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those who were left were outside the faith. Since therefore he knew that those who remained in the ancient error were not more than seventeen, This too is a sad thing, he says, looking toward God, that anything should be lacking from the fullness of those being saved. But nevertheless it is worthy of great thanksgiving that he leaves as many idolaters for the one who receives the Church after him, as he himself had received Christians. And having prayed for both those who had already believed, for their increase to perfection, and for the conversion of the unbelievers, thus from human 46.956 life he departs to God, having charged his friends not to acquire a special place for his burial. For if while living he did not accept to be called master of any place, but lived his life as a sojourner in the lands of others, neither after death will he by any means be ashamed of his sojourning; But let it be, he says, a story for the life hereafter, that Gregory was neither named for any place while living, and after death became a sojourner in the tombs of others, having removed himself from all possession on earth, so as not even to consent to be buried in a place of his own; for he judged that possession alone to be precious to him which in itself admits no trace of covetousness. But let each of those who read this account marvel at the sudden conversion of the whole nation from Hellenic vanity to the knowledge of the truth, and let no one disbelieve, looking at the dispensation through which such a great change of those being transferred from falsehood to the truth came about. For what happened in the first times of his priesthood, which the account, hastening on to the rest of the wonders, passed over, I will now take up again and relate. There was a certain public festival in the city, being held for some local demon according to a certain ancestral custom. To this almost the entire nation flocked, the whole country celebrating with the city. And the theater was filled with those who had run together, and was overflowing on all sides above the seats with the crowd that poured in, and with everyone eager to look toward the orchestra for the spectacles and performances, the stage was full of uproar, and the performance became impossible for the wonder-workers, the disturbance of those being crowded not only interrupting the enjoyment of the music, but not even giving the wonder-workers an opportunity to display their skills. Then a common voice broke out from all the people, calling upon the demon for whom they were holding the festival, and demanding that spaciousness come to them from him. And when, as everyone was shouting together, the voice was raised on high, and the word of the whole city seemed to be as from one mouth, offering this prayer to the demon (and the prayer was, to hear its very wording: 'Zeus, make room for us!'); that great man, having heard the sound of those calling by name upon the demon from whom they were asking for spaciousness to come to the city, says to them, having sent one of those standing by, that in a little while a spaciousness greater than they prayed for would be given to them. And when this utterance had been brought forth from him like some grim decree, a plague succeeded that public sacred month. And immediately lamentation was mixed with the choruses, so that their festivities were turned into mourning and calamities, with successive dirges taking over the city instead of flutes and applause.

For once the affliction had attacked the people, it went through them faster than expected, feeding on the houses like a fire, so that 46.957 the temples were filled with those perishing from the disease who were taking refuge in the hope of a cure; and springs, and fountains, and wells were full of those being parched with thirst by the helplessness of the disease (for whom the water was powerless to quench the flame from the affliction, those once seized by the affliction being in the same condition both after the water and before the water); and many were deserting to the tombs, and no longer

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εἶεν οἱ περι λειφθέντες ἔξω τῆς πίστεως. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔγνω τοὺς παραμεμενηκότας τῇ ἀρχαίᾳ πλάνῃ μὴ πλείους εἶναι τῶν ἑπτακαίδεκα, Σκυθρωπὸν μὲν καὶ τοῦτο, φησὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀποβλέψας, τὸ λιπεῖν τι τῷ τῶν σωζο μένων πληρώματι. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ μεγάλης εὐχαριστίας ἄξιον, ὅτι τοσούτους καταλείπει τοὺς εἰδωλολάτρας τῷ μετ' αὐτὸν ἐκδεχομένῳ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ὅσους αὐ τὸς Χριστιανοὺς ὑπεδέξατο. Ἐπευξάμενος δὲ τοῖς τε πεπιστευκόσιν ἤδη τὴν εἰς τὸ τέλειον αὔξησιν, καὶ τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν τοῖς ἀπίστοις, οὕτω τοῦ ἀνθρω 46.956 πίνου βίου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν μετανίσταται, ἐπισκηψὰς τοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις, μὴ κτήσασθαι τόπον αὐτῷ πρὸς τα φὴν ἰδιάζοντα. Εἰ γὰρ ζῶν, κύριος κληθῆναι τόπου τινὸς οὐκ ἐδέξατο, ἀλλὰ παροικῶν ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις τὸν βίον διήγαγεν, οὐδὲ μετὰ θάνατον τῇ παροικία πάν τως ἐπαισχυνθήσεται· Ἀλλ' ἔστω, φησὶ, τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα βίῳ διήγημα, ὅτι Γρηγόριος οὔτε ζῶν ἐπ ωνομάσθη τόπῳ τινὶ, καὶ μετὰ θάνατον ἀλλοτρίων τάφων ἐγένετο πάροικος, πάσης τῆς ἐν τῇ γῇ κτήσεως ἑαυτὸν ἀποστήσας, ὡς μηδὲ ἐνταφῆναι ἰδίῳ καταδέξασθαι τόπῳ· μόνην γὰρ αὐτῷ κτῆσιν τιμίαν εἶναι ἔκρινεν ἐκείνην, ἣ πλεονεξίας ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς ἴχνος οὐ δέχεται. Τὴν δὲ ἀθρόαν παντὸς τοῦ ἔθνους μετάστασιν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς ματαιότητος εἰς τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας θαυμαζέτω ἕκα στος τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ μηδεὶς ἀπι στείτω πρὸς τὴν οἰκονομίαν βλέπων, δι' ἧς γέγονεν ἡ τοσαύτη μεταβολὴ τῶν μετατιθεμένων ἀπὸ τοῦ ψεύδους πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Τὸ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις αὐτοῦ τῆς ἱερωσύνης γεγενημένον χρόνοις, ὅπερ πρὸς τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν θαυμάτων ἐπειγόμενος ὁ λόγος παρ έδραμε, νῦν ἐπαναλαβὼν διηγήσομαι. Ἑορτή τις ἦν πάνδημος ἐν τῇ πόλει, δαίμονί τινι τῶν ἐγχωρίων κατά τι πάτριον ἀγομένη. Πρὸς ταύτην ἅπαν σχεδὸν συνέῤῥει τὸ ἔθνος, τῆς χώρας πάσης συνεορταζούσης τῇ πόλει. Ἐπεπλήρωτο δὲ τῶν συνδεδραμηκότων τὸ θέατρον, καὶ ὑπερεχεῖτο πανταχόθεν ὑπὲρ τὰς καθ έδρας τῶν ἐπιῤῥυέντων τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ πάντων περὶ τὰ θεάματά τε καὶ ἀκροάματα πρὸς τὴν ὀρχήστραν ἀποβλέπειν προθυμουμένων, θορύβου πλήρης ἦν ἡ σκηνὴ, καὶ ἄπρακτος ἐγίνετο τοῖς θαυματοποιοῖς ἡ ἐπίδειξις, τῆς ταραχῆς τῶν στενοχωρουμένων οὐ μό νον τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τῆς μουσικῆς ἐπικοπτούσης, ἀλλ' οὔτε τοῖς θαυματοποιοῖς ἐνδιδούσης καιρὸν τὰ ἑαυ τῶν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι. Ἔνθα δὲ κοινὴ παρὰ παντὸς ἐκρήγνυται τοῦ δήμου φωνὴ, τὸν δαίμονα, ᾧ τὴν ἑορ τὴν ἦγον, ἀνακαλούντων, καὶ παρ' ἐκείνου τὴν εὐ ρυχωρίαν αὐτοῖς ἀξιούντων γενέσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πάντων ἀλλήλοις συμφθεγγομένων, εἰς ὕψος ᾔρετο ἡ φωνὴ, καὶ πάσης ἐδόκει τῆς πόλεως καθάπερ ἑνός τινος στόματος ὁ λόγος εἶναι, ὁ τὴν εὐχὴν ταύτην προσάγων τῷ δαίμονι (ἦν δὲ ἡ εὐχὴ, ὡς ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἀκοῦσαι τῆς λέξεως· Ζεῦ, ποίησον ἡμῖν τόπον)· ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ μέγας ἐκεῖνος τοῦ ἤχου τῶν ὀνομαστὶ ἐπιβοωμένων τὸν δαίμονα, παρ' οὗ τὴν εὐρυχωρίαν ᾔτουν γενέσθαι τῇ πόλει, φησὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς, πέμψας τινὰ τῶν παρεστηκότων, δοθήσεσθαι αὐτοῖς ὅσον οὐ δέπω πλείονα τῆς εὐχῆς τὴν εὐρυχωρίαν. Ταύτης δὲ παρ' αὐτοῦ τῆς φωνῆς οἷόν τινος σκυθρωπῆς ἀποφάσεως ἐξενεχθείσης, λοιμὸς τὴν πάνδη μον ἐκείνην ἱερομηνίαν ἐκδέχεται. Καὶ παραχρῆμα κατεμίγνυτο ταῖς χοροστασίαις ὁ θρῆνος, ὥστε αὐ τοῖς εἰς πένθη καὶ συμφορὰς μεταστραφῆναι τὰς θυ μηδίας, ἀντὶ αὐλῶν καὶ κρότων τῆς ἐπαλλήλου θρηνωδίας διαλαβούσης τὴν πόλιν.

Ἐνσκῆψαν γὰρ ἅπαξ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸ πάθος, θᾶττον ἢ κατ' ἐλπίδας διεξ ῄει πυρὸς δίκην τοὺς οἴκους ἐπιβοσκόμενον, ὥστε 46.957 πληροῦσθαι μὲν τῶν τῇ νόσῳ καταφθειρομένων τὰ ἱερὰ τῶν ἐλπίδι θεραπείας προσφευγόντων· γέμειν δὲ πηγὰς, καὶ κρουνοὺς, καὶ φρέατα, τῶν ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ νοσήματος ἀμηχανίας διακαιομένων ἐν τῇ δίψῃ (ἐφ' ὧν ἠτόνει τὸ ὕδωρ τὸν ἐκ τοῦ πάθους κατασβέσαι φλογμὸν, ὁμοίως ἐχόντων καὶ μετὰ τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ὕδατος, τῶν ἅπαξ κατασχεθέντων τῷ πάθει)· πολλοὺς δὲ αὐτομολεῖν πρὸς τοὺς τάφους, καὶ μηκέτι