or providence, with things suddenly collapsing while the icon and the letter of Christ were about to leave Edessa, again those who had previously held to these things were stirred up and were asserting that the divine was signifying by the things being done that the transfer from there of these most holy things was not happening according to the divine will; but since the leader of the Saracens, under whom all authority rested, judged it necessary to abide by the agreements and to fulfill the promise, the most precious image and the letter written by Christ went out of the city and was being transported to these parts. 50 And indeed, traveling along the road, those carrying these things reached the Euphrates. and again a disturbance no less than the previous ones arises, that unless some sign were shown from God, they would not, no matter what happened, give up the things that held together their safety. A sign is therefore given to them, being unbelieving and testing. For the ship, with which it was proposed for them to cross the Euphrates, still being moored towards the parts of Syria, as soon as the bishops entered it carrying the divine icon and the letter, while the agitation still possessed the rioters, suddenly without rowers, without anyone steering or pulling, set sail towards the opposite land, steered by the divine will alone, which indeed filled all who chanced upon it and saw it with wonder and astonishment and persuaded them to willingly allow the sending forth. 51 From there the ministers of the things being carried reached Samosata; and they were the archbishop of Samosata and of Edessa and the latter's protopresbyter and certain others of the more devout Christians, with whom was also the servant of the amir, who was named from Rome. Having tarried there for some days, with many miracles having happened there, they kept to the road. 52 And again countless miracles were performed on the road by the holy icon and the letter of Christ. For the blind unexpectedly recovered their sight and the lame were shown to be whole, and the long-time bedridden leapt up and those having withered hands were made well and, to speak concisely, every disease and infirmity fled and those who were sanctified glorified God and praised His wonders. 53 Having now, therefore, completed most of the journey, they arrive also at the monastery of the all-holy Theotokos, which is named of Eusebius, being in the so-called theme of the Optimatoi. And in the church of such a monastery the case concealing the wonder-working icon is deposited in a manner befitting a saint and many approaching out of a sincere disposition were healed of their own diseases. There also a certain man approached who was troubled by a demon, whom the evil spirit was using as an instrument and through him it cried out many things tending to the praise of the icon and the letter, since also long ago, those of its same company said to the Lord: "We know who you are, the Holy One of Israel"; finally it also, as it were, prophesied these things: "Receive," it said, "Constantinople, glory and joy, and you, Constantine Porphyrogennetos, your kingdom." And when these things were said, the man was healed and was immediately freed from the attack of the demon. 54 And many have stood as witnesses of these words. For since the emperor had sent almost the first of the council in authority for the honor and reception of the desired object, and since many from the bodyguard rank went out with them, it happened that magistroi and patricians along with those from the subordinate ranks were the hearers and witnesses. 55 And since the things that were said quickly received their outcome, it is worth wondering whence the foreknowledge came to the demon. For they are not believed to have this from themselves, having slipped from the divine glory and having become darkness instead of light. Or it is clear that just as the divine power used Balaam as a minister of the prophecy then, and at other times others often unworthy of the matter, certainly according to some wise and resourceful economy, so also now the power in the divine image made use of the demon and through it the things after a little while

ἢ πρόνοιαν αἰφνιδίως καταρραγεισῶν ἐν τῷ μέλλειν ἐξέρχεσθαι τῆς Ἐδέσης τὴν εἰκόνα καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πάλιν οἱ καὶ πρότερον ἀντεχόμενοι τούτων ἀνεκινοῦντο καὶ τὸ θεῖον ἐπισημαίνεσθαι τοῖς πραττομένοις διεβεβαίουν μὴ κατὰ θείαν βούλησιν γίνεσθαι τὴν ἐντεῦθεν τῶν ἁγιωτάτων τούτων μετάστασιν· ἀλλὰ τοῦ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν ἀρχηγοῦ, ὑφ' ᾧ τὸ πᾶν τῆς ἐξουσίας ἀνέκειτο, ἐμμένειν τοῖς ὡμολογημένοις κρίνοντος δεῖν καὶ ἐκπληροῦν τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, ἐξῄει τῆς πόλεως τὸ τιμαλφέστατον ἀπεικόνισμα καὶ τὸ χριστόγραφον ἐπιστόλιον καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἐνταῦθα διεκομίζετο. 50 καὶ δὴ τὴν ὁδὸν διανύοντες οἱ ταῦτα ἐπιφερόμενοι τὸν Εὐφράτην κατέλαβον. καὶ πάλιν θόρυβος οὐδενὸς τῶν προτέρων ἐλάττων ἐγείρεται, ὡς εἰ μή τι σημεῖον θεόθεν δειχθῇ, οὐδ' ἂν εἴ τι γένηται, προΐσοιντο τὰ συνεκτικὰ τῆς ἀσφαλείας αὐτῶν. δίδοται τοίνυν σημεῖον αὐτοῖς ἀπίστοις οὖσι καὶ ἐκπειράζουσιν. ἡ γὰρ ναῦς, μεθ' ἧς τὸν Εὐφράτην περαιωθῆναι αὐτοῖς προὔκειτο, ἔτι πρὸς τὰ τῆς Συρίας ὁρμιζομένη μέρη, ὡς μόνον εἰσῆλθον ἐν αὐτῇ οἱ ἐπίσκοποι τὴν θείαν εἰκόνα καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐπικομιζόμενοι, ἔτι τοῦ σάλου τοὺς στασιώτας κατέχοντος, ἐξαίφνης χωρὶς ἐρετῶν χωρὶς τοῦ κυβερνῶντος ἢ ἕλκοντος πρὸς τὴν ἀντιπέρας κατῇρε γῆν μόνῳ τῷ θείῳ κυβερνωμένη βουλήματι, ὃ δὴ τοὺς προστυχόντας καὶ ἰδόντας ἅπαντας θάμβους ἐπλήρωσε καὶ ἐκπλήξεως καὶ ἑκόντας παραχωρῆσαι τὴν ἔκπεμψιν ἔπεισεν. 51 ἐντεῦθεν καταλαμβάνουσι τὰ Σαμόσατα οἱ τῶν φερομένων διάκονοι· ἦσαν δὲ ὁ τῶν Σαμοσάτων καὶ ὁ τῆς Ἐδέσης ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ ὁ τούτου πρωτοπρεσβύτερος καὶ ἕτεροί τινες τῶν εὐλαβεστέρων Χριστιανῶν, οἷς καὶ ὁ τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ ὑπηρέτης συνῆν, ὃς ἀπὸ Ῥώμης κατωνομάζετο. ἐνταῦθα ἐπί τινας ἡμέρας χρονοτριβήσαντες πολλῶν ἐκεῖσε θαυμάτων γεγονότων εἴχοντο τῆς ὁδοῦ. 52 καὶ πάλιν ἄπειρα θαύματα ἐτελεῖτο ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ὑπὸ τῆς ἱερᾶς εἰκόνος καὶ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ. τυφλοὶ γὰρ ἀπροόπτως ἀνέβλεπον καὶ χωλοὶ ἐδείκνυντο ἄρτιοι, κλινήρεις τε πολυχρόνιοι ἥλαντο καὶ οἱ ξηρὰς ἔχοντας τὰς χεῖρας ὑγιοῦντο καὶ συνελόντι φάναι πᾶσα νόσος καὶ μαλακία ἐδραπετεύετο καὶ ἐδόξαζον οἱ ἁγιαζόμενοι τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἀνύμνουν αὐτοῦ τὰ θαυμάσια. 53 ἤδη οὖν τὸ πολὺ τῆς ὁδοῦ διανύσαντες φθάνουσι καὶ εἰς τὴν τῆς ὑπεραγίας θεοτόκου μονήν, ἣ τὰ Εὐσεβίου κατονομάζεται ἐν τῷ τῶν Ὀπτιμάτων λεγομένῳ τυγχάνουσαν θέματι. ἐν τῷ ναῷ δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου φροντιστηρίου ἁγιοπρεπῶς ἡ τὴν τερατουργὸν εἰκόνα κρύπτουσα θήκη ἐναποτίθεται καὶ πολλοὶ προσελθόντες ἐξ εἰλικρινοῦς διαθέσεως ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκείων νόσων ἰάθησαν. ἔνθα καί τις προσῆλθεν ὑπὸ δαίμονος ἐνοχλούμενος, ᾧ καθάπερ ὀργάνῳ τὸ πονηρὸν ἀποχρώμενον πνεῦμα καὶ πολλὰ τῶν εἰς ἔπαινον ἡκόντων τῆς εἰκόνος καὶ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς δι' αὐτοῦ ἐκφωνοῦν, ἐπεὶ καὶ πάλαι· "οἴδαμέν σε τίς εἶ, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ", πρὸς τὸν κύριον ἔλεγον οἱ τῆς ὁμοίας μερίδος αὐτῷ· τέλος καὶ τάδε οἱονεὶ ἀπεφοίβαζεν· "ἀπόλαβε", λέγον "Κωνσταντινούπολις δόξαν καὶ χαρὰν καὶ σύ, Κωνσταντῖνε Πορφυρογέννητε, τὴν βασιλείαν σου". καὶ τούτων ῥηθέντων ἰάθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἀπελύθη παραχρῆμα τῆς τοῦ δαίμονος ἐπιθέσεως. 54 τούτων δὲ πολλοὶ καθεστήκασι μάρτυρες τῶν ῥημάτων. τοῦ γὰρ βασιλέως εἰς τιμὴν καὶ ὑπάντησιν τοῦ ποθουμένου τοὺς πρώτους σχεδὸν τῆς ἐν τέλει βουλῆς ἀποστείλαντος καὶ τούτοις τῶν ἐκ τῆς δορυφόρου τάξεως συνεξελθόντων πολλῶν συνέβη μαγίστρους καὶ πατρικίους μετὰ τῶν ἐκ τῶν ὑποβεβηκυιῶν τάξεως εἶναι τοὺς ἀκουστάς τε καὶ μάρτυρας. 55 καὶ ἐπεὶ τὰ ῥηθέντα τὴν ἔκβασιν θᾶττον ἐδέξαντο, ἀπορῆσαι ἄξιον πόθεν ἡ πρόγνωσις τῷ δαίμονι προσεγένετο. οὐ γὰρ ἔχειν πιστεύονται ταύτην οἴκοθεν τῆς θείας δόξης ἀπολισθήσαντες καὶ σκότος ἀντὶ φωτὸς χρηματίσαντες. ἢ δῆλον ὅτι καθάπερ τῷ Βαλαὰμ ἡ θεία δύναμις ἐχρῆτο διακόνῳ τοῦ τότε προαγορεύματος καὶ ἄλλοτε ἄλλοις οὐκ ἀξίοις πολλάκις τοῦ πράγματος κατ' οἰκονομίαν πάντως τινὰ σοφὴν καὶ εὐμήχανον, οὕτω καὶ νῦν ἡ ἐν τῷ θείῳ ἀπεικονίσματι δύναμις τῷ δαίμονι ἀπεχρήσατο καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τὰ μετ' ὀλίγον