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they lived in Scythopolis, emboldened by their power, concealing their ancestral faith, but by his will 27.9 they wrought incurable evils on all the Christians. Therefore, the citizens, rising up against them, killed both by a most pitiable death, and many evils befell the Palestinians 27.10 from this. At that time, therefore, neither Justinian nor the empress did him any harm, even though he was most to blame for all the troubles, but they forbade him to come to the Palace any longer; for on this very 27.11 account they were being constantly annoyed by the Christians. This Arsenius, thinking to ingratiate himself with the emperor, not long afterward was sent with Paul to Alexandria, so that he might both assist in other matters and help him with all his power to bring persuasion to bear upon the Alexandrians. 27.12 For he claimed during this time, when it happened that he was excluded from the Palace, that he had become not unpractised in all the doctrines among the Christians. 27.13 This annoyed Theodora; for she pretended to go the opposite way to the emperor in this matter, as has been related by me in the previous 27.14 account. So when they were in Alexandria, Paul handed over to Rhodon a certain deacon named Psoes to be put to death, claiming that he alone stood in his way of carrying out the emperor's decisions. 27.15 And Rhodon, induced by the emperor's letters, which were numerous and very urgent, decided to torture the man. And he, being strained by the torture, immediately 27.16 died. When this came to the emperor, with the empress pressing very strongly, the emperor immediately set everything in motion against Paul and Rhodon and Arsenius, as if having forgotten all the things promised by him to these very 27.17 men. So, having appointed Liberius, a patrician from Rome, to the governorship of Alexandria, he sent some of the reputable clergy to Alexandria to make an investigation of the matter, among whom was also Pelagius the archdeacon of Rome, representing the person of Vigilius the high priest, this having been enjoined upon him by 27.18 Vigilius; and the murder having been proven, they immediately deposed Paul from the priesthood; and as for Rhodon who had fled to Byzantium, the emperor both took off his head and had his property registered for the public treasury, even though the man produced thirteen letters which the emperor had written to him, being zealous and very insistent, and promising everything, commanding him to obey Paul in all things and to oppose him in nothing, so that he might be able to accomplish the decisions for the sake of the doctrine. 27.19 And Liberius, by the will of Theodora, impaled Arsenius, and the emperor decided to confiscate his property, although having nothing to charge him with except that he kept company with Paul. 27.20 Now whether these things were done by him rightly or in some other way, I cannot say; but for what reason these things have been told by me 27.21 I shall immediately declare. Paul, some time later, having come to Byzantium and having offered this emperor seven centenaria of gold, demanded to receive back the priesthood, 27.22 since it had not been taken from him by any law. And Justinian gently accepted the money and held the man in honour, and he agreed that he would very soon be appointed high priest for the Alexandrians, although another held the office, as if he did not know that he himself had both killed those who had lived with him and dared to assist him, and had confiscated their property. 27.23 The Augustus, therefore, pressing the matter exceedingly, pursued it with zeal, and Paul was clearly expected 27.24 to get back the priesthood by every contrivance. But Vigilius, being present at that time, would by no means consent to yield to the emperor commanding such a thing. For he said he was not able to render his own verdict invalid, 27.25 referring to the decision of Pelagius. Thus this emperor cared for nothing else ever except the seizure of money. And another such thing will be told. 27.26 There was a certain Faustinus, a Palestinian by birth, a Samaritan from of old, but clinging to the name of Christian 27.27 by the necessity of the law.

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δυνάμει θαρσοῦντες διαγεγόνασι μὲν ἐν Σκυθοπόλει, περιστέλλοντες τὴν πάτριον δόξαν, γνώμῃ δὲ αὐτοῦ 27.9 ἀνήκεστα τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς εἰργάζοντο πάντας. διὸ δὴ οἱ πολῖται σφίσιν ἐπαναστάντες ἄμφω ἔκτειναν θανάτῳ οἰκτίστῳ, κακά τε πολλὰ ξυνηνέχθη Παλαιστί27.10 νοις ἐνθένδε γενέσθαι. τότε μὲν οὖν αὐτὸν οὔτεἸουστινιανὸς οὔτε βασιλὶς κακόν τι ἔδρασαν, καίπερ αἰτιώτατον γεγονότα δυσκόλων ἁπάντων, ἀπεῖπον δὲ αὐτῷ ἐς Παλάτιον μηκέτι ἰέναι· ἐνδελεχέστατα γὰρ τούτου 27.11 δὴ ἕνεκα πρὸς τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἠνωχλοῦντο. οὗτοςἈρσένιος βασιλεῖ χαριεῖσθαι οἰόμενος οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ξὺν τῷ Παύλῳ ἐς τὴνἈλεξάνδρειαν στέλλεται, ὡς δὴ τά τε ἄλλα ὑπηρετήσων καὶ τὴν ἐς τοὺςἈλεξανδρεῖς πειθὼ ξυγκατεργασόμενος αὐτῷ δυνάμει τῇ 27.12 πάσῃ. ἰσχυρίζετο γὰρ ὑπὸ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον, ἡνίκα οἱ τοῦ Παλατίου ἀποκεκλεῖσθαι ξυνέπεσε, τῶν ἐν Χριστιανοῖς οὐκ ἀμελέτητος γεγονέναι δογμάτων ἁπάντων. 27.13 ὅπερ τὴν Θεοδώραν ἠνίασε· τὴν ἐναντίαν γὰρ ἐσκήπ27.13 τετο τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐς τοῦτο ἰέναι, ὥς μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπρο27.14 σθεν λόγοις εἴρηται. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐνἈλεξανδρεῦσιν ἐγένοντο, διάκονόν τινα Ψόην ὄνομαῬόδωνι Παῦλος παρέδωκε τεθνηξόμενον, φάσκων δὴ αὐτὸν μόνον οἱ αὐτῷ ἐμποδὼν ἵστασθαι τοῦ μὴ τὰ βασιλεῖ δεδογμένα 27.15 ὑποτελέσαι. τοῖς δὲ βασιλέως γράμμασιῬόδων ἠγμένος, συχνοῖς τε οὖσι καὶ λίαν σπουδαίοις, αἰκίζεσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔγνω. καὶ ὃς ὑπὸ τῆς βασάνου κατα27.16 τεινόμενος αὐτίκα θνήσκει. ἅπερ ἐπεὶ ἐς βασιλέα ἦλθεν, ἐγκειμένης ἰσχυρότατα τῆς βασιλίδος, ἅπαντα βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ Παύλῳ τε καὶῬόδωνι καὶἈρσενίῳ εὐθὺς ἐκίνει, ὥσπερ τῶν πρὸς αὐτοῦ τούτοις δὴ τοῖς 27.17 ἀνθρώποις ἐπηγγελμένων ἐπιλελησμένος ἁπάντων. Λιβέριον οὖν τῶν ἐκῬώμης ἄνδρα πατρίκιον καταστησάμενος ἐπὶ τῆςἈλεξανδρέων ἀρχῆς καὶ τῶν δοκίμων ἱερέων τινὰς ἐς τὴνἈλεξάνδρειαν ἔστειλε τὴν τοῦ πράγματος ποιησομένους διάγνωσιν, ἐν οἷς καὶ ὁῬώμης ἀρχιδιάκονος Πελάγιος ἦν, τὸ Βιγιλίου τοῦ ἀρχιερέως ὑποδὺς πρόσωπον, ἐπιτεταγμένον οἱ τοῦτό γε πρὸς τοῦ 27.18 Βιγιλίου· τοῦ τε φόνου ἐληλεγμένου Παῦλον τῆς ἱερωσύνης εὐθὺς καθεῖλον, φυγόντα δὲῬόδωνα ἐς Βυζάντιον τήν τε κεφαλὴν ἀφείλετο ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τὰ χρήματα ἐς τὸ δημόσιον ἀνάγραπτα ἐποιήσατο, καίπερ τρισκαίδεκα ἐπιστολὰς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐνδειξαμένου, ἅσπερ αὐτῷ βασιλεὺς ἔγραψε σπουδάζων τε καὶ διατεινόμενος ἄγαν ἐπαγγέλλων τε ἅπαντα τῷ Παύλῳ ὑπηρετεῖν ἐπιτάττοντι καὶ μηδ' ὁτιοῦν ἀντιτείνειν, ὅπως ἐπὶ τῇ δόξῃ ἐπιτελέσαι τὰ δόξαντα δυνατὸς εἴη. 27.19Ἀρσένιόν τε Λιβέριος γνώμῃ Θεοδώρας ἀνεσκολόπισε, καὶ αὐτοῦ τὰ χρήματα δημοσιοῦν βασιλεὺς ἔγνω, καίπερ οὐδὲν αὐτῷ ἐπεγκαλεῖν ἔχων ἢ ὅτι ξὺν τῷ Παύλῳ δίαιταν εἶχε. 27.20 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἴτε ὀρθῶς εἴτε ἄλλῃ πη αὐτῷ εἴργασται, οὐκ ἔχω εἰπεῖν, ὅτου δὲ δὴ ἕνεκα ταῦτά μοι 27.21 εἴρηται αὐτίκα δηλώσω. ὁ Παῦλος χρόνῳ τινὶ ὕστερον ἐς Βυζάντιον ἥκων ἑπτά τε χρυσοῦ κεντηνάρια τῷ βασιλεῖ τούτῳ προέμενος ἠξίου τὴν ἱερωσύνην 27.22 ἀπολαβεῖν ἅτε αὐτὴν οὐδενὶ νόμῳ ἀφῃρημένος.Ἰουστινιανὸς δὲ τά τε χρήματα ἐδέξατο πρᾴως καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐν τιμῇ ἔσχεν, ἀρχιερέα τε ὡμολόγησενἈλεξανδρεῦσιν αὐτὸν καταστήσεσθαι αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα, καίπερ ἑτέρου τὴν τιμὴν ἔχοντος, ὥσπερ οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅτι δὴ τοὺς αὐτῷ ξυνοικήσαντάς τε καὶ ὑπουργεῖν τετολμηκότας ἔκτεινέ τε αὐτὸς καὶ τὰς οὐσίας ἀφείλετο. 27.23 ὁ μὲν οὖν Σεβαστὸς ἐς ἄγαν διατεινόμενος τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐν σπουδῇ ἐποιεῖτο, Παῦλος δὲ διαρρήδην ἐπίδοξος 27.24 ἦν τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἀπολήψεσθαι μηχανῇ πάσῃ. ἀλλὰ Βιγίλιος τηνικάδε παρὼν εἴκειν βασιλεῖ τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐπιτάττοντι οὐδαμῇ ἔγνω. ἔφασκε γὰρ οὐχ οἷός τε εἶναι ψῆφον τὴν οἰκείαν αὐτὸς ἀνάδικον διειργάσθαι, 27.25 τὴν Πελαγίου παραδηλῶν γνῶσιν. οὕτως ἄλλου οὐδενὸς τῷ βασιλεῖ τούτῳ ὅτι μὴ χρημάτων ἀφαιρέσεως ἀεὶ ἔμελεν. εἰρήσεται δὲ καὶ ἄλλο τοιόνδε. 27.26 Φαυστῖνος ἦν τις, Παλαιστῖνος γένος, Σαμαρείτης μὲν γεγονὼς ἄνωθεν, ὀνόματος δὲ τοῦ Χριστιανῶν 27.27 ἀντιλαμβανόμενος ἀνάγκῃ τοῦ νόμου.