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Certain atheistic and impious men had resolved to make it disappear from mankind, reasoning with a senseless calculation that they would in this way somehow hide the truth. And so, having exerted great effort, bringing in earth from somewhere outside, they cover the entire place, and then, having raised it to a height and paved it with stone, they hide the divine cave somewhere below under the great mound of earth.3.26.3 Then, as if nothing were lacking for them, above the earth they construct what was truly a dreadful tomb of souls for dead idols, having built a dark shrine for the licentious demon of Aphrodite, and then pouring out abominable sacrifices there upon profane and accursed altars. For they supposed that only in this way and no other would they bring their purpose to effect, if they were to hide the salutary cave by means of such 3.26.4 accursed abominations. For the wretched men were not able to understand that it was not in its nature for him who had won the prize against death to leave his achievement hidden, nor could the sun, shining above the earth and traversing his own course in heaven, escape the notice of the whole inhabited world of men. For better than he, the saving power, illuminating the souls of men and not their bodies, with the gleams of its own light was filling the entire world. 3.26.5 Nevertheless, the contrivances of the atheistic and impious men against the truth were extended over long periods of time, and no one ever—not governors, not generals, not even emperors themselves—was found suitable for the demolition of these audacious deeds, 3.26.6 except for one man alone, the friend of the God of all. Possessed therefore by a divine spirit, he did not overlook that very place which has been mentioned, which by the plots of enemies had been hidden by all kinds of unclean materials and given over to forgetfulness and ignorance, nor did he yield to the wickedness of the perpetrators, but calling upon God as his fellow-worker, he commanded it to be cleansed, thinking that this very place, which had been defiled by the enemy, ought especially to enjoy the magnificent work of the All-good One through 3.26.7 him. And at the command, the devices of deceit were thrown down to the ground from on high, and the buildings of error were dismantled and demolished, along with their 3.27.1 idols and demons. But his zeal did not stop at this; but again the emperor commanded the material of the demolished structures, both stone and timber, to be taken up and cast very far away from the spot. And action followed this word. But it did not suffice to have proceeded only this far, but again, the emperor, divinely inspired, commanded that the very ground itself, having been excavated to a great depth, with the soil itself, being polluted with demonic filth, be carried off to some place far away and outside. And this too was accomplished at once. And when, one layer after another, the place deep in the earth appeared, then at last the revered and all-holy monument of the Savior's resurrection appeared, contrary to all expectation, and the holy of holies, the cave, took on the likeness of the Savior's coming back to life. Therefore, after its descent into darkness, it came forth again to the light and offered to those who came to see it a clear view of the history of the wonders wrought there, witnessing to the resurrection of the Savior by deeds clearer than any voice. And when these things had been accomplished in this way, the emperor at once, by ordinances of pious laws and with lavish grants, commanded a house of prayer worthy of God to be built around the saving cave with rich and royal magnificence, as if he had proposed this long ago and had foreseen what was to be with better foresight. 3.29.2 To the governors of the provinces of the East he gave orders to make the work surpassingly great and rich with abundant and liberal grants, and to the bishop of the church who at that time presided over the one in Jerusalem, he sent the following letter, in which he set forth with clear words the love for God in his own soul and the purity of his faith in the saving Word, writing in this manner. 3.30.1 Victor Constantinus, Maximus Augustus, to Macarius. So great is our Savior's

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ἄθεοί τινες καὶ δυσσεβεῖς ἀφανὲς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ποιήσασθαι διανενόηντο, ἄφρονι λογισμῷ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ταύτῃ πη κρύψαι λογισάμενοι. καὶ δὴ πολὺν εἰσενεγκάμενοι μόχθον, γῆν ἔξωθέν ποθεν εἰσφορήσαντες τὸν πάντα καλύπτουσι τόπον, κἄπειτ' εἰς ὕψος αἰωρήσαντες λίθῳ τε καταστρώσαντες κάτω που τὸ θεῖον ἄντρον ὑπὸ πολλῷ τῷ χώματι κατα3.26.3 κρύπτουσιν. εἶθ' ὡς οὐδενὸς αὐτοῖς λειπομένου, τῆς γῆς ὕπερθε δεινὸν ὡς ἀληθῶς ταφεῶνα ψυχῶν ἐπισκευάζουσι νεκρῶν εἰδώλων, σκότιον Ἀφροδίτης ἀκολάστῳ δαίμονι μυχὸν οἰκοδομησάμενοι, κἄπειτα μυσαρὰς ἐνταυθοῖ θυσίας ἐπὶ βεβήλων καὶ ἐναγῶν βωμῶν ἐπισπένδοντες· ταύτῃ γὰρ μόνως καὶ οὐκ ἄλλως τὸ σπουδασθὲν εἰς ἔργον ἄξειν ἐνόμιζον, εἰ διὰ τοιούτων 3.26.4 ἐναγῶν μυσαγμάτων τὸ σωτήριον ἄντρον κατακρύψειαν. οὐ γὰρ οἷοί τ' ἦσαν συνιέναι οἱ δείλαιοι, ὡς οὐκ εἶχε φύσιν τὸν κατὰ τοῦ θανάτου βραβεῖα ἀναδησάμενον κρύφιον καταλιπεῖν τὸ κατόρθωμα, οὐδὲ τὴν σύμπασαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένην λαθεῖν λάμπων ὑπὲρ γῆς γενόμενος ὁ ἥλιος καὶ τὸν οἰκεῖον ἐν οὐρανῷ διιππεύων δρόμον· τούτου γὰρ κρειττόνως ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπων ἀλλ' οὐ σώματα ἡ σωτήριος καταυγάζουσα δύναμις τῶν οἰκείων τοῦ φωτὸς μαρμαρυγῶν τὸν σύμπαντα κατεπλήρου κόσμον. 3.26.5 Πλὴν ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀθέων καὶ δυσσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν τὰ κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας μηχανήματα μακροῖς παρετείνετο χρόνοις, οὐδείς τε τῶν πώποτε, οὐχ ἡγουμένων, οὐ στρατηγῶν, οὐκ αὐτῶν βασιλέων, ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τῶν τετολμημένων 3.26.6 εὕρηται ἐπιτήδειος ἢ μόνος εἷς ὁ τῷ παμβασιλεῖ θεῷ φίλος. πνεύματι γοῦν κάτοχος θείῳ χῶρον αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν δεδηλωμένον πάσαις οὐ καθαραῖς ὕλαις ἐχθρῶν ἐπιβουλαῖς κατακεκρύφθαι λήθῃ τε καὶ ἀγνοίᾳ παραδεδομένον οὐ παριδών, οὐδὲ τῇ τῶν αἰτίων παραχωρήσας κακίᾳ, θεὸν τὸν αὐτοῦ συνεργὸν ἐπικαλεσάμενος καθαίρεσθαι προστάττει, αὐτὴν δὴ μάλιστα τὴν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μεμιασμένην ἀπολαῦσαι δεῖν οἰόμενος τῆς τοῦ παναγάθου δι' 3.26.7 αὐτοῦ μεγαλουργίας. ἅμα δὲ προστάγματι τὰ τῆς ἀπάτης μηχανήματα εἰς ἔδαφος ἄνωθεν ἀφ' ὑψηλοῦ κατερρίπτετο, ἐλύετό τε καὶ καθῃρεῖτο αὐτοῖς 3.27.1 ξοάνοις καὶ δαίμοσι τὰ τῆς πλάνης οἰκοδομήματα. οὐ μὴν δ' ἐν τούτοις τὰ τῆς σπουδῆς ἵστατο, ἀλλὰ πάλιν βασιλεὺς αἴρεσθαι καὶ πορρωτάτω τῆς χώρας ἀπορρίπτεσθαι τῶν καθαιρουμένων τὴν ἐν λίθοις καὶ ξύλοις ὕλην προστάττει. ἔργον δὲ καὶ τῷδε παρηκολούθει τῷ λόγῳ. ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐπὶ τοῦτο μόνον προελθεῖν ἀπήρκει, πάλιν δ' ἐπιθειάσας βασιλεὺς τοὔδαφος αὐτό, πολὺ τοῦ χώρου βάθος ἀνορύξαντας, αὐτῷ χοῒ πόρρω που καὶ ἐξωτάτω λύθροις ἅτε δαιμονικοῖς ἐρρυπωμένον ἐκφορεῖσθαι παρακελεύεται. παραχρῆμα δ' ἐπετελεῖτο καὶ τοῦτο. ὡς δ' ἕτερον ἀνθ' ἑτέρου στοιχεῖον ὁ κατὰ βάθους τῆς γῆς ἀνεφάνη χῶρος, αὐτὸ δὴ λοιπὸν τὸ σεμνὸν καὶ πανάγιον τῆς σωτηρίου ἀναστάσεως μαρτύριον παρ' ἐλπίδα πᾶσαν ἀνεφαίνετο, καὶ τό γε ἅγιον τῶν ἁγίων ἄντρον τὴν ὁμοίαν τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀναβιώσεως ἀπελάμβανεν εἰκόνα. διὸ μετὰ τὴν ἐν σκότῳ κατάδυσιν αὖθις ἐπὶ τὸ φῶς προῄει καὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ θέαν ἀφικνουμένοις ἐναργῆ παρεῖχεν ὁρᾶν τῶν αὐτόθι πεπραγμένων θαυμάτων τὴν ἱστορίαν, ἔργοις ἁπάσης γεγωνοτέροις φωνῆς τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀνάστασιν μαρτυρόμενον. Τούτων δ' ὧδε πραχθέντων, αὐτίκα βασιλεὺς νόμων εὐσεβῶν διατάξεσι χορηγίαις τε ἀφθόνοις οἶκον εὐκτήριον θεοπρεπῆ ἀμφὶ τὸ σωτήριον ἄντρον ἐγκελεύεται πλουσίᾳ καὶ βασιλικῇ δείμασθαι πολυτελείᾳ, ὡς ἂν ἐκ μακροῦ τοῦτο προτεθειμένος καὶ τὸ μέλλον ἔσεσθαι κρείττονι προμηθείᾳ τεθεαμένος. 3.29.2 τοῖς μὲν δὴ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ἑῴας ἄρχουσιν ἀφθόνοις καὶ δαψιλέσι χορηγίαις ὑπερφυές τε καὶ μέγα καὶ πλούσιον ἀποδεικνύναι τὸ ἔργον διεκελεύετο, τῷ δὲ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐπισκόπῳ τῷ τηνικαῦτα τῆς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις προεστῶτι τοιάνδε κατέπεμπε γραφήν, δι' ἧς τὸ φιλόθεον τῆς αὐτοῦ ψυχῆς τό τε καθαρὸν τῆς εἰς τὸν σωτήριον λόγον πίστεως ἐναργέσι φωναῖς παρίστη, τοῦτον γράφων τὸν τρόπον. 3.30.1 Νικητὴς Κωνσταντῖνος Μέγιστος Σεβαστὸς Μακαρίῳ. Τοσαύτη τοῦ σωτῆρος