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of enlisted physicians, suffering terribly from a painful disease of the feet, was here delivered from his pains and was vouchsafed a marvelous divine vision. For while he was at first a pagan, when he began to be a Christian, the other points of the doctrine seemed somehow plausible, but that the divine cross had become the cause of the salvation of all he did not 2.3.13 accept. While he was in this state of mind, a divine vision appeared and showed him a certain symbol of a cross among the objects set up in the sanctuary of the church here, and it declared expressly that, since Christ was crucified, of all that has happened for the common benefit of the human race or for individuals, neither the divine angels nor pious and good men have accomplished anything without the power of the venerable cross. But I was moved to speak of these things, from among what I have known to have happened in this church, because it is not the time to relate everything. 2.4.1 But it is necessary to go through also what was decided by the emperor Constantine concerning the oak called Mamre. This is a place, which they now call Terebinthus, having Hebron as a neighbor fifteen stades to the south, and being about two hundred and fif2.4.2ty stades distant from Jerusalem. Here there is a true account that the Son of God, together with the angels sent against the Sodomites, appeared to Abraham and foretold to him the birth of his son. Here the local inhabitants and the more distant Palestinians 2.4.3 and Phoenicians and Arabians still now hold a splendid annual festival in the summer season; and very many come together also for commerce, to sell and to buy. The festival is very important to all: to the Jews, because they boast of Abraham as their patriarch; to the Greeks, because of the visit of the angels; and in turn to the Christians, because he who in later times openly showed himself through the virgin for the salvation of the human race appeared then to the pious man. And they honor this place appropriately to their religions, some praying to the God of all, others invoking the angels and pouring wine as a libation and burning incense, or sacrificing an ox or a goat or a sheep 2.4.4 or a rooster. For whatever each person had that was choice and fine, he would raise it carefully throughout the year, keeping it under a vow for a feast at the festival here, for himself and his household. And all who honor the place, or who are careful not to suffer harm from divine wrath, neither have intercourse with women here, though at a festival they are more attentive to beauty and adornment and appear and go about as they happen to, nor do they act licentiously in any other way, and this though they generally have their tents together and sleep intermingled. 2.4.5 For the place is open-air and arable, and has no buildings except only those by the oak itself which belonged to Abraham of old, and the well constructed by him; but about the time of the festival no one drew water from there. For by Greek custom some would place lighted lamps there, others poured wine or threw cakes, and others coins or perfumes or incense. And for this reason, as is likely, the water became useless by the admixture 2.4.6 of the things thrown in. These things being performed with pleasure in the aforesaid manner, as is customary for Greeks, the mother of Constantine’s wife, having once come there on a vow, reported to the emperor. And upon learning this, he blamed the bishops of Palestine not moderately for having neglected their duty and for overlooking that the holy place was being defiled2.4.7. And his pious censure is shown by the letter written concerning this to Macarius, bishop of Jerusalem, and to Eusebius Pamphili, and to the other bishops of the Palestinians; whom he ordered to assemble at the same time with the bishops from Phoenicia, so that first, after the altar there was purified from its foundations and the idols were handed over to the fire, they might lay out a church there worthy of the place’s antiquity and sanctity, and for the future to provide that this place be free from libations and sacrifices, so that nothing

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στρατευσαμένων ἰατρῶν, χαλεπῶς ὑπὸ πάθους ποδῶν ὀδυνώμενον ἐνθάδε τῶν ἀλγηδόνων ἀπαλλαγῆναι καὶ παραδόξου θείας ὄψεως ἀξιωθῆναι. ἑλληνίζοντι γὰρ αὐτῷ τὰ πρῶτα, ἐπεὶ χριστιανίζειν ἤρξατο, τὰ μὲν ἄλλα τοῦ δόγματος ἁμωσγέπως πιθανὰ ἐδόκει, τὸ δὲ τῆς πάντων σωτηρίας αἴτιον γενέσθαι τὸν θεῖον σταυρὸν οὐ 2.3.13 προσίετο. ὧδε δὴ ἔχοντι γνώμης θεία προφανεῖσα ὄψις ἔδειξέ τι σταυροῦ σύμβολον τῶν ἀνακειμένων ἐν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ τῆς ἐνθάδε ἐκκλησίας, καὶ διαρρήδην ἀπεφήνατο, ἀφ' οὗ ἐσταυρώθη ὁ Χριστός, τῶν ὅσα γέγονεν ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ κοινῇ τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου γένους ἢ ἰδίᾳ τινῶν, ἄνευ τῆς τοῦ σεβασμίου σταυροῦ δυνάμεως μηδὲν κατορθῶσαι μήτε τοὺς θείους ἀγγέλους μήτε τοὺς εὐσεβεῖς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς ἀνθρώπους. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μέν, ὅτι μὴ πάντα καταλέγειν καιρός, ἐξ ὧν ἔγνων συμβεβηκέναι ἐν τῷδε τῷ νεῷ εἰπεῖν προήχθην. 2.4.1 ᾿Αναγκαῖον δὲ διεξελθεῖν καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν δρῦν τὴν Μαμβρῆ καλουμένην βεβουλευμένα Κωνσταντίνῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ. τόπος δὲ οὗτος, ὃν νῦν Τερέβινθον προσαγορεύουσιν, ἀπὸ δέκα καὶ πέντε σταδίων γείτονα τὴν Χεβρὼν πρὸς μεσημβρίαν ἔχων, ῾Ιεροσολύμων δὲ διεστὼς ἀμφὶ διακόσια καὶ πεντή2.4.2 κοντα στάδια. οὗ δὴ λόγος ἐστὶν ἀληθὴς ἅμα τοῖς κατὰ Σοδομιτῶν ἀποσταλεῖσιν ἀγγέλοις καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φανῆναι τῷ ᾿Αβραὰμ καὶ προειπεῖν αὐτῷ τοῦ παιδὸς τὴν γέννησιν. ἐνταῦθα δὲ λαμπρὰν εἰσέτι νῦν ἐτήσιον πανήγυριν ἄγουσιν ὥρᾳ θέρους οἱ ἐπιχώριοι καὶ οἱ προσωτέρω Παλαιστῖνοι 2.4.3 καὶ Φοίνικες καὶ ᾿Αράβιοι· συνίασι δὲ πλεῖστοι καὶ ἐμπορείας ἕνεκα πωλήσοντες καὶ ἀγοράσοντες. πᾶσι δὲ περισπούδαστος ἡ ἑορτή, ᾿Ιουδαίοις μὲν καθότι πατριάρχην αὐχοῦσι τὸν ᾿Αβραάμ, ῞Ελλησι δὲ διὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν τῶν ἀγγέλων, τοῖς δ' αὖ Χριστιανοῖς ὅτι καὶ τότε ἐπεφάνη τῷ εὐσεβεῖ ἀνδρὶ ὁ χρόνοις ὕστερον ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου γένους διὰ τῆς παρθένου φανερῶς ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδείξας. προσφόρως δὲ ταῖς θρησκείαις τιμῶσι τοῦτον τὸν χῶρον, οἱ μὲν εὐχόμενοι τῷ πάντων θεῷ, οἱ δὲ τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἐπικαλούμενοι καὶ οἶνον σπένδοντες καὶ λίβανον θύοντες ἢ βοῦν ἢ τράγον ἢ πρόβατον 2.4.4 ἢ ἀλεκτρυόνα. ὃ γὰρ ἕκαστος ἐσπουδασμένον καὶ καλὸν εἶχε, διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ἔτους ἐπιμελῶς τρέφων, καθ' ὑπόσχεσιν εἰς εὐωχίαν τῆς ἐνθάδε ἑορτῆς ἐφύλαττεν ἑαυτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις. τιμῶντες δὲ τὸν τόπον πάντες ἢ διὰ θεομηνίας κακῶς παθεῖν φυλαττόμενοι οὔτε γυναιξὶν ἐνθάδε συνουσιάζουσιν, ὡς ἐν ἑορτῇ κάλλους καὶ κόσμου πλείονος ἐπιμελουμέναις καὶ ᾗ ἔτυχε φαινομέναις τε καὶ προϊούσαις, οὔτε ἄλλως ἀκολασταίνουσι, καὶ ταῦτα ὡς ἐπίπαν ὁμοῦ τὰς σκηνὰς ἔχοντες καὶ ἀναμὶξ καθεύδοντες. 2.4.5 αἴθριος γὰρ καὶ ἀρόσιμός ἐστιν ὁ χῶρος καὶ οὐκ ἔχων οἰκήματα ἢ μόνον τὰ παρ' αὐτὴν τὴν δρῦν πάλαι τοῦ ᾿Αβραὰμ γενόμενα καὶ τὸ φρέαρ τὸ παρ' αὐτοῦ κατασκευασθέν· περὶ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς πανηγύρεως οὐδεὶς ἐντεῦθεν ὑδρεύετο. νόμῳ γὰρ ῾Ελληνικῷ οἱ μὲν λύχνους ἡμμένους ἐνθάδε ἐτίθεσαν, οἱ δὲ οἶνον ἐπέχεον ἢ πόπανα ἔρριπτον, ἄλλοι δὲ νομίσματα ἢ μύρα ἢ θυμιάματα. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, ὥς γε εἰκός, ἀχρεῖον τὸ ὕδωρ ἐγίνετο τῇ μετουσίᾳ 2.4.6 τῶν ἐμβαλλομένων. ταῦτα δὲ τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον ἡδέως ᾗ θέμις ῞Ελλησιν ἐπιτελούμενα παραγενομένη ποτὲ ἐνθάδε κατ' εὐχὴν ἡ τῆς γαμετῆς Κωνσταντίνου μήτηρ τῷ βασιλεῖ κατήγγειλεν. ὁ δὲ πυθόμενος οὐ μετρίως ᾐτιᾶτο τοὺς ἐπισκόπους Παλαιστίνης ὡς τοῦ προσήκοντος ὀλιγωρήσαντας καὶ τὸν τόπον ἅγιον ὄντα ὑπεριδόντας σπονδαῖς καὶ θύμασι βεβήλοις μιαί2.4.7 νεσθαι. δείκνυσι δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐσεβῆ μέμψιν ἡ περὶ τούτου γραφεῖσα ἐπιστολὴ Μακαρίῳ τῷ ῾Ιεροσολύμων ἐπισκόπῳ καὶ Εὐσεβίῳ τῷ Παμφίλου καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις Παλαιστίνων ἐπισκόποις· οὓς κατὰ ταὐτὸν συνελθεῖν προσέταξε τοῖς ἐκ Φοινίκης ἐπισκόποις, ὥστε πρότερον τοῦ ἐνθάδε βωμοῦ ἀνακαθαιρομένου ἐκ βάθρων πυρί τε τῶν ξοάνων παραδιδομένων ἐκκλησίαν αὐτόθι διαγράψαι τῆς τοῦ τόπου ἀρχαιότητος καὶ σεμνότητος ἀξίαν, καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ προνοεῖν ἐλεύθερον σπονδῶν καὶ θυμάτων τοῦτον εἶναι, ὥστε μηδὲν