they requested. So he withdrew and looked at the house and, being pleased, moved the nuns to another monastery, and having adorned it with every kind of ornament, he made it a guest house, bestowing money and suburban estates, and naming it after Theophilos. 27. The emperor, having been afflicted with dysentery, took counsel with those of like mind concerning Theophobos the Persian. For knowing that the Persians and not a few of those in authority had great faith and love for him, he feared that, when he died, they might make him emperor, pushing aside his son Michael; and sending for him, he brought him to the palace and kept him under guard. Then, weighed down by the illness, he ordered him to be beheaded. And seeing the head, he said, "Now, Theophobos, both you have found rest and I am freed from care." And immediately he wretchedly and painfully breathed his last. And his body was brought to the church of the Holy Apostles, but that of Theophobos to his house near the Narsou. At this, the Persians seeking Theophobos, what had happened, the emperor's men persuaded them to reside in the palace. In this way it was rumored 647 among the Persians until the present time that Theophobos had not tasted death. Year of the world 6335, year of the divine incarnation 835, emperor of the Romans Michael and Theodora for 14 years, alone for 12 years, and with Basil for 1 year and 4 months, together for 27 years and 4 months. Theodora, being pious and faithful and orthodox, while her husband was still alive, secretly honored and venerated the holy icons; who, by her own decision, but by the suggestion and advice of Theoktistos the kanikleios and logothete, expelled from the church the godless patriarch John, although he was her godfather, confining him in the Stenos to what is called the Kleidion in a certain monastery. And there she wished to gouge out his eyes for having defaced the icons of Christ our God and of the Theotokos and of the Archangels; but being prevented, she sent and flogged him with two hundred lashes, and installed Methodios, who is among the saints. And having recalled the monks and bishops exiled by Theophilos, she confirmed the orthodox faith and brought peace to the church on the first Sunday of the fasts. Theodora, therefore, expelled the sinner John from the patriarchate in the following way. For she declared to him through Constantine, droungarios of the watch, that many devout men and monks having gathered from all sides made a request 648 to my majesty to order the all-venerable icons to be restored. If, therefore, you are in agreement and accord with these things, let the church of God indeed recover its ancient adornment. But if you are doubtful and not of a right mind, leave the throne and the city and go to your suburban estate, until the synod of the holy fathers may take place with you; for these men are ready to dispute and discuss and to persuade you who speak wrongly concerning these things." But the patriarch, or rather the "phatriarch," was at that time reclining on a couch in the Thessalonian triclinium in the patriarchate, receiving the imperial messages; who, upon hearing the words, being struck in his soul, said he would consider this well and immediately sent the messenger away, and faster than can be told, taking a small knife, he cut the veins of his stomach, which he knew would produce cowardice and pity among the many from the copious effusion of blood, but not death or any danger at all. A rumor, therefore, and a cry immediately resounded through the church, and not only that but even reaching the imperial ears before the droungarios, that the empress had slaughtered the patriarch through the droungarios. So the patrikios Bardas, sent as a careful investigator of the things being said, quietly detected that the wounds themselves were made with forethought, and the deed did not escape detection, as his own servants denounced him and the instruments of the cutting (they were lancets) were submitted as evidence. From then on, therefore, 649 deemed worthy of no account, as he was held under such a self-evident charge, of the
ἐδεήθησαν. ἐκνεύσας οὖν καὶ τὸν οἶκον θεασάμενος καὶ ἀρεσθεὶς μετοικίζει μὲν τὰς μοναζούσας ἐν ἑτέρᾳ μονῇ, αὐτὸν δὲ κόσμῳ παντοίῳ καλλωπίσας ξενῶνα πεποίηκεν, ἐπιδοὺς χρήματα καὶ προάστεια, καὶ τὰ Θεοφίλου ἐπονομάσας. 27. ∆υσεντερικῷ δὲ νοσήματι περιπαρεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς βουλὴν βουλεύεται μετὰ τῶν ὁμοφρόνων αὐτοῦ περὶ Θεοφόβου τοῦ Πέρσου. εἰδὼς γὰρ ὅτι πολλὴν πίστιν καὶ ἀγάπην ἔχουσιν εἰς αὐτὸν οἱ Πέρσαι καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐν τέλει οὐκ ὀλίγοι, ἐφοβήθη μή πως αὐτοῦ τελευτήσαντος αὐτὸν καταστήσωσι βασιλέα, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἀπωσάμενοι· καὶ ἀποστείλας ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ καὶ ἐν τηρήσει εἶχεν. εἶτα βαρηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου προστάσσει ἀποκεφαλισθῆναι αὐτόν. καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἰδὼν ἔφη "ἄρτι, Θεόφοβε, καὶ σὺ ἀνεπαύης καὶ ἐγὼ ἀπεφρόντισα." καὶ εὐθὺς τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ κακῶς καὶ ὀδυνηρῶς ἀπέρρηξε. τὸ δὲ σῶμα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ναὸν τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων ἀπεκομίσθη, τὸ δὲ τοῦ Θεοφόβου ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ πλησίον τῶν Ναρσοῦ. ἐπὶ τούτοις τῶν Περσῶν ἐπιζητούντων τὸν Θεόφοβον, τί ἄρα γέγονε, οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως ἔπεισαν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ διαιτᾶσθαι. τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ διαβε 647 βόηται παρὰ Πέρσαις ἄχρι τῶν ὧδε χρόνων θανάτου μὴ γεύσασθαι τὸν Θεόφοβον. Κόσμου ἔτος τλεʹ τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτος ωλεʹ, Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ καὶ Θεοδώρα ἔτη ιδʹ, μόνος ἔτη ιβʹ, καὶ σὺν Βασιλείῳ ἔτος αʹ μῆνας δʹ, ὁμοῦ ἔτη κζʹ μῆνας δʹ. ἡ Θεοδώρα εὐσεβὴς οὖσα καὶ πιστὴ καὶ ὀρθόδοξος ἔτι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς περιόντος λάθρα τὰς ἁγίας εἰκόνας ἐτίμα καὶ ἐσέβετο· ἥτις γνώμῃ μὲν αὐτῆς, ὑποθήκῃ δὲ καὶ παραινέσει Θεοκτίστου κανικλείου καὶ λογοθέτον, ἐξελαύνει τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸν ἄθεον πατριάρχην Ἰωάννην, καίπερ σύντεκνον αὐτῆς ὄντα, περιορίσασα τοῦτον ἐν τῷ Στενῷ εἰς τὸ καλούμενον Κλείδιον ἔν τινι μοναστηρίῳ. κἀκεῖ αὐτὸν τὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν εἰκόνας καὶ τῆς θεομήτορος καὶ τῶν ἀρχιστρατήγων κατορύξαντα, τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐξορύξαι ἠβουλήθη· κωλυθεῖσα δὲ πέμπει καὶ μαστίζει αὐτὸν διακοσίοις λώροις, εἰσάγει δὲ τὸν ἐν ἁγίοις Μεθόδιον. τοὺς δὲ ὑπὸ Θεοφίλου ἐξορισθέντας μοναχοὺς καὶ ἐπισκόπους ἑνώσασα, τὴν ὀρθόδοξον ἐβεβαίωσε πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν εἰρήνευσεν τῇ πρώτῃ κυριακῇ τῶν νηστειῶν. ἐξελαύνει τοίνυν Θεοδώρα τὸν ἀλιτήριον Ἰαννὴν τοῦ πατριαρχείου τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. δηλοῖ γὰρ αὐτῷ διὰ Κωνσταντίνου δρουγγαρίου τῆς βίγλης ὡς πολλοὶ πολλαχόθεν συνεληλυθότες εὐλαβεῖς τε ἄνδρες καὶ μοναχοὶ δέησιν ἐποιήσαντο 648 πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν μου τοῦ τὰς πανσέπτους κελεῦσαι ἀναστηλωθῆναι εἰκόνας. εἰ μὲν οὖν ὁμόλογος εἶ τούτοις καὶ σύμφωνος, καὶ δὴ τὸν παλαιὸν κόσμον ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησία ἀπολαμβανέτω. εἰ δ' ἀμφίβολος καὶ τὴν γνώμην οὐκ ἔχων εὐθεῖαν, τοῦ μὲν θρόνου ἔξω γενόμενος καὶ τῆς πόλεως κατὰ δὲ προάστειόν σου διάβηθι, μέχρις ἂν ὁ σύλλογος τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων γένηται μετὰ σοῦ· οἵδε γὰρ ἕτοιμοι διαδικάζεσθαί τε καὶ διαλέγεσθαι καὶ πείθειν σε περὶ τούτων κακῶς λέγοντα." ὁ δὲ πατριάρχης ἢ μᾶλλον φατριάρχης κατὰ τὸν ἐν τῷ πατριαρχείῳ Θεσσαλὸν τρίκλινον τηνικαῦτα ἀνέκειτο ἐπὶ σκίμποδος, τὰς βασιλικὰς ἀγγελίας δεχόμενος· ὃς ἅμα τῇ ἀκοῇ τῶν λόγων βληθεὶς τὴν ψυχὴν βουλεύσασθαι ἔφη περὶ τούτου καλῶς καὶ τὸν ἀποκομιστὴν εὐθὺς ἀπέστειλεν, καὶ θᾶττον ἢ λόγῳ ἐγχειρίδιόν τι λαβὼν τὰς κατὰ γαστέρα φλέβας ἀπέτεμεν, ἃς ᾔδει δειλίαν μὲν καὶ οἶκτον ἐκ τῆς αἵματος δαψιλοῦς ἐκχύσεως ἀποτεκεῖν τοῖς πολλοῖς, θάνατον δὲ ἤ τινα κίνδυνον οὐδαμῶς. θροῦς οὖν καὶ βοὴ εὐθύς τις περιήχει τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς βασιλικὰς ἀκοὰς προφθάνουσα τοῦ δρουγγαρίου, ὡς ἡ δέσποινα διὰ τοῦ δρουγγαρίου τὸν πατριάρχην κατέσφαξεν. τῶν οὖν λεγομένων ἐταστὴς ἀκριβὴς ὁ πατρίκως Βάρδας ἀποσταλεὶς αὐτάς τε τὰς πληγὰς ἐκ προνοίας γενομένας ἠρέμα πως κατεφώρασεν, καὶ τὸ δρᾶμα τὸν ἔλεγχον οὐ διέφυγεν, αὐτῶν τῶν θεραπόντων κατειπόντων αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ τῆς τομῆς ὄργανα (φλεβοτόμα δὲ ἦν) εἰς μέσον καθυποβαλλόμενα. ἔκτοτε οὖν 649 οὐδενὸς λόγου ἀξιωθείς, ὡς ἐπὶ τοιαύτῃ αὐτοφώρῳ αἰτίᾳ ὑπειλημμένος, τῆς