,

that the Persians, having changed their fortune, would carry off the Persian [fortune] as well. So the Persian [army] was strengthened by the prophecies, as if 2.2.4 exulting. Setting forth, therefore, from the Bouron river, they advanced against the Romans. Then they saddled a multitude of camels, loading them with waterskins, so that the Romans would not easily defeat them if they lacked a natural supply of water; and they clung to such hopes of success that they brought forth fetters, some made of wood and others of iron, and 2.2.5 a great many of them indeed. But the general advised the Roman [army] to abstain from the toils of agriculture, suggesting this out of regard for the peasantry. On the next day, therefore, he equipped picked men to scout the enemy and entrusted them to Sergius the captain, to whom the garrison of Mardes had been entrusted, and to Ogyrus and Zogomus; these were phylarchs of the allied force of the Romans, whom it was customary for 2.2.6 the Latins to call Saracens. So those sent from the general, having captured and tortured some of the barbarian host, ascertained that Cardarigan was encamped where he was before. This happened to be the seventh day of the weekly cycle; and this is named Sabbath by the 2.2.7 hierophant Moses. When these things were reported to the Roman regiment, a suspicion entered the general’s mind that the enemy would attempt to attack on the following day, as the Roman [army] honored the day as a rest from labors, out of reverence for the holy day. On the next day the scouts came and reported to the general that the Persian forces were approaching. 2.3.1 Philippicus therefore arrayed the Roman [army] and arranged the fighting force in three wings. And he entrusted the left wing to Iliifredas, (he was the commander of Emesa) and indeed Apsich the Hun also took on the same force. And the 2.3.2 right [wing] Vitalius the taxiarch. And the general took up the center wing, that is to say Heraclius, the 2.3.3 father of the emperor Heraclius. And the Persian [army] was also arranged thus. On the right wing was Mebodes the Persian, and on the left wing Aphraates, said to be the nephew of Cardarigan the satrap, while Cardarigan himself had been allotted the middle 2.3.4 portion. When the enemy appeared, and there was much dust, Philippicus brought forth the theandric image, which report from of old and even to the present proclaims divine knowledge to have formed, not the hands of a weaver 2.3.5 to have constructed nor the brush of a painter to have colored. For this very reason it is also celebrated by the Romans as "not made by hands" and has been deemed worthy of honors equal to God; for the Romans worship something ineffable as its 2.3.6 archetype. Uncovering this from its venerable veils, the general ran along the ranks, thereby imparting a greater and irresistible courage to the army. Then coming into the middle of the host, with a flood of tears gushing forth from the outpouring of his anguish, he used words of exhortation to the 2.3.7 army. And the nature of his words was sufficient to intensify the impulses of the zealous, and to stir up the eagerness of the lazy and sluggish. And then the trumpets sounded the call to arms, and when they had resounded, they incited the forces to 2.3.8 war. But the general sent for that image of the Lord at Mardes through Symeon, who held the priestly throne of Amida; for it happened that the man was staying in the fortress 2.3. at that time. And those in the fort on that day were beseeching the divine and propitiating it and with a multitude of tears were making supplications, that 2.3.10 the Romans might carry off the victory in the contest. And the captains and the front-rank men of the forces, and indeed also the chiliarchs, having gathered together, were beseeching the general to move to the rear of the force. For they feared lest the war might become more dangerous for them, with the general as a sharer 2.3.11 of the toils

Πέρσας ἀποίσεσθαι ἅμα τὴν Περσίδα τὴν τύχην ἀμείψαντας. τὸ μὲν οὖν Περσικὸν διερρώννυτο ταῖς προρρήσεσιν ὥσπερ 2.2.4 γαυρούμενον. ἀπάραντες τοίνυν ἐκ τοῦ Βούρων ποταμοῦ πρὸς τοὺς ῾Ρωμαίους ἐφέροντο. εἶτα πλήθη καμήλων ἐπέσαξαν ἀσκοὺς ἐπιφορτίσαντες ὕδατος, ἵνα μὴ τῆς τῶν ὑδάτων ἀπορήσαντας φύσεως ῾Ρωμαῖοι ῥᾳδίως αὐτοὺς κατεργάσωνται· τοσοῦτον δ' εὐπραγίας ἐλπίσιν ἐφήπτοντο, ὡς καὶ πέδας, τοῦτο μὲν ἐκ ξύλων τοῦτο δ' ἐκ σιδήρου διειργασμένας, καὶ 2.2.5 μάλα γε πολλὰς προεφέροντο. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς τῷ ῾Ρωμαϊκῷ παρενεγύα τῶν γεωργικῶν ἱδρώτων ἀπέχεσθαι φειδοῖ τῆς ἀγροικίας ταῦτα ὑποτιθέμενος. τῇ οὖν ἐπιούσῃ ἄνδρας λογάδας ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ τοῦ πολεμίου ἐξήρτυσε Σεργίῳ τε τῷ λοχαγῷ ἀνατέθεικεν, ᾧ ἡ τοῦ Μάρδιος φρουρὰ ἐγκεχείριστο, τόν τε ῎Ωγυρον καὶ Ζώγομον· φύλαρχοι δ' οὗτοι τῆς συμμάχου τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων δυνάμεως, οὓς Σαρακηνοὺς εἴθιστο 2.2.6 Λατίνοις ἀποκαλεῖν. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀπὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ἀποσταλέντες τινὰς τῆς βαρβαρικῆς πληθύος ὑποθηράσαντες στρεβλώσαντές τε διέγνωσαν ὡς ὁ Καρδαριγὰν στρατοπεδεύεται ἔνθα καὶ πρότερον. ἑβδόμη δ' αὕτη ἡμέρα ἐτύγχανε τοῦ κυκλικοῦ τῆς ἑβδομάδος βαδίσματος· σάββατον δὲ τοῦτο τῷ 2.2.7 ἱεροφάντῃ Μωσῇ κατωνόμασται. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῷ ῾Ρωμαϊκῷ ταῦτα ἀνηγγέλθη συντάγματι, εἰς τὸν στρατηγὸν ὑπόνοιά τις εἰσέρχεται ὡς τῇ ἐπιούσῃ ἀποπειραθήσεται τὸ πολέμιον ἐπιτίθεσθαι, οἷα τοῦ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ τὴν ἡμέραν γεραίροντος πόνων ἀνάπαυλαν, αἰδοῖ τοῦ σεβάσματος. τῇ δ' εἰσαύριον ἧκον οἱ κατοπτεύοντες καὶ τῷ στρατηγῷ διαγγέλλουσι τὰ Περσικὰ πλησιάζειν στρατεύματα. 2.3.1 ὁ μὲν οὖν Φιλιππικὸς τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν διεκόσμησε καὶ τριτταῖς κεραίαις τὸ μάχιμον διετάξατο. καὶ τὴν μὲν κεραίαν τὴν εὐώνυμον τῷ Εἰλιφρέδᾳ ἐπέτρεπεν, (ἄρχων δ' οὗτος ἦν τῆς ᾿Εμέσης) ναὶ μὴν καὶ ᾿Αψὶχ ὁ Οὖννος τὴν αὐτὴν περιεβάλετο δύναμιν. τὴν δὲ 2.3.2 τοῦ δεξιοῦ Βιτάλιος ὁ ταξιάρχης. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς τὸ μεσαίτατον ἀνελάμβανε κέρας, ταὐτὸν δ' εἰπεῖν ῾Ηράκλειος, ὁ 2.3.3 ῾Ηρακλείου πατὴρ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος. διετάχθη δὲ καὶ τὸ Περσικὸν οὑτωσί. ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ δεξιοῦ λόφου Μεβόδης ὁ Πέρσης, ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ ἀριστερᾷ λόφῃ ᾿Αφραάτης, ἀδελφιδοῦς εἶναι λεγόμενος Καρδαριγὰν τοῦ σατράπου, τὴν δὲ μέσην 2.3.4 ἀπόμοιραν αὐτὸς ὁ Καρδαριγὰν ἐκεκλήρωτο. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ πολέμιον παρεφαίνετο, καὶ ἦν κόνις πολλή, Φιλιππικὸς τὸ θεανδρικὸν ἐπεφέρετο εἴκασμα, ὃ λόγος ἕκαθεν καὶ εἰς τὰ νῦν διηχεῖ θείαν ἐπιστήμην μορφῶσαι, οὐχ ὑφάντου χεῖρας 2.3.5 τεκτήνασθαι ἢ ζωγράφου μηλιάδα ποικῖλαι. διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ἀχειροποίητος παρὰ ῾Ρωμαίοις καθυμνεῖται καὶ τῶν ἰσοθέων πρεσβειῶν ἠξίωται· ἀρχέτυπον γὰρ ἐκείνου θρη2.3.6 σκεύουσι ῾Ρωμαῖοί τι ἄρρητον. ταύτην ὁ στρατηγὸς τῶν σεβασμίων περιπέπλων γυμνώσας τὰς τάξεις ὑπέτρεχεν, κρείττονος καὶ ἀνανταγωνίστου θράσους ἐντεῦθεν μεταδιδοὺς τῷ στρατεύματι. εἶτα παρελθὼν τῆς πληθύος εἰς μέσον, τῇ ἐπιρροίᾳ τῶν δακρύων ὑπὸ τῆς χύσεως τῆς ἀγωνίας βλύζων ἀένναον τοῖς παρακλητικοῖς ῥήμασιν ἐκέχρητο πρὸς τὸ στρά2.3.7 τευμα. καὶ ἦν ἱκανὴ τῶν λόγων ἡ φύσις τῶν μὲν σπουδαίων τὰς ὁρμὰς ἐπιτεῖναι, τῶν δὲ ῥαθύμων καὶ νωθρῶν διεγεῖραι τὸ πρόθυμον. καὶ δὴ τὸ παρορμητικὸν μέλος αἱ σάλπιγγες ἤχησαν, ἐπεὶ δὲ περιελάλησαν, παρέθηγον τὰς δυνάμεις εἰς 2.3.8 πόλεμον. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς τὸ κυριακὸν ἐκεῖνο ἐπὶ τὸ Μάρδης μετεπέμψατο ἴνδαλμα Συμεώνῃ, τῷ τὸν ἱερατικὸν ᾿Αμίδης θρόνον ἐπέχοντι· ἔτυχε γὰρ τὸν ἄνδρα ἐν τῷ ὀχυρώματι 2.3. κατ' ἐκεῖνο ἐνδιατρίβειν καιροῦ. οἱ δ' ἐν τῷ φρουρίῳ ἐλιπάρουν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τὸ θεῖον καὶ εὐμενίζοντο καὶ μετὰ πληθύος δακρύων τὰς ἱκεσίας εἰργάζοντο, ὅπως 2.3.10 τὴν νικῶσαν ῾Ρωμαῖοι ἀνὰ τὴν ἀγωνίαν ἀποίσονται. οἱ δὲ λοχαγοὶ οἵ τε πρωτοστάται τῶν δυνάμεων, μενοῦνγε καὶ οἱ χιλίαρχοι ἀθροισθέντες ἠντιβόλουν τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐπὶ τὸ οὔραιον τῆς δυνάμεως μεταβήσεσθαι. ἐδεδίεσαν γὰρ μή ποτε αὐτοῖς ἐπικινδυνότερος ὁ πόλεμος γένοιτο κοινωνὸν 2.3.11 τῶν πόνων τὸν στρατηγὸν