57
should consider him and appoint him patriarch of the church of the Antiochenes. But he, being formidable and full of wickedness, so that he might not fail to obtain the imperial promise, both hypocritically accepted the synod and set down that two united natures in Christ should be spoken of. And he inquired concerning the wills and energies, whether it was necessary to speak of these as two or as one and single. And the emperor writes about this very question to Sergius of Constantinople. And that one, long advocating 213 the heresy of the Monothelites, sent back in reply to the emperor that one natural will and one energy ought to be dogmatized in Christ. But also having asked Cyrus of Phasis, he found him to be of the same mind as Sergius. Heraclius, having been led astray by these men himself, becomes of this opinion and drinks a muddy subversion from those hirelings, but not shepherds. However, when Sophronius, the holy high priest in Jerusalem, gathered the high priests under him and demonstrated synodically that those who speak of one will and energy in the two natures of Christ are manifestly preaching one nature also, and when he had as in agreement on this also John, who administered the throne of elder Rome, the emperor set forth an edict that neither a single energy nor a double one should be dogmatized in Christ; which seemed ridiculous not only to the orthodox, but also to those of the same mind as Severus. And when Sergius, who held the throne of Constantinople, ended his life, Pyrrhus succeeded him, holding the same opinions as he and both revering and confirming the teachings of Severus and Cyrus. 214 And as this emperor was returning from Persia, bearing trophies, Mohammed, the phylarch of the Saracens, approached, not having inherited the phylarchy by birth (for he happened to be of obscure origin), but having acquired it by wickedness. For being poor, he served with a certain rich widow, whom he married, having led her by enchantments into love for himself. Being afflicted with the disease of epilepsy, and with the affliction attacking him from time to time, falling down and losing his senses, he became a cause of despondency and shame to his mistress and wife. And he, being wicked himself and having met with a certain monk more wicked than himself, who had been exiled from Byzantium on account of his false belief, and having been taught by him, said to his wife that Gabriel the archangel came to him from heaven and initiated him into certain secret things, but that he could not bear the sight of him and for this reason he felt dizzy and was seized with fear and fell to the ground. And he had bearing witness with him for these things also that deceitful monk, who said to the wife that truly this Gabriel is sent to all the prophets. 215 From this, the woman, casting off her shame, but rather boasting as one living with a prophet, brought this account to the other women, and thus that abominable man acquired the name of prophet among his tribesmen. And when that woman died, having become heir of her property, he was named both phylarch and teacher and lawgiver of the nation of the Ishmaelites, deceiving some with words, and brandishing his sword at those not easily persuaded by him and forcing them to submit to him. For he had already also gathered a considerable band around himself. This man, therefore, advancing from Aithribos, came to the emperor, asking for a country for settlement, and he received it. And in the way that has been described, having outwitted the whole nation and having brought it under himself, he both overran and plundered Syria and sacked many of the Roman territories; and from then on the race of the Ishmaelites did not cease overrunning and plundering the entire land of the Romans. And Heraclius, as has been said, having rolled down into the heresy of the Monothelites, fell into the disease of dropsy. And it is also said that his private part, being turned upwards, sent the urine, and if 216 a board was not placed on his abdomen, the excreted fluid was sent up against his face; which seemed to happen on account of the unlawful union with his niece. This emperor therefore dies in the thirty-first year
57
αὐτὸν ἡγήσοιτο καὶ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων ἐκκλησίας πατριάρχην προβάλοιτο. ὁ δὲ δεινὸς ὢν καὶ πονηρίας μεστός, ἵνα μὴ ἀτευκτήσῃ τῆς βασιλικῆς ὑποσχέσεως, τήν τε σύνοδον ὑποκεκριμένως ἐδέξατο καὶ δύο φύσεις ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ λέγειν ἡνωμένας κατέθετο. περὶ δέ γε τῶν θελημάτων καὶ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν ἐπυνθάνετο, εἰ διττὰ ταῦτα λέγειν χρεὼν ἢ ἑνιαῖά τε καὶ μοναδικά. ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ γράφει περὶ τούτου δὴ τοῦ ζητήματος πρὸς τὸν Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Σέργιον. κἀκεῖνος πάλαι τὰ 213 τῆς Μονοθελητῶν πρεσβεύων αἱρέσεως, μίαν φυσικὴν θέλησιν καὶ μίαν ἐνέργειαν δεῖν δογματίζειν ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀνταπέστειλεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ Κῦρον ἐρωτήσας τὸν Φάσιδος τῷ Σεργίῳ εὕρηκεν ὁμογνώμονα. τούτοις καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπαχθεὶς ὁ Ἡράκλειος τῆς δόξης γίνεται ταύτης καὶ ἀνατροπὴν ποτίζεται θολερὰν παρὰ τῶν μισθωτῶν, ἀλλ' οὐ ποιμένων ἐκείνων. τοῦ Σωφρονίου μέντοι τοῦ ἱεροῦ τοῦ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἀρχιερατεύοντος τοὺς ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἀρχιερεῖς συναθροίσαντος καὶ συνοδικῶς ἀποδείξαντος τοὺς μίαν λέγοντας θέλησιν καὶ ἐνέργειαν ἐπὶ τῶν δύο φύσεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ μίαν ἄντικρυς καὶ φύσιν κηρύττειν, σύμψηφον δὲ σχόντος ἐπὶ τούτῳ καὶ τὸν τὸν θρόνον τῆς πρεσβυτέρας Ῥώμης διέποντα Ἰωάννην, ὁ βασιλεὺς προέθετο πρόγραμμα μήτε ἑνιαίαν ἐνέργειαν μήτε διττὴν ἐν Χριστῷ δογματίζεσθαι· ὃ καταγέλαστον οὐ τοῖς ὀρθόφροσιν ἐδόκει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς Σευήρου ὁμόφροσι. Σεργίου δὲ τοῦ τὸν θρόνον ἔχοντος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως τὴν ζωὴν καταστρέψαντος, Πύρρος αὐτὸν διεδέξατο, τὰ αὐτὰ ἐκείνῳ δοξάζων καὶ τὰ Σευήρου καὶ Κύρου σέβων τε καὶ κυρῶν. 214 Ὑποστρέφοντι δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ τούτῳ ἐκ τῆς Περσίδος τροπαιοφόρῳ πρόσεισι Μωάμεθ ὁ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν φύλαρχος, οὐκ ἐκ γένους τὸ φυλαρχεῖν κληρωσάμενος (τῶν γὰρ ἀσήμων ἐτύγχανεν ὤν), ἀλλὰ πονηρίᾳ τοῦτο κτησάμενος. πένης γὰρ ὢν παρά τινι γυναικὶ πλουσίᾳ χήρᾳ ἐθήτευεν, ἣν ἔγημε, γοητείαις ὑπαγαγὼν εἰς ἔρωτα ἑαυτοῦ. ἐπιληψίας δὲ νοσήματι συνεχόμενος καὶ κατὰ καιροὺς αὐτῷ τοῦ πάθους προσβάλλοντος πίπτων καὶ τῶν φρενῶν ἐξιστάμενος, ἀθυμίας αἴτιος τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κυρίᾳ καὶ γαμετῇ καὶ αἰσχύνης ἐγίνετο. ὁ δὲ αὐτός τε πονηρὸς ὢν καί τινι δὲ μοναχῷ πονηροτέρῳ ἑαυτοῦ ἐντετυχηκὼς διὰ κακοπιστίαν φυγαδευθέντι τῆς Βυζαντίδος καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ διδαχθείς, ἔλεγε τῇ γυναικὶ τὸν Γαβριὴλ τὸν ἀρχάγγελον οὐρανόθεν αὐτῷ φοιτῶντα ἀπόρρητά τινα μυεῖν, μὴ φέρειν δὲ τὴν τούτου θέαν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἰλιγγιᾶν καὶ φόβῳ συνέχεσθαι καὶ πρὸς γῆν κατακλίνεσθαι. ταῦτα δ' εἶχεν αὐτῷ συμμαρτυροῦντα καὶ τὸν μοναχὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν δόλιον καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ λέγοντα ὅτι ὡς ἀληθῶς πᾶσι τοῖς προφήταις οὗτος ὁ Γαβριὴλ ἐπιπέμπεται. 215 ἐντεῦθεν ἡ γυνὴ ἀποσκευαζομένη τὸ ὄνειδος, ἐγκαυχωμένη δὲ μᾶλλον ὡς συνοικοῦσα προφήτῃ, τὸν λόγον τοῦτον εἰς τὰς λοιπὰς γυναῖκας προήνεγκε, καὶ οὕτως ὄνομα προφήτου παρὰ τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις ὁ μυσαρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐκτήσατο. θανούσης δὲ τῆς γυναικὸς ἐκείνης, τῶν ἐκείνης κληρονόμος γενόμενος καὶ φύλαρχος καὶ διδάσκαλος καὶ νομοθέτης τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν Ἰσμαηλιτῶν ἐχρημάτισε, τοὺς μὲν λόγοις ἀπατῶν, τοῖς δὲ μὴ εὐχερῶς αὐτῷ πειθομένοις τὸ ξίφος ἀνατεινόμενος καὶ ὑποκλίνεσθαί οἱ ἐκβιαζόμενος. ἤδη γὰρ καὶ χεῖρα περὶ ἑαυτὸν συνήγαγεν ἱκανήν. οὗτος οὖν ἐκ τῆς Αἰθρίβου προϊὼν προσῆλθε τῷ βασιλεῖ, χώραν αἰτῶν εἰς κατοίκησιν, καὶ ἔλαβεν. ὃν δ' εἴρηται τρόπον τὸ ἔθνος ἅπαν κατασοφισάμενος καὶ ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ποιησάμενος τὴν Συρίαν κατέδραμέ τε καὶ ἐληίσατο καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν χωρῶν πολλὰς ἐξεπόρθησε· καὶ ἔκτοτε οὐκ ἐπαύσατο τὸ τῶν Ἰσμαηλιτῶν γένος τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἅπασαν γῆν κατατρέχον καὶ ληιζόμενον. Ἡράκλειος δέ, ὡς εἴρηται, εἰς τὴν τῶν Μονοθελητῶν ἐκκυλισθεὶς αἵρεσιν νόσῳ περιπίπτει ὑδερικῇ. λέγεται δὲ καὶ τὸ αἰδοῖον αὐτοῦ στρεφόμενον ἄνω τὸ οὖρον πέμπειν, καὶ εἰ μὴ 216 σανὶς ἐν τῷ ἤτρῳ αὐτοῦ ἐτίθετο, κατὰ τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐκκρινόμενον ἀνεδίδοτο· ὃ συμβαίνειν ἐδόκει διὰ τὴν ἔκθεσμον μίξιν τῆς ἀδελφόπαιδος. θνήσκει οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς οὗτος κατὰ τὸν τριακοστὸν πρῶτον χρόνον