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they promised oracles and foreknowledge of future events with much flattery to those then in power, but they did not know how to foreknow their own destruction nor prophesy it to themselves, which indeed would be the greatest proof of the refutation of their deceit. 9.4 For indeed, none of those anciently admired for oracles ever foretold the shining forth of the common Savior to mankind, nor the new preaching of the knowledge of God put forth by him; but not even the Pythian himself understood, nor any other of the great demons, their own desolation, nor did he prophesy their besieger, nor divine their own destroyer. 9.5 But what oracle-monger or seer foretold that their own solemn rites would be extinguished by the appearance of a new person in the world, and that the knowledge of and piety toward the King of all would be handed down to all men? Who foreknew this solemn and godly sovereignty, and our glorious victor himself, and the trophies raised by him against demons everywhere on earth, and the destruction of the high places? 9.6 And what hero ever declared the melting down by fire and the change of lifeless things from a useless form into necessary uses? But when their wooden images were being melted down and ridiculously cut into small pieces, what god ever made mention of it? 9.7 And where were their helpers, that they did not defend their own consecrated objects as they were being destroyed by men? Where were they who formerly instigated wars, as they watched their own besiegers continuing in deepest peace? And where were those who took courage in these as gods and lifted up their thoughts with vain confidence, who raised error to a height and took up an unheralded war against the champions of the truth? 9.8 Where is the band of god-fighting giants and the hissings of the serpents, who, having sharpened their tongues, sent forth godless words against the King of all? But they, having made war on the King of all, trusting in a multitude of gods, advanced with a great force of a military hand, putting forward idols of dead men in lifeless statues, but he, fenced with the breastplate of piety, set up the saving and life-giving sign against the multitude of the enemy like some object of terror and defense against evils, and at once carried off the victory against enemies and against demons, then with grateful reasoning, giving a prayer of thanksgiving to the cause of the victory, with a loud voice and on pillars he proclaimed to all men the victory-bringing sign, raising this great trophy against all enemies in the midst of the ruling city, and expressly declaring this inextinguishable saving sign to be the guardian of the Roman empire and of the universal sovereignty. 9.9 This indeed he taught all men to know, and above all the military, who especially ought not to fasten their hopes on spears and full armor nor on the strength of their bodies, but to know the God who is over all, the giver of every good and of victory itself. 9.10 Thus indeed the emperor himself, O wondrous tale, became a teacher of liturgical prayers to his army, and he delivered pious prayers in accordance with divine statutes, raising their hands on high to heaven, and sending up the eyes of their mind to the heavenly King above, and invoking him in their prayers as giver of victory, savior, guardian, and helper; yes, and to consider as the day suitable for prayers the Lord’s day, which is truly and in fact the first, the Lord’s, and the saving day, the very day named after light and life, and immortality and every good. 9.11 And he himself having become his own teacher of good things, honoring his own Savior in the imperial chambers themselves, in this way he fulfilled divine ordinances with prayers, and in that way he educated his mind with the hearing of sacred words, and as his ministers and servants men consecrated to God, adorned with gravity of life and virtue, were appointed guardians of the whole household, and faithful spearmen, bodyguards

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χρησμοὺς καὶ μελλόντων προγνώσεις σὺν κολακείᾳ πολλῇ τοῖς τότε κρατοῦσιν ἐπηγγέλλοντο, τὸν δὲ σφῶν ὄλεθρον οὐκ ἔγνωσαν προγνῶναι οὐδὲ προφῆσαι σφίσιν αὐτοῖς, ὃ δὴ καὶ μέγιστον γένοιτ' ἂν δεῖγμα τοῦ τῆς ἀπάτης ἐλέγχου. 9.4 οὐδεὶς γοῦν πώποτε τῶν ἐπὶ χρησμοῖς πάλαι θαυμαζομένων τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἔκλαμψιν τοῦ κοινοῦ σωτῆρος προηγόρευσεν οὐδὲ τὸ νέον κήρυγμα τῆς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ προβληθείσης θεογνωσίας· ἀλλ' οὐδ' αὐτὸς ὁ Πύθιος συνῆκεν οὐδ' ἕτερος τῶν μεγαλοδαιμόνων τὴν οἰκείαν ἐρημίαν οὐδὲ τὸν πολιορκητὴν ἐθέσπισεν οὐδὲ τὸν αὐτῶν καθαιρέτην ἐμαντεύσατο. 9.5 τίς δὲ χρησμῳδὸς ἢ μάντις τὰ μὲν αὐτῶν σεμνὰ νέου τινὸς ἐπιφανέντος τῷ βίῳ σβεσθήσεσθαι, τὴν δ' εἰς τὸν πάντων βασιλέα γνῶσίν τε καὶ εὐσέβειαν πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις παραδοθήσεσθαι προηγόρευσεν; τίς τὸ σεμνὸν τουτὶ καὶ θεοσεβὲς βασίλειον αὐτόν τε τὸν καλλίνικον ἡμῶν τά τε κατὰ δαιμόνων αὐτῷ πανταχοῦ γῆς ἀνεγηγερμένα τρόπαια καὶ τῶν ὑψηλῶν τὸν ἀφανισμὸν προέγνω; 9.6 τὴν δὲ διὰ πυρὸς χωνείαν καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀχρήστου ἰδέας εἰς ἀναγκαίας χρήσεις τῶν ἀψύχων μεταβολὴν τίς πώποτε ἡρώων διεστείλατο; χωνευομένων δ' αὐτοῖς τῶν ξοάνων εἰς λεπτόν τε γελοίως κατακοπτομένων τίς πώποτε θεῶν ἐμνημόνευσεν; 9.7 ποῖ δ' ἦσαν οἱ τούτων ἀρωγοὶ μὴ οὐχὶ ἐπαμύνειν τοῖς αὐτῶν ἀφιερώμασιν ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων ἀφανιζομένοις; ποῖ ποτ' ἦσαν οἱ τοὺς πολέμους τὸ πρὶν ἐνεργοῦντες, τοὺς σφῶν πολιορκητὰς ἐν βαθυτάτῃ διατελοῦντας εἰρήνῃ θεώμενοι; ποῖ δὲ οἱ τούτοις ὡς θεοῖς ἐπιθαρσοῦντες καὶ πεποιθήσει ματαίᾳ τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἐπαιρό μενοι, οἱ τὴν μὲν πλάνην εἰς ὕψος ἐγείραντες πόλεμον δ' ἀκήρυκτον κατὰ τῶν προμάχων τῆς ἀληθείας ἀράμενοι; 9.8 ποῖ τὸ τῶν θεομάχων γιγάντων στῖφος καὶ τῶν δρακόντων τὰ συρίγματα, οἳ τὰς γλώττας ἀκονήσαντες φωνὰς ἀθέους κατὰ τοῦ παμβασιλέως ἠφίεσαν; ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν ὅλων πεπολεμωμένοι πολυπληθείᾳ θεῶν θαρροῦντες, σὺν πολλῇ δυνάμει χειρὸς στρατιωτικῆς ἐπῄεσαν, νεκρῶν εἴδωλα καμόντων ἐν ἀψύχοις ἀγάλμασι προβεβλημένοι, ὁ δ' εὐσεβείας θώρακι πεφραγμένος τὸ σωτήριον καὶ ζωοποιὸν σημεῖον ὥσπερ τι φόβητρον καὶ κακῶν ἀμυντήριον τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἐναντίων ἀντιπαρατάξας, ὁμοῦ τὴν κατ' ἐχθρῶν καὶ κατὰ δαιμόνων νίκην ἀπηνέγκατο, εἶτ' εὐγνώμονι λογισμῷ χαριστήριον ἀποδιδοὺς εὐχὴν τῷ τῆς νίκης αἰτίῳ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ στήλαις ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις τὸ νικοποιὸν ἀνεκήρυττεν σημεῖον, μέσῃ τῇ βασιλευούσῃ πόλει μέγα τρόπαιον τουτὶ κατὰ πάντων πολεμίων ἐγείρας, διαρρήδην τε ἀνεξάλειπτον σωτήριον τουτὶ σημεῖον τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς καὶ τῆς καθόλου βασιλείας φυλακτήριον. 9.9 τοῦτο μὲν δὴ γνωρίζειν ἅπαντας ἐδίδασκεν ἀνθρώπους, πρό γε πάντων τὰ στρατιωτικά, οὓς δὴ μάλιστα χρῆναι μὴ δόρασι καὶ παντευχίαις μηδ' ἀλκῇ σωμάτων τὰς ἐλπίδας ἐξάπτειν, τὸν δ' ἐπὶ πάντων εἰδέναι θεόν, τὸν παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ καὶ αὐτῆς νίκης δοτῆρα. 9.10 οὕτω δὴ βασιλεὺς αὐτός, ὢ τῆς παραδόξου ἀκοῆς, λόγων εὐκτηρίων διδάσκαλος τῷ αὐτοῦ στρατῷ καθίστατο, εὐχάς τε εὐσεβεῖς θεσμοῖς ἀκολούθως παρεδίδου θείοις, ἄνω μὲν αἴροντας εἰς οὐρανὸν μετεώρους τὰς χεῖρας, ἀνωτάτω δ' ἐπὶ τὸν ἐπουράνιον βασιλέα τοὺς τῆς διανοίας παραπέμποντας ὀφθαλμούς, κἀκεῖνον ταῖς εὐχαῖς νίκης δοτῆρα σωτῆρα φύλακά τε καὶ βοηθὸν ἐπιβοωμένους· ναὶ μὴν καὶ ἡμέραν εὐχῶν ἡγεῖσθαι κατάλληλον τὴν κυρίαν ἀληθῶς καὶ πρώτην ὄντως κυριακήν τε καὶ σωτήριον, τὴν δὴ καὶ φωτὸς καὶ ζωῆς, ἀθανασίας τε καὶ ἀγαθοῦ παντὸς ἐπώνυμον. 9.11 αὐτός τε αὐτοῦ διδάσκαλος ἀγαθῶν ὑποστάς, ἐν αὐτοῖς βασιλικοῖς ταμείοις τὸν αὐτοῦ σωτῆρα γεραίρων, ὧδε μὲν εὐχαῖς θεσμοὺς ἐξετέλει θείους, ὧδε δὲ λόγων ἱερῶν ἀκοαῖς τὸν νοῦν ἐξεπαιδεύετο, διάκονοι δ' αὐτῷ καὶ ὑπηρέται θεῷ καθιερωμένοι, βίου τε σεμνότητι καὶ ἀρετῇ κεκοσμημένοι ἄνδρες, φύλακες τοῦ παντὸς οἴκου καθίσταντο, καὶ δορυφόροι δὲ πιστοί, σωματοφύλακες