stretched them down straight by the side of his body. And he said unto the executioners, 'Tie me up in fetters outside, for I have already fettered my spirit.' And straightway he ascended the persea tree of his own accord, and he worshipped God, and he spake unto the executioners, saying, 'Come ye with your nails and your hammer, and finish that which ye have been commanded to do.' And these mereiless men drove ten nails through his right hand, and ten nails through his left, and they drove the remainder into all the other parts of his body, and blood mingled with water ran down the [trunk of the] persea tree to the ground. And Saint

91 Theodore was well satisfied, and he lifted up his eyes to He (sic) heaven to invoke the Lord, and he saw Christ and His angel, and Michael comforted him, and Christ promised to him many mansions in the heavens. And when Christ saw the sufferings of the holy man Theodore He said unto him, 'Dost thou wish Me to give thee rest from thy sufferings? Dost thou wish Me to draw out the nails that are in thy body like water?' And the holy man said unto him, 'I wish Thee to give me rest from my sufferings, for I am suffering sorely.' And straightway he yielded up his spirit into the hands of 92 God on the twelfth day of the month Tōbe, in peace. Amen. And there was a great commotion throughout all the city because of the Anatolian who was hanging on the persea tree, and some said, 'It would have been better for the king and queen to die rather than for these things to happen.' And Saint Apa Claudius made a great weeping for him as he hung upon the persea tree. And after this Saint Victor entreated his father to speak to the king for the body of Apa Theodore, and Romanus immediately asked the king for it, and he gave it unto him. And Apa Victor, and the sister of Apa Theodore, and Apa Claudius came, and they brought the body down from the persea tree, and laid it in the tomb of his fathers, and it worked great cures on those who were sick. And the grace of Jesus was with him, and he received a crown of life in the heavens. And after the end of the saint he ascended on high, and was held to be worthy to be with all the saints. I entreat thee, O Theodore, to pray to the Lord for me, Theodore, the least of all men, that He may forgive me, for I have been so very bold as to speak about thee, because thou art a general at the right hand of the general and war-captain Michael, the intercessor who maketh supplication to Christ for us, that He may forgive us our sins, through the favour and love to man of our Lord Jesus the Christ, to Whom, with the Father, and the vivifying and consubstantial Holy Spirit, be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

93 (sic) S S