they were listening to the evangelical readings, and were practicing certain other things which no divine ordinance had commanded. But having reformed each of these things toward what was venerable and beloved of God, he also strengthened the dogma of the church. For they were not in need, says this impious man, of the instruction that corrects divine worship, since from the beginning they unerringly held the doctrine of "different-substance". 3.6 And from this great Arabia he departs for the Ethiopians called the Auxumites, who are settled along the first shores of the Red Sea, the entirety of which the Ocean creates by forming a gulf there. The Red Sea, however, being extended for a great distance, is divided into two certain gulfs. And one part of it goes toward Egypt at Clysma, where it ends, bearing that name; through which long ago the Israelites also, fleeing the Egyptians, crossed over the stream with unwet foot; while the other part comes towards Palestine at the city called Aela from of old. But the Auxumites possess the parts of this Red Sea on the left for those outside, being so called from their metropolis; for Auxumis is their metropolis. And before these Auxumites, extending to the outermost ocean towards the east, dwell the Syrians, bearing this name also among the people there. And Alexander the Macedonian, having removed them from Syria, settled them here; and they even now still use their ancestral language. Therefore they are all terribly black, as the ray of the sun strikes them sharply. Among these people xylocassia especially is produced, and cassia and cassamom and cinnamon, and indeed also a multitude of elephants. Theophilus did not come to these people; but having arrived among the Auxumites and having set in order the things there, he took to his return to the Romans. And having been deemed worthy of much honor from the emperor after his return, he did not receive by lot his own city to oversee; but he was regarded like a common treasure on account of his virtue by those of the same faith. 3.7 That at the mouth of the Persian Sea, which the Ocean flowing in there forms, being very great and encompassing many nations in a circle, both other very great rivers and the Tigris empty with their streams; which toward the east and below the Hyrcanian Sea takes its visible sources in the land of the Cordyaeans, being drawn alongside Syria, and when it comes to the land of Susis, there the stream of the Euphrates mixes with it, and having advanced already great in its floods, it proceeds surging; whence they say it also took its name from the beast, the tiger. But before it descends to the sea, it is split into two great rivers; then with two final mouths separated from each other it makes its outflow into the Persian Sea, cutting off very much land in the middle and making it an island both of the river and at the same time of the sea, which a nation called the Mesenians inhabits. 3.8 And the river Euphrates rises visibly from the Armenians, where Mount Ararat is, still also so called by the Armenians, upon which the Scripture says the ark also came to rest; of which they say that even now not small remains of both the timbers and the nails are preserved there. And from there the Euphrates, flowing small at first, as it proceeds always becomes larger, drawing very many rivers that empty into it together into its own name. And having passed through both greater and lesser Armenia, it then proceeds, cutting first through the Syria properly called Euphratensis, and then indeed the other; and having traversed both this and the other, and being bent, it traces a most varied winding course through the lands it traverses, and when it approaches Arabia, there indeed, being carried along in a circular manner opposite the Red Sea and having embraced no small country in a gulf, it then turns its stream toward the Caecian wind, which in fact stands midway between the north and east winds. and having rushed toward the river Tigris it is not able to mix with it entirely, but being used up in some parts in the interval, with the part remaining, being very great and able to bear up ships

τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων ἐποιοῦντο τὴν ἀκρόασιν, καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ ὧν μὴ θεῖος θεσμὸς ἐπεστάτει διεπράττοντο. ἀλλὰ ταῦθ' ἕκαστα πρὸς τὸ σεβάσμιον αὐτοῖς καὶ θεοφιλὲς μεταρυθμίσας, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας δόγμα ἐκρατύνατο. οὐ γὰρ ἐδέοντο, φησὶν ὁ δυσσεβὴς οὗτος, τῆς τὸ θεῖον σέβας διορθούσης ὑφηγήσεως, ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀπαρατρώτως τὸ ἑτεροούσιον πρεσβευόμενοι. 3.6 Ἐκ δὲ ταύτης τῆς μεγάλης Ἀραβίας εἰς τοὺς Αὐξουμίτας καλουμένους ἀπαίρει Αἰθίοπας, οἳ κατὰ τὰς πρώτας ὄχθας κατῴκηνται τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης, ἣν ὁ ταύτῃ Ὠκεανὸς εἰσκολπιζόμενος ἐργάζεται πᾶσαν. ἡ μέντοι Ἐρυθρὰ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον μηκυνομένη, εἰς δύο τινὰς ἀπομερίζεται κόλπους. καὶ τὸ μὲν αὐτῆς ἐπ' Αἰγύπτου χωρεῖ Κλύσμα, καθ' ὃ τελευτᾷ τὸ ἐπώνυμον φέρον· δι' οὗ πάλαι καὶ τὸ Ἰσραηλιτικὸν φεύγοντες τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, ἀβρόχῳ τὸ ῥεῖθρον διεπεραιώθησαν ποδί· τὸ δὲ ἕτερον μέρος ἐπὶ Παλαιστίνης ἔρχεται κατὰ πόλιν Ἀειλὰ ἐκ παλαιοῦ καλουμένην. ἀλλὰ τὰ ταύτης τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης ἐν ἀριστερῷ τοῖς ἔξωθεν Αὐξουμῖται κατέχουσιν, ἀπὸ τῆς μητροπόλεως οὕτω κληθέντες· Αὔξουμις γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἡ μητρόπολις. πρότεροι δὲ τούτων τῶν Αὐξουμιτῶν ἐπὶ τὸν ἐξωτάτω πρὸς ἀνατολὰς καθήκοντες Ὠκεανὸν παροικοῦσιν οἱ Σύροι, ταύτην τὴν κλῆσιν καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἐκεῖσε φέροντες. Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ παρὰ τούτοις ὁ Μακεδὼν ἐκ τῆς Συρίας ἀναστήσας, ἐνταυθοῖ κατῴκισεν· οἳ καὶ νῦν ἔτι τῇ πατρῴῳ φωνῇ κέχρηνται. μέλανες οὖν εἰσι δεινῶς ἅπαντες, ὀξείας αὐτοῖς τῆς ἀκτῖνος τοῦ ἡλίου καθαπτομένης. παρὰ τούτοις ἥ τε ξυλοκασσία μάλιστα γίνεται καὶ ἡ κασσία καὶ τὸ κάσσαμον καὶ τὸ κιννάμωμον, καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐλεφάντων πλῆθος. Πρὸς μὲν τούτους ὁ Θεόφιλος οὐκ ἀφίκετο· τοῖς Αὐξουμίταις δὲ παραγεγονὼς καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖσε καταστησάμενος, τῆς ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους ἀνακομιδῆς εἴχετο. πολλῆς δὲ τῆς τιμῆς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἀξιωθείς, πόλιν μὲν ἰδίαν ἐφορᾶν οὐκ ἐκληρώσατο· κοινὸν δ' ὥσπερ ἄγαλμα δι' ἀρετὴν τοῖς ὁμοδόξοις ἐβλέπετο. 3.7 Ὅτι ἐπὶ τῷ στόματι τῆς Περσικῆς θαλάσσης, ἣν ὁ ταύτῃ Ὠκεανὸς εἰσέχων ἀποτελεῖ, μεγίστην τε οὖσαν καὶ ἔθνη κύκλῳ πολλὰ περιβαλλομένην, ἄλλοι τε μέγιστοι ποταμοὶ καὶ ὁ Τίγρης τοῖς ῥείθροις ἐμβάλλει· ὃς πρὸς ἀπηλιώτην καὶ κάτωθεν τῆς Ὑρκανίας θαλάσσης ἐν Κορδυαίοις μὲν τὰς ἐμφανεῖς ἀναδόσεις λαμβάνει παρὰ τὴν Συρίαν ἑλκόμενος, ἐπειδὰν δὲ γένοιτο κατὰ τὴν Σουσίδα γῆν, ἐνταῦθα τοῦ Εὐφράτου τὸ ῥεῖθρον αὐτῷ μιγνύντος, μέγας ἤδη τοῖς χεύμασι χωρήσας πρόεισι παφλάζων· ὅθεν αὐτόν φασιν καὶ τοῦ θηρίου τοῦ τίγρητος λαβεῖν τὸ ἐπώνυμον. πρὶν ἢ δ' ἐπὶ θάλατταν καταβαίνει, σχίζεται εἰς δύο μεγάλους ποταμούς· ἔπειτα δυσὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις στόμασιν ἀλλήλων διειργομένοις εἰς τὴν Περσικὴν θάλατταν ποιεῖται τὰς ἐκβολάς, γῆν ἐν μέσῳ πλείστην περιτεμνόμενος καὶ νῆσον αὐτὴν ποιῶν ποταμίαν τε ἅμα καὶ θαλαττίαν, ἣν ἔθνος ἐνοικεῖ τῶν Μεσηνῶν ἐπικαλούμενον. 3.8 Ὁ δὲ Εὐφράτης ποταμὸς ἐξ Ἀρμενίων κατὰ τὸ προφανὲς ἀνατέλλει, ἔνθα τὸ ὄρος ἐστὶν τὸ Ἀραράτ, ἔτι καὶ πρὸς Ἀρμενίων οὕτω καλούμενον, ἐφ' οὗ καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν ἱδρυθῆναί φησιν ἡ γραφή· ἧς ἄχρι καὶ νῦν εἶναί φασιν οὐ μικρὰ λείψανα τῶν τε ξύλων καὶ τῶν ἥλων ἐκεῖσε σωζόμενα. ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ὁ Εὐφράτης ὀλίγος τὰ πρῶτα ῥυείς, προβαίνων ἀεὶ γίνεται μείζων, πλείστους ἐμβάλλοντας αὐτῷ ποταμοὺς εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ προσηγορίαν συνεφελκόμενος. τὴν Ἀρμενίαν δὲ τήν τε μεγάλην καὶ τὴν μικρὰν διελθών, ἔπειτα πρόεισι, τέμνων μὲν πρότερον τὴν Συρίαν τὴν ἰδίως Εὐφρατησίαν καλουμένην, ἔπειτα μέντοι καὶ τὴν ἄλλην· καὶ ταύτην δὲ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην διαμειψάμενος, καὶ ἕλικα διασπῶν ὧν δίεισι ποικιλωτάτην κλασθείς, ὁπηνίκα τῇ Ἀραβίᾳ πελάσει, ἐνταῦθα δὴ κυκλοτερῶς κατ' ἀντικρὺ τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης παρενεχθεὶς καὶ χώραν οὐκ ὀλίγην ἐγκολπωσάμενος, ἔπειτα πρὸς καικίαν ἄνεμον ἐπιστρέφει τὸ ῥεῖθρον, ὅσπερ οὖν βορέου τε καὶ ἀπηλιώτου μέσος ἕστηκε. καὶ πρὸς τὸν Τίγρητα ποταμὸν ὁρμήσας οὐχ οἷός τέ ἐστιν αὐτῷ ὅλως συμμῖξαι, ἀλλὰ μοίραις τισὶν ἐν τῷ διὰ μέσου παραναλούμενος, τῇ ὑπολειπομένῃ, μεγίστῃ τε οὔσῃ καὶ ναῦς ἀνασχέσθαι