3

he will heal the affliction of your flesh and will deem you worthy of indestructible life." At this, the emperor, having recovered from his sleep, sends men to summon the bishop with reverence. And to the holy Sylvester, who had come, he said, "Tell me, bishop, are gods named Peter and Paul worshipped among you?" And he answered, "One God is known to us, and Peter and Paul are his attendants and servants." Next, therefore, the emperor relates to him the dream, and he is initiated by him into our mystery and is baptized. And he comes up from the all-holy font completely healthy, and immediately he proclaims liberty for Christians and opens the temples to them and allows new ones to be built. On the other hand, he closes the precincts of the falsely-named gods, and he decrees that those who wish may approach the faith of Christ without fear. For he said he wished to force no one, but to welcome those who came to Christ willingly. Thus, then, he came to the faith of Christ; and the preaching was spread abroad and freedom of speech was given to those named after Christ. 10 So Jews approach the emperor's mother, saying that the emperor had been deceived and had mixed a God-hated deed with a God-loved deed, calling the destruction of the idols God-loved, but the faith in Christ God-hated; for the only true God was the one worshipped by them; but Jesus the sinners called an evil-doer and a sorcerer. The mother reports these things to the emperor and her son; and he decided that the Jews who were saying these things should dispute with Sylvester the bishop of Rome and those with him, in the hearing of himself and the chief men of the senate, so that he might know what things were being introduced by the Jews. The debate took place; the words of the holy Sylvester seemed more powerful. The Jews said that Sylvester prevailed by dialectical power, and they sought a demonstration of signs. Moreover, a certain sorcerer among them named Zambres demanded that a bull be brought, saying that through it he was about to demonstrate the power of his own god. The bull was brought forth; Zambres approached it and whispered something into its ear. And it, after letting out a great and mournful bellow and being convulsed with a tremor, 11 fell down and was dead. At this the Jews boasted, saying that the one who heard it could not endure the name of their god. "But what?" says Sylvester, "Does he who says this into the animal's ear not hear what is said? How then does he not also die?" And Zambres said, "There is no need now for twisting of words and plausibility, but for deeds, bishop." "If, then," Sylvester said, "I myself shall bring to life this bull that was made dead by you through the invocation of Christ, will I not seem to do something greater and demonstrate the great power of Christ?" And he agreed and immediately swore by the emperor's salvation that if he saw the bull revived, he would confess Christ as God. And Sylvester, gazing into heaven and calling upon the Lord, stood near the bull and, raising his voice, cried out, "If Christ, whom I preach, is the true God, arise, bull, and stand on your feet." Immediately, therefore, the bull, stirring, leaped up. And those present cried out, "Great is the God of Sylvester." But the Jews, astounded by the miracle, fell at the feet of the holy man and supplicated him to make God propitious to them and to deem them worthy of the divine baptism. And the renowned mother of the emperor, being 12 uninitiated, also asked to be initiated and baptized; having therefore obtained her desire and having come to know the true God, she desired to see the places which the beautiful feet of Christ, as he announced the gospel of peace, had traversed. And taking the divine Sylvester with her, she came to Jerusalem; and after venerating the tomb of the Lord and finding the divine cross, on which our God was bodily fastened, and having built magnificent temples, she returned to her son and emperor. And from Fausta, the daughter of Maximian, the emperor begat three sons, Constantine, Constantius, and Constans, and a daughter, Helena,

3

τὴν λύμην ἀκέσεται τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ ζωῆς ἀνωλέθρου καταξιώσει σε." ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ὕπνου ἀνενεγκὼν στέλλει τοὺς μεταπεμψομένους σὺν αἰδοῖ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον. καὶ παραγενομένῳ τῷ ἱερῷ Σιλβέστρῳ "εἰπέ μοι" ἔφη, "ἐπίσκοπε· θρησκεύονται παρ' ὑμῖν θεοὶ Πέτρος καὶ Παῦλος ὀνομαζόμενοι;" ὁ δὲ "εἷς ἡμῖν θεὸς γινώσκεται" ἀπεκρίνατο, "Πέτρος δὲ καὶ Παῦλος θεράποντες ἐκείνου καὶ ὑπηρέται εἰσίν." ἑξῆς οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς διηγεῖται αὐτῷ τὸ ἐνύπνιον, καὶ τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς παρ' αὐτοῦ μυεῖται μυστήριον καὶ βαπτίζεται. καὶ ἄνεισιν ἐκ τῆς παναγοῦς κολυμβήθρας ὑγιὴς ὅλος, καὶ αὐτίκα ἄδειάν τε κηρύττει χριστιανοῖς καὶ τοὺς ναοὺς σφίσιν ἀναπετάννυσι καὶ νέους ἐφίησιν ἀνεγείρεσθαι. κλείει δὲ τοὔμπαλιν τὰ τεμένη τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν, ἀδεῶς τε θεσπίζει προσιέναι τοὺς βουλομένους τῇ πίστει τοῦ Χριστοῦ. βιάζεσθαι μὲν γὰρ οὐδένα ἔλεγε βούλεσθαι, τοὺς δ' ἑκόντας προστιθεμένους τῷ Χριστῷ ἀποδέχεσθαι. Ὁ μὲν οὖν οὕτω τῇ πίστει τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσελήλυθε· τὸ κήρυγμα δ' ἐπλατύνετο καὶ παρρησία τοῖς χριστωνύμοις ἐδίδοτο. 10 προσίασιν οὖν τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως μητρὶ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἠπατῆσθαι λέγοντες τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ἔργῳ θεοφιλεῖ ἔργον ἀναμίξαι θεομισές, θεοφιλὲς μὲν τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων καθαίρεσιν ὀνομάζοντες, θεομισὲς δὲ τὴν πίστιν τὴν εἰς Χριστόν· μόνον γὰρ εἶναι θεὸν ἀληθῆ τὸν παρ' αὐτῶν θρησκευόμενον· τὸν Ἰησοῦν δὲ ἄνθρωπον οἱ ἀλιτήριοι κακοῦργον ἀπεκάλουν καὶ γόητα. ἀναφέρει ταῦθ' ἡ μήτηρ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ υἱῷ· ὁ δὲ διαλεχθῆναι δεῖν ἔκρινεν ἐπ' ἀκροάσει αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν τῆς γερουσίας λογάδων τοὺς ταῦτα λέγοντας Ἰουδαίους τῷ Ῥώμης ἐπισκόπῳ Σιλβέστρῳ καὶ τοῖς περὶ αὐτόν, ἵν' οὕτω γνοίη τίνα τὰ παρὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων εἰσὶν εἰσαγόμενα. γέγονεν ἡ διάλεξις· ἔδοξαν οἱ λόγοι τοῦ ἱεροῦ Σιλβέστρου ἐπικρατέστεροι. ἐκ διαλεκτικῆς δυνάμεως ὑπερτερεῖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τὸν Σίλβεστρον ἔλεγον, σημείων ἐζήτουν ἐπίδειξιν. μᾶλλον δέ τις παρ' αὐτοῖς γόης ἀνὴρ Ζαμβρῆς καλούμενος βοῦν ἐνεχθῆναι ἠξίου, διὰ τούτου λέγων μέλλειν ἐνδείξασθαι τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ οἰκείου θεοῦ. προσήχθη ὁ βοῦς· πεπλησίακεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ζαμβρῆς, ὑπεψιθύρισέ τι αὐτῷ εἰς τὸ οὖς. κἀκεῖνος μέγα τι καὶ γοερὸν μυκησάμενος καὶ τρόμῳ συνδι11 νηθεὶς καταπέπτωκε καὶ νενέκρωτο. ηὔχουν ἐπὶ τούτῳ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, τὸ τοῦ σφετέρου θεοῦ ὄνομα μὴ στέγειν λέγοντες τὸν ἀκούοντα. "τί δέ;" φησὶν ὁ Σίλβεστρος, "ὁ λέγων τοῦτο τῷ ζῴῳ πρὸς οὖς οὐκ ἀκούει τοῦ λεγομένου; πῶς οὖν οὐ θνήσκει κἀκεῖνος; καὶ ὁ Ζαμβρῆς "οὐ λόγων" ἔφη "στροφῆς τε καὶ πιθανότητος ἄρτι χρεία, ἀλλ' ἔργων, ἐπίσκοπε." "εἰ οὖν τὸν παρὰ σοῦ νεκρωθέντα τοῦτον ταῦρον" ὁ Σίλβεστρος εἶπε "ζωώσω αὐτὸς τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπικλήσει, οὐκ ἄν τι μεῖζον δόξω ποιεῖν καὶ μεγάλην ἀποδείξω τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ;" κἀκεῖνος κατέθετο καὶ κατὰ τῆς σωτηρίας τοῦ βασιλέως εὐθὺς ἐξωμόσατο, εἰ τὸν ταῦρον ἴδοι ἀναβιώσαντα, τὸν Χριστὸν ὁμολογῆσαι θεόν. καὶ ὁ Σίλβεστρος εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀτενίσας καὶ τὸν κύριον ἐπικαλεσάμενος ἔστη τοῦ ταύρου ἐγγὺς καὶ τὴν φωνὴν ἐπάρας ἐβόησεν "εἰ θεὸς ἀληθής ἐστιν ὃν ἐγὼ κηρύττω Χριστόν, ἔγειραι, ταῦρε, καὶ στῆθι ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας σου." αὐτίκα γοῦν κινηθεὶς ὁ ταῦρος ἀνέθορε. καὶ οἱ παρόντες "μέγας ὁ τοῦ Σιλβέστρου θεός" ἐξεβόησαν. Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ καταπλαγέντες τῷ θαύματι τοῖς ποσὶ τοῦ ἁγίου προσέπιπτον καὶ ἱκέτευον ἱλεώσασθαι αὐτοῖς τὸν θεὸν καὶ τοῦ θείου σφᾶς ἀξιῶσαι βαπτίσματος. καὶ ἡ ἀοίδιμος δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως μήτηρ, ἀμύητος 12 οὖσα, ἠξίου καὶ μυηθῆναι καὶ βαπτισθῆναι· τυχοῦσα τοίνυν τοῦ ἐφετοῦ καὶ τὸν ἀληθῆ ἐπιγνοῦσα θεόν, τοὺς τόπους οὓς οἱ ὡραῖοι πόδες Χριστοῦ, ὡς εἰρήνην εὐαγγελισαμένου, διώδευσαν, θεάσασθαι ἐπεθύμησε. καὶ συμπαραλαβοῦσα τὸν θεσπέσιον Σίλβεστρον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα παραγέγονε· καὶ τὸ τοῦ κυρίου προσκυνήσασα μνῆμα καὶ τὸν θεῖον εὑρηκυῖα σταυρόν, ἐν ᾧ προσεπάγη σωματικῶς ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, ναούς τε δομησαμένη πολυτελεῖς πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν καὶ βασιλέα ἐπανελήλυθεν. Υἱοὺς δ' ἐκ Φαύστας τῆς τοῦ Μαξιμιανοῦ θυγατρὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐγείνατο τρεῖς, Κωνσταντῖνον, Κωνστάντιον καὶ Κώνσταντα, καὶ θυγατέρα Ἐλένην,