of the governor and testifying to the 3.4 violence. For holy and undefiled virgins were stripped naked and suffered things that were not lawful, and not enduring it, they were in danger. Monks were trampled on and died, and 3.5 some were hurled like discuses, others were slain with swords and clubs, and others were wounded. And upon the holy table, what great impiety and lawlessness took place! They sacrificed birds and pine-cones, praising their own idols, but blaspheming in the churches themselves the Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. The divine books of the scriptures, which they found in the church, they burned. And into the holy baptistery, alas for the audacity, the Christ-killing Jews and the godless pagans entered without restraint and committed and spoke such shameful things, stripping themselves naked, that one is ashamed even to speak 3.6 of them. And some impious men, imitating the bitter things of the persecutions, seizing virgins and the continent, dragged and mocked them, forcing them to blaspheme and deny the Lord and those who would not deny they cut to pieces and trampled underfoot.

4.1 And in addition to these things, the marvelous and splendid entry of Gregory the Arian, delighting in such evils, as if offering a prize and a reward for such a lawless victory to the pagans and the Jews and to those who had done such things against us, gave the church over to plunder. And when such lawlessness and disorder had been permitted, 4.2 what followed was worse than wars and more savage than bandits. For some plundered whatever they came across, while others divided among themselves the deposits laid up by certain people, the wine, being plentiful, they either drank or emptied out or carried away, they seized the stored-up oil, each man carried off the doors and the chancel-rails as refuse, they straightway deposited the lamps in the Temple of Fortune, they lit the church's candles for their idols, and in short, there was plunder and death 4.3 in the church. And the impious Arians were not ashamed when these things were happening, but added still worse and more savage things; for presbyters and laymen were scourged, virgins with their veils torn off were led to the governor's tribunal and cast into prison, others had their property confiscated, were flogged, the bread of the ministers and of the virgins was forbidden. And these things were done during the holy forty days around Easter, when the brethren were fasting, but the wonderful Gregory, having adopted the manner of Caiaphas, along with Pilate 4.4 the governor, raged against those who were pious toward Christ. On a Friday, at any rate, entering one of the churches with the governor and the pagan crowds, when he saw the people turning away from his violent entry, he caused the most savage governor in one hour to scourge thirty-four virgins and married women and noble men 4.5 publicly and to cast them into prison, among whom he caused one virgin, a lover of letters and still holding the psalter in her hands, to be scourged publicly; and the book

5.1 was snatched away by the executioners, and the virgin herself was confined in the prison. When these things had happened, they were not quiet for the future either, but they also plotted in the other church, where I especially was living in those days, to do the same things as before. And they were eager to extend their madness even to this church, 5.2 so that having hunted me down they might destroy me. which I would have suffered, if the grace of God had not helped, so that I might with difficulty escape and be able to dictate at least these few things. For I, seeing them raging to the utmost and considering, so that neither the church might be harmed nor the virgins in it suffer and deaths occur again and the people be outraged a second time, I stole myself away from the people, remembering the Savior who said: "if they persecute you in this city, flee to 5.3 another." For I knew them, from the evil things they did to the other church, to shrink from none of the terrible things even against the other; seeing that not even on the Lord's day of the holy festival

3

ἡγεμόνος καὶ τὴν 3.4 βίαν μαρτυρομένων. παρθένοι γὰρ ἅγιαι καὶ ἀμίαντοι ἐγυμνοῦντο καὶ ἔπασχον ἃ μὴ θέμις, μὴ ἀνεχόμεναι δὲ ἐκινδύνευον· μονάζοντες κατεπατοῦντο καὶ ἀπέθνησκον, καὶ 3.5 οἱ μὲν ἐδισκεύοντο, οἱ δὲ ξίφεσι καὶ ῥοπάλοις ἀνῃροῦντο, ἄλλοι δὲ ἐτραυματίζοντο. ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ἁγίας τραπέζης ἡλίκη ἀσέβεια καὶ παρανομία γέγονεν. ὄρνεα καὶ στροβίλους ἐθυ σίαζον εὐφημοῦντες μὲν ἑαυτῶν τὰ εἴδωλα, δυσφημοῦντες δὲ ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τὸν κύριον καὶ σωτῆρα ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. τὰς θείας τῶν γραφῶν βίβλους, ἃς εὕρισκον ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, κατέκαιον. εἰς δὲ τὸ ἅγιον βαπτιστήριον, φεῦ τῆς τόλμης, οἱ κυριοκτόνοι Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ οἱ ἄθεοι ἐθνικοὶ ἀφυλάκτως εἰσερχόμενοι τοι αῦτα αἰσχρὰ διεπράττοντο καὶ ἐλάλουν γυμνοῦντες ἑαυτούς, ὡς αἰσχύνεσθαι καὶ λέγειν 3.6 αὐτά. καί τινες ἀσεβεῖς ἄνδρες τὰ πικρὰ τῶν διωγμῶν μιμούμενοι παρθένων καὶ ἐγκρατῶν κρατοῦντες εἷλκον καὶ διασύροντες ἐβιάζοντο βλασφημεῖν καὶ ἀρνεῖσθαι τὸν κύριον καὶ μὴ ἀρνουμένας κατέκοπτον καὶ κατεπάτουν.

4.1 Καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἡ θαυμαστὴ καὶ λαμπρὰ εἴσοδος Γρηγορίου τοῦ Ἀρειανοῦ ἡδο μένη τοῖς τοιούτοις κακοῖς, ὥσπερ ἔπαθλον καὶ μισθὸν τῆς τοιαύτης παρανόμου νίκης παρέχουσα τοῖς ἐθνικοῖς καὶ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις καὶ τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα καθ' ἡμῶν ἐργασαμένοις εἰς πρέδαν δέδωκε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης παρανομίας καὶ ἀταξίας συγχωρη 4.2 θείσης τὰ πολέμων λοιπὸν χείρονα καὶ λῃστῶν ὠμότερα ἐγίνετο. οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὰ ἀπαν τῶντα διήρπαζον, οἱ δὲ τὰς ἀποκειμένας τινῶν παραθήκας διῃροῦντο, τὸν οἶνον πολὺν ὄντα ἢ ἔπινον ἢ ἐξεκένουν ἢ ἀπέφερον, τὸ ἀποκείμενον ἔλαιον ἥρπαζον, τὰς θύρας καὶ τοὺς καγκέλλους ὡς σκύβαλα ἕκαστος ἐβάσταζε, τὰς λυχνίας παραυτὰ ἐν τῷ Τυχαίῳ ἀπετίθεντο, τοὺς κηρίωνας τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἀνῆπτον, καὶ ὅλως ἁρπαγὴ καὶ θάνατος 4.3 ἦν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ. καὶ οὐκ ᾐδοῦντο οἱ δυσσεβεῖς Ἀρειανοὶ τούτων γινομένων, ἀλλ' ἔτι χείρονα καὶ ὠμότερα προσετίθουν· πρεσβύτεροι γὰρ καὶ λαικοὶ ἐξέσθησαν, παρθένοι ἀπο μαφορτιζόμεναι ἀπήγοντο εἰς τὸ βῆμα τοῦ ἡγεμόνος καὶ εἰς τὴν φυλακὴν ἐβάλλοντο, ἄλλοι δὲ ἐδημεύθησαν, ἐμαστίχθησαν, οἱ ἄρτοι τῶν λειτουργῶν καὶ τῶν παρθένων ἐκω λύθησαν. ταῦτα δὲ ἐγίνετο ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἁγίᾳ τεσσαρακοστῇ περὶ τὸ πάσχα, ὅτε οἱ μὲν ἀδελφοὶ ἐνήστευον, ὁ δὲ θαυμαστὸς Γρηγόριος τὸν Καιάφα τρόπον ἀναλαβὼν μετὰ Πιλάτου 4.4 τοῦ ἡγεμόνος κατὰ τῶν εἰς Χριστὸν εὐσεβούντων ἐνεπαροίνει. ἐν παρασκευῇ γοῦν εἰσερχόμενος εἰς μίαν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν μετὰ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος καὶ τῶν ἐθνικῶν δήμων ὡς ἀπο στρεφομένους εἶδε τοὺς λαοὺς τὴν βιαίαν εἴσοδον αὐτοῦ, ἐποίησε τὸν ὠμότατον ἡγεμόνα ἐν μιᾷ ὥρᾳ τριάκοντα καὶ τέσσαρας παρθένους καὶ ὑπάνδρους καὶ εὐγενεῖς ἄνδρας μαστίξαι 4.5 δημοσίᾳ καὶ εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἐμβαλεῖν, ἐν οἷς μίαν παρθένον φιλολογοῦσαν καὶ τὸ ψαλτήριον ἔτι κατέχουσαν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ μαστιχθῆναι πεποίηκε δημοσίᾳ· καὶ τὸ μὲν βιβλίον

5.1 ὑπὸ τῶν δημίων διηρπάσθη, αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ παρθένος εἰς τὴν φυλακὴν καθείρχθη. Τούτων γενομένων οὐχ ἡσύχαζον οὐδὲ εἰς τὰ ἑξῆς, ἀλλ' ἐβουλεύοντο καὶ ἐν τῇ ἄλλῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἔνθα μάλιστα ἐγὼ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ᾤκουν, τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς προτέροις ποιῆσαι. ἐσπούδαζον δὲ τὴν μανίαν ἑαυτῶν καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐπεκτεῖναι, 5.2 ἵνα με θηρεύσαντες ἀνέλωσιν. ὃ καὶ ἔπαθον ἂν, εἰ μὴ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ χάρις ἐβοήθησεν, ἵνα μόλις ἐκφύγω καὶ ὑπαγορεῦσαι κἂν τὰ ὀλίγα δυνηθῶ. ἐγὼ γὰρ θεωρῶν αὐτοὺς ἔσχατα λυσσῶντας καὶ λογισάμενος, ἵνα μήτε ἡ ἐκκλησία βλαβῇ καὶ αἱ ἐν αὐτῇ παρθένοι πάθωσι καὶ θάνατοι πάλιν γένωνται καὶ δεύτερον οἱ λαοὶ ὑβρισθῶσιν, ὑπέκλεψα ἐμαυτὸν τῶν λαῶν μνησθεὶς τοῦ σωτῆρος λέγοντος· «ἐὰν ὑμᾶς διώκωσιν εἰς τήνδε τὴν πόλιν, φεύγετε εἰς 5.3 τὴν ἑτέραν». ἤιδειν γὰρ αὐτούς, ἀφ' ὧν ἔπραξαν εἰς τὴν ἑτέραν ἐκκλησίαν κακῶν, μηδὲν τῶν δεινῶν καὶ κατὰ τῆς ἄλλης παραιτουμένους· ὅπου γε οὐδὲ αὐτὴν τὴν κυριακὴν τῆς ἁγίας ἑορτῆς

3