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He made his plots against the bishops secret and partial, and he did away with the most approved of them through the plotting of the provincial governors. And the manner of their murder was a strange one, such as had never been known by hearsay. At any rate, the things perpetrated around Amasea in Pontus surpassed every excess of cruelty. 2.2.1 There some of the churches were razed from their foundations to the ground, for the second time after the first sieges, while others were closed by the local governors, so that none of the customary attendees might assemble nor render to God the lawful services. For he who ordered these things did not believe they were performed for his own sake, reasoning this with an evil conscience, but was persuaded that we did all things and propitiated God on behalf of Constantine. 2.2.2 And certain of his fawners and flatterers, persuaded to do things dear to the impious one, subjected the most approved leaders of the churches to capital punishments, and those who had done no wrong were led away and punished without pretext, just like murderers. And some now endured a newer kind of end to life, their bodies being butchered by the sword into many pieces, and after this harsh punishment, most dreadful of any tragic tale, they were thrown into the depths of the sea as food for fishes. 2.2.3 Then again, upon these events, as also a little before, there were exiles of the God-fearing men, and again fields and again deserts received the servants of God. And since these things also advanced for the tyrant in this manner, he at last set his mind to stir up a persecution against all, and his purpose prevailed and nothing prevented him from proceeding to action, had not the champion of his own people, anticipating what was to come, shone forth a great light as in darkness and a most gloomy night, guiding by the hand his servant Constantine to the affairs here. 2.3.1 He, perceiving that the report of the aforesaid things was no longer tolerable, assembled his sober reason, and tempering the firmness of his character with his innate love for humanity, he hastened to the defense of those who were oppressed, judging it to be pious and holy to remove one man and thereby save the greater part of the human race. For though he had used much benevolence and had pitied one unworthy of compassion, nothing more came of it for the man, who was in no way abandoning the practice of evils, but was rather increasing his rage against his subjects, while for those who had been mistreated by him no hope of salvation remained. 2.3.2 Considering these things, the emperor without delay set out to extend a saving right hand to those who had been driven to the extremities of evil. He therefore made the usual preparation of military armament, and every phalanx of the infantry and cavalry regiments was assembled for him, and before all led the symbols of good hope in God through the aforementioned sign. 2.4.1 Knowing well that he had need of prayers, if ever, now, he brought with him the priests of God, thinking it necessary that these should be with him and attend him, as good guardians of his soul. 2.4.2 Hence, with good reason, he who had taken up the tyranny, on learning that Constantine's victories against his enemies were obtained in no other way than with God's cooperation, and that the aforementioned men were with him and attended him always, and that the symbol of the saving passion led both him and his whole army, supposed these things to be worthy of laughter, at the same time mocking and reviling them with blasphemous words, and he himself gathered about him soothsayers and diviners, Egyptian sorcerers and magicians, and sacrificers and prophets of the gods whom he considered such, and then, appeasing with sacrifices the gods he supposed them to be, he inquired how the outcome of the war would go for him. 2.4.3 And they without delay unanimously declared that he would be victorious over his enemies and master of the war, bringing forward long prophecies and eloquent verses from the oracles everywhere. And augurs foretold that favorable things were signified to him through the flight of birds, and sacrificers declared that the movement of the entrails indicated the same things. 2.4.4 Elated

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λαθραίας καὶ μερικὰς ἐποιεῖτο τὰς κατὰ τῶν ἐπισκόπων συσκευάς, ἀνῄρει τε δι' ἐπιβουλῆς τῶν κατ' ἔθνος ἀρχόντων τοὺς τούτων δοκιμωτάτους. καὶ ὁ τρόπος δὲ τοῦ κατ' αὐτῶν φόνου ξενίζων τις ἦν, οἷος οὐδεπώποτ' ἀκοῇ γνωσθῆναι. τὰ γοῦν ἀμφὶ τὴν Ἀμάσειαν τοῦ Πόντου κατεργασθέντα πᾶσαν ὑπερβολὴν ὠμότητος ὑπερηκόντιζεν. 2.2.1 Ἔνθα τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν αἱ μὲν ἐξ ὕψους εἰς ἔδαφος τοῦτο δεύτερον μετὰ τὰς πρώτας καθῃροῦντο πολιορκίας, τὰς δ' ἀπέκλειον οἱ κατὰ τόπους ἡγεμόνες, ὡς ἂν μὴ συνάγοιτό τις τῶν εἰωθότων μηδὲ τῷ θεῷ τὰς ἐνθέσμους ἀποδιδοίη λατρείας. συντελεῖσθαι γὰρ οὐχ ἡγεῖτο ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ταύτας ὁ τὰ τοιάδε προστάττων, συνειδότι φαύλῳ τοῦτο λογιζόμενος, ὑπὲρ δὲ Κωνσταν2.2.2 τίνου πάντα πράττειν ἡμᾶς καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἱλεοῦσθαι πέπειστο. οἱ δ' αὐτοῦ θῶπες ὄντες τινὲς καὶ κόλακες, τὰ φίλα πράττειν τῷ δυσαγεῖ πεπεισμένοι, τοὺς δοκιμωτάτους τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν προέδρους κεφαλικαῖς ὑπέβαλλον τιμωρίαις, ἀπήγοντο δὲ καὶ ἐκολάζοντο ἀπροφασίστως τοῖς μιαιφόνοις ὁμοίως οἱ κατὰ μηδὲν ἠδικηκότες. ἤδη δέ τινες καινοτέραν ὑπέμενον τοῦ βίου τελευτήν, ξίφει τὸ σῶμα εἰς πολλὰ κατακρεουργούμενοι τμήματα καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀπηνῆ ταύτην καὶ πάσης τραγικῆς ἀκοῆς φρικτοτάτην κόλασιν θαλατ2.2.3 τίοις βυθοῖς ἰχθύσιν εἰς βορὰν ῥιπτούμενοι. φυγαὶ δὴ αὖθις ἐπὶ τούτοις ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ σμικρῷ πρότερον τῶν θεοσεβῶν ἐγίνοντο ἀνδρῶν, καὶ πάλιν ἀγροὶ καὶ πάλιν ἐρημίαι τοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ θεραπευτὰς ὑπεδέχοντο. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ταῦτα τοῦτον προὐχώρει τῷ τυράννῳ τὸν τρόπον, λοιπὸν τὸν κατὰ πάντων ἀνακινεῖν διωγμὸν ἐπὶ διάνοιαν ἐβάλλετο, ἐκράτει τε γνώμης καὶ οὐδὲν ἐμποδὼν ἦν αὐτῷ μὴ οὐχὶ δι' ἔργων ἤδη χωρεῖν, εἰ δὴ μὴ φθάσας τὸ μέλλον ὁ τῶν οἰκείων ὑπέρμαχος ὡς ἐν σκότῳ καὶ νυκτὶ ζοφωδεστάτῃ φωστῆρα μέγαν ἐξέλαμψε, τὸν αὐτοῦ θεράποντα Κωνσταντῖνον ἐπὶ τὰ τῇδε χειραγωγήσας. 2.3.1 Ὃς οὐκέτ' ἀνεκτὴν εἶναι συνιδὼν τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων ἀκοήν, τὸν σώφρονα συνάγει λογισμόν, καὶ τὸ στερρὸν τοῦ τρόπου τῇ συμφύτῳ φιλανθρωπίᾳ κερασάμενος ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμυναν τῶν καταπονουμένων ἔσπευδε, κρίνας δεῖν εἶναι εὐσεβὲς καὶ ὅσιον ἐκποδὼν ἕνα ποιησάμενον τὸ πλεῖστον τῶν ἀνθρώπων διασώσασθαι γένος· πολλῇ γὰρ αὐτῷ χρωμένῳ φιλανθρωπίᾳ καὶ τὸν οὐ συμπαθείας ἄξιον ἐλεοῦντι, τῷ μὲν μηθὲν γίνεσθαι πλέον, τῆς τῶν κακῶν ἐπιτηδεύσεως μηδαμῶς ἀπαλλαττομένῳ, ἐπαύξοντι δὲ μᾶλλον τὴν κατὰ τῶν ὑποχειρίων λύτταν, τοῖς δὲ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κεκακωμένοις μηδεμίαν ἔτι σωτηρίας 2.3.2 ἐλπίδα λείπεσθαι. ταῦτ' ἐννοήσας βασιλεὺς ἀνυπερθέτως δεξιὰν ὀρέγειν σωτήριον τοῖς εἰς ἔσχατα κακῶν ἐληλακόσιν ὡρμᾶτο. τῆς μὲν οὖν στρατιωτικῆς ἐξοπλίσεως τὴν συνήθη παρασκευὴν ἐποιεῖτο, ἤθροιστό τε αὐτῷ πᾶσα φάλαγξ πεζοῦ τε καὶ ἱππικοῦ τάγματος, ἡγεῖτο δ' ἐπὶ πάντων τὰ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος διὰ τοῦ προλεχθέντος σημείου σύμβολα. 2.4.1 Εὐχῶν δ' εἰ καί ποτε νῦν αὐτῷ δεῖσθαι καλῶς ἐπιστάμενος τοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ ἱερέας ἐπήγετο, συνεῖναι τ' αὐτῷ καὶ παρεῖναι ὥσπερ τινὰς ψυχῆς ἀγαθοὺς 2.4.2 φύλακας τούτους δεῖν ἡγούμενος. ἔνθεν εἰκότως ὁ τὴν τυραννίδα προβεβλημένος, πυθόμενος Κωνσταντίνῳ τὰς κατ' ἐχθρῶν νίκας μηδ' ἄλλως ἢ τοῦ θεοῦ συμπράττοντος πορίζεσθαι, συνεῖναί τ' αὐτῷ καὶ παρεῖναι διὰ παντὸς τοὺς εἰρημένους, καὶ τό γε τοῦ σωτηρίου πάθους σύμβολον αὐτοῦ τε καὶ τοῦ παντὸς καθηγήσασθαι στρατοῦ, ταῦτα μὲν γέλωτος ἄξια ὑπελάμβανεν εἶναι, χλευάζων ἅμα καὶ βλασφήμοις αὐτὰ διασύρων λόγοις, αὐτός τε θεοπρόπους καὶ μάντεις Αἰγυπτίων φαρμακεῖς καὶ γόητας θύτας τε καὶ προφήτας ὧν ἡγεῖτο θεῶν περὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐποίει, κἄπειτα θυσίαις οὓς δὴ ᾤετο θεοὺς μειλισσόμενος, διηρώτα ὅπῃ αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς ἐκβάσεως τοῦ πολέμου χωρήσειεν. 2.4.3 οἱ δ' ἀμελλήτως ἐχθρῶν νικητὴν ἔσεσθαι καὶ πολέμου κρατήσειν συμφώνως αὐτῷ μαντείαις μακραῖς ἐπῶν τε καλλιεπείαις τῶν ἁπανταχοῦ χρηστηρίων προίσχοντο, οἰωνοπόλοι δὲ διὰ τῆς τῶν ὀρνίθων πτήσεως σημαίνεσθαι αὐτῷ τὰ αἴσια προὔλεγον, καὶ θύται τὰ ὅμοια τὴν τῶν σπλάγχνων αἰνίττεσθαι 2.4.4 κίνησιν ἐδήλουν. ἐπαρθεὶς