Josephus Genesius, On the reigns of the emperors

he brought over to the palace as a wife the daughter of the one condemned to blindness, who had embraced the solitary life, and having unjustly punished the pious Methodios, he imprisoned him in a jail near the island of Andrew the apostle, where the neighboring Akritas appears, intending to burn this man down from across the way. Theophilos cruelly put to death with ox-hide whips Euthymios, who presided over the metropolis of the Sardians. 2.15 Michael survived in his reign for 8 years and nine months, but he died having fallen into the disease of dysuria from an attack of nephritis. 3.t <KINGS 3> CONCERNING THEOPHILOS SON OF MICHAEL 3.1 And Theophilos, having inherited the paternal rule in the year 6338, in the 8th indiction, held a silentium at the Magnaura, having urged all to proceed there with one accord, and standing in the midst he delivered a public speech: Since my father and your emperor, O sacred senate, bound me with dreadful oaths as he was departing, to give worthy rewards for their struggle to those who had striven with him in the bold deed against Leo, I have resolved in no way to neglect the command. When these men spoke freely to the emperor and the senate present, he himself expressly commands the eparch: arise to do that which the law decrees for those who do not shrink from human murder, especially against an emperor himself, to whom the anointing of kingship is awarded from God. And what was decreed was readily carried out. 3.2 And Theophilos, having become master of the scepters, entirely on his own hastens to campaign against the Hagarenes, trusting in the multitude of his men and in the gathering of excellent men. For he had with him also the noble Manuel from the Armenians, whose fame for valor was known throughout all Syria and the Roman dominion, and much greater also for piety, as the truth of the events will reveal, with him also Theophobos from Persia, a god-fearing man, possessed of much manliness and ancient learning, as Moses long ago had Joshua son of Nun and Caleb, the noble-minded ones, though with these men he did not, in our piety, act in a manner pleasing to God; through whom at one time he prevailed over the descendants of Hagar, and at another time he endured misfortunes, by the ineffable providences of God who directs all things wisely. Whence, when the Hagarenes once had surrounded the emperor, since victory lies on the knees of the god, as the poet declared, he was saved from them with difficulty, even if many of the Persians on account of their defeats went over to the Hagarenes, yet they would return to the king whenever he went out against his opponents, not least because of their love for Theophobos. 3.3 Such is the varied account concerning him from various sources in succession, differing in some respect, as was customary for historians for the sake of precision. Since worldly things in every way consist of flux and reflux, and the destructions of tribes for certain reasons occur in dispersions, whence also the Persian nation, long ago having adopted a tent-dwelling life and in garments of skins showing their poverty or their nobility, and moreover <and> by their brave deeds having become master of many nations, and having been lifted into insolence from good fortune, and after this having suffered the greatest misfortunes and having been scattered, such things as has happened to the Jews and other nations. And it was customary for the Persians to have their own kings proclaimed from a royal tribe; but in successive wars and by other attacks from their kinsmen upon their fatherland the royal line having completely failed, and they being at a loss about this and anxiously searching, it was made known to them by one of those who had once served one of those connected to the royal family who had come on many embassies to the city of Constantine, that the one being sought was to be found there, although not from a lawful marriage, but nevertheless born of the ambassador. Whence, when those appointed for this task had slipped into it to secretly observe, and had recognized the youth (for he was living with his mother in the quarters at Oxeia, which of the Bosporus and the Horn of Byzas, daughter

τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ κατακριθέντος τυφλότητι, μονήρη βίον προσηκαμένην, πρὸς τὰ ἀνάκτορα εἰς γαμετὴν μετηγάγετο, καὶ τὸν εὐαγῆ Μεθόδιον ἀδίκως τιμωρησάμενος καθ' εἱρκτὴν ἐφυλάκισεν περὶ τὴν νῆσον Ἀνδρέου τοῦ ἀποστόλου, καθ' ἣν ὁ Ἀκρίτας ἐγγειτονῶν ἐμφανίζεται, οὗ ἀντικρὺ καταπρῆσαι τοῦτον οἰόμενος. Εὐθύμιον τὸν μητροπόλεως Σαρδιανῶν ἐξηγούμενον Θεόφιλος βουνεύροις χαλεπῶς ἐθανάτωσεν. 2.15 Ἐπεβίω μὲν Μιχαὴλ τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἔτη ηʹ πρὸς ἐννέα μησίν, ἀπεβίω δὲ τῷ δυσουρίας νοσήματι ἐμπεσὼν ἐκ νεφρίτιδος ἐπιθέσεως. 3.t <ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΩΝ Γ> ΠΕΡΙ ΘΕΟΦΙΛΟΥ ΥΙΟΥ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ 3.1 Ὁ δὲ Θεόφιλος τὴν πατρῴαν ἀρχὴν κληρωσάμενος ἐν ἔτει ϛτληʹ, ἰνδικτιῶνος ηʹ, ποιεῖται κατὰ Μαγναύραν σελέντιον, πάντας ἐκεῖσε χωρεῖν ὁμοθυμαδὸν προτρεψάμενος, καὶ στὰς εἰς μέσον ἐδημηγόρησεν· ἐπειδήπερ ὁ ἐμὸς πατὴρ καὶ ὑμῶν βασιλεύς, ὦ ἱερὰ σύγκλητος, ὅρκοις με διεβεβαιώκει φρικτοῖς ἀποιχόμενος, τοῖς συνηγωνισμένοις αὐτῷ εἰς τὸ κατὰ Λέοντος νεανίευμα τῆς ἀγωνίας παρασχεῖν ἄξια, οὐ μεθήσειν τῆς ἐντολῆς οὐδαμῶς προτεθύμημαι. τούτων παρρησιασαμένων τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τῇ παρεστώσῃ συγκλήτῳ, διαρρήδην αὐτὸς ἐγκελεύεται τῷ ἐπάρχῳ· ὅπερ ὁ νόμος θεσπίζει ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνου φόνου μὴ εὐλαβουμένοις, τοῦτο δρᾶν διανάστηθι, ἄλλως τε πρὸς αὐτὸν βασιλέα, ᾧ χρῖσις παρὰ θεοῦ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιβραβεύεται. καὶ τὸ θεσπισθὲν ἑτοίμως ἐξείργασται. 3.2 Ἐγκρατὴς δὲ τῶν σκήπτρων Θεόφιλος γεγονὼς ὅλως αὐτὸς κατ' Ἀγαρηνῶν ἐκστρατεύειν ἐπείγεται, πολυανδρίᾳ θαρρῶν καὶ ἀριστέων ἀνδρῶν ἐπισυλλογῇ. καὶ γὰρ εἶχεν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ Μανουὴλ τὸν γεννάδαν τὸν ἐξ Ἀρμενίων, οὗ κλέος τῆς ἀνδρείας κατὰ πᾶσαν Συρίαν καὶ Ῥωμαϊκὴν ἐπικράτειαν, πολλῷ δὲ μεῖζον καὶ εὐσεβείας, καθὰ ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων παραδηλώσει ἀλήθεια, σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν ἐκ Περσίδος Θεόφοβον, ἄνδρα θεοσεβῆ καὶ πολλῆς ἐχόμενον ἀρρενωποῦ καὶ παλαιᾶς λογιότητος, ὡς πάλαι Μωυσῆς Ἰησοῦν τοῦ Ναυὴ καὶ Χάλεβ τοὺς γενναιόφρονας, κἂν τούτοις τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς εὐσεβείᾳ οὐ θεοφιλῶς ἐπεκέχρητο· δι' ὧν ποτὲ μὲν τῶν ἐξ Ἄγαρ κατίσχυεν, ποτὲ δὲ τῶν δυστυχημάτων ἀντείχετο, ἀφράστοις θεοῦ προμηθεύσεσι τοῦ πάντα σοφῶς διϊθύνοντος. ὅθεν τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ποτε περιγεγονότων τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐπείπερ νίκη θεοῦ ἐν γούνασι κεῖται, καθάπερ ὁ ποιητὴς ἀπεφήνατο, μόλις παρ' αὐτῶν διασέσῳστο, εἰ καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν Περσῶν διά γε τὰς ἥττας τοῖς Ἀγαρηνοῖς προσετίθεντο, κἂν ἐπαλινόστουν τῷ ἄνακτι, αὐτὸς ὁπηνίκα πρὸς ἀντιπάλους ἐξῄει, οὐχ ἥκιστα τῷ στέργειν αὐτοὺς τὸν Θεόφοβον. 3.3 Τοιαύτη δὲ ἡ κατὰ τοῦτον ἀπὸ διαφόρων κατὰ διαδοχὴν διάφορος κατά τι πάντως ἀπομνημόνευσις, ὡς τοῖς ἱστοροῦσι πρὸς ἀκριβολογίαν ἐξείθιστο. ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἐγκόσμια πάντως κατὰ ῥοὴν καὶ ἀπορροὴν καθεστήκεσαν, καὶ διαφθοραὶ φύλων αἰτίαις τισὶ κατὰ διασπορὰς παρυφίστανται, ὅθεν καὶ τοῦ Περσικοῦ ἔθνους, πάλαι μὲν τὸν σκηνίτην βίον περιπεποιημένου καὶ δέρρεσι κατὰ περιστολὴν τὴν ἀπορίαν ἢ τὸ γενναῖον ἐπιδεικνυμένου, ἔτι δὲ <καὶ> ταῖς ἀνδραγαθίαις πολλῶν ἐθνῶν κυριεύσαντος, καὶ εἰς παροινίαν ἐξ εὐτυχίας ἀρθέντος, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τὰ μέγιστα δυστυχήσαντος καὶ διανεμηθέντος, οἷα τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις καὶ ἑτέροις συμβέβηκεν ἔθνεσιν. ἐξείθιστο δὲ τοῖς Πέρσαις τοὺς ἑαυτῶν βασιλέας ἐκ βασιλείου φυλῆς ὑπέχειν ἀνάρρησιν· ἀλλὰ πολέμοις ἐν ἐπαλλήλοις καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἐξ ὁμογενῶν ἄλλαις ἐπαγωγαῖς κατὰ τὴν πατρίδα παντελῶς τῆς βασιλικῆς σειρᾶς ἐκλιπούσης, ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ τε περὶ τούτου διατιθεμένων καὶ δι' ἐρεύνης ἐμμεριμνώντων, παρά τινος ἐδηλοποιήθη αὐτοῖς τῶν ποτε ὑπηρετησαμένων τινὶ τῶν κατὰ βασιλικοῦ γένους συνάφειαν πολλαχῶς εἰς πρεσβείαν ἡκόντων Κωνσταντίνου τῇ πόλει, ἐκεῖσέ γε τὸν εἰς ζήτησιν εὑρηκέναι, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐκ νομίμων γάμων, ἀλλ' ὅμως γεννηθέντα τοῦ πρέσβεως. ὅθεν παρεισδύντων αὐτῇ τῶν περὶ τούτου διατεταγμένων κρύφα καταστοχάσασθαι, καὶ ἀναγνωρισάντων τὸν νεανίαν (συγκατῴκει γὰρ τῇ τεκούσῃ ἐν ταῖς κατὰ τὴν Ὀξείαν διατριβαῖς, αἳ τοῦ Βοοσπόρου καὶ τοῦ Κέρως Βύζης, θυγατρὸς