of whom Sergius said, "even if he is to be such, I will kill him along with his mother." To whom the saint said, "You will not be able to hinder the permission of God. So take heed to yourself." (30) Then, when he was born, his mother, having sent for Jacob, the abbot of Maximine, threw him at his feet, weeping, to be baptized by him. For she said that while pregnant she saw a dream that her belly was torn open and a serpent came out. But also the holy confessor Hilarion of Dalmatus has said to me that you carry Satan incarnate. So taking him, he baptized him, naming him Photius, saying, "perhaps the wrath of God may pass from him." But Sergius his father, seeing certain signs in him, would say, "Could it be that the nun expected among the Hebrews, the one who is to give birth to the Antichrist, is my wife?" And since they were lovers of monks, welcoming the monks, she would ask them to pray for them and for Photius. Once he took this Photius, being a young lad of 670, up to Saint Joannicius on Olympus, and entreated him to pray for him. And he, readily answering, said, "Photius in his heart does not wish to know your ways, Lord." And he, groaning, said, "What is this you have said, father?" Again the elder said, "Because I am declaring to you the things that are to be done by him." Then Sergius, having gathered dust, came down from the mountain. (31) And having given him over to studies, he was more ambitious toward Greek subjects than ecclesiastical ones. Therefore, having met with a certain Jewish magician, he said, "What will you give me, young man, and I will make you bring every Greek writing to your lips and surpass all in wisdom." And he says, "My father will eagerly give you half of his property." But he said, "I do not need money, nor for your father to know of the deed; but come with me to this place, and deny the figure on which we nailed Jesus, and I will give you a wondrous amulet, and your whole life will be in prosperity and wealth and much wisdom and joy." And he, having eagerly listened, and having completed everything to the satisfaction of the sorcerer. And from then on not keeping his mind from their forbidden books of divination and astrological monstrosity, (32) when he was hearing from his father, who had heard it from men of foresight, that he would ascend the patriarchal throne in many ways, turning this over in himself 671 with a certain Gregory who became bishop of the church of Syracuse, who was also called Asbestas, and had been deposed by the great Methodius for many other reasons and for consecrating outside his jurisdiction Zacharias the presbyter who had been sent by the patriarch Methodius to the Roman, he becomes friends with him and with certain others deposed on charges, among whom were Eulampius of Apamea and Peter of Sylaeum and many others with them, who, gathering at the house of Photius and conspiring with Gregory, were plotting against the great Ignatius; all of whom a synod of metropolitans and bishops, having assembled in the patriarchate, deposed and excommunicated. This Photius, Bardas the Caesar, the uncle of Michael the emperor, consecrates as patriarch. Who after a few days asks for his own handwritten letter, which he had made to the metropolitans when they brought him for consecration, as if wishing to see something in it. So the document is brought in, and security is requested so that it might not be torn. But the men of Photius, having broken the thumb of the one holding it, snatched the document, which Photius, having got into his hands, cut into small pieces, saying, "I have neither you nor Ignatius as bishop." 33. In the second year, as Photius was elevating the precious cross at the feast, a certain clairvoyant 672 monk standing near the altar saw a strange sight, a very large serpent holding the hands of Photius, and the precious cross being elevated by itself. And having become terrified, he cried out loudly and a quick "Lord have mercy." And some devout men standing with him asked the reason, and he told them the vision. And they were among the presbyters from the church. And these men

ὃν ὁ Σέργιος "καὶ εἰ τοιοῦτος ἔσεσθαι μέλλει, μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνελῶ." πρὸς ὃν ὁ ἅγιος "οὐ δυνήσῃ τὴν συγχώρησιν τοῦ θεοῦ διακωλῦσαι. πρόσεχε οὖν σεαυτῷ." (30) εἶτα γεννηθέντος ἡ μήτηρ Ἰάκωβον τὸν Μαξιμίνης ἡγούμενον μεταπεμψαμένη ἔρριψεν αὐτὸν εἰς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ κλαίουσα τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. ἔλεγε γὰρ ὅτι ἔγκυος οὖσα εἶδον ὄναρ ὅτι ἐσχίσθη ἡ κοιλία μου καὶ ἐξῆλθε δράκων. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ὅσιος καὶ ὁμολογητὴς Ἱλαρίων ὁ τῆς ∆αλμάτου εἴρηκέ μοι ὅτι σεσωματωμένον Σατανᾶν βαστάζεις. λαβὼν οὖν αὐτὸν ἐβάπτισεν, Φώτιον ὠνομακώς, "ἴσως" λέγων "παρέλθοι ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ." Σέργιος δὲ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ὁρῶν τινὰ σημεῖα ἐν αὐτῷ ἔλεγεν "μὴ ἄρα ἡ παρ' Ἑβραίοις ἐλπιζομένη μονάστρια, ἡ τὸν Ἀντίχριστον μέλλουσα τίκτειν, ἡ γυνή μου ἐστίν;" ἐπεὶ δὲ φιλομόναχοι ἦσαν, τοὺς μοναχοὺς προσδεχομένης, ἠξίου εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν καὶ τοῦ Φωτίου. τοῦτόν ποτε τὸν Φώτιον μειράκιον 670 σκεπὶ τυγχάνοντα εἰς τὸν ἐν ἁγίοις Ἰωαννήκιον ἐν τῷ Ὀλύμπῳ ἀνήγαγεν, καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ εὔξασθαι τοῦτον παρεκάλει. ὁ δὲ ἑτοίμως ἀποκριθεὶς ἔφη "Φώτιος ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ὁδούς σου, κύριε, εἰδέναι οὐ βούλεται." ὁ δὲ στενάξας εἶπεν "τί τοῦτο ἔφης, πάτερ;" αὖθις ὁ γέρων "ὅτι τὰ μέλλοντα πραχθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δηλῶ σοι." τότε ὁ Σέργιος κόνιν σπασάμενος κατῆλθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους. (31) εἰς μαθήματα δὲ τοῦτον ἐκδούς, μᾶλλον ἐκεῖνος πρὸς τὰ Ἑλληνικὰ φιλοτιμότερον διέκειτο ἢ τὰ ἐκκλησιαστικά. διὸ καὶ Ἑβραίων τινὶ μάγῳ συντετυχώς, "τί μοι" ἔφη "δῷς, νεανία, καὶ ποιήσω σε πᾶσαν γραφὴν Ἑλληνικὴν ἐπὶ στόματος ἄγειν καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ παρευδοκιμεῖν." ὁ δέ φησι "τὸ ἥμισυ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ προθύμως ὁ ἐμὸς πατὴρ παρέξει σοι." ὁ δέ "οὐ χρῄζω χρήματα, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸν πατέρα σου γνῶναι τὸ δρᾶμα· ἀλλ' ἐλθὲ μετ' ἐμοῦ εἰς τόνδε τὸν τόπον, καὶ ἄρνησαι τὸν τύπον ἐν ᾧ Ἰησοῦν προσηλώσαμεν, καὶ δώσω σοι παράδοξον φυλακτόν, καὶ ἔσται ἡ ζωή σου πᾶσα ἐν εὐημερίᾳ καὶ πλούτῳ καὶ πολλῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ χαρᾷ." τὸν δὲ προθύμως ἀκούσαντα, καὶ πάντα πρὸς τὴν τοῦ γόητος ἀρέσκειαν τετελεκότα. καὶ ἔκτοτε ταῖς ἀπηγορευμέναις αὐτῶν βίβλοις τῆς μαντικῆς καὶ ἀστρολογικῆς τερατείας οὐκ ἀποσχόμενος τὸν νοῦν, (32) ἐπὶ ἀκούων ἦν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, ὡς ὑπὸ προορατικῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀκηκοότος, ὅτι πολυτρόπως τὸν πατριαρχικὸν θρόνον ἐπιβήσεται, τοῦτο ἐν ἑαυτῷ στρέ 671 φων Γρηγορίῳ τινὶ τῆς Συρακούσης ἐκκλησίας γενομένῳ ἐπισκόπῳ, ὃς καὶ Ἀσβεστὰς ἐκαλεῖτο, καθῄρητο δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου Μεθοδίου διά τε πολλὰ ἄλλα καὶ διὰ τὸ παρ' ἐνορίαν χειροτονῆσαι Ζαχαρίαν τὸν τοῦ πατριάρχου Μεθοδίου πρὸς Ῥωμαῖον ἀποσταλέντα πρεσβύτερον, φιλιάζεται σὺν τούτῳ τε καὶ ἄλλοις τισὶν ἐπ' ἐγκλήμασι καθῃρημένοις, ὧν ὑπῆρχεν Εὐλάμπιος ὁ Ἀπαμείας καὶ Πέτρος ὁ Συλαίου καὶ ἄλλοι σὺν αὐτοῖς πλεῖστοι, οἳ εἰς τὸν οἶκον Φωτίου συνερχόμενοι καὶ μετὰ Γρηγορίου στρεφόμενοι κατὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Ἰγνατίου μελετῶντες ἦσαν· οὓς καὶ συναθροισθεῖσα ἐν τῷ πατριαρχείῳ μητροπολιτῶν καὶ ἐπισκόπων σύνοδος πάντας καθῄρησε καὶ ἀπεκήρυξε. τοῦτον τὸν Φώτιον Βάρδας ὁ Καῖσαρ, ὁ θεῖος Μιχαὴλ τοῦ βασιλέως, χειροτονεῖ πατριάρχην. ὃς μετ' ὀλίγας ἡμέρας ζητεῖ τὸ ἰδιόχειρον αὐτοῦ γράμμα, ὅπερ πρὸς τοὺς μητροπολίτας ἐποίησεν, ἡνίκα τοῦτον εἰς χειροτονίαν ἤγαγον, ὡς δῆθεν ἰδεῖν τι ἐν αὐτῷ βουλόμενος. εἰσάγεται οὖν ὁ χάρτης, καὶ ζητεῖται ἀσφάλειαν ἵνα μὴ διαρρηχθῆναι. οἱ δὲ τοῦ Φωτίου τὸν ἀντίχειρα τοῦ κρατοῦντος αὐτὸν κλάσαντες τὸν χάρτην ἀνέσπασαν, ὃν καὶ χειρωσάμενος Φώτιος εἰς λεπτὰ κατέκοψε, λέγων "οὔτε ὑμᾶς οὔτε τὸν Ἰγνάτιον ἐπίσκοπον ἔχω." 33. Τῷ βʹ ἔτει, Φωτίου τὸν τίμιον σταυρὸν εἰς τὴν ἑορτὴν ὑψοῦντος, μοναχός τις πλησίον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἑστὼς διο 672 ρατικὸς εἶδεν θέαμα ξένον, ὄφιν παμμεγέθη τὰς χεῖρας τοῦ Φωτίου κρατοῦντα, τὸν δὲ σταυρὸν τὸν τίμιον ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἀνυψούμενον. σύντρομος δὲ γεγονὼς μεγάλα ἔκραζε καὶ σύντομον τὸ κύριε ἐλέησον. καί τινες σὺν αὐτῷ εὐλαβεῖς ἱστάμενοι τὸ αἴτιον ἀνηρώτων, καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν ὀπτασίαν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς. οἱ δὲ ἦσαν τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πρεσβυτέρων. οὗτοι δὲ