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of the nations everywhere in the world, as if being directed by one helmsman and embracing the government under the servant of God, with no one any longer disturbing the Roman rule, all lived their lives in a stable4.14.2 and untroubled existence. And the emperor, judging that the prayers of the God-fearing contributed greatly for him to the protection of all things, necessarily procured these, both by becoming a suppliant of God himself and by commanding the leaders of the churches to make prayers on his behalf. 4.15.1 And how much power of divine faith was supported in his soul, one might learn by considering this also, that on the gold coins he ordered his own image to be engraved in such a way, as to seem to be looking upwards, stretched up towards 4.15.2 God in the manner of one praying. Therefore the impressions of this circulated throughout the whole Roman world. And in the palaces themselves in certain cities, in the images set up high on the gateways, he was depicted standing upright, looking up to heaven, with his two hands outstretched in the posture of one praying.4.16.1 Thus indeed he set himself up even in paintings as praying. And by a law he forbade images of him in the form of idols to be set up in temples, so that the picture might not be defiled even by a sketch with the error of the forbidden things. But one might consider things more venerable than these, having discerned how in the palaces themselves he arranged them in the manner of a church of God, he himself leading the devotions of those assembled inside; for taking the books in his hands he applied his mind to the contemplation of the divinely inspired oracles, then he would offer up appointed prayers with those who filled the royal house. And he prescribed that the truly Lord's day, which is also truly the first, the day of the Lord and of salvation, be considered a suitable day for prayers. And as ministers and servants for him consecrated to God, men adorned both by the reverence of their life and with every virtue were appointed as guardians of the whole house, faithful guards, bodyguards, armed with the ways of faithful goodwill, they acclaimed the emperor as a teacher of pious ways, they themselves no less honoring the day of salvation and the Lord's day 4.18.2 and completing on it the prayers dear to the emperor. And the blessed man urged all people to do the same thing, as if having made this his prayer, gradually to make all men God-fearing. Therefore he enacted by law for all those living under Roman rule to have leisure on the days named after the Savior, and similarly also to honor the days before the Sabbath, for the sake of memory, it seems to me, of the things remembered4.18.3 to have been done on these days by the common Savior. And the day of salvation, which also happens to be named after light and the sun, he taught all the military divisions to honor with diligence, to those who partook of the divine faith he granted leisure to attend to the church of God without hindrance, so that they might perform the prayers with nothing becoming4.19.1 an obstacle for them, but for those not yet partaking of the divine word he commanded in a second law on the Lord's days to go forth upon an open field in the suburbs and there, at one signal, all together to send up a prescribed prayer to God. For they ought not to attach their hopes to spears, nor to full armor, nor to strength of body, but to know the God over all, the giver of every good thing and indeed of victory itself, to whom it is fitting to render the appointed prayers, raising their hands up high to heaven, and sending the eyes of their mind yet higher to the heavenly king, and with their prayers calling on him as giver of victory and savior and guardian and helper. And he himself was the teacher of the prayer to all the soldiers, commanding them all to speak thus in the Roman tongue: "6You alone we know as God, you we recognize as king, you we call upon as helper,"7 from you we have received our victories, through you we have become stronger than our enemies,"7 to you we acknowledge our gratitude for the good things that have been, you also "7we hope to be the giver of things to come, of you we all become suppliants, our"7 emperor Constantine

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ἁπανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐθνῶν ὥσπερ ὑφ' ἑνὶ κυβερνήτῃ διευθυνομένων καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ τῷ θεράποντι τοῦ θεοῦ πολιτείαν ἀσπαζομένων, μηδενὸς μηκέτι παρενοχλοῦντος τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν, ἐν εὐστα4.14.2 θεῖ καὶ ἀταράχῳ βίῳ τὴν ζωὴν διῆγον οἱ πάντες. βασιλεὺς δὲ κρίνας αὐτῷ τὰ μεγάλα συντείνειν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὅλων φυλακὴν τὰς τῶν θεοσεβῶν εὐχάς, ταύτας ἀναγκαίως ἐπορίζετο αὐτός θ' ἱκέτης γιγνόμενος τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς τε τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν προέδροις τὰς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ λιτὰς ποιεῖσθαι ἐγκελευόμενος. 4.15.1 Ὅση δ' αὐτοῦ τῇ ψυχῇ πίστεως ἐνθέου ὑπεστήρικτο δύναμις, μάθοι ἄν τις καὶ ἐκ τοῦδε λογιζόμενος, ὡς ἐν τοῖς χρυσοῖς νομίσμασι τὴν αὐτὸς αὐτοῦ εἰκόνα ὧδε γράφεσθαι διετύπου, ὡς ἄνω βλέπειν δοκεῖν ἀνατεταμένου πρὸς 4.15.2 θεὸν τρόπον εὐχομένου. τούτου μὲν οὖν τὰ ἐκτυπώματα καθ' ὅλης τῆς Ῥωμαίων διέτρεχεν οἰκουμένης. ἐν αὐτοῖς δὲ βασιλείοις κατά τινας πόλεις ἐν ταῖς εἰς τὸ μετέωρον τῶν προπύλων ἀνακειμέναις εἰκόσιν ἑστὼς ὄρθιος ἐγράφετο, ἄνω μὲν εἰς οὐρανὸν ἐμβλέπων, τὼ χεῖρε δ' ἐκτεταμένος εὐχο4.16.1 μένου σχήματι. ὧδε μὲν οὖν αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν κἀν ταῖς γραφαῖς εὐχόμενον ἀνίστη. νόμῳ δ' ἀπεῖργεν εἰκόνας αὐτοῦ εἰδώλων ἐν ναοῖς ἀνατίθεσθαι, ὡς μηδὲ μέχρι σκιαγραφίας τῇ πλάνῃ τῶν ἀπειρημένων μολύνοιτο ἡ γραφή. Σκέψαιτο δ' ἄν τις τὰ τούτων σεμνότερα, διαγνοὺς ὡς ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς βασιλείοις ἐκκλησίας θεοῦ τρόπον διέθετο, σπουδῆς ἐξάρχων αὐτὸς τῶν ἔνδον ἐκκλησιαζομένων· μετὰ χεῖράς γέ τοι λαμβάνων τὰς βίβλους τῇ τῶν θεοπνεύστων λογίων θεωρίᾳ προσανεῖχε τὸν νοῦν, εἶτ' εὐχὰς ἐνθέσμους σὺν τοῖς τὸν βασίλειον οἶκον πληροῦσιν ἀπεδίδου. Καὶ ἡμέραν δ' εὐχῶν ἡγεῖσθαι κατάλληλον τὴν κυρίαν ἀληθῶς καὶ πρώτην ὄντως κυριακήν τε καὶ σωτήριον διετύπου. διάκονοι δ' αὐτῷ καὶ ὑπηρέται θεῷ καθιερωμένοι βίου τε σεμνότητι καὶ ἀρετῇ πάσῃ κόσμιοι ἄνδρες φύλακες τοῦ παντὸς οἴκου καθίσταντο, δορυφόροι τε πιστοί, σωματοφύλακες, τρόποις εὐνοίας πιστῆς καθωπλισμένοι, βασιλέα διδάσκαλον εὐσεβῶν ἐπεγράφοντο τρόπων, τιμῶντες οὐχ ἧττον καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν σωτήριον καὶ κυριακὴν ἡμέραν 4.18.2 εὐχάς τε ἐν αὐτῇ συντελοῦντες τὰς βασιλεῖ φίλας. ταὐτὸν δὲ πράττειν καὶ πάντας ἐνῆγεν ἀνθρώπους ὁ μακάριος, ὥσπερ εὐχὴν ταύτην πεποιημένος ἠρέμα σύμπαντας ἀνθρώπους θεοσεβεῖς ἀπεργάσασθαι. διὸ τοῖς ὑπὸ τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ πολιτευομένοις ἅπασι σχολὴν ἄγειν ταῖς ἐπωνύμοις τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμέραις ἐνομοθέτει, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὰς πρὸ τοῦ σαββάτου τιμᾶν, μνήμης ἕνεκά μοι δοκεῖν τῶν ἐν ταύταις τῷ κοινῷ σωτῆρι πεπρᾶχθαι μνημο4.18.3 νευομένων. τὴν δέ γε σωτήριον ἡμέραν, ἣν καὶ φωτὸς εἶναι καὶ ἡλίου ἐπώνυμον συμβαίνει, τὰ στρατιωτικὰ πάντα διὰ σπουδῆς τιμᾶν διδάσκων, τοῖς μὲν τῆς ἐνθέου μετέχουσι πίστεως ἀκωλύτως τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ προσκαρτερεῖν μετεδίδου σχολῆς, ἐφ' ᾧ τὰς εὐχὰς μηδενὸς αὐτοῖς ἐμποδὼν γινο4.19.1 μένου συντελεῖν, τοῖς δὲ μήπω τοῦ θείου λόγου μετασχοῦσιν ἐν δευτέρῳ νόμῳ διεκελεύετο κατὰ τὰς κυριακὰς ἡμέρας ἐν προαστείοις ἐπὶ καθαροῦ προιέναι πεδίου κἀνταῦθα μεμελετημένην εὐχὴν ἐξ ἑνὸς συνθήματος ὁμοῦ τοὺς πάντας ἀναπέμπειν θεῷ. μὴ γὰρ δόρασι χρῆναι, μηδὲ παντευχίαις, μηδ' ἀλκῇ σωμάτων τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐξάπτειν ἐλπίδας, τὸν δ' ἐπὶ πάντων εἰδέναι θεόν, παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ καὶ δὴ καὶ αὐτῆς νίκης δοτῆρα, ᾧ καὶ τὰς ἐνθέσμους προσήκειν ἀποδιδόναι εὐχάς, ἄνω μὲν αἴροντας εἰς οὐρανὸν μετεώρους τὰς χεῖρας, ἀνωτάτω δ' ἐπὶ τὸν οὐράνιον βασιλέα τοὺς τῆς διανοίας παραπέμποντας ὀφθαλμούς, κἀκεῖνον ταῖς εὐχαῖς νίκης δοτῆρα καὶ σωτῆρα φύλακά τε καὶ βοηθὸν ἐπιβοωμένους. καὶ τῆς εὐχῆς δὲ τοῖς στρατιωτικοῖς ἅπασι διδάσκαλος ἦν αὐτός, Ῥωμαίᾳ γλώττῃ τοὺς πάντας ὧδε λέγειν ἐγκελευσάμενος· "6σὲ μόνον οἴδαμεν θεόν, σὲ βασιλέα γνωρίζομεν, σὲ βοηθὸν ἀνακαλού"7μεθα, παρὰ σοῦ τὰς νίκας ἠράμεθα, διὰ σοῦ κρείττους τῶν ἐχθρῶν κατ"7έστημεν, σοὶ τὴν τῶν προυπαρξάντων ἀγαθῶν χάριν γνωρίζομεν, σὲ καὶ "7τῶν μελλόντων δοτῆρα ἐλπίζομεν, σοῦ πάντες ἱκέται γιγνόμεθα, τὸν ἡμέ"7τερον βασιλέα Κωνσταντῖνον