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This is not yet so wonderful, since it is even acknowledged by the Greeks themselves that this is from the Sibyl: "O most blessed wood, on which God was stretched out." For even one who is zealous to be an opponent would not deny this. It signified, therefore, the wood of the cross and the reverence concerning it. These things have been related to us as we have received them, having heard them from men who knew them accurately, to whom the learning came down by succession from fathers to sons, and as many as wrote these very things, as they were able, have left them to those who came after. 2.2.1 The emperor, proposing to erect a temple to God in this area, ordered the rulers there to take care that the work might be shown to be as magnificent and costly as possible. And for her part, Helena, his mother, built two temples, one in Bethlehem around the cave of Christ's birth, and the other on the summit of the Mount of Olives, from where he ascended into heaven. 2.2.2 Many other things show her piety and reverence, and not least this. For it is said that while she was staying in Jerusalem at that time, she called together the sacred virgins for a feast and became a servant at the dinner, setting out the food and pouring water on their hands and doing the other things which it is customary for the servants of guests to do. 2.2.3 At that time, traveling through the cities of the East, she honored the churches in each city with suitable offerings, made many who had lost their fortunes rich, distributed necessities lavishly to the poor, and freed those from long-term bonds, exile, and the mines. And it seems to me that she received worthy rewards for these things; 2.2.4 for she completed her life here as splendidly and very conspicuously as was possible; she was proclaimed Augusta, and stamped a gold coin with her own image, and having received authority over the imperial treasuries from her son, she used it according to her will. And when it was necessary to leave this life, she died gloriously, being about eighty years old, leaving her son, together with her descendants the Caesars, ruling over the entire Roman world. 2.2.5 And if there is any benefit even in these things, not even after she died did oblivion cover her; for the age to come has a pledge of her perpetual memory in the city in Bithynia and another among the Palestinians, which received their names from her. Let these things have been said by us thus about Helena. 2.3.1 But the emperor, always laboring for piety, was accomplishing things and was erecting most beautiful temples to Christ everywhere, but especially in the metropolises, as in Nicomedia of the Bithynians and Antioch on the Orontes river and in the city of the Byzantines, which he established to be equal to Rome and to share in its rule. 2.3.2 For since everything was proceeding for him according to his will, and matters with foreign peoples had been settled by wars and treaties, he decided to found a city eponymous with himself and of equal honor with Rome. And having taken possession of the plain before Ilium beside the Hellespont above the tomb of Ajax, where it is said the Achaeans who once marched against Troy had their naval station and tents, he marked out what kind and how large the city should be; and he constructed gates in a conspicuous place, which indeed are even now visible from the sea to those sailing past. 2.3.3 But while he was laboring at these things, God appeared to him at night and instructed him to seek another place. And having moved him to Byzantium in Thrace across from Chalcedon of the Bithynians, he declared that he should found this city and deem it worthy of the name of Constantine. And he, persuaded by the words of God, extended what was formerly called Byzantium into a spacious area and surrounded it with very large walls. 2.3.4 And since he did not consider the natives to be sufficient citizens for the size of the city, having built very large houses scattered along the streets, he made men of account with their households masters in them and settled them, some from the older

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θαυμαστὸν οὔπω τοσοῦτον, ὅπου γε καὶ πρὸς αὐτῶν τῶν ῾Ελλήνων συνωμολόγηται Σιβύλλης εἶναι τοῦτο· ὦ ξύλον μακαριστὸν ἐφ' οὗ θεὸς ἐξετανύσθη. τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ σπουδάζων τις ἐναντίος εἶναι οὐκ ἂν ἀρνηθείη. προὐσήμαινεν 2.1.11 οὖν τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον καὶ τὸ περὶ αὐτοῦ σέβας. τάδε μὲν ἡμῖν, ὡς παρειλήφαμεν, ἱστόρηται ἀνδρῶν τε ἀκριβῶς ἐπισταμένων ἀκούσασιν, εἰς οὓς ἐκ διαδοχῆς πατέρων εἰς παῖδας τὸ μανθάνειν παρεγένετο, καὶ ὅσοι γε αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα συγγράψαντες, ὡς δυνάμεως εἶχον, τοῖς ἔπειτα καταλελοίπασιν. 2.2.1 ᾿Αμφὶ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χῶρον προθέμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς ναὸν ἐγεῖραι τῷ θεῷ προσέταξε τοῖς τῇδε ἄρχουσι προνοεῖν ὡς ἂν μάλιστα μεγαλοφυὲς καὶ πολυτελὲς ἀποδειχθείη τὸ ἔργον. ἐν μέρει δὲ καὶ ῾Ελένη ἡ αὐτοῦ μήτηρ δύο ναοὺς ᾠκοδόμησε, τὸν μὲν ἐν Βηθλεὲμ ἀμφὶ τὸ τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ σπήλαιον, τὸν δὲ πρὸς ταῖς ἀκρωρείαις τοῦ ὄρους τῶν ᾿Ελαιῶν, ὅθεν ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνελήφθη. 2.2.2 Ταύτης δὲ πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα δείκνυσι τὴν εὐσέβειαν καὶ εὐλάβειαν, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ καὶ τόδε. λέγεται γὰρ αὐτὴν τότε ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις διατρίβουσαν συγκαλέσαι πρὸς ἑστίασιν τὰς ἱερὰς παρθένους καὶ ὑπηρέτιν γενέσθαι περὶ τὸ δεῖπνον, παρατιθεῖσαν τὰ ὄψα καὶ ὕδωρ ταῖς χερσὶν ἐπιχέουσαν καὶ τἆλλα ποιοῦσαν, ἃ θέμις διακονεῖσθαι τοὺς τῶν δαιτυμόνων θεράποντας. 2.2.3 τηνικαῦτα δὲ τὰς πόλεις τῆς ἕω περιιοῦσα τὰς μὲν κατὰ πόλιν ἐκκλησίας ἀναθήμασι τοῖς προσήκουσιν ἐτίμησε, πολλοὺς δὲ οὐσιῶν ἐκπεπτωκότας πλουσίους ἐποίησε, πενομένοις δὲ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἀφθόνως διένειμε, τοὺς δὲ χρονίων δεσμῶν καὶ ὑπερορίας φυγῆς καὶ μετάλλων ἠλευθέρωσε. καί μοι δοκεῖ τού2.2.4 των ἀξίας ἀπειληφέναι τὰς ἀμοιβάς· τὴν μὲν γὰρ ἐνταῦθα βιοτήν, ὡς οὐ πλέον ἐνεδέχετο, λαμπρῶς καὶ λίαν ἐπισήμως διήνυσε· Σεβαστή τε ἀνεκηρύχθη, καὶ εἰκόνι ἰδίᾳ χρυσοῦν νόμισμα κατεσήμανε, καὶ βασιλικῶν θησαυρῶν ἐξουσίαν παρὰ τοῦ παιδὸς λαβοῦσα κατὰ γνώμην ἐχρῆτο. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔδει τὸν τῇδε καταλιπεῖν βίον, εὐκλεῶς ἐτελεύτησεν, ἔτη μὲν ἀμφὶ τὰ ὀγδοήκοντα γεγονυῖα, τὸν δὲ παῖδα καταλιποῦσα ἅμα Καίσαρσιν αὐτῆς ἐκγόνοις 2.2.5 πάσης τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων οἰκουμένης ἡγούμενον. εἰ δέ τίς ἐστι καὶ τούτων ὄνησις, οὐδὲ τελευτήσασαν ἡ λήθη ἐκάλυψεν· ἔχει δὲ αὐτῆς διηνεκοῦς μνήμης ἐνέχυρον ὁ μέλλων αἰὼν τὴν ἐπὶ Βιθυνίας πόλιν καὶ ἑτέραν παρὰ Παλαιστίνοις, ἀπ' αὐτῆς λαβούσας τὴν προσηγορίαν. ταῦτα μὲν ἡμῖν ὧδε περὶ ῾Ελένης εἰρήσθω. 2.3.1 ῾Ο δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀεί τι πονῶν εἰς εὐσέβειαν συνετέλει καὶ πανταχοῦ περικαλλεστάτους ναοὺς ἀνίστη τῷ Χριστῷ, διαφερόντως δὲ ἐν ταῖς μητροπόλεσιν, ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς Νικομηδέων τῆς Βιθυνῶν καὶ ᾿Αντιοχείας τῆς παρὰ τὸν ᾿Ορόντην ποταμὸν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Βυζαντίων πόλεως, ἣν ἴσα ῾Ρώμῃ κρατεῖν 2.3.2 καὶ κοινωνεῖν αὐτῇ τῆς ἀρχῆς κατεστήσατο. ἐπεὶ γὰρ κατὰ γνώμην αὐτῷ πάντα προὐχώρει, κατώρθωτο δὲ καὶ τὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους πολέμοις καὶ σπονδαῖς, ἔγνωκεν οἰκίσαι πόλιν ὁμώνυμον ἑαυτῷ καὶ τῇ ῾Ρώμῃ ὁμότιμον. καταλαβὼν δὲ τὸ πρὸ τοῦ ᾿Ιλίου πεδίον παρὰ τὸν ῾Ελλήσποντον ὑπὲρ τὸν Αἴαντος τάφον, οὗ δὴ λέγεται τὸν ναύσταθμον καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς ἐσχηκέναι τοὺς ἐπὶ Τροίαν ποτὲ στρατευσαμένους ᾿Αχαιούς, οἵαν ἐχρῆν καὶ ὅσην τὴν πόλιν διέγραψε· καὶ πύλας κατεσκεύασεν ἐν περιωπῇ, αἳ δὴ νῦν 2.3.3 ἔτι ἀπὸ θαλάσσης φαίνονται τοῖς παραπλέουσι. ταῦτα δὲ αὐτῷ πονοῦντι νύκτωρ ἐπιφανεὶς ὁ θεὸς ἔχρησεν ἕτερον ἐπιζητεῖν τόπον. καὶ κινήσας αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον τῆς Θρᾴκης πέραν Χαλκηδόνος τῆς Βιθυνῶν, ταύτην αὐτῷ οἰκίζειν ἀπέφηνε πόλιν καὶ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου ἐπωνυμίας ἀξιοῦν. ὁ δὲ τοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγοις πεισθεὶς τὴν πρὶν Βυζάντιον προσαγορευομένην 2.3.4 εἰς εὐρυχωρίαν ἐκτείνας μεγίστοις τείχεσι περιέβαλεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοὺς αὐτόχθονας οὐχ ἱκανοὺς ἐνόμισεν εἶναι πολίτας τῷ μεγέθει τῆς πόλεως, μεγίστας οἰκίας ἀνὰ τὰς ἀγυιὰς σποράδην οἰκοδομήσας, ἄνδρας ἐν λόγῳ σὺν τοῖς οἰκείοις δεσπότας ποιήσας ἐν ταύταις κατῴκισε, τοὺς μὲν ἐκ τῆς πρεσ2.3.5 βυτέρας