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3.43.1 Immediately, therefore, she dedicated two temples to the God who had been worshipped, one at the cave of his birth, and the other on the mountain of his ascension. For indeed the God who is with us condescended for our sakes to endure birth, and the place of his birth in the flesh was proclaimed by name among the Hebrews as Bethlehem. 3.43.2 For this reason, indeed, the most God-fearing empress adorned the child-bearing of the Mother of God with wondrous memorials, in every way making bright the sacred cave there, and the emperor a little later also honored this place with royal offerings, with treasures of silver and gold and with embroidered curtains, augmenting his mother's love of beauty. 3.43.3 And again, the emperor’s mother exalted the memory of the journey into heaven of the Savior of all on the Mount of Olives with lofty buildings, having erected a sacred house of a church high up on the ridges near the summit of the entire mountain, and having established there also a temple and a house of prayer for the Savior who chose to spend time there, since a true account also holds that in that very cave the Savior of all initiated his followers into the ineffable mysteries. 3.43.4 Savior of all. And the emperor there also with various offerings and ornaments honored the great King. And so these two sacred and most beautiful consecrated offerings, worthy of eternal memory, at two mystical caves, were established by Helena Augusta to God her Savior, the God-loving mother of the God-loving emperor, as proofs of a pious disposition, 3.43.5 her son having granted to her the right hand of imperial authority. But not long after, the aged woman received a worthy fruit, passing the entire time of her life with all good things on the very threshold of old age, and having produced by words and deeds flourishing shoots of the saving precepts, and then thus having completed a well-ordered and griefless life of body and soul together with a sound mind, on account of which she also found an end worthy of her piety and a good reward from God even in the present life. 3.44.1 For having traversed the entire East with the magnificence of imperial authority, she bestowed countless gifts at once on the people in each city and privately to each of those who approached her, and distributed countless gifts to the military units with a magnificent right hand, and gave a great many things to the poor who were naked and destitute, to some making gifts of money, to others providing abundantly for the covering of the body; others she released from bonds and from the hardship of those afflicted in the mines, and she freed those who were oppressed, and again others she recalled from exile. Being distinguished, then, by such things, she did not neglect her other piety towards God, causing herself to be seen frequenting the church of God at all times, and adorning the houses of prayer with splendid treasures, not overlooking even the temples in the smallest cities. One could therefore see the admirable woman in modest and well-ordered attire mingling with the crowd and demonstrating her reverence toward the divine through every God-loving action. And when at last, having completed the things of her self-sufficient life, she was called to the better lot, having lasted for about eighty years of age, and being at the very end, she made her will and testament in favor of her only-begotten son, the emperor, sole ruler, master of the world, and his children the Caesars, her own grandchildren, setting down her last wishes, and distributing to each of her descendants from her 3.46.2 own substance, whatever she had throughout the whole inhabited world. And indeed, having arranged it in this manner, at last she ended her life's journey, with so great a son present and standing by her, tending to her and holding her hands, so that to those of sound mind the thrice-blessed one rightly did not seem to die, but, in true account, to have undergone a change and a transfer from an earthly life to a heavenly one. For her very soul was re-fashioned into an incorruptible and angelic substance, being taken up to her Savior. 3.47.1 And the body of the blessed one was not deemed worthy of ordinary attention; for, honored by a very great escort, it was conveyed to the imperial city, and there

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3.43.1 Αὐτίκα δ' οὖν τῷ προσκυνηθέντι θεῷ δύο νεὼς ἀφιέρου, τὸν μὲν πρὸς τῷ τῆς γεννήσεως ἄντρῳ, τὸν δ' ἐπὶ τοῦ τῆς ἀναλήψεως ὄρους. καὶ γὰρ καὶ γέννησιν ὑπομεῖναι ὁ μεθ' ἡμῶν θεὸς δι' ἡμᾶς ἠνέσχετο, καὶ τόπος αὐτοῦ τῆς ἐνσάρκου γεννήσεως ὀνομαστὶ παρ' Ἑβραίοις ἡ Βηθλεὲμ ἐκηρύττετο. 3.43.2 διὸ δὴ βασιλὶς ἡ θεοσεβεστάτη τῆς θεοτόκου τὴν κύησιν μνήμασι θαυμαστοῖς κατεκόσμει, παντοίως τὸ τῇδε ἱερὸν ἄντρον φαιδρύνουσα, βασιλεὺς δὲ μικρὸν ὕστερον βασιλικοῖς ἀναθήμασι καὶ ταύτην ἐτίμα, τοῖς ἐξ ἀργύρου καὶ χρυσοῦ κειμηλίοις περιπετάσμασί τε ποικίλοις τὰς τῆς μητρὸς ἐπαύξων φιλοκαλίας. 3.43.3 πάλιν δ' ἡ μὲν βασιλέως μήτηρ τῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς πορείας τοῦ τῶν ὅλων σωτῆρος ἐπὶ τοῦ τῶν ἐλαιῶν ὄρους τὴν μνήμην ἐπηρμέναις οἰκοδομίαις ἀνύψου, ἄνω πρὸς ταῖς ἀκρωρείαις παρὰ τὴν τοῦ παντὸς ὄρους κορυφὴν ἱερὸν οἶκον ἐκκλησίας ἀνεγείρασα, νεών τε κἀνταῦθα προσευκτήριον τῷ τὰς αὐτόθι διατριβὰς ἑλομένῳ σωτῆρι συστησαμένη, ἐπεὶ κἀνταῦθα λόγος ἀληθὴς κατέχει ἐν αὐτῷ ἄντρῳ τοὺς αὐτοῦ θιασώτας μυεῖν τὰς ἀπορρήτους τελετὰς τὸν τῶν 3.43.4 ὅλων σωτῆρα. βασιλεὺς δὲ κἀνταῦθα παντοίοις ἀναθήμασί τε καὶ κόσμοις τὸν μέγαν ἐγέραιρε βασιλέα. Καὶ δὴ δύο ταῦτα μνήμης ἐπάξια αἰωνίου σεμνὰ καὶ περικαλλῆ καθιερώματα ἐπὶ δύο μυστικῶν ἄντρων Ἑλένη αὐγούστα θεῷ τῷ αὐτῆς σωτῆρι, θεοφιλοῦς βασιλέως θεοφιλὴς μήτηρ, εὐσεβοῦς τεκμήρια διαθέσεως ἵδρυτο, 3.43.5 δεξιὰν αὐτῇ βασιλικῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ παιδὸς παρασχομένου. καρπὸν δ' ἐπάξιον ἡ πρέσβυς οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν ἀπελάμβανεν, ἀγαθοῖς μὲν ἅπασι τὸν πάντα τῆς ζωῆς χρόνον ἐπ' αὐτῷ γήραος οὐδῷ διαπεραναμένη, λόγοις δὲ καὶ ἔργοις τῶν σωτηρίων παραγγελμάτων εὐθαλεῖς παρασχομένη βλαστούς, κἄπειθ' οὕτω βίον εὐσταλῆ καὶ ἄλυπον σώματος ὁμοῦ καὶ ψυχῆς ἐν ἐρρωμένῳ φρονήματι διανύσασα, ἐφ' οἷς καὶ τέλος εὐσεβείας ἐπάξιον ἀγαθήν τε παρὰ θεοῦ ἀμοιβὴν κἀπὶ τοῦ παρόντος εὕρατο βίου. 3.44.1 Τὴν γάρ τοι σύμπασαν ἑῴαν μεγαλοπρεπείᾳ βασιλικῆς ἐξουσίας ἐμπεριελθοῦσα, μυρία μὲν ἀθρόως τοῖς κατὰ πόλιν ἐδωρεῖτο δήμοις ἰδίᾳ τε τῶν προσιόντων ἑκάστῳ, μυρία δὲ καὶ τοῖς στρατιωτικοῖς τάγμασι δεξιᾷ μεγαλοπρεπεῖ διένεμε, πλεῖστά θ' ὅσα πένησι γυμνοῖς καὶ ἀπεριστάτοις ἐδίδου, τοῖς μὲν χρημάτων δόσεις ποιουμένη, τοῖς δὲ τὰ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ σώματος σκέπην δαψιλῶς ἐπαρκοῦσα, ἑτέρους ἀπήλλαττε δεσμῶν μετάλλων τε κακοπαθείᾳ ταλαιπωρουμένους, ἠλευθέρου τε πλεονεκτουμένους, καὶ πάλιν ἄλλους ἐξορίας ἀνεκαλεῖτο. τοιούτοις δῆτα λαμπρυνομένη οὐδὲ τῆς ἄλλης πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὁσίας κατωλιγώρει, φοιτῶσαν μὲν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ παντὸς ὁρᾶσθαι παρέχουσα, λαμπροῖς δὲ κατακοσμοῦσα κειμηλίοις τοὺς εὐκτηρίους οἴκους, μηδὲ τοὺς ἐν ταῖς βραχυτάταις πόλεσι παρορῶσα ναούς. ἦν γοῦν ὁρᾶν τὴν θαυμασίαν ἐν σεμνῇ καὶ εὐσταλεῖ περιβολῇ τῷ πλήθει συναγελαζομένην τήν τε πρὸς τὸ θεῖον εὐλάβειαν διὰ πάσης θεοφιλοῦς πράξεως ἐπιδεικνυμένην. Ἐπεὶ δὲ λοιπὸν τὰ τῆς αὐτάρκους διανύσασα ζωῆς ἐπὶ τὴν κρείττονα λῆξιν ἐκαλεῖτο, σχεδόν που τῆς ἡλικίας ἀμφὶ τοὺς ὀγδοήκοντα ἐνιαυτοὺς διαρκέσασα, πρὸς αὐτῷ γενομένη τῷ τέλει συνετάττετο καὶ διετίθετο, ἐπὶ μονογενεῖ υἱῷ βασιλεῖ μονάρχῳ κοσμοκράτορι παισί τε τούτου καίσαρσιν, ἑαυτῆς ἐκγόνοις, τὴν ὑστάτην βουλὴν διοριζομένη, διανέμουσά τε τῶν ἐκγόνων ἑκάστῳ τῆς 3.46.2 οἰκείας ὑπάρξεως, ὅση τις αὐτῇ καθ' ὅλης ὑπῆρξε τῆς οἰκουμένης. καὶ δὴ τοῦτον διαθεμένη τὸν τρόπον, λοιπὸν τὴν τοῦ βίου κατέλυε τελευτήν, παρόντος αὐτῇ καὶ παρεστῶτος υἱοῦ τοσούτου θεραπεύοντός τε καὶ τῶν χειρῶν ἐφαπτομένου, ὡς μὴ τεθνάναι εἰκότως τὴν τρισμακαρίαν τοῖς εὖ φρονοῦσι δοκεῖν, μεταβολὴν δὲ καὶ μετάθεσιν ἀληθεῖ λόγῳ τῆς γεώδους ζωῆς ἐπὶ τὴν οὐράνιον ὑπομεῖναι. ἀνεστοιχειοῦτο γοῦν αὐτῇ ψυχῇ ἐπὶ τὴν ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀγγελικὴν οὐσίαν, πρὸς τὸν αὐτῆς ἀναλαμβανομένη σωτῆρα. 3.47.1 Καὶ τὸ σκῆνος δὲ τῆς μακαρίας οὐ τῆς τυχούσης ἠξιοῦτο σπουδῆς· πλείστῃ γοῦν δορυφορίᾳ τιμώμενον ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν ἀνεκομίζετο, ἐνταυθοῖ τε