Josephus Genesius, On the reigns of the emperors

having laid it waste with burnings, he fights against Tephrike, persisting for some time. Having failed in this, he returns to the ruling city, and entering the church of the Archistrategi, which had been built by him, he beseeches them with a contrite heart and groans, not to see death before he should have accomplished the destruction of Tephrike; and again he goes out against them with numerous armies, bringing much desolation upon them. But while this was being accomplished, in the meantime a most dreadful roaring from heaven falls upon them, so that from this the foundations of Tephrike were shaken, and its inhabitants were overcome by such fear, which was accomplished by God on their behalf. Because of this, some of them went over to the emperor, begging for mercy, while others migrated to the interior of Syria, so that from both causes their city came to be almost deserted by its people, which was captured when its protector, Chrysocheir, was terrified. 4.35 For this braggart, along with Karbaias and Kallistos, having wrought very many evils for the Christians, as had his father, and having passed through as far as Nicomedia and Nicaea itself, and indeed having also run through the Thrakesion theme, he arrived as far as the province of John the Theologian, into whose church those with him, having entered, brought their beasts and other baggage, insolently committing outrages. Therefore the emperor writes to Chrysocheir to make peace, being peaceful in manner and truly compassionate, according to the saying which declares: be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave us, and to be content with what had been done, to take from him gold and silver and clothing, and to cease taking Christians captive and slaughtering them. But the insolent and faithless one is not persuaded by peaceful words; therefore he also writes back to the emperor, that "if you wish, O emperor, to make peace with us, withdraw from your authority in the east, and hold on to that in the west, and we will make peace with you; but if not, we will hasten altogether, that we might banish you even from the empire." The emperor, therefore, perceiving his madness, philosophized silence, writing nothing more back to him. 4.36 After two years had elapsed, Chrysocheir went out with his own troops as far as the city of Ancyra and the Kommata themselves, taking much booty for himself, and returns. But the commander of the schools, keeping a distance of one mile, was preparing for the raid; for he feared to show the raid at close quarters. But Chrysocheir, having arrived at the Charsianon theme, is encamped at Agranas, while the domestic is at Siboron; and he commanded the generals of both the Armeniacs and the Charsianon, saying: "Take the commanders under your hand and some fine horses and provisions for 12 days, and follow Chrysocheir as far as the Bathyryax; and if he should divide off a vulnerable force and send it toward the Armeniac or the Charsianon theme, make this known to us; and when he moves away from the Bathyryax, return and come to us." Chrysocheir therefore, having departed in the evening, encamped below, but the generals went up to the ridge and bivouacked in a certain place named Zogoloenon; for this place is difficult to ascend due to its rocky composition, in which a forest with many trees grows. So when the said generals were resting there, a certain manly rivalry arose among the commanders, who were contending with one another, as to who might be better, whether those from the Armeniac theme or those who set out from the Charsianon. The Charsianites therefore contending to give the prize of valor to themselves rather than to the others, the Armeniacs said to them: "Why do we still wish to contend about valor in words? Let us both engage the enemy in action; and then it may be revealed of each of us, how much braver one is than the other." But the generals, having heard about their contest,

πυρπολήσεσιν ἐρειπώσας, κατὰ Τεφρικῆς ἀγωνίζεται, τινὶ χρόνῳ ἐνδιαρκέσας. ἧς ἀπρακτήσας ἐπάνεισι πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν, καὶ τῷ ναῷ τῶν ἀρχιστρατήγων εἰσδύς, ὃς παρ' αὐτοῦ κατεσκεύαστο, αὐτοὺς ἱκετεύει ἐν συντριβῇ καρδίας καὶ στεναγμοῖς, μὴ πρὶν θεάσασθαι θάνατον, πρὶν ἂν διὰ ζωῆς σχοίη τὸν κατὰ Τεφρικὴν ὄλεθρον· καὶ αὖθις κατ' αὐτῶν ἔξεισι σὺν πολυπληθέσι στρατεύμασιν, ἐρημίαν πολλὴν αὐτοῖς ἐπαγόμενος. αὐτῆς δὲ διειργασμένης ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ οὐρανόθεν βρόμος τῶν φρικωδεστάτων προσπίπτει αὐτοῖς, ὡς ἐκ τούτου τὰς τῆς Τεφρικῆς ἱδρύσεις ἐκδεδινῆσθαι, καὶ τοῦ τοιούτου γε δείματος τοὺς ταύτης οἰκήτορας χάριν αὐτῶν θεόθεν τελεσθέντος καθυπειλῆφθαι. διὰ τοῦτο οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ προσεχώρουν ἐλέους δεόμενοι, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἔνδον Συρίας μεταναστεύοντο, ὡς παρὰ μικρὸν ἐξ ἀμφοῖν τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν ἐρήμην λαοῦ γεγονέναι, ἥτις κεκράτητο τοῦ ταύτης προστατοῦντος καταπτοηθέντος Χρυσόχειρος. 4.35 Οὗτος γὰρ ὁ ἀλαζὼν σὺν Καρβαίᾳ καὶ Καλλίστῳ πλεῖστα κακὰ Χριστιανοῖς τεκτηνάμενος, ὡς καὶ ὁ τούτου πατήρ, καὶ μέχρι Νικομηδείας καὶ Νικαίας αὐτῆς διελθών, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ εἰς τὸ τῶν Θρᾳκησίων θέμα διαδραμών, μέχρις Ἰωάννου τοῦ Θεολόγου τῆς ἐπαρχίας κατήντησεν, οὗτινος τῷ ναῷ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ ἐντυχόντες εἰσήγαγον τά τε ἄλογα αὐτῶν καὶ λοιπὴν ἀποσκευήν, δυσμενῶς ἐνυβρίζοντες. πρὸς οὖν τὸν Χρυσόχειρα γράφει ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰρήνην συνθέσθαι, οἷα τὸν τρόπον εἰρηνικὸς ὑπάρχων καὶ εὔσπλαγχνος ὄντως, κατὰ λόγιον τὸ φάσκον· γίνεσθε πρὸς ἀλλήλους χρηστοὶ καὶ εὔσπλαγχνοι, χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἡμῖν ἑαυτὸν ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ αὐταρκεσθῆναι ἐφ' οἷς ἐπεπόνητο, εἰληφέναι τε παρ' αὐτοῦ χρυσόν τε καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ ἐσθῆτας, καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζειν καὶ κατασφάττειν Χριστιανοὺς ἀνακόψαι. ἀλλ' ὁ θρασύφρων καὶ ἄπιστος τοῖς εἰρηναίοις λόγοις οὐ πείθεται· διὸ καὶ ἀντιγράφει τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὡς εἴπερ ἐθέλοις, ὦ βασιλεῦ, μεθ' ἡμῶν εἰρήνην ἐπιτελέσαι, ἀπόστηθι τῆς κατ' ἀνατολὴν ἐξουσίας σου, τῆς δὲ πρὸς δύσιν ἀντέχου, καὶ εἰρηνεύσομεν μετὰ σοῦ· εἰ δὲ μή, σπεύσομεν ὅλως, ἵνα σε καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἐξοστρακίσωμεν. τῆς οὖν ἀπονοίας αὐτοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς διαισθόμενος ἐφιλοσόφησεν σιωπήν, μηδὲν ἔτι αὐτῷ ἀντιγεγραφώς. 4.36 ∆υσὶ δὲ χρόνοις παρελκυσθεῖσιν ὁ Χρυσόχειρ ἐξῆλθεν σὺν τοῖς ἰδίοις στρατεύμασι μέχρις Ἀγκύρας τῆς πόλεως καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν Κομμάτων, λαφυραγωγίαν ἑαυτῷ πολλὴν προσηκάμενος, καὶ ἐπάνεισιν. ὁ δὲ καθηγεμὼν τῶν σχολῶν διαστηματίζων μίλιον ἓν τὴν παραδρομὴν ἐσκευάζετο· ἐδεδοίκει γὰρ πλησιοφανῆ τὴν παραδρομὴν παραδείκνυσθαι. ὁ δὲ Χρυσόχειρ κατηντηκὼς τῷ τοῦ Χαρσιανοῦ θέματι εἰς Ἀγράνας ἐσκήνωται, εἰς τὸ Σίβορον δὲ ὁ δομέστικος· καὶ τοῖς στρατηγέταις τῶν τε Ἀρμενιακῶν καὶ τοῦ Χαρσιανοῦ προστέταχε διειπών· ἄρατε τοὺς ὑπὸ χεῖρα τελοῦντας ὑμῶν ἄρχοντας καὶ καλλίππους τινὰς καὶ δαπάνας ὡς ἡμερῶν ιβʹ, καὶ παρατρέχοιτε τὸν Χρυσόχειρα μέχρι τοῦ Βαθυρύακος· καὶ εἰ μὲν διαιρήσας λαὸν εὔπληκτον παραπέμψοι τῷ τῶν Ἀρμενιακῶν ἢ τῷ τοῦ Χαρσιανοῦ θέματι, κατάδηλον ἡμῖν τοῦτο ποιήσατε· ὅτε δὲ ἀποκινήσοι τοῦ Βαθυρύακος, ὑποστραφέντες ἥκετε πρὸς ἡμᾶς. ἀπελθὼν τοίνυν ἑσπέρας ὁ Χρυσόχειρ ἐσκήνωσεν κάτω, οἱ δὲ στρατηλάται εἰς τὸν ζυγὸν προσανέβησαν καὶ ηὐλίσθησαν εἴς τινα τόπον κατονομαζόμενον Ζωγολόηνον· οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ἐκ πετρώδους συμπήξεως δυσανάβατος, ἐν ᾧ ὕλη πολύδενδρος πέφυκεν. τῶν οὖν εἰρημένων στρατηλατῶν ἐκεῖσε διαναπαυσαμένων φιλονεικία τις ἀνέκυψεν ἀνδρικὴ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἀλλήλοις ἀντεριζόντων, τίνες ἂν εἶεν κρείττους, πότερον οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ τῶν Ἀρμενιακῶν θέματος ἢ τοῦ Χαρσιανοῦ ὡρμημένοι. τῶν οὖν Χαρσιανιτῶν φιλονεικούντων τὰ πρεσβεῖα ἑαυτοῖς τῆς ἀνδρείας ἐπιδοῦναι ἢ τοῖς ἑτέροις, οἱ Ἀρμενιακοὶ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτούς· τί φιλονεικεῖν ἔτι περὶ ἀνδρείας ἐκ λόγων βουλόμεθα; πρακτικῶς τοῖς πολεμίοις παρεμβάλωμεν ἄμφω· καὶ τότε φανερωθείη ἕκαστος ἡμῶν, ὁποῖος ἑτέρου καθέστηκεν ἀνδρειότερος. οἱ δὲ στρατηγέται διακηκοότες περὶ τῆς ἁμίλλης αὐτῶν,