of the heavens witnessed from God. 5 Since, therefore, we, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, having received the paradox of the miracle with our own eyes, have rendered and will render to God the King of all and to the only-begotten Son of God the fitting worship with thanksgiving, having made and being about to make earnest prayers also for your God-loving rule in the holy places, it was necessary not to commit these heavenly visions to silence, but I have hastened at once through these letters to announce the good news to your divinely-inspired piety; so that, having built upon the good foundation of your pre-existing faith the knowledge from the things recently shown from God, you may take up more firmly the hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, and being confident and as usual filled with all courage, as having God himself as your ally, you may most readily bring forth the trophy of the cross, the boast of boasts, bearing the sign shown in heaven; of which heaven, having shown its form to men, boasted the more greatly. 6 This working of wonders, however, most God-loving Emperor, in accordance with the testimonies of the prophets and the words of Christ contained in the holy gospels, has both been accomplished now and will again be more greatly accomplished; for in the gospel according to Matthew, the Savior, bestowing knowledge of future things to his blessed apostles and through them speaking to those after them, most clearly proclaimed beforehand, saying: "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven." Taking up this divine book of the gospel in your hands, as is your custom, you will find in writing the prophetic testimonies concerning this; which I especially exhort you, master, to attend to with more frequent study, on account of the rest of the sequence written there, of the things foretold by our Savior, which require much observation with reverence, so that you may not suffer any harm from the opposing power. 7 These first-fruits of our words I offer to you, most God-loving Emperor; these first utterances I pronounce from Jerusalem, to you, the most genuine and all-pious worshipper with us of Christ, the only-begotten Son of God and our Savior, who accomplished the salvation of the world in Jerusalem according to the divine scriptures, who trampled down death here, and by his own precious blood wiped away the sins of men, and who bestowed life and incorruptibility and spiritual heavenly grace to all who believe. May you, who are guarded by His power and grace, distinguished by more brilliant and greater achievements of piety, and delighting in the royal offspring of legitimate sons, may God himself, the King of all, the provider of all goodness, preserve you with all your house for many peaceful cycles of years, as the boast of Christians and for the whole world. 8 May you, being strong and adorned with every virtue and showing the customary philanthropy for the holy churches and for the Roman rule and taking pride in greater rewards of piety, may the God of all grant you to us with all your house for many peaceful cycles of years, most God-loving Emperor Augustus.

οὐρανῶν θεόθεν μαρτυρούμενον. 5 Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἡμεῖς, οἱ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκήτορες, τὸ τοῦ θαύματος παράδοξον αὐταῖς ὄψεσι παραλαβόντες, θεῷ μὲν τῷ παμβασιλεῖ καὶ υἱῷ τῷ μονογενεῖ τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν πρέπουσαν μετ' εὐχαριστίας προσκύνησιν ἀπεδώκαμεν τε καὶ ἀποδώσομεν, εὐχὰς ἐκτενεῖς καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ θεοφιλοῦς σου κράτους ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις τόποις πεποιημένοι τε καὶ ποιησόμενοι, ἔδει δὲ τὰς ἐπουρανίους ταύτας θεοπτίας μὴ παραδοῦναι σιωπῇ, ἀλλ' εὐαγγελίσασθαι σου τὴν ἔνθεον εὐσέβειαν ἐξαυτῆς διὰ τούτων ἐσπούδασα τῶν γραμμάτων· ἵν' ἀγαθῷ θεμελίῳ τῆς παρὰ σοὶ προϋπαρχούσης πίστεως τὴν ἐκ τῶν προσφάτως θεόθεν ἐπιδειχθέντων γνῶσιν ἐποικοδομήσας, βεβαιότερον μὲν τὴν εἰς τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἀναλάβῃς τὴν ἐλπίδα, θαρσῶν δὲ καὶ πασῆς ἀνδρείας συνήθως πεπληρωμένος, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸν θεὸν ἔχων σύμμαχον, τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ τρόπαιον ἑτοιμότατα προφέρῃς, καύχημα καυχημάτων, τὸ δειχθὲν ἐν οὐρανῷ σημεῖον ἐπαγόμενος· οὗ καὶ τὸ σχῆμα δείξας ἀνθρώποις οὐρανὸς μειζόνως ἐκαυχήσατο. 6 Τὸ μέντοι θαυματούργημα τοῦτο, βασιλεῦ θεοφιλέστατε, προφητῶν μαρτυρίαις καὶ Χριστοῦ φωναῖς ἁγίοις εὐαγγελίοις ἐγκειμέναις ἀκολούθως, ἐτελέσθη τε νῦν καὶ πάλιν μειζόνως τελεσθήσεται· ἐν γὰρ τῷ κατὰ Ματθαῖον εὐαγγελίῳ μελλόντων πραγμάτων γνῶσιν ὁ σωτὴρ τοῖς μακαρίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ δωρούμενος καὶ δι' ἐκείνων τοῖς μετ' αὐτοὺς ὁμιλῶν λευκότατα προαναφωνῶν ἔλεγε· "Καὶ τότε φανήσεται τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν οὐρανῷ". Ἥντινα τοῦ εὐαγγελίου θείαν βίβλον συνηθῶς εἰς χεῖρας ἀναλαβών, τὰς περὶ τούτου κειμένας προαγγελτικὰς μαρτυρίας ἐγγράφως εὑρήσεις· ὧν μαλιστά σε, δέσποτα, πυκνοτέρᾳ τῇ μελέτῃ προσέχειν παρακαλῶ, διὰ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν κατὰ τὴν αὐτόθι γεγραμμένων ἀκολουθίαν, τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προαναφωνηθέντων, πολλῆς μετ' εὐλαβείας δεομένων τῆς παρατηρήσεως, πρὸς τὸ μηδεμίαν ἐξ ἀντικειμένης ἐνεργείας ὑπομεῖναι τὴν βλάβην. 7 Ταύτας σοὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων, βασιλεῦ θεοφιλέστατε, προσφέρω τὰς ἀπαρχάς· ταύτας ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων πρώτας ἀποφθέγγομαι τὰς φωνάς, σοὶ τῷ γνησιωτάτῳ καὶ πανευσεβεῖ μεθ' ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ προσ κυνητῇ, τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, τοῦ τὴν οἰκουομικὴν κατὰ τὰς θείας γραφὰς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις τελέσαντος σωτηρίαν, τοῦ πατήσαντος μὲν ἐνταῦθα τὸν θάνατον, οἰκείοις δὲ τιμίοις αἵμασι τὰς ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτίας ἐξαλείψαντος, ζωὴν δὲ καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ πνευματικὴν ἐπουράνιον χάριν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἅπασιν παρασχόντος. Οὗ τῇ τε δυνάμει καὶ τῇ χάριτί σε φρουρούμενον, λαμπροτέροις τε καὶ μείζοσιν εὐσεβείας ἐμπρέποντα κατορθώμασιν, υἱῶν τε γνησίων βασιλικοῖς ἐναβρυνόμενον βλαστήμασιν, αὐτὸς ὁ παμβασιλεὺς θεός, ὁ πάσης ἀγαθωσύνης πάροχος, πολλαῖς ἐτῶν εἰρηνικαῖς περιόδοις, καύχημα χριστιανῶν καὶ κόσμῳ σύμπαντι φυλάξειε πανέστιον. 8 ἐρρωμένον σε καὶ πάσῃ κεκοσμημένον ἀρετῇ καὶ τὴν συνήθη τῶν τε ἁγίων ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ τῆς ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἐνδεικνύμενον καὶ μείζοσιν εὐσεβείας βραβείοις ἐναβρυνόμενον, πολλαῖς εἰρηνικαῖς ἐτῶν περιόδοις ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς ἡμῖν χαρίσηται πανέστιον, Αὔγουστε βασιλεῦ θεοφιλέστατε.