the Lord, for the three children are alive. And when the holy bishop among the saints and the people heard, they rejoiced, and sending a large basket, he allowed the three to be brought up together. For they were small, about six or seven years old. And the one below, having received the basket and tied it securely, sat the three in it, instructing them to close their eyes until they reached the top and to say: Jesus Christ, save us. And having done this, he shouted calmly to pull the rope, and while pulling they recited the hymn of the three children: "Blessed are you, Lord God of our fathers." And when they arrived and the bishop among the saints saw them (for he happened to be standing by the mouth of the well and holding the rope), and filled with joy and tears he cried out, saying: "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise him." And when they lifted them from the small basket, they examined them to see if any part of their body was hurt, and nothing wrong was found on them, but we beheld a great miracle.

82 For the three were found having cross-shaped marks as if from the scraping of a needle, one in the middle of the forehead, another upon the right hand near the fingers, and the other on the right shoulder. And the little crosses were well-formed, neither crooked nor bent, but of one measure, so that it was clear they were divine signs; for they caused them no pain, nor any blood, but were imprinted as if with cinnabar. And they remained on them for a considerable time so that all could see and wonder; for many of the gentiles, upon seeing them, believed.

83 And when the man who had gone down into the well for the children's sake was also brought up, he affirmed with oaths, saying that when he put them in the basket and they were being brought up, he saw something like lightning around them until they reached the mouth of the well. And there was joy for the Christians on that day, but for the idolaters, grief and scandal. And the building work progressed day by day, with everyone working eagerly and diligently; for no one was deprived of his wages, but he also generously gave extra to the workers; for he said: It is right that the entire work of building should receive not a curse but a blessing.

84 In the following year, the empress Eudoxia sent the columns she had promised, being marvelous and large, thirty-two in number (and they are called Carystian), which are in the holy church, shining like emeralds. And when they arrived by sea, the diligence and eagerness of the Christ-loving people was shown again; for everyone, upon hearing, immediately ran to the shore, not only men, but also women and children and the elderly (for the longing of faith strengthened everyone), and bringing wagons, they placed each column on them, dragged it, and deposited it in the open area of the sanctuary, and again they returned and transported another until they had transported all of them. And so much for these matters. 85 But at that time a woman visited the city

85 a certain woman from Antioch called Julia, who belonged to the abominable heresy of the so-called Manichaeans, and knowing that some were newly illumined and not yet established in the holy faith, she infiltrated and corrupted them through her magical teaching, but much more through the giving of money. For the inventor of the said godless heresy was not able to entice anyone otherwise than by the provision of money. For their doctrine, at least to those who have sense, is filled with all blasphemy and condemnation and old wives' tales which attract silly women and childish men who are light-minded in both reason and thought. For they constructed this evil doctrine of theirs from various heresies and Greek dogmas, wishing craftily and deceitfully to win everyone over. For they speak of many gods, in order to please the Greeks, and also of genesis and fate and

τὸν κύριον, ζῶσιν γὰρ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες. Ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ ἐν ἁγίοις ὅσιος ἐπίσκοπος καὶ οἱ τοῦ λαοῦ ἐχάρησαν, καὶ πέμψαντες σπυρίδαν μεγάλην ἐπέτρεψεν τοὺς τρεῖς ὁμοῦ ἀνενεχθῆναι. Μικροὶ γὰρ ἦσαν ὡς ἀπὸ ἐτῶν ἓξ ἢ ἑπτά. ∆εξάμενος δὲ ὁ κάτω τὴν σπυρίδα καὶ δεσμήσας ἀσφαλῶς ἐκάθισεν τοὺς τρεῖς, παραγγείλας αὐτοῖς κλεῖσαι τοὺς αὐτῶν ὀφθαλμοὺς ἄχρις οὗ τὸ ἄνω φθάσωσιν καὶ λέγειν· Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, σῶσον. Καὶ ποιήσας τοῦτο, ἐβόησεν μετὰ καταστάσεως σῦραι τὸ σχοινίον, καὶ σύροντες ἔλεγον τὸν ὕμνον τῶν τριῶν παίδων· «Εὐλογητὸς εἶ, κύριε ὁ θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν». Καὶ ὡς ἔφθασαν καὶ ἐθεάσατο αὐτοὺς ὁ ἐν ἁγίοις ἐπίσκοπος (οὗτος γὰρ ἐτύγχανεν κατὰ τοῦ στομίου τοῦ φρέατος ἑστὼς καὶ κρατῶν τὸ σχοινίον), καὶ πλησθεὶς χαρᾶς καὶ δακρύων ἀνεβόησεν εἰπών· «Εὐλογεῖτε πάντα τὰ ἔργα κυρίου τὸν κύριον, ὑμνεῖτε». Ὡς δὲ ἐπῆραν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ σπυριδίου, ἠρεύνησαν μή τι τοῦ σώματος αὐτῶν ἔπληκται, καὶ οὐδὲν εὑρέθη φαῦλον ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ μέγα θαῦμα ἐθεασάμεθα.

82 Οἱ γὰρ τρεῖς σταυροειδῆ σημεῖα εὑρέθησαν ἔχοντες ὡς ἀπὸ ξέσματος βελόνης, ὃ μὲν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τοῦ μετώπου, ὃ δὲ ἐπάνω τῆς δεξιᾶς χειρὸς περὶ τοὺς δακτύλους, ὁ δὲ ἄλλος εἰς τὸν δεξιὸν ὦμον. Ἦν δὲ τὰ σταυρία καλῶς τετυπωμένα, μήτε λοξὰ μήτε σκαμβά, ἀλλ' ἑνὸς μέτρου, ὡς δῆλα αὐτὰ εἶναι θεοσήμεια· οὔτε γὰρ πόνον ἐποίουν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αἷμα, ἀλλ' ἦν τετυπωμένα ὡς ἀπὸ κινναβάρεως. Ἔμειναν δὲ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἱκανὸν χρόνον πρὸς τὸ πάντας ὁρᾶν καὶ θαυμάζειν· πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἀλλοεθνῶν θεασάμενοι ἐπίστευσαν.

83 Ἀνενεχθεὶς δὲ καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ καταβὰς χάριν τῶν παιδίων εἰς τὸ φρέαρ, διεβεβαιοῦτο ὅρκοις λέγων ὅτι Ἡνίκα ἔβαλον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ σπυρίδι καὶ ἀνεφέροντο, ἐθεώρουν ὡσεὶ ἀστραπὴν κύκλῳ αὐτῶν ἕως ὅτε ἔφθασαν τὸ στόμιον τοῦ φρέατος. Ἐγένετο δὲ χαρὰ τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, τοῖς δὲ εἰδωλολάτραις λύπη καὶ σκάνδαλον. Ἡ δὲ οἰκοδομὴ προέκοπτεν καθ' ἡμέραν, πάντων προθύμως καὶ σπουδαίως ἐργαζομένων· οὔτε γὰρ ἦν ὁ ἀποστερούμενος τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ περισσὸν παρεῖχεν φιλοτιμούμενος τοὺς ἐργαζομένους· ἔλεγεν γάρ· ∆ίκαιόν ἐστιν ἵνα μὴ λάβῃ κατάραν ἀλλ' εὐλογίαν τὸ πᾶν ἔργον τῆς οἰκοδομῆς.

84 Τῷ δὲ ἑξῆς ἐνιαυτῷ πέμπει ἡ βασίλισσα Εὐδοξία τοὺς στύλους οὓς ἐπηγγείλατο, θαυμαστοὺς ὄντας καὶ μεγάλους, τὸν ἀριθμὸν τριάκοντα καὶ δύο (καλοῦνται δὲ Καρύστιοι), οἵτινές εἰσιν ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ σμαράγδων δίκην λάμποντες. Καταπλευσάντων δὲ αὐτῶν, πάλιν ἐδείχθη ἡ σπουδὴ καὶ ἡ προθυμία τοῦ φιλοχρίστου λαοῦ· πάντες γὰρ ἀκούσαντες εὐθέως ἔδραμον ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλόν, οὐ μόνον δὲ ἄνδρες, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ παῖδες καὶ γέροντες (πάντας γὰρ ὁ πόθος τῆς πίστεως ἐνεδυνάμου), καὶ ἀγαγόντες ἁμάξας, ἐπιθέντες ἕκαστον στύλον εἶλκον καὶ ἀπετίθεντο ἐν τῷ ὑπαίθρῳ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, καὶ πάλιν ὑπέστρεφον καὶ διεκόμιζον ἕτερον ἕως οὗ ὅλους διεκόμιζον. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τούτων. 85 Κατ' ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν ἐπεδήμησεν τῇ πόλει γυνή

85 τις Ἀντιόχισσα καλουμένη Ἰουλία, ἥτις ὑπῆρχεν τῆς μυσαρᾶς αἱρέσεως τῶν λεγομένων Μανιχαίων, καὶ γνοῦσά τινας νεοφωτίστους εἶναι καὶ μήπω ἐστηριγμένους ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ πίστει, ὑπεισελθοῦσα ὑπέφθειρεν αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς γοητικῆς αὐτῆς διδασκαλίας, πολλὰ δὲ πλέον διὰ δόσεως χρημάτων. Ὁ γὰρ ἐφευρὼν τὴν εἰρημένην ἄθεον αἵρεσιν, οὐκ ἄλλως ἠδυνήθη δελεάσαι τινὰς εἰ μὴ διὰ τῆς παροχῆς τῶν χρημάτων. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ μάθημα αὐτῶν, τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσιν, πεπλήρωται πάσης βλασφημίας καὶ καταγνώσεως καὶ γραώδων μύθων ἐφελκομένων γυναικάρια καὶ παιδιώδεις ἄνδρας κοῦφον ἔχοντας τόν τε λογισμὸν καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν. Ἐκ διαφόρων γὰρ αἱρέσεων καὶ δογμάτων Ἑλληνικῶν συνέστησαν ταύτην αὐτῶν τὴν κακοδοξίαν, βουλόμενοι πανούργως καὶ δολίως πάντας προσλαβέσθαι. Θεοὺς γὰρ πολλοὺς λέγουσιν, ἵνα Ἕλλησιν ἀρέσωσιν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ γένεσιν καὶ εἱμαρμένην καὶ