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having striven by every device to cut out the religion, they hid the place here under much earth and raised to a height what was deeper, as even now appears. And having enclosed all the space around the place of the Resurrection and of the Skull, they adorned it and paved the surface with stone; and they constructed a temple of Aphrodite and set up an image, so that those worshipping Christ there might seem to revere Aphrodite, and that in time the true cause of the reverence for the place might come to be forgotten, since Christians dared not go to this place without fear or reveal it to others, and on the contrary, the Hellenic temple and the statue were confirmed. 2.1.4 Nevertheless, the place became manifest and the labored deception concerning it was detected, as some say, through a Hebrew man of those living in the east who revealed it from an ancestral writing, but as it is more truly to be understood, God having shown it through signs and dreams. For I do not think that divine things need revelation from men, whenever it seems good to God that they should become manifest. 2.1.5 At that time, then, by command of the emperor, when this 2.1.5 place had been cleared to a depth, the cave of the Resurrection appeared in part, and elsewhere around the same place three crosses were found, and separately another piece of wood in the form of a tablet, with words and letters, Hebrew, Greek, and Roman, declaring these things: Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews. And these things, as the holy book of the gospels relates, so it happened to have been written above the head of Christ, when Pilate, who was governing Judea, had commanded this. 2.1.6 But the distinguishing of the divine cross was still difficult, even though it was found, since the inscription had worn away from it and had been cast aside, and at the same time the three crosses were scattered in a heap, as is likely that in the taking down of the crucified bodies the order had been confused. For when the soldiers found a corpse on the wood, they first took him down and gave him for burial, according to the history; but after this, having hastened the death of the robbers on either side, they broke their legs and cast the woods here and there, wherever it happened. For what concern was it to them to leave these things in their former order, when each one was hastening to reach the evening and considering it not good to linger around the crosses of men who had died by violence. 2.1.7 Therefore, since the divine wood was still unknown and needed a revelation more divine than human, something of this sort happened. There was a certain distinguished woman in Jerusalem, suffering from a most difficult and incurable disease. To her as she was lying down came Macarius, the bishop of the church there, taking with him the emperor's mother and those with him. And having prayed first and having appointed as a sign for those watching that that would be the divine cross which, when placed upon her, would deliver the woman from her disease, he brought each of the woods to her. But when two of them were placed upon her, what was happening seemed to be nothing but nonsense and a mockery, since the woman was at death's door. But when he brought the third wood near in like manner, she suddenly looked up and, 2.1.8 having gathered her strength, she immediately leaped from her bed healthy. It is said also that a dead man came back to life in the same way. Of the divine wood that was found, the greater part, remaining in a silver case, is still even now guarded in Jerusalem, 2.1. but a part the empress conveyed to her son Constantine, and not only that but also the nails with which the body of Christ had been pierced. And from these they relate that the emperor made a helmet and a horse's bridle, according to the prophecy of Zechariah, by whom indeed it was foretold, as at the present time, "that which is on the bridle of the horse will be holy to the Lord Almighty." 2.1.10 For the prophet speaks in these very words. These things long ago were known and foretold by the holy prophets, but later were confirmed by wondrous works, when at a time that seemed good to God it appeared. and

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θρησκείαν πάσῃ μηχανῇ σπουδάσαντες ἐκτεμεῖν ὑπὸ πολλῷ χώματι τὸν τῇδε τόπον κατέκρυψαν καὶ εἰς ὕψος ἤγειραν βαθύτερον ὑπάρχοντα, ὡς καὶ νῦν φαίνεται. περιλαβόντες δὲ πέριξ πάντα τὸν τῆς ἀναστάσεως χῶρον καὶ τοῦ Κρανίου, διεκόσμησαν καὶ λίθῳ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν κατέστρωσαν· καὶ ᾿Αφρο-δίτης ναὸν κατεσκεύασαν καὶ ζῴδιον ἱδρύσαντο, ὥστε τοὺς αὐτόθι τὸν Χριστὸν προσκυνοῦντας δόξαι τὴν ᾿Αφροδίτην σέβειν, καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ εἰς λήθην ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἀληθῆ αἰτίαν τοῦ περὶ τὸν τόπον σεβάσματος, ἅτε μήτε τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀδεῶς εἰς τοῦτον φοιτᾶν ἢ ἑτέροις καταμηνύειν τολμώντων καὶ τοὐναντίον πιστουμένου τοῦ ῾Ελληνικοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀγάλματος. 2.1.4 ᾿Εγένετό γε μὴν δῆλος ὁ τόπος καὶ ἐφωράθη ἡ σπουδασθεῖσα περὶ αὐτὸν πλάνη, ὡς μέν τινες λέγουσιν, ἀνδρὸς ῾Εβραίου τῶν ἀνὰ τὴν ἑῴαν οἰκούντων ἐκ πατρῴας γραφῆς καταμηνύσαντος, ὡς δὲ ἀληθέστερον ἐννοεῖν ἔστι, τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιδείξαντος διὰ σημείων καὶ ὀνειράτων. οὐ γὰρ οἶμαι τὰ θεῖα δεῖσθαι τῆς παρ' ἀνθρώπων μηνύσεως, ἡνίκα ἂν δῆλα αὐτὰ τῷ θεῷ 2.1.5 δοκῇ γενέσθαι. τηνικαῦτα γοῦν κατὰ πρόσταξιν τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ τῇδε 2.1.5 χώρου καθαρθέντος εἰς βάθος, ἐν μέρει τὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀνεφάνη ἄντρον, ἑτέρωθι δὲ περὶ τὸν αὐτὸν τόπον τρεῖς ηὑρέθησαν σταυροί, καὶ χωρὶς ἄλλο ξύλον ἐν τάξει λευκώματος ῥήμασι καὶ γράμμασιν ῾Εβραϊκοῖς ῾Ελληνικοῖς τε καὶ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῖς τάδε δηλοῦν· ᾿Ιησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων. καὶ ταῦτα μέν, ὡς ἡ ἱερὰ βίβλος τῶν εὐαγγελίων ἱστορεῖ, οὕτω συνέβη προγραφῆναι ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, Πιλάτου τοῦτο προστά2.1.6 ξαντος τοῦ τὴν ᾿Ιουδαίαν ἐπιτροπεύοντος. ἐργώδης δὲ ἔτι ἐτύγχανεν ἡ τοῦ θείου σταυροῦ διάκρισις, εἰ καὶ εὑρέθη, διερρυηκότος αὐτοῦ τοῦ γράμματος καὶ διερριμμένου, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῶν τριῶν σταυρῶν χύδην διεσπαρμένων, ὥς γε εἰκὸς ἐν τῇ καθαιρέσει τῶν σταυρωθέντων σωμάτων συγχυθείσης τῆς τάξεως. ἐπεὶ γὰρ οἱ στρατιῶται νεκρὸν ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ εὑρήκασι, καθελόντες αὐτὸν πρῶτον ἀπέδοντο εἰς ταφὴν κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῶν ἑκατέρωθεν λῃστῶν ταχύναντες τὸν θάνατον, τὰ σκέλη κατέαξαν καὶ τὰ ξύλα ὅπῃ ἐπέτυχεν ἄλλο ἄλλῃ διέρριψαν. τί γὰρ καὶ ἐπιμελὲς ἦν αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ τάξει ταῦτα ἐᾶν, ἑκάστου φθάσαι τὴν ἑσπέραν σπουδάζοντος καὶ ἀνδρῶν βίᾳ τετελευτηκότων περὶ σταυροὺς ἐνδιατρίβειν οὐκ ἀγαθὸν ἡγου2.1.7 μένου. ταύτῃ οὖν ἀδήλου ἔτι τυγχάνοντος τοῦ θεσπεσίου ξύλου καὶ θειοτέρας ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον δεομένου μηνύσεως, τοιόνδε τι συνέβη. γυνή τις ἦν τῶν ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις ἐπισήμων, χαλεπωτάτῃ καὶ ἀνιάτῳ νόσῳ κάμνουσα. πρὸς ταύτην κειμένην ἦλθε Μακάριος ὁ τῆς αὐτόθι ἐκκλησίας ἐπίσκοπος, παραλαβὼν τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως μητέρα καὶ τοὺς ἀμφ' αὐτόν. εὐξάμενός τε πρότερον καὶ σύμβολον τάξας τοῖς ὁρῶσιν ἐκεῖνον εἶναι τὸν θεῖον σταυρόν, ὃς ἐπιτεθεὶς ἀπαλλάξει τῆς νόσου τὴν γυναῖκα, φέρων ἕκαστον αὐτῇ τῶν ξύλων προσήγαγεν. ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν δύο ἐπιτεθέντων οὐδὲν ὅτι μὴ λῆρος καὶ γέλως ἔδοξεν εἶναι τὸ γινόμενον, θανάτου ἐν θύραις ὄντος τοῦ γυναίου. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ τρίτον ξύλον ὁμοίως προσήνεγκεν, ἐξαπίνης ἀνέβλεψε καὶ 2.1.8 τὰς δυνάμεις ἀθροίσασα παραχρῆμα τῆς στρωμνῆς ὑγιὴς ἀπεπήδησε. λέγεται δὲ καὶ νεκρὸν τῷ ἴσῳ τρόπῳ ἀναβιῶναι. τοῦ δὲ εὑρεθέντος θεσπεσίου ξύλου τὸ μὲν πλεῖστον ἐν ἀργυρᾷ θήκῃ μένον ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις 2.1. φυλάττεται, μέρος δὲ ἡ βασιλὶς πρὸς Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν παῖδα διεκόμισεν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἥλους οἷς τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ διαπεπερόνητο. ἐκ τούτων δὲ ἱστοροῦσι τὸν βασιλέα περικεφαλαίαν κατασκευάσαι καὶ χαλινὸν ἵππειον κατὰ τὴν Ζαχαρίου προφητείαν, ᾧ δὴ προείρητο, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ «ἔσται τὸ ἐπὶ τὸν χαλινὸν τοῦ ἵππου ἅγιον τῷ κυρίῳ παντο2.1.10 κράτορι». ὧδε γὰρ αὐταῖς λέξεσιν ὁ προφήτης φησί. ταῦτα πάλαι μὲν ἔγνωστο καὶ προείρητο τοῖς ἱεροῖς προφήταις, εἰς ὕστερον δὲ διὰ θαυμασίων ἐβεβαιοῦτο τῶν ἔργων, ὅτε ἐν καιρῷ δοκοῦν εἶναι τῷ θεῷ κατεφαίνετο. καὶ