12

to provide. Thus indeed, governing the whole time of his reign in stability and calm, with his children and wife, along with the service of his household, he consecrated his entire house to the one King of all, God, so that the multitude assembled within the palace itself lacked nothing of a church of God, with whom were also ministers of God, who performed the continual services on behalf of the emperor, and these things were done by this man alone, at a time when among the others the race of the God-fearing was not permitted even to be so named. 1.18.1 And closely following these things for him was the reward from God, so that he even came to share in the primacy of the imperial rule. For those who were his seniors in time, I know not how, withdrew from power, a sudden change having befallen them after the first year of the siege of the churches, and Constantius alone was henceforth proclaimed first Augustus and Sebastos, at first being made glorious with the diadem of the Caesars and having received the primacy of these, and after his probation in these matters he was adorned with the highest honor among the Romans, becoming the first Sebastos of the four who were afterwards appointed. 1.18.2 But also in the blessing of children he alone excelled the other emperors, having raised up a very large company of sons and daughters. And when in a ripe old age, paying the debt to our common nature, he was about to depart this life, then again God appeared as a worker of wondrous deeds for him, arranging for his eldest son Constantine to be present for the reception of the empire as he was about to die. 1.19.1 For this man was with the sharers of the imperial power, and in their midst, as it has been said, like that ancient prophet of God, he passed his time. And having already passed from boyhood to young manhood, he was deemed worthy of the highest honor among them; such as we ourselves knew him when he was passing through the land of Palestine with the senior of the emperors, at whose right hand he stood, most conspicuous to those who wished to see, providing even then proofs of a royal mind. 1.19.2 For in beauty of form and stature of body 1.19.2 there was no one to compare with him, and in physical strength he so surpassed his peers as to be an object of fear to them, but he prided himself on the virtues of his soul rather than the advantages of his body, adorning his soul first of all with moderation, and then being pre-eminently distinguished by literary education, by natural intelligence, and by God-given wisdom. 1.20.1 Therefore, the rulers of that time, seeing the young man exulting in these things, robust and great and full of spirit, with envy and fear, thinking that his continued presence with them was not safe, devised secret plots against him, being careful, out of respect for his father, not to inflict upon him an open death. 1.20.2 Becoming aware of this, the young man, since the plot became manifest to him a first and a second time by the inspiration of God, sought safety in flight, in this too preserving the example of the great prophet Moses. And in all this God was his helper, providing for him to be present for the succession of his father. 1.21.1 Immediately, then, when having escaped the devices of his plotters he arrived in haste to his father, at the same time he himself had long been present, and at the same moment his father's life was at its very end. 1.21.2 And when Constantius unexpectedly saw his son standing by, leaping from his bed and embracing him with both hands, he said that he had cast from his soul the only sorrow for him as he was about to lay down his life (and this was the absence of his son), he sent up a prayer of thanksgiving to God, saying that he now reckoned death better for him than immortality, and indeed he began to set his own affairs in order, having arrayed his sons and daughters together, who encircled him like a chorus, in the palace itself upon the imperial couch, and having handed over the inheritance of the empire by the law of nature to the eldest of his children, he rested. 1.22.1

12

παρέχειν. οὕτω δῆτα τὸν πάντα τῆς βασιλείας χρόνον εὐσταθῆ καὶ γαλήνιον διακυβερνῶν αὐτοῖς παισὶ καὶ γαμετῇ σὺν οἰκετῶν θεραπείᾳ πάντα τὸν αὐτοῦ οἶκον ἑνὶ τῷ παμβασιλεῖ θεῷ καθιέρου, ὡς μηδὲν ἀποδεῖν ἐκκλησίας θεοῦ τὴν ἔνδον ἐν αὐτοῖς βασιλείοις συγκροτουμένην πληθύν, ᾗ συνῆσαν καὶ λειτουργοὶ θεοῦ, οἳ τὰς ὑπὲρ βασιλέως διηνεκεῖς ἐξετέλουν λατρείας, καὶ ταῦτα παρὰ μόνῳ τῷδε συνετελεῖτο, ὅτε παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς οὐδὲ μέχρι ψιλῆς ἐπηγορίας τὸ τῶν θεοσεβῶν χρηματίζειν συνεχωρεῖτο γένος. 1.18.1 Τούτοις δ' ἐγγύθεν αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς ἐκ θεοῦ παρηκολούθει ἀμοιβῆς, ὥστ' ἤδη καὶ πρωτείων τῆς αὐτοκρατορικῆς ἀρχῆς μετασχεῖν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῷ χρόνῳ προάγοντες οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ὑπεξίσταντο τῆς ἀρχῆς, αὐτοῖς ἀθρόας μεταβολῆς μετὰ τὸ πρῶτον ἔτος τῆς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν πολιορκίας ἐπισκηψάσης, μόνος δὲ λοιπὸν Κωνστάντιος πρῶτος αὔγουστος ὁ καὶ σεβαστὸς ἀνηγορεύετο, τὸ μὲν κατ' ἀρχὰς τῷ τῶν καισάρων διαδήματι λαμπρυνόμενος καὶ τούτων ἀπειληφὼς τὰ πρωτεῖα, μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐν τούτοις δοκιμὴν τῇ τῶν ἀνωτάτω παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ἐκοσμεῖτο τιμῇ, πρῶτος σεβαστὸς τεττάρων τῶν ὕστερον 1.18.2 ἀναδειχθέντων χρηματίσας. ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐτεκνίᾳ μόνος παρὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς αὐτοκράτορας διήνεγκε, παίδων ἀρρένων καὶ θηλειῶν μέγιστον χορὸν συστησάμενος. ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς αὐτῷ λιπαρῷ γήρᾳ τῇ κοινῇ φύσει τὸ χρεὼν ἀποδιδοὺς λοιπὸν τὸν βίον μεταλλάττειν ἔμελλεν, ἐνταῦθα πάλιν ὁ θεὸς παραδόξων αὐτῷ ποιητὴς ἀνεφαίνετο ἔργων, μέλλοντι τελευτᾶν τὸν πρῶτον τῶν παίδων Κωνσταντῖνον εἰς ὑποδοχὴν τῆς βασιλείας παρεῖναι οἰκονομησάμενος. 1.19.1 Συνῆν μὲν γὰρ οὗτος τοῖς τῆς βασιλείας κοινωνοῖς, καὶ μέσοις αὐτοῖς, ὡς εἴρηται, κατ' αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν παλαιὸν τοῦ θεοῦ προφήτην τὰς διατριβὰς ἐποιεῖτο. ἤδη δ' ἐκ τοῦ παιδὸς ἐπὶ τὸν νεανίαν διαβὰς τιμῆς τῆς πρώτης παρ' αὐτοῖς ἠξιοῦτο· οἷον αὐτὸν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἔγνωμεν τὸ Παλαιστινῶν διερχόμενον ἔθνος σὺν τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ τῶν βασιλέων, οὗ καὶ ἐπὶ δεξιὰ παρεστὼς περιφανέστατος ἦν τοῖς ὁρᾶν ἐθέλουσιν, οἷός τε βασιλικοῦ φρονήματος ἐξ ἐκείνου 1.19.2 τεκμήρια παρέχων. σώματος μὲν γὰρ εἰς κάλλους ὥραν μέγεθός τε ἡλικίας 1.19.2 οὐδ' ἦν αὐτῷ παραβαλεῖν ἕτερον, ῥώμῃ δ' ἰσχύος τοσοῦτον ἐπλεονέκτει τοὺς ὁμήλικας ὡς καὶ φοβερὸν αὐτοῖς εἶναι, ταῖς δὲ κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀρεταῖς μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς κατὰ τὸ σῶμα πλεονεκτήμασιν ἐνηβρύνετο, σωφροσύνῃ πρώτιστα πάντων τὴν ψυχὴν κοσμούμενος, κἄπειτα παιδεύσει λόγων φρονήσει τ' ἐμφύτῳ καὶ τῇ θεοσδότῳ σοφίᾳ διαφερόντως ἐκπρέπων. 1.20.1 Γαῦρον δὴ οὖν ἐπὶ τούτοις ῥωμαλέον τε καὶ μέγαν φρονήματός τε μεστὸν τὸν νεανίαν οἱ τηνικαῦτα κρατοῦντες θεώμενοι φθόνῳ καὶ φόβῳ, τὰς σὺν αὐτῷ διατριβὰς οὐκ ἀσφαλεῖς αὐτοῖς εἶναι διανοηθέντες, ἐπιβουλὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ λαθραίας ἐμηχανῶντο, αἰδοῖ τῇ πρὸς τὸν αὐτοῦ πατέρα προφανῆ θάνατον 1.20.2 αὐτῷ προστρίψασθαι φυλαττόμενοι. ὃ δὴ συναισθόμενος ὁ νεανίας, ἐπεὶ καὶ πρῶτον αὐτῷ καὶ δεύτερον κατάφωρα θεοῦ συμπνεύσει τὰ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἐγίγνετο, φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐπορίζετο κἀν τούτῳ τοῦ μεγάλου προφήτου Μωϋσέως τὸ μίμημα διασῴζων. τὸ δὲ πᾶν αὐτῷ συνέπραττεν ὁ θεός, τῇ 1.21.1 τοῦ πατρὸς διαδοχῇ προμηθούμενος αὐτὸν παρεῖναι. αὐτίκα δ' οὖν ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἐπιβούλων τὰς μηχανὰς διαδρὰς σπεύδων ἀφίκετο πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ὁμοῦ μὲν αὐτὸς χρόνιος παρῆν, κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ τῷ πατρὶ τὰ τῆς τοῦ βίου τελευτῆς ἐπὶ ξυροῦ ἵστατο. ὡς δ' ἀπροσδόκητον εἶδεν ὁ Κωνστάντιος παρεστῶτα τὸν παῖδα, ἐξαλλόμενος τῆς στρωμνῆς περιβαλών τε αὐτὸν τὼ χεῖρε καὶ τὸ μόνον λυπηρὸν αὐτῷ μέλλοντι τὸν βίον ἀποτίθεσθαι (τοῦτο δ' ἦν ἡ τοῦ παιδὸς ἀπουσία) τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποβεβληκέναι εἰπών, εὐχάριστον ἀνέπεμπε τῷ θεῷ τὴν εὐχήν, νῦν αὐτῷ τὸν θάνατον ἀθανασίας κρείττονα 1.21.2 λογίσασθαι φήσας, καὶ δὴ τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν διετάττετο, υἱοῖς θ' ἅμα καὶ θυγατράσι συνταξάμενος χοροῦ δίκην αὐτὸν κυκλοῦσιν, ἐν αὐτοῖς βασιλείοις ἐπὶ βασιλικῇ στρωμνῇ, τὸν κλῆρον τῆς βασιλείας νόμῳ φύσεως τῷ τῇ ἡλικίᾳ προάγοντι τῶν παίδων παραδούς, διανεπαύσατο. 1.22.1