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of the bodies of 96.1304 ancient men, and some indeed testified for piety, having received many things; Then, therefore, they brought the reliquary in here. 56. But Julian was preparing a multitude of both sacrificial victims and votive offerings, as he was going to go up to Daphne with them on the next day, now indeed hoping by all means, if not from the others, at least to obtain a response from Apollo; for on this one was placed all the hope and intensity of his eagerness, as for him more than another such a thing was of concern according to the mantic art, and to him the place Daphne was dedicated, as he believed it, reasonably in its own place, to be more powerful than the other daemons. But Eusebius and the so-called priests and the multitude of the temple-wardens, expecting the emperor, stood in great anxiety, and kept watch around the statue, contriving everything, so that when he should arrive, he might happen to hear it speak; since for him no other pretext for delay was left. And when it was late in the night, fire suddenly brought down from heaven fell upon the temple and at once seizing it from all sides, set it on fire with the statue itself and the votive offerings themselves; and with everything being burned up together, and the fire rising up greatly, there was immediately a great shout around the temple, and a clamor like no other, and indeed with many eager to help, there was no one able to withstand the fire. But some ran to report to Julian, the governor of the East, while the rest of the crowd stood as spectators in amazement of the extraordinary disaster that had befallen them; but the fire was touching none of the other things, although so much abundant material was growing there, except that falling on it alone it was burning it down with the things inside the temple, so that the statue and everything that was among the votive offerings were utterly destroyed; and a few foundations of the buildings were left, memorials of the disaster, which are still shown even now, a clearer proof of the fire sent from God. 57. But Julian, having heard what had happened, was filled with anger, and considering it a terrible thing if the Christians were going to mock what had occurred, immediately ordered them to be driven out of the Great Church, and to declare it completely inaccessible to them, after having locked it up most securely, and to confiscate all the treasures for the state; and he also gave permission to the Hellenes, so that they might enter the churches of the Christians, and do whatever they wished. Therefore, with these things having been ordered by the tyrant and impious Julian, what of the greatest evils was not accomplished? and what of the most discordant things was not said, by those speaking with unbridled tongue unspeakable things against the faith of the Christians, and blaspheming against our Lord and God Jesus Christ in all the cities? For in Sebaste, 96.1305 formerly Samaria, but now built by Herod and surnamed Sebaste, having brought the bones of the prophet Elisha and of John the Baptist out of the tombs, and having mixed them with the bones of unclean animals they burned them, and scattered the ash into the air; and the statue of the Savior in the city of Paneas, magnificently erected by the woman with the issue of blood, whom Christ healed, and set up in a prominent place of the city, which after a time, becoming known from the herb of the miracle growing there, the Christians took up, and placed in the diaconicon of the church, this the Hellenes pulled down, and having fastened ropes to its feet, dragged it through the marketplace; until, being broken off little by little, it was destroyed, with only the head being left and snatched by someone while the Hellenes were in a tumult, as they were speaking blasphemous and most discordant words against our Lord Jesus Christ, which no man had ever heard.

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σωμάτων πα 96.1304 λαιῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ ἐνίων γε ἐπ' εὐσεβείᾳ μαρτυρουμένων, πολλὰ δεδεγμένος· τότε μὲν οὖν τὴν θήκην ἐνταῦθα εἰσεκόμισαν. νϛʹ. Ὁ δὲ Ἰουλιανὸς παρεσκευάζετο πλῆθος ἱερείων τε καὶ ἀναθημάτων, ὡς τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ σὺν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν ∆άφνην ἀναβησόμενος, νῦν γε δὴ πάντως ἐλπίζων εἰ μὴ τῶν ἄλλων, ἀλλὰ τοῦ γε Ἀπόλλωνος τεύξεσθαι ἀποκριθησομένου· ἐπὶ τοῦτον γὰρ αὐτῷ πᾶσα τῆς προθυμίας ἡ ἐλπὶς ἦν καὶ ὁ τόνος, ὡς αὐτῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ἑτέρῳ τὸ τοιοῦτον διαφέρον κατά τε τὴν μαντικὴν τέχνην, καὶ αὐτῷ τὸ χωρίον ἀνεῖτο ἡ ∆άφνη, νομίζοντι αὐτῷ ἔν τε τῷ οἰκείῳ τόπῳ εἰκότως, ἢ τῶν ἄλλων δαιμόνων ἰσχύειν. Ὁ δὲ Εὐσέβιος καὶ οἱ λεγόμενοι ἱερεῖς καὶ τῶν νεοκόρων τὸ πλῆθος προσδεχόμενοι τὸν βασιλέα, ἐν ἀγῶνι μεγάλῳ ἔστασαν, καὶ διηγρύπνουν περὶ τὸ ἄγαλμα, πάντα πραγματευόμενοι, ὅπως ἐπειδ' ἂν ἀφίκηται, τύχοι αὐτοῦ φθεγξαμένου· ὡς ἄλλης γε αὐτῷ ἔτι προφάσεως εἰς ἀναβολὴν μὴ ὑπολειπομένης. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πόῤῥω τῶν νυκτῶν ἦν, ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πῦρ ἀθρόως κατενεχθὲν, ἐνέσκηψε τῷ νεῷ καὶ ἅμα πανταχόθεν αὐτὸν δραξάμενον, ἐμπιπρᾷ αὐτῷ ἀγάλματι καὶ αὐτοῖς ἀναθήμασιν· πάντων δὲ ὁμοῦ καταφλεγομένων, καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐπὶ μέγα ἐξαιρουμένου, βοὴ μὲν αὐτίκα μεγάλη περὶ τὸν νεὼν ἦν, καὶ θόρυβος οὐδενὶ ἐοικὼς, καὶ δὴ πολλῶν ἐπαμῦναι προθυμουμένων, οὐδεὶς ἦν ὁ πρὸς τὸ πῦρ ἀντισχεῖν δυνησόμενος. Ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ἔθεον τῷ ἄρχοντι τῆς Ἑῴας Ἰουλιανῷ μηνύσοντες, ὁ δὲ λοιπὸς ὄχλος ἔστασαν ὑπ' ἐκπλήξεως θεαταὶ τοῦ παραδόξου τῆς καταλαβούσης αὐτοὺς συμφορᾶς γενόμενοι· τὸ δὲ πῦρ οὐδενὸς ἦν τῶν ἄλλων ἁπτόμενον, τοσαύτης γε καὶ οὗτος ἀμφιλαφοῦς ὕλης ἐκεῖ πεφυκυίας, ὅτι μὴ μονώτατον ἐμπεσὸν κατέφλεγε σὺν τοῖς ἐνοῦσι τῷ νεῷ, ὡς τὸ μὲν ἄγαλμα καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι ἐν ἀναθήμασιν ἦν, καθάπαξ ἀφανισθῆναι· βραχέα δὲ λειφθῆναι τῶν οἰκοδομημάτων ἐδάφη, μνημεῖα τοῦ πάθους, ἃ καὶ νῦν ἔτι δείκνυται, σαφέστερον τὸ δεῖγμα τοῦ θεηλάτου πυρός. νζʹ. Ὁ δὲ Ἰουλιανὸς τὰ συμβάντα ἀκούσας, ὀργῆς τε πιμπλᾶται, καὶ δεινὸν ποιησάμενος εἰ Χριστιανοὶ τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν ἐπιτωθάσειν μέλλοιεν, αὐτίκα προστάττει τῆς Μεγάλης αὐτοὺς ἐξωθεῖν ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ταύτην μὲν ἄβατον αὐτοῖς παντελῶς ἀποφαίνειν, ὡς ὅτι ἀσφαλέστατα αὐτὴν ἀποκλεισαμένους, τὰ δὲ κειμήλια πάντα δημοσιοῦν· δέδωκε δὲ καὶ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἄδειαν, ὥστε εἰσέρχεσθαι αὐτοὺς εἰς τὰς τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ποιεῖν ὅσα βούλονται. Τούτων οὖν παρὰ τοῦ τυράννου καὶ ἀσεβοῦς Ἰουλιανοῦ κελευσθέντων, τί τῶν μεγίστων κακῶν οὐκ ἐτελέσθη; τί δὲ τῶν ἀπηχεστάτων οὐκ ἐλέχθη, τῶν ἀφέτῳ γλώσσῃ λαλούντων τὰ ἄῤῥητα κατὰ τῆς τῶν Χριστιανῶν πίστεως, καὶ βλασφημούντων εἰς τὸν Κύριον καὶ Θεὸν ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσιν; Ἐν μὲν γὰρ Σεβαστῇ 96.1305 τῇ πάλαι μὲν Σαμαρείᾳ, νῦν δὲ παρὰ Ἡρώδου κτισθείσῃ καὶ Σεβαστῇ ἐπικληθείσῃ, τὰ ὀστᾶ τοῦ προφήτου Ἑλισσαίου καὶ τοῦ Βαπτίστου Ἰωάννου ἐκ τῶν θηκῶν ἐξαγαγόντες, καὶ ἀλόγων ἀκαθάρτων ὀστέοις προσμίξαντες κατέκαυσαν, καὶ τὴν κόνιν εἰς τὸν ἀέρα ἐλίκμησαν· τὸν δὲ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀνδριάντα ἐν Πανέαδι τῇ πόλει πρὸς τῆς αἱμοῤῥοησάσης γυναικὸς κατασκευασθέντα μεγαλοπρεπῶς, ἣν ὁ Χριστὸς ἰάσατο, καὶ ἱδρυνθέντα ἐν ἐπισήμῳ τῆς πόλεως τόπῳ, ὃν μετὰ χρόνον γνωσθέντα, ἐκ τῆς αὐτόθι φυομένης βοτάνης τοῦ θαύματος, οἱ Χριστιανοὶ ἀράμενοι, ἐν τῷ τῆς ἐκκλησίας διακονικῷ ἔστησαν, τοῦτον οἱ Ἕλληνες κατασπάσαντες, κἀκ τῶν ποδῶν σχοίνους ἐξάψαντες, ἔσυραν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς· ἕως οὗ κατὰ μικρὸν ἀποθραυόμενος, ἠφανίσθη, μόνης τῆς κεφαλῆς καταλειφθείσης καὶ ἁρπαγείσης ὑπό τινος ἐν τῷ θορυβεῖσθαι τοὺς Ἕλληνας, λαλούντων αὐτῶν βλάσφημα καὶ ἀπηχέστατα ῥήματα εἰς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, ἃ μή τις ἀνθρώπων ἤκουσε πώποτε.