Theophanes the Confessor, Chronography

and he would be numbered the thirteenth of the apostles, and see his children's children on the throne of the kingdom, if indeed he somehow aligned himself with the doctrine of Leo from Isauria. But when he did not promise but refused, he swore by God that utter destruction and ruin and cliffs and chasms were threatened against him. So having taught these things out of perversity and an evil mind, he led the emperor at the indicated time; and since they were entering with Theodotus and beginning their secret discussions, "it is not right for you," said the monk, "to abandon the purple, O emperor, and to take on the guise of a private citizen and thus to eat up the opinions of the many." And he, becoming at once impassioned and frenzied by this saying, and otherwise thinking it to be from divine foreknowledge, truly followed like a shadow to a statue, and was wholly attached and hung from his ears like some clay vessel to the monk's words. But these things have also been said by those before us through metrical poetry. 17 At once, then, he proclaimed the destruction of the holy icons, and demanded that the patriarch (this was Nikephoros) consent to this in his own handwriting, if he were not to have exile decreed against him. But he, inferring from other things the tyrant's enmity toward the divine, judging it better to be led away than to be with such a man, was led away to the confession decreed against him; and Theodotos Kassiteras received the throne of the hierarchy as a prize 29 at the time of the divine Pascha. And it is worthwhile not to pass over the proof. For Nikephoros, as head of the priesthood, sought his consent to the divine faith through the sacred creed; but he said he would not do this now, but would postpone it until the proclamation of his reign was fully completed, the postponement showing that he himself was already possessed from birth by the madness of heresy. (18) and another thing clearer than what has been said; for when, having just for the first time been proclaimed, he required the diadem, and the high priest had to place this on his accursed head, he approached it and, feeling not soft hair, as it seemed, but thorns and thistles, which were there in truth, he became aware, as if pierced by barbs and his hand transfixed with pains. But these things were earlier; then, indeed, the patriarch went into exile, having received the condemning vote, when indeed it is said that as he was being carried on a merchant ship far off at some seaside place, he saw from afar Theophanes the blessed, welcoming him with incense and lamps, sending forth a kind of procession for that good confession. whom, as was fitting, having deemed worthy of reception and having commended to God through prayer, he as it were raised his hands on high and embraced him, giving a final greeting from afar. And when one of his followers asked to whom he was giving this 30 prayerfully and desirously, he said with a prophetic tongue, "To Theophanes the confessor, the abbot of the monastery of the Field." This also came to pass not long after; for he himself had never seen him, and that one had assumed the crown of confession. And so it was with the high priest. 19 But he, having made it a kind of auspicious beginning of his reign to manage the affairs of the church in this way, and suffering from ambition if anyone did, took charge of public affairs, everywhere carrying his sting with him like the wasps, himself training the mass of soldiers, and raising cities from their foundations in many places throughout Thrace and Macedonia, and traveling about everywhere, so as to be fearsome and terrifying even to his enemies. Concerning which things they say that Saint Nikephoros once said after his death that although he was an avenging spirit, still the city had lost a man who was a careful administrator of public affairs. And concerning offices and commands, not only the civil but also the military, he was intensely excited; being himself superior to money, he preferred the most unbribable of all, honoring all according to merit and not according to wealth.

καὶ τρισκαιδέκατον ἀρί- θμει τῶν ἀποστόλων, καὶ παῖδας παίδων ἐπὶ θρόνου τῆς βασι- λείας ἰδεῖν, ει γε Λέοντος ἐξ ̓Ισαυρίας συστοιχεῖ πως τῷ δόγματι. μὴ ὑπισχνουμένου δὲ ἀλλ' ἀπαναινομένου, τὴν ἐξώλειαν καὶ ἀπώ- λειαν καὶ κρημνοὺς καὶ βάραθρα ἠπειλῆσθαι τούτῳ ἐπόμνυε ἐκ θεοῦ. ταῦτ' ουν ἐκ σκαιωρίας καὶ γνώμης πονηρᾶς ἀναδιδάξας, τὸν βασιλέα ηγεν κατὰ τὸν δηλωθέντα καιρόν· καὶ ἐπείπερ εἰσῄε- σαν μετὰ τοῦ Θεοδότου καὶ τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἀπήρχοντο, "οὐ χρή σε" εφη ὁ μοναχός "τὴν ἁλουργίδα καταλιμπάνοντα, ω βασιλεῦ, ἰδιώτου σχῆμα ἀλλάσσεσθαι καὶ τρώγειν γνώμας ουτω τὰς τῶν πολλῶν." καὶ ος ἐκπαθὴς αμα καὶ παραπλὴξ τῷ ῥήματι τούτῳ γενόμενος, καὶ αλλως οἰηθεὶς ἐκ θείας ειναι προγνώσεως, ὡς σκιὰ τῷ ἀνδριάντι ειπετο ἀληθῶς, καὶ ολως ηρτητο καὶ ἐκρέματο ἐξ ωτων ωσπερ τι κεραμοῦν ἀγγεῖον τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ μοναχοῦ. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ειρηται καὶ τοῖς πρὸ ἡμῶν διὰ μέτρου ποιήσεως. 17 Αὐτίκα γοῦν τὴν τῶν σεπτῶν εἰκόνων ἀναγορεύει καθαίρεσιν, καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην (Νικηφόρος δὲ ουτος ην) γραφῇ αὐτοχείρῳ ἠξίου τοῦτο συγκατατίθεσθαι, ει γε μὴ μέλλοι ὑπερο- ρίαν καταψηφίζεσθαι. ὁ δὲ καὶ αλλοθεν τεκμηράμενος τὴν τοῦ τυράννου πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ἀπέχθειαν, αγεσθαι μᾶλλον η  συνεῖναι τοιούτῳ κρίνας ἀπήγετο πρὸς τὴν καταψηφισθεῖσαν ὁμολογίαν· καὶ Θεόδοτος ὁ Κασσιτερᾶς τὸν τῆς ἱεραρχίας θρόνον αθλον 29 ἐλάμβανε κατὰ τὸν τοῦ θείου πάσχα καιρόν. αξιον δὲ μηδὲ τὸ τεκμήριον παραδραμεῖν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ Νικηφόρος, ατε τῆς ἱερωσύ- νης προϊστάμενος, ἐζήτει τὴν διὰ τοῦ ἱεροῦ συμβόλου πρὸς τὴν θείαν πίστιν συγκατάθεσιν· ὁ δὲ οὐκ εφη νῦν τοῦτο ποιήσειν, ὑπερθέσθαι δὲ μέχρις αν ἡ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῷ τελείως ἀνάρρησις γένηται, δηλούσης τῆς ἀναβολῆς ὡς καὶ αὐτοῦ γε προενισχημένου τῇ τῆς αἱρέσεως μανίᾳ ἐκ γενετῆς. (18) ετερον δὲ τοῦ λεχθέντος σαφέστερον· ὡς γὰρ αρτι τὸ πρῶτον ἀνηγορευμένος ἐδεῖτο τοῦ διαδήματος, καὶ τοῦτο εδει τὸν ἀρχιερέα τῇ καταπτύστῳ ἐπιθεῖναι κεφαλῇ, προσήγγισεν δὲ ταύτῃ καὶ κατεπαφώμενος οὐ τριχῶν, οπερ ἐδόκει, μαλακῶν, ἀκανθῶν δὲ καὶ τριβόλων, οπερ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ἐνῆν, ἐν αἰσθήσει ἐγένετο, ἀκίσιν οιον κατακεντούμε- νος καὶ τὴν χεῖρα ὀδύναις περιπειρόμενος ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν πρότερον· τότε γοῦν ὁ πατριάρχης ὑπερόριος, τὴν καταχει- ροτονήσασαν ψῆφον δεξάμενος, ἐπορεύετο, οτε δὴ καὶ λέγεται ἐφ' ὁλκάδος αὐτῷ φερομένῳ μακρὰν κατά τινα τόπον παρα- θαλάττιον πόρρωθεν ἰδεῖν Θεοφάνην τὸν μακαρίτην, θυμιά- μασί τε καὶ λαμπάσι δεξιούμενον, οιόν τινα προπομπὴν τῇ καλῇ ἐκείνῃ ὁμολογίᾳ προπέμποντα. ον ὡς εἰκὸς ἀποδοχῆς ἀξιώσας καὶ θεῷ παραδοὺς δι' εὐχῆς, τὰς χεῖρας οιον αρας μεταρσίως περιε- βάλετο τοῦτον, πόρρωθεν τὸν τελευταῖον ἀποδοὺς ἀσπασμόν. ἐρο- μένου δέ τινος τῶν συνεπομένων, ὡς δὴ τίνι τοῦτον ἀποδίδως εὐ- 30 κτῶς τε καὶ ἐφετῶς, "τῷ ὁμολογητῇ" φάναι "Θεοφάνει" προφή- τιδι γλώττῃ, "μονῇ προεστῶτι τοῦ ̓Αγροῦ." ο  καὶ συνέβη μετ' οὐ πολύ· αὐτός τε γὰρ τοῦτον ἑώρακεν οὐδαμῶς, κἀκεῖνος τὸν τῆς ὁμολογίας στέφανον ἀνεδήσατο. καὶ τὰ μὲν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως ουτως. 19 Αὐτὸς δὲ οιόν τινα τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας ἀρχὴν ἐπι- θεὶς δεξιὰν τὸ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας οὑτωσὶ διοικονομῆσαι, καὶ τὴν φιλοτιμίαν ειπερ τις νοσῶν, τῶν κοινῶν πραγμάτων ἀντελαμβά- νετο, πανταχοῦ τὸ κέντρον κατὰ τοὺς σφῆκας φέρων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, τὸν στρατιώτην τε οχλον γυμνάζων αὐτός, καὶ πόλεις πολλαχοῦ τῶν κατὰ Θρᾴκην καὶ Μακεδονίαν δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἐκ βάθρων ἀνεγεί- ρων, καὶ περιπορευόμενος πανταχοῦ, ὡς φοβερὸς ειναι καὶ κατα- πληκτικὸς καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἐχθροῖς. ὑπὲρ ων καὶ τὸν αγιον Νικη- φόρον φασὶν εἰπεῖν ποτὲ μετὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀποβίωσιν ὡς εἰ καὶ ἀλά- στορα, ἀλλ' ουν ἐπιμελητὴν τῶν κοινῶν ἡ πόλις ανδρα ἀπώλεσεν. καὶ περὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς δὲ καὶ ἡγεμονίας, οὐ τὰς πολιτικὰς δὴ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς στρατηγικάς, διεπτόητο ἰσχυρῶς· χρημάτων κρείτ- των αὐτὸς ων τοὺς ἀδωροτάτους πάντων προέκρινεν, ἀριστίνδην πάντας ἀλλ' οὐ κατὰ πλοῦτον τιμῶν.