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the patricians, that is Troilus and Epiphanius, having said that, By all means we are bringing the two disciples, the one in Mesembria and the one in Perberis, and we are testing them, and we see also the outcome for them. But that you may see, lord abba, that if we should receive a little respite from the confusion of the nations, we shall deal with you, by the Holy Trinity, and the pope who is now puffed up, and all those who speak there, and your other disciples; and we will melt you all down, each in his own proper place, just as Martin was melted down. And the aforementioned consul Theodosius, taking him, handed him over to soldiers, and they led him to Salembria.

31. And they remained there for two days, until one of the

soldiers went to the camp and said to the whole army that, The monk who blasphemes the Theotokos is coming here, in order that they might stir up the army against the aforementioned abba Maximus, as one who blasphemes the Theotokos. And after two days the soldier, having returned, took him into the camp and the general, or rather the general's lieutenant, pricked in his heart by God, sent to him the leaders of the bands: both presbyters and deacons, and the devout standard-bearers. When the aforementioned abba Maximus saw them arriving, he rose up and made a prostration; and they also prostrated in return, and they sat down, bidding him also to sit. And a certain very honorable old man said to him with much reverence: Father, since some have caused us to stumble concerning your holiness, as if you do not call our Lady, the all-holy Virgin, Theotokos, I adjure you by the holy, consubstantial, and life-giving Trinity, to tell us the truth, and to wipe away this scandal from our hearts, so that we may not be harmed by being unjustly scandalized. And making a prostration, he stood up, and stretching out his hands to heaven, with tears he said: He who does not call our Lady, the all-hymned and all-holy, immaculate, and venerable above all intelligible nature, who became truly by nature the Mother of God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, let him be anathema and accursed from the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the consubstantial and adorable Trinity, and every heavenly Power; and from the choir of the holy (169) apostles and prophets, and from the infinite multitude of the martyrs; and from every spirit made perfect in righteousness, now and forever and unto the infinite ages of ages. Amen. And weeping, they prayed for him, saying: May God strengthen you, Father, and make you worthy to finish this course without stumbling. And when these things were said, many soldiers gathered, listening to the many good words that were being spoken; and one of the general's domestics, seeing that a large army was piling up, and was being edified, and was condemning what was being done to him, God knows what he suspected, but he allowed him to be snatched away, and to be cast two miles from the camp, until they should hold the assembly, and those who were supposed to take him away to Perberis should come. However, the clergy, overcome by divine love, saddled up for the two miles, and came, and embraced him, and prayed for him; and carrying him with their own hands, they placed him on the beast, and returned in peace to their own places, and he was carried off to Perberis, in the custody that held him.

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πατρίκιοι, τουτέστι Τρώϊλος καί Ἐπιφάνιος εἰρηκότες, ὅτι Πάντως φέρομεν καί τούς δύο μαθητάς, τόν τε ἐν Μεσημβρίᾳ καί τόν ἐν Περβέροις, καί δοκιμάζομεν καί αὐτούς, καί βλέπομεν καί τήν ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ἔκβασιν. Πλήν ἵνα εἶδες, κῦρι ἀββᾶ, ὅτι μικράν ἄνεσιν ἐάν λάβωμεν ἐκ τῆς συγχύσεως τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἁρμόσασθαι ὑμῖν ἔχομεν, μά τήν ἁγίαν Τριάδα, καί τόν πάπαν τόν νῦν ἐπαιρόμενον, καί πάντας τούς ἐκεῖσε λαλοῦντας, καί τούς λοιπούς σου μαθητάς· καί πάντας ὑμᾶς χωνεύομεν ἕκαστον ἐν τῷ ἐπιτηδείῳ αὐτοῦ τόπῳ, ὡς ἐχωνεύθη Μαρτῖνος. Καί λαβών αὐτόν ὁ ῥηθείς ὕπατος Θεοδόσιος, παρέδωκεν αὐτόν στρατιώταις, καί ἤγαγον αὐτός ἕως Σαλεμβρίας.

ΛΑ΄. Καί ἔμειναν ἐκεῖ δύο ἡμέρας, ἕως οὗ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τό φοσσάτον ὁ εἷς τῶν

στρατιωτῶν, καί εἶπεν ὅλῳ τῷ στρατῷ, ὅτι Ὁ μοναχός ὁ βλασφημῶν τήν Θεοτόκον ὧδε ἔρχεται, ἵνα κινήσωσι τόν στρατόν κατά τοῦ ῥηθέντος ἀββᾶ Μαξίμου, ὡς βλασφημοῦντος τήν Θεοτόκον. Καί μετά δύο ἡμέρας ἐπανελθών ὀ στρατιώτης, ἔλαβεν αὐτόν ἐν τῷ φοσσάτῳ καί κατανυγείς ὑπό τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ στρατηγός, ἤγουν ὁ τοποτηρητής τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, ἔπεμψεν ἐγγύς αὐτοῦ τούς προβεβηκότας τῶν βάνδων· πρεσβυτέρους τε καί διακόνους, καί τούς εὐλαβεῖς σιγνοφύλακας. Οὕς ἰδών παραγενομένους ὁ ῥηθείς ἀββᾶς Μάξιμος, ἐγερθείς ἔβαλε μετάνοιαν· καί ἀντέβαλον κἀκεῖνοι , καί ἐκάθισαν, κελεύσαντες καί αὐτῷ καθίσαι. Καί τις πάνυ γέρων τίμιος εἶπε πρός αὐτόν μετά πολλῆς τῆς εὐλαβείας· Πάτερ, ἐπειδή ἐσκανδάλισαν ἡμᾶς τινες εἰς τήν σήν ἁγιωσύνην, ὡς οὐ λέγεις, Θεοτόκον τήν ∆έσποιναν ἡμῶν τήν παναγίαν Παρθένον, ὁρκίζω σε κατά τῆς ἁγίας καί ὁμοουσίου καί ζωοποιοῦ Τριάδος, εἰπεῖν ἡμῖν τήν ἀλήθειαν, καί ἀποτρίψασθαι τῶν καρδιῶν ἡμῶν τοῦτο τό σκάνδαλον, ἵνα μή βλαπτώμεθα ἀδίκως σκανδαλιζόμενοι. Καί βαλών μετάνοιαν, ἀνέστη, καί ἐκτείνας τάς χείρας εἰς τόν οὐρανόν μετά δακρύων εἶπεν· Ὁ μή λέγων τήν ∆έσποιναν ἡμῶν τήν πανύμνητον καί παναγίαν ἄχραντον, καί πάσῃ φύσει τῇ νοερᾷ καί σεπτήν, φυσικήν ἀληθῶς μητέρα τοῦ Θεοῦ γενομένην, τοῦ ποιήσαντος τόν οὐρανόν καί τήν γῆν καί τήν θάλασσαν, καί πάντα τά ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἔστω ἀνάθεμα καί κατάθεμα ἀπό τοῦ Πατρός, καί τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καί τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, τῆς ὁμοουσίου καί προσκυνητῆς Τριάδος, καί πάσης ἐπουρανίου ∆υνάμεως· καί τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἁγίων (169) ἀποστόλων καί προφητῶν, καί τοῦ ἀπείρου δήμου τῶν μαρτύρων· καί παντός πνεύματος ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ τετελειωμένου, νῦν καί ἀεί καί εἰς τούς ἀπείρους αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Καί κλαύσαντες ηὔξαντο αὐτῷ, λέγοντες· Ὁ Θεός ἐνδυναμώσει σε, Πάτερ, καί ἀξιώσει σε ἀπρόσκοπον τελειῶσαι τόν δρόμον τοῦτον. Καί τούτων εἰρημένων, ἠθροίσθησαν πολλοί στρατιῶται, πολλῶν καλῶν κινηθέντων λόγων ἀκροώμενοι· καί θεωρήσας τίς τῶν δομεστίκων τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, ὅτι πολύς ἐπισωρεύεται στρατός, καί οἰκοδομεῖται, καί καταγινώσκει τῶν εἰς αὐτόν γινομένων, τί ὑπονοήσας ὁ Θεός οἶδεν, ἐπέτρεψεν ἀνάρπαστον αὐτόν γενέσθαι, καί βληθῆναι ἀπό δύο μιλίων τοῦ φοσσάτου, ἕως ἄν τήν σύναξιν ποιήσωσι, καί ἔλθωσιν οἱ ὀφείλοντες ἀπαγαγεῖν αὐτόν ἐν Περβέροις. Πλήν ὅτι θείᾳ ἀγάπῃ νικώμενοι οἱ κληρικοί, ἐπέζευσαν τά δύο μίλια, καί ἦλθον, καί ἠσπάσσαντο αὐτόν, καί ηὔξαντο αὐτῷ· καί χερσίν ἰδίαις βαστάσαντες αὐτόν, ἔθηκαν ἐπί τό κτῆνος, καί ὑπέστρεψαν μετ᾿ εἰρήνης εἰς τούς τόπους αὐτῶν, καί αὐτός ἀπηνέχθη ἐν Περβέροις, ἐν τῇ συνεχούσῃ αὐτόν φρουρᾷ.