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and having squeezed it into their cup, they would drink it. Therefore, having completed a journey of many days, they reached the desired mountain and, having worshipped their own master, they spent a long time there, considering the solitude of the place and the tranquility of the soul the greatest luxury. And on that rock, under which Moses, the chief of the prophets, while hiding was deemed worthy to see God, as it was possible to see, having built a church and consecrated a divine altar which has remained to this day, he returned to his own place of ascetic discipline. 2.14 But having learned of the threats of the emperor of the same name, but impious—for having threatened utter destruction to the pious, he set out on his campaign against the Persians, and those of like mind gaped for that abominable return—, he then offered up an earnest prayer to God and, having extended it for ten days, he heard a voice declaring that the foul and stinking swine had been slain. But he did not immediately conclude the prayer upon receiving the end of his petition, but changed his request into psalmody, offering up a hymn of thanksgiving to the savior of his own people and the forbearing and powerful enemy of others; for he was longsuffering for a very long time with the impious one; but since his longsuffering trained the fiend to a greater madness, he brought on the punishment at the opportune time. Having completed his prayer and turned back to his own people, he was clearly cheerful in his disposition. For his face showed that it was brightened with gladness. And when his companions marveled at the novelty of the sight—for being always seen as gloomy, he was then seen smiling—and inquired the cause: "The present time, O men," he said, "is for joy and gladness; for the impious one has ceased, according to the voice of Isaiah, and has paid the just penalty for his deeds of daring, and, having tyrannized against the God who made and saved him, he has received a just slaughter at the hand of a subject. For this reason I rejoice, beholding with exultation the churches warred against by him and seeing the sinner having obtained no help from the demons honored by him". So then, in the case of the slaughter of this impious man, he enjoyed such foreknowledge. 2.15 But when Valens also, who after him received the reins of the Roman empire, having abandoned the truth of the evangelical doctrines, accepted the deceit of the Arian error, then a greater tempest was stirred up against the church, with the pilots being driven out from all sides, and certain saboteurs and enemies being brought in instead. And so that I do not recount that entire tragedy at present, I will now leave out the rest, and will mention only one thing which will clearly show the grace of the divine spirit that blossomed in this Elder. The great Meletius was driven out from Antioch, he who had been entrusted by the God of all to shepherd it; and all those belonging to the sacred clergy were driven from the divine temples, together with the like-minded laity, those who professed the one divine substance of the Trinity. And now taking possession of the foot of the mountain, they held their sacred assemblies there; now they made the river bank their place of prayer; and at other times the military gymnasium, situated before the northern gate. For their enemies did not allow the pious to be established in one place. 2.16 But the disciples of falsehood babbled and spread a rumor in that city that the great Julianus, I mean this Elder, was embracing communion with the doctrines venerated by them. This especially distressed the pious, lest the rumor, having deceived the more simple and artless, to the of the

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ἀποθλίψαντες δὲ εἰς τὸν κώθωνα ἀποπίοιεν. Τοιγάρτοι πολλῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν ἐξανύσαντες, καταλαμβάνουσι τὸ ποθούμενον ὄρος καί, τὸν οἰκεῖον προσκυνήσαντες δεσπότην, πολὺν ἐκεῖ διετέλεσαν χρόνον, τοῦ χωρίου τὴν ἐρημίαν καὶ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἡσυχίαν τρυφὴν μεγίστην ἡγούμενοι. Ἐν ἐκείνῃ δὲ τῇ πέτρᾳ, ὑφ' ᾗ κρυπτόμενος Μωϋσῆς τῶν προφητῶν ὁ κορυφαῖος ἠξιώθη τὸν θεὸν ἰδεῖν, ὡς δυνατὸν ἦν ἰδεῖν, ἐκκλησίαν δειμάμενος καὶ θεῖον ἁγιάσας θυσιαστήριον ὃ καὶ εἰς δεῦρο διέμεινεν, εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανῆκε παλαίστραν. 2.14 Μαθὼν δὲ τοῦ ὁμωνύμου μέν, δυσσεβοῦς δὲ βασιλέως τὰς ἀπειλάς- πανωλεθρίαν γὰρ τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν ἀπειλήσας τὴν ἐπὶ Πέρσας πορείαν ἐστείλατο, καὶ ἐκεχήνεσαν οἱ τὰ αὐτὰ φρονοῦντες τὴν ἀπευκτὴν ἐκείνην ἐπάνοδον-, τηνικαῦτα σπουδαίαν τῷ θεῷ προσενεγκὼν προσευχὴν καὶ ταύτην μέχρι δεκάτης ἐκτείνας ἡμέρας, ἤκουσε φωνῆς φθεγγομένης, ὡς ὁ μυσαρὸς καὶ δυσώδης ἀνῄρηται χοῖρος. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῆς προσευχῆς τὸ πέρας δεξαμένης, εὐθὺς συνεπέρανε τὴν εὐχήν, ἀλλὰ τὴν αἴτησιν εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν μετέβαλεν, εὐχαρι στήριον ἀναπέμπων ὕμνον τῷ σωτῆρι τῶν οἰκείων καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἀνεξικάκῳ τε καὶ δυνατῷ πολεμίῳ· ἐμακρο θύμησε γὰρ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τῷ δυσσεβεῖ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡ μακροθυμία εἰς μείζονα λύτταν ἐπαιδοτρίβησε τὸν ἀλάστορα, εἰς καιρὸν τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπήγαγεν. Πεπληρωκὼς δὲ τὴν προσευχὴν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους ἐπιστραφεὶς δῆλος ἦν εὔθυμον τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχων. Θυμηδίᾳ γὰρ γεγανωμένον ἐδείκνυ τὸ πρόσωπον. Θαυμασάντων δὲ τῶν συνόντων τὸ καινὸν τοῦ θεάματος-σκυθρωπὸς γὰρ ἀεὶ φαινόμενος, τηνικαῦτα μειδιῶν ἑωρᾶτο-καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν πυνθανομένων· "Τῆς εὐφροσύνης, ἔφη, ὦ ἄνδρες, καὶ θυμηδίας ὁ παρὼν καιρός· πέπαυται γὰρ ὁ ἀσεβής, κατὰ τὴν Ἡσαΐου φωνήν, καὶ ἔδωκε δίκας τῶν τολμημάτων ἀξίας, καί, κατὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος καὶ σεσωκότος τυραννήσας θεοῦ, ὑπὸ δεξιᾶς ὑπηκόου δέδεκται τὴν δικαίαν σφαγήν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γάννυμαι, τὰς ὑπ' ἐκείνου πολεμηθείσας ἐκκλησίας γαυριώσας θεώμενος καὶ βλέπων τὸν ἀλιτήριον ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τιμωμένων δαιμόνων οὐδεμιᾶς ἐπικουρίας τετυχηκότα". Ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς τούτου σφαγῆς, τοιαύτης ἀπέλαυσε τῆς προγνώσεως. 2.15 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ Οὐάλης, ὁ μετ' ἐκεῖνον τῆς ῥωμαϊκῆς ἡγεμονίας τὰς ἡνίας δεξάμενος, τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν δογμάτων προέμενος τὴν ἀλήθειαν, τῆς Ἀρείου πλάνης τὴν ἀπάτην ἐδέξατο, τηνικαῦτα μείζων ἡ ζάλη κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἠγείρετο, τῶν μὲν κυβερνητῶν πανταχόθεν ἐλαυνομένων, καταποντιστῶν δέ τινων καὶ πολεμίων ἀντεισαγομένων. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ πᾶσαν ἐκείνην ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος διηγῶμαι τὴν τραγῳδίαν, τἄλλα νῦν καταλείψω, ἑνὸς δὲ μόνου μνησθή σομαι ὃ τὴν ἐπανθοῦσαν τῷδε τῷ Πρεσβύτῃ τοῦ θείου πνεύματος χάριν ἐναργῶς ἐπιδείξει. Ἐξελήλατο μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων ὁ μέγας Μελέτιος, ὁ ταύτην ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ποιμαίνειν πεπιστευ μένος· ἐξελήλαντο δὲ τῶν θείων νεῶν οἱ εἰς τὸν ἱερὸν κλῆρον τελοῦντες ἅπαντες σὺν τῷ ὁμογνώμονι λαῷ, οἱ τὴν μίαν τῆς τριάδος θείαν οὐσίαν πρεσβεύοντες. Καὶ νῦν μὲν τὴν ὑπώρειαν καταλαμβάνοντες, ἐκεῖ τὰς ἱερὰς ἐποίουντο συνόδους· νῦν δὲ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὴν ὄχθην εὐκτήριον ἐποιοῦντο χωρίον· ἄλλοτε δὲ τὸ πολεμικὸν γυμνάσιον, τὸ πρὸ τῆς βορείου διακείμενον πύλης. Οὐ γὰρ εἴων οἱ πολεμοῦντες ἐφ' ἑνὸς ἱδρῦσθαι χωρίου τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς. 2.16 Ἐθρύλησαν δὲ τοῦ ψεύδους οἱ τρόφιμοι καὶ φήμην ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ πόλει κατέσπειραν ὡς τοῦ μεγάλου Ἰουλιανοῦ, τοῦδε τοῦ Πρεσβύτου φημί, τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῶν θρησκευομένων δογμάτων τὴν κοινωνίαν ἀσπαζομένου. Τοῦτο μάλιστα ἠνία τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς, μὴ τοὺς εὐηθεστέρους καὶ ἁπλοϊκωτέρους φενακίσασα ἡ φήμη τοῖς τῶν