to soften his mind and for the one who had died, to at last, however late, repeal the exile for the common father and teacher of all, 312 and to deliver them from their orphanhood, granting them his sacred dust and the remnant of his virtuous form as some gold-bearing treasure, so that in place of the milk of teaching that had flowed to them from him, they might pour out for him rivers of tears, and that some sanctification might come to them from this, and the fulfillment of their good desire. So the priest was in the very palace of the emperors, and the embassy was being accomplished, and the general supplication of the children was being made known through the archbishop, who was saying to the emperor and suggesting those things that know how to bend even the sheerest rocks and to urge on and to stir up to divine love and to kindle the precious and venerable return of the saint's tabernacle. Hearing these things, then, the emperor is warmed in his heart and does not oppose the request, but considering this an opportunity for himself for good repute and divine acceptance and praise from men and the most genuine affection, he prepared for the taking up, and all things were being accomplished for the pious purpose. So when, having been supplied with the emperor's letters, in which it had been commanded, they arrived at the city that held the precious treasure, and there was nothing thought able to resist, for the heirs of the property were overcome by the royal hand and were distressed and disheartened and vexed, but they did not have the strength to oppose and not yield, then the power of the great man was made known; for honoring both those who had received and shrouded him, and showing to those attempting to move him by authority that they do not have authority over all things, not just as he had been obedient when persecuted, completely imitating Christ who did not strive or cry out, so too was he capable of being forced against his will toward his recall, but he was as if grown fast to the immovable coffin and hard to detach or hard to move in any way for the transfer; for the saint's body is said to have turned to stone and by its immovability it seemed to have been transformed into the weight of a stone. So the emperor's attendants were at a loss, the ministers of the command were disheartened, the heirs were cheered, having the joy of their soul manifest. These things are reported to the emperor, made known to the archbishop, the cause of the delay is recognized by the council of those in power from the ruler himself. It gave the suspicion that he was resisting the recall which was by command, not bearing a grudge against those who had grieved him. The form of the mission that had seemed adversarial is altered, the letters are changed to a supplication. That emperor himself with his own hand writes out the petition. To the ecumenical teacher and spiritual father John, the holy and chrysostom father and patriarch. We beseech you, father, 313 in a manner befitting slaves as grateful men, we do not command in a royal manner as ruling over you also, we summon you as a master, we do not compel you as a subject. We are moved by the affection of genuine children to show a fatherly compassion. Give back your dead body to those to whom you also previously gave yourself. You will do a further injustice by delaying. If indeed you gave yourself to those who were about to be ungrateful to you, for your most discerning mind was not ignorant of what was to come, will you deny your protection to those eager to render you worthy honors? But when, with the emperor's petition and the all-night hymns and prayers, they made their former attempt upon the coffin, it was possible to see, O the wonder, that holy body again having recovered its natural constitution and lightness, the transfer easy and the movement most effortless, as of someone changing his house by a voluntary motion. For this wonder is also told, that the saint lightened himself for those who were conveying him to the royal coffin. Therefore, just as those who have captured a city of ten thousand men and are celebrating a great triumph have many flocking to the spectacle, so too did those who were bringing down that divine tabernacle have a countless crowd escorting them. Someone being far off would have likened the [sight] of the torches

γνώμην μαλάξαι τοῦτον καὶ τεθνηκότι τὴν ἐξορίαν τῷ κοινῷ πάντων πατρί τε καὶ διδασκάλῳ 312 κἂν ὀψέ ποτε διαλύσασθαι ἀπαλλάξαι τε τῆς ὀρφανίας αὐτοὺς τὴν ἱερὰν αὐτοῦ κόνιν καὶ τὸ λείψανον τῆς ἐναρέτου μορφῆς ὥς τινα χρυσοφόρον αὐτοῖς χαρίσασθαι θησαυρόν, ἵνα ἀντὶ τοῦ παρ' ἐκείνου βλύσαντος αὐτοῖς τῆς διδασκαλίας γάλακτος τοὺς τῶν δακρύων αὐτῷ ποταμοὺς ἐπαφήσωσι καὶ γίνηταί τις αὐτοῖς κἀντεῦθεν ἁγιασμὸς καὶ τῆς καλῆς ἐφέσεως πλήρωσις. Ἦν οὖν ὁ ἱερεὺς κατ' αὐτὰ τὰ τῶν βασιλείων ἀνάκτορα καὶ τὰ τῆς πρεσβείας ἠνύετο καὶ ἡ πάνδημος τῶν τέκνων ἐδηλοῦτο παράκλησις διὰ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως ἐκεῖνα λέγοντος τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ὑποτιθεμένου ἃ καὶ τὰς ἀκροτόμους τῶν πετρῶν ἐπικλᾶν οἶδε καὶ παροτρύνειν καὶ πρὸς ἔρωτα θεῖον ἀνακινεῖν καὶ ἀναρριπίζειν τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου σκήνους τιμίαν ἐπάνοδον καὶ σεβάσμιον. Τούτων τοίνυν ἀκούσας ὁ βασιλεὺς θερμαίνεται τὴν καρδίαν καὶ πρὸς τὴν αἴτησιν οὐκ ἀντιβαίνει, ἀλλ' εὐδοκιμήσεως αὑτῷ νομίσας τοῦτον καιρὸν καὶ θείας ἀποδοχῆς καὶ εὐφημίας τῆς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων καὶ φίλτρου γνησιωτάτου πρὸς τὴν ἀνάληψιν ηὐτρεπίζετο καὶ πάντα ἦν τῷ εὐσεβεῖ σκοπῷ συντελούμενα. Ὡς δ' οὖν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐφοδιασθέντες γράμμασιν, οἷς προσετέτακτο, τῇ τὸν πολύτιμον θησαυρὸν ἐχούσῃ πόλει ἐπέστησαν καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν τὸ ἀντιστῆναι δύνασθαι νομιζόμενον, οἱ γὰρ κληρονόμοι τοῦ χρήματος βασιλικῆς ἡττῶντο χειρὸς καὶ ἠνιῶντο μὲν καὶ ἠθύμουν καὶ ἤσχαλλον, ἀντιβῆναι δὲ καὶ μὴ ὑπεῖξαι οὐκ ἔσθενον, ἐνταῦθα ἡ τοῦ μεγάλου δύναμις ἐγνωρίζετο· τούς τε γὰρ λαχόντας καὶ περιστείλαντας τιμῶν καὶ τοῖς κατ' ἐξουσίαν μετάγειν πειρωμένοις δεικνὺς ὡς οὐ πάντων ἐξουσιάζουσιν οὐχ ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ διώκεσθαι πειθήνιος ἦν τὸν οὐκ ἐρίζοντα Χριστὸν οὐδὲ κραυγάζοντα πάντως μιμούμενος, οὕτως καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀνάκλησιν κατὰ τὸ ἀκούσιον βιάζεσθαι καθίστατο δυνατός, ἀλλ' ἦν ὥσπερ προσπεφυκὼς τῇ ἀκινήτῳ σορῷ καὶ δυσαπόσπαστος ἢ δυσανάγωγος πάντῃ πρὸς τὴν μετάθεσιν· ἀπολιθοῦσθαι γὰρ λέγεται τοῦ ἁγίου τὸ σῶμα καὶ τῇ δυσκινησίᾳ εἰς βάρος λίθου μεταπεποιεῖσθαι ἐδόκει. Ἠπόρουν οὖν οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως θεράποντες, ἠθύμουν οἱ διάκονοι τοῦ προστάγματος, ἐνευθυμίων οἱ κληρονόμοι τὸ χαῖρον τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπίδηλον ἔχοντες. Ἀναφέρεται ταῦτα τῷ βασιλεῖ, γνωρίζεται τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ, τῇ τῶν ἐν τέλει βουλῇ παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἡ τῆς ἀναβολῆς αἰτία ἐπιγινώσκεται. Ὑπόνοιαν ἐδίδου πρὸς τὴν ἐκ προστάγματος ἀντιβαίνειν ἀνάκλησιν, οὐ μνησικακεῖν τοῖς λυπήσασιν. Ἀλλάττεται τὸ σχῆμα τῆς δοξάσης ἐναντίας ἀποστολῆς, ἀμείβεται πρὸς ἱκεσίαν τὰ γράμματα. Αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ βασιλεὺς οἰκείᾳ χειρὶ διαχαράττει τὴν δέησιν. Τῷ οἰκουμενικῷ διδασκάλῳ καὶ πνευματικῷ πατρὶ Ἰωάννῃ, τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ χρυσοστόμῳ πατρὶ καὶ πατριάρχῃ. Ἱκετεύομεν, πάτερ, δουλο 313 πρεπῶς ὡς εὐγνώμονες, οὐ προστάσσομεν βασιλικῶς ὡς καὶ σοῦ κυριεύοντες, ὡς δεσπότην μετακαλούμεθα, οὐχ ὡς ὑποχείριον βιαζόμεθα. Γνησίων τέκνων φίλτρῳ κινούμεθα πατρικὴν ἐπίδειξαι τὴν συμπάθειαν. Ἀπόδος σου τὸν νεκρόν, οἷς καὶ πρότερον ἐπέδωκας σεαυτόν. Ἀδικήσεις ἐπὶ πλέον ἀναβαλλόμενος. Εἴπερ τοῖς ἀγνωμονήσειν πρός σε μέλλουσιν ἐπεδίδους σαυτόν, οὐ γὰρ ἠγνόεις ὁ διορατικώτατος νοῦς τὰ καταληψόμενα, τοῖς ἀξιοχρέους σοι τὰς τιμὰς ἀποδιδόναι προθυμουμένοις ζημιώσεις τὴν προστασίαν σου; Ὡς δὲ μετὰ τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως δεήσεως καὶ τῶν παννύχων ὕμνων καὶ προσευχῶν τὴν προτέραν ἀπόπειραν προσήγαγον τῇ σορῷ, ἦν ἰδεῖν, ὢ τοῦ θαύματος, πάλιν τὴν φυσικὴν ἀπολαβὸν τὸ ἅγιον ἐκεῖνο σῶμα σύνταξιν καὶ κουφότητα, τὴν μετάθεσιν εὐχερῆ καὶ ῥᾴστην τὴν μετακίνησιν, ὥσπερ τινὸς ἐν προαιρετικῇ κινήσει τὸν οἶκον ἀμείβοντος. Καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ λέγεται τὸ θαυμάσιον, ἑαυτὸν ἐπικουφίσαι τὸν ἅγιον τοῖς μετακομίζουσι τοῦτον πρὸς τὴν σορὸν τὴν βασίλειον. Ὥσπερ οὖν οἱ μυρίανδρον ἑλόντες πόλιν καὶ μέγαν κατάγοντες θρίαμβον πολλοὺς τοὺς πρὸς τὴν θέαν συρρέοντας ἔχουσιν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ τὸ θεῖον ἐκεῖνο σκῆνος κατάγοντες μυρίον εἶχον ὄχλον τὸν παραπέμποντα. Εἴκασεν ἄν τις πόρρωθεν ὢν τὸ τῶν λαμπάδων