the wicked one is driven out of the church and is confined in a certain monastery in Kleidio. In which, having scraped the icons of the saints, the empress punishes this one with two hundred lashes, and he is sent to his own suburb, which is called Psicha. 2. This aforementioned patriarch John, who on account of his own impiety was named Jannes by the pious, was not some foreigner and stranger, but a native and an offspring of the queen of cities, descending from a very noble line, the one so-called of the Morokardanians, and being from the beginning the abbot of the monastery of the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus in the Hormisdas quarter and numbered among the emperor's clergy, was especially loved by Michael the Stammerer, either because he alone was a sharer in his heresy, or because he had a certain reputation for excelling in learning; nevertheless he was loved, and he is appointed teacher of Theophilos. And when this one took the reins of the empire, he first honors this one as synkellos, and then later appoints him patriarch of Constantinople, as he announced to him certain predictions through lecanomancy and sorcery. And the sorcery was of this kind. Once, a nation led by three rulers, an unbelieving and harsh one, was overrunning and plundering the land of the Romans. As Theophilos was naturally despondent at this, along with 650 all his subjects, this one advises him to put aside his despondency and be filled with courage and joy, if only he would follow his counsel. And it was as follows. Among the bronze statues in the spina of the hippodrome, it was said there was a certain statue fashioned with three heads, which he, by some enchantment, referred to the leaders of that nation. He therefore ordered three very large iron hammers to be made and to be handed over to three very strong men. And late in the night they were both at the statue, Jannes concealing himself with the clothing of a layman, and the men holding the hammers aloft. And he himself, having uttered the words of enchantment, told each to strike youthfully and forcefully with all his might. And two of them cut off the two heads of the statue, but the other one bent it slightly, but did not sever it completely from the body. Thus, the events concerning the leaders followed this; for as a mighty strife and civil war fell upon them, two of the leaders fell at the hands of one, corresponding to the cutting off of the heads, with only the third being saved, but not unscathed. Thus the nation, having come to nothing, sets off again for its own lands in flight and disaster. 3. When the God-loving Theodora, as has been said, gave its own adornment to the church (for from Leo the Amalekite until the restoration of orthodoxy, for thirty years the iconoclasts held the churches) she makes a request to the holy 651 fathers who were present, saying "I know that God has given you authority on earth to forgive sins according to the gospel of Christ. Since, therefore, the emperor Theophilos, as you all know, was a just judge if anyone ever was, and administered all things well, as you testify, but he had only this heresy, which he renounced at his death, and with tears at the very hour of his departure, when I gave them to him, he kissed the holy icons, and thus expired, grant me also this favor in writing, that this sin alone be forgiven him; for concerning the rest I am not concerned." To whom the fathers at first were silent, then weeping and being moved by her tears, and also seeking the honor of the holy icons, by a common vote and decision, through a written assurance they gave this pledge to the empress. Whereupon, having firmly taken possession of the church, and having given back the honor of the chief-priesthood to the most holy Methodios, on the first Sunday of the holy fast, together with the empress, having completed an all-night hymnody in the church of the Theotokos at Blachernae from the evening, in the morning with a procession they arrive at the great precinct of the Word of God, and the church again receives its adornment

ἐκκλησίας ἀπελαύνεται ὁ ἀλιτήριος καὶ κατά τινα μονὴν ἐν τῷ Κλειδίῳ περιορίζεται. ἐν ᾗ ἁγίων εἰκόνας ξέσας, τοῦτον ἡ βασίλισσα μάστιξι διακοσίαις παιδεύει, καὶ κατὰ τὸ προάστειον αὐτοῦ, ὃ λέγεται Ψιχά, ἀποστέλλεται. 2. Οὗτος οὖν ὁ προρρηθεὶς Ἰωάννης πατριάρχης, ὁ δι' οἰκείαν ἀσέβειαν Ἰαννὴς παρὰ τῶν εὐσεβῶν ὀνομασθείς, οὐκ ἔπηλύς τις καὶ ξένος αὐτόχθων δὲ καὶ τῆς βασιλίδος τῶν πόλεων βλάστημα καὶ ἐκ λίαν εὐγενοῦς καταγόμενος σειρᾶς, τῆς οὕτω τῶν Μωροκαρδανίων λεγομένης, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων Σεργίου καὶ Βάκχου τῆς ἐν τοῖς Ὁρμίσδου μονῆς ἡγούμενος ἄνωθεν ὢν καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως κληρικοῖς καταριθμούμενος, διαφερόντως παρὰ Μιχαὴλ ἠγαπᾶτο τῷ Τραυλῷ, εἴτε τῷ μόνῳ τούτῳ κοινωνὸς εἶναι τῆς τούτου αἱρέσεως, εἴτε καὶ τῷ διαφέρειν ἐπὶ λογιότητος δόξαν τινὰ ἐσχηκώς· πλὴν ἠγαπᾶτο, καὶ τοῦ Θεοφίλου διδάσκαλος ἐγκαθίσταται. καὶ οὗτος ἐπεὶ τὰς τῆς βασιλείας ἔσχεν ἡνίας, σύγκελλον μὲν πρότερον τοῦτον τιμᾷ, εἶθ' ὕστερον καὶ πατριάρχην καθίστησι Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, προγνώσεις τινὰς διὰ λεκανομαντείας καὶ γοητείας αὐτῷ ἀπαγγέλλοντα. καὶ γοητεία τοιαύτη. ἔθνους ποτὲ τρισὶν ὑφ' ἡγεμόσι στρατηγουμένου, ἀπίστου τε καὶ σκληροῦ, τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων χώραν κατέτρεχε καὶ ἐληΐζετο. ὡς εἰκὸς οὖν ἀθυμοῦντος ἐπὶ τούτῳ τοῦ Θεοφίλου καὶ 650 τοῦ ὑπηκόου παντός, ἀποσκευάσασθαί που τὴν ἀθυμίαν οὗτος συμβουλεύει, θάρσους τε πληρωθῆναι καὶ χαρᾶς, εἴ γε μόνον τῇ τούτου ἐπακολουθοίη βουλῇ. ἡ δὲ ἦν τοιαύτη. ἐν τοῖς εἰς τὸν εὔριπον τοῦ ἱπποδρομίου χαλκοῖς ἀνδριᾶσιν ἐλέγετό τις εἶναι ἀνδριὰς τρισὶ διαμορφούμενος κεφαλαῖς, ἃς κατά τινα στοιχείωσιν πρὸς τοὺς τοῦ ἔθνους ἐκείνου ἀρχηγοὺς ἀνῆγεν. σφύρας οὖν μεγίστας σιδηρᾶς τρεῖς προσέταττεν γενέσθαι καὶ ἀνδράσιν ἐγχειρισθῆναι ἰσχυροτάτοις τρισίν. πόρρω δὲ τῶν νυκτῶν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀνδριάντα ἦσαν ἀμφότεροι, ὁ μὲν Ἰαννὴς διὰ λαϊκοῦ ἐνδύματος ἑαυτὸν περισκέπων, οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες μετεώρους τὰς σφύρας ἔχοντες. καὶ αὐτὸς τοὺς στοιχειωτικοὺς λόγους ἐπειπὼν παίειν ἕκαστον ὡς ἔχει δυνάμεως προσεῖπε νεανικῶς τε καὶ ἰσχυρῶς. καὶ οἱ μὲν δύο τὰς δύο τοῦ ἀνδριάντος κεφαλὰς ἀπέκοψαν, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος μικρὸν μὲν κατέκλινεν, οὐ μὴν καὶ ὅλην τοῦ σκηνώματος ἐναπέτεμεν. τούτοις οὖν καὶ τὰ κατὰ τοὺς ἡγεμόνας ἐξηκολούθει· ἔριδος γὰρ κραταιᾶς αὐτοῖς ἐπεισπεσούσης καὶ ἐμφυλίου μάχης, ὑπὸ τοῦ ἑνὸς οἱ δύο τῶν ἡγεμόνων πίπτουσι κατὰ τὴν τῶν κεφαλῶν ἐκτομήν, τοῦ τρίτου μόνου διασωθέντος, οὐχ ὑγιῶς δέ. οὕτως εἰς τὸ μηδὲν εἶναι τὸ ἔθνος χωρῆσαν πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα αὖθις μετὰ φυγῆς ἀφορμᾷ καὶ συμφορᾶς. 3. Τῆς δὲ θεοφιλοῦς, ὡς εἴρηται, Θεοδώρας τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τὸν ἑαυτῆς κόσμον δούσης (ἀπὸ γὰρ Λέοντος τοῦ Ἀμαληκίτου ἕως τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας ἐπὶ τριάκοντα χρόνους κατεῖχον οἱ εἰκονοκαῦσται τὰς ἐκκλησίας) αἴτησιν ποιεῖται πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας ἁγίους 651 πατέρας, λέγουσα "οἶδα ὅτι δέδωκεν ὑμῖν ὁ θεὸς ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ἐπείπερ οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεόφιλος, ὡς οἴδατε πάντες, δικαιοκρίτης μὲν εἰ καί τις ἄλλος ἦν, καὶ πάντα καλῶς διοικῶν, ὡς μαρτυρεῖτε, εἶχε δὲ μόνην ταύτην τὴν αἵρεσιν, ἢν καὶ τελευτῶν ἀπηρνήσατο, καὶ μετὰ δακρύων κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ὥραν τῆς ἐξόδου, ἐμοῦ τούτῳ ταύτας δούσης, τὰς ἁγίας εἰκόνας κατεφίλησε, καὶ οὕτως ἐξέπνευσε, δότε μοι καὶ αὐτοὶ χάριν ἐγγράφως ἀφεθῆναι αὐτῷ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην μόνην· περὶ δὲ τῶν λοιπῶν οὐ φροντίζω." πρὸς ἣν οἱ πατέρες τὰ μὲν πρῶτα σιγήσαντες, εἶτα καὶ δακρύσαντες τοῖς αὐτῆς ἐπικαμπτόμενοι δάκρυσι, πρὸς δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν ἁγίων εἰκόνων ζητοῦντες τιμήν, κοινῇ ψήφῳ καὶ γνώμῃ δι' ἐγγράφου ἀσφαλείας τὴν πίστιν τούτου τῇ δεσποίνῃ ἐδίδοσαν. ἐφ' οἷς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν βεβαίως καταλαβόντες, καὶ Μεθοδίῳ τῷ ἁγιωτάτῳ τὴν τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἀποδεδωκότες τιμήν, τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν ἁγίων νηστειῶν κυριακῇ σὺν τῇ βασιλίσσῃ πάννυχον ὑμνῳδίαν ἐν τῷ τῶν Βλαχερνῶν τῆς θεοτόκου ναῷ ἀφ' ἑσπέρας τετελεκότες, τῇ ἕωθεν μετὰ λιτῆς τῷ μεγάλῳ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου τεμένει καταλαμβάνουσι, καὶ τὸν κόσμον αὐτῆς αὖθις ἡ ἐκκλησία λαμβάνει