and he permitted the patriarch to hold a hearing with the resident synod concerning the matters between the parties and to discuss the issue at hand. And when the council was assembled and the case brought forward, the opposing party, using what they thought were their rights, said that the throne of Antioch is patriarchal and apostolic, and that the other eparchies ought to be under it. And to those present, they seemed to be speaking reasonably. But the blessed Anthemius, after a short pause, replied, saying: "But my throne too, O excellent sirs, is apostolic from the beginning and from of old, honored with liberty, and I have a whole-bodied apostle in my homeland, the thrice-blessed Barnabas, of holy renown." When this was said, there was no longer room for contradiction, as the bishops ratified his statement with silence; and the opposing party stood by speechless with shame, astonished at the reasonableness of the reply.
When the emperor learned these things, he hastily summoned the bishop of Cyprus and inquired about the revelation of the holy apostle Barnabas; and he, hiding nothing of the truth, recounted everything in order to the emperor. And when he heard, he rejoiced greatly, marveling at the rich grace of God, that in the time of his reign He had performed so great a wonder. Then he dismissed the bishop of Antioch from his presence, ordering that from now on the bishop of Cyprus should not be troubled at all on account of this matter. Then he entreated the blessed bishop Anthemius, saying: "Since our Lord Jesus Christ has been pleased to reveal His holy apostle Barnabas in the time of your holy episcopate, order that the gospel which was found be brought here to me with speed, granting me in this, your son, a very great favor; for you will have me from now on obedient in all things to your paternity." And the bishop, assenting, sent one of the bishops with him along with a most faithful man of the emperor; and taking the gospel, they brought it up to Constantinople, its covers being of citron wood. And the emperor, taking and kissing it and having adorned it with gold, deposited it in the palace, where it is kept to this day; for on the Great Thursday of Pascha each year they read the gospel from it in the oratory of the palace. And the emperor, having greatly honored the bishop, sent him away to Cyprus with much money and with a command, instructing him to build a church to the holy apostle Barnabas on the spot where his precious relic was found; and many of the great men also gave him money for the building of the church. And having reached Cyprus and gathered a multitude of artisans and workers, he did not undertake the construction as a secondary task, but raised a most immense church to the apostle, splendid in its construction, more splendid in the variety of its decoration, encircled on the outside by porticoes. And along the south side of the church, he made a great courtyard, having four porticoes; and having built small houses on this side and that of the courtyard, he ordered the monks who perform the divine liturgies in the church to dwell in them; and bringing an aqueduct from afar, he made it to gush forth richly, having built a most beautiful reservoir in the middle of the courtyard, so that those dwelling in the place and strangers might have abundant enjoyment of the running water. And he built many other guesthouses in the place for the repose of visiting strangers; and that place was to be seen, imitating in its beauty a certain small and very pleasant city. And he placed the holy reliquary of the apostle to the right of the altar, having adorned the place with sufficient silver and marble; and they decreed that the day of the glorious memory of the thrice-blessed apostle and noble martyr Barnabas should be celebrated each year, according to the Romans on the third day before the Ides of June, but according to
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αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπέτρεψε τῷ πατριάρχῃ διακοῦσαι μετὰ τῆς ἐνδημούσης συνόδου τὰ μεταξὺ τῶν μερῶν καὶ τὸ παριστάμενον διαλαλῆσαι. Τοῦ δὲ συνεδρίου συγκροτηθέντος καὶ τῆς ὑποθέσεως κινηθείσης, οἱ ἐξεναντίας χρώμενοι, ὡς ᾤ οντο, τοῖς ἑαυτῶν δικαίοις, ἔλεγον ὅτι πατριαρχικός ἐστιν ὁ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων θρόνος καὶ ἀποστολικός, καὶ δεῖ τὰς ἄλλας ἐπαρχίας εἶναι ὑπ' αὐτόν. Ἐδόκουν δὲ τοῖς παροῦσιν εὔλογα λέγειν. Ὁ δὲ μακάριος Ἀνθέμιος, μικρὸν ἐπισχών, ἀνθυπήνεγκε, λέγων· "Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἐμός, ὦ βέλτιστοι, θρόνος ἀποστολικός ἐστιν ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξαρχῆς, ἐλευθερίᾳ τετιμημένος, καὶ ἀπόστολον ὁλόσωμον ἔχω ἐν τῇ πατρίδι μου, τὸν ἐν ἁγίαις εὐφημίαις Βαρνάβαν τὸν τρισμακάριον." Τούτου λαληθέντος, οὐκέτι ἦν τόπος ἀντιλογίας, τῶν ἐπισκόπων κυρωσάντων σιωπῇ τὸν λόγον· καὶ οἱ ἐξεναντίας δὲ εἱστήκεισαν μετ' αἰσχύνης ἐνεοί, τὸ εὔλογον τῆς ἀποκρίσεως ἐκπληττόμενοι.
Ταῦτα μαθών, ὁ βασιλεύς, μετὰ σπουδῆς μεταπεμψάμενος τὸν ἐπίσκοπον Κύπρου, ἐπυνθάνετο περὶ τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως τοῦ ἁγίου ἀποστόλου Βαρνάβα· ὁ δὲ μηδὲν τἀληθοῦς ἀποκρύψας, πάντα καθεξῆς διηγήσατο τῷ βα σιλεῖ· ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας, ἐχάρη λίαν, θαυμάζων ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ πλουσίᾳ χάριτι, ὅτι ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ τηλικοῦτον θαῦμα ἐποίησεν. Τότε ἀπεσόβησεν ἀπ' αὐ τοῦ τὸν Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπον, κελεύσας τοῦ λοιποῦ τὸ παράπαν μὴ παρενοχλεῖσθαι τὸν ἐπίσκοπον Κύπρου ἕνεκεν τῆς ὑποθέσεως ταύτης. Τότε παρεκάλει τὸν μακάριον Ἀνθέμιον τὸν ἐπίσκοπον, λέγων· "Ἐπειδήπερ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις τῆς ἁγίας σου ἱεραρχίας εὐδόκησεν ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν ἅγιον αὐτοῦ ἀπόστολον Βαρνάβαν, κέλευσον ἐνταῦθά μοι τὸ τάχος ἀνακομισθῆναι τὸ εὑρεθὲν εὐαγγέλιον, χαριζόμενός μοι ἐν τούτῳ, τῷ τέκνῳ σου, χάριν ὅτι μάλιστα πλείστην· ἕξεις γὰρ κἀμὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν εἰς πάντα ὑπακούοντα τῇ σῇ πατρωσύνῃ."Ἐπινεύσας δὲ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος, ἀπέστειλεν ἕνα τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ ἐπισκόπων μετὰ πιστοτάτου ἀνθρώπου τοῦ βασι λέως· καὶ λαβόντες τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἀνήγαγον ἐν Κων σταντινουπόλει, ἔχον ἐκ θυΐνων ξύλων τὰ πτύχια. Λαβὼν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ καταφιλήσας καὶ χρυσίῳ κατακοσμή σας, ἀπέθετο ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ καὶ μέχρι τῆς σήμερον φυλάττεται· ἐν γὰρ τῇ μεγάλῃ πέμπτῃ τοῦ Πάσχα καθ' ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀναγινώσκουσι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἐν τῷ εὐκτηρίῳ τοῦ παλατίου. Τὸν δὲ ἐπίσκοπον μεγάλως ὁ βασιλεὺς τιμήσας, ἀπέλυσεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν Κύπρον μετὰ χρημάτων πολλῶν καὶ κελεύσεως, ἐντειλάμενος αὐτῷ ἐγεῖραι ναὸν τῷ ἁγίῳ ἀποστόλῳ Βαρνάβᾳ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ἔνθα εὑρέθη τὸ τίμιον αὐτοῦ λείψανον· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν μεγιστάνων δεδώκασιν αὐτῷ χρήματα εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ ναοῦ. Ὁ δὲ καταλαβὼν τὴνΚυπρίων καὶ συναγαγὼν πλῆθος τεχνιτῶν καὶ ἐργατῶν, οὐ παρέργως εἴχετο τῆς οἰκοδομῆς, ἀλλ' ἤγειρε ναὸν τῷ ἀποστόλῳ παμμεγεθέστατον, λαμπρὸν τοῖς μηχανήμασι, λαμπρότερον τῇ ποικιλίᾳ τῆς διακοσμήσεως, ἐμβόλοις ἔξωθεν κύκλῳ περιεσφιγμένον. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ κλίτος τοῦ ναοῦ τὸ πρὸς λίβα, ἐποίησεν αὐλὴν μεγάλην, τέσσαρας στοὰς ἔχουσαν· καὶ οἰκίσκους ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν τῆς αὐλῆς οἰκοδομήσας, καταμένειν ἐν αὐτοῖς προσέταξε τοὺς τὰς θείας ἐν τῷ ναῷ λειτουργίας ἐπιτελοῦντας μοναχούς· τὸν δὲ ὑδραγωγὸν ἐνέγκας ἀπὸ μακρόθεν, ἀναβλύσαι πλουσίως πεποίηκε, ἐν μέσῳ τῆς αὐλῆς ὑδροδοχεῖον κάλλιστον οἰκοδομήσας, ὅπως οἱ παροικοῦντες ἐν τῷ τόπῳ καὶ οἱ ξένοι ἔχωσιν ἀφθόνως τὴν τοῦ νάματος ἀπόλαυσιν. Πολλὰς δὲ καὶ ἑτέρας ξενίας ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν τῶν ἐπιδημούντων ξένων· καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν ἐκεῖνον τὸν χῶρον, τῇ ὡραιότητι μιμούμενον μικρὰν τινὰ πόλιν καὶ τερπνὴν λίαν. Τὴν δὲ ἁγία τοῦ ἀποστόλου θήκην ἀπέθετο ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ἀργυρίῳ ἱκανῷ καὶ μαρμάροις κατακοσμήσας τὸν τόπον· τὴν δὲ ἡμέραν τῆς ἐνδόξου μνήμης τοῦ τρισμακαρίου ἀποστόλου καὶ γενναίου μάρτυρος Βαρνάβα ἐδικαίωσαν γίνεσθαι καθ' ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτόν, κατὰ μὲν Ῥωμαίους τῇ πρὸ τριῶν εἰδῶν Ἰουνίων, κατὰ δὲ
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