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to you. And the blessed Theophanes, without being reverent or thinking of the preceding precautions, said, "Concerning this document I shall contend very clearly in the impartial court of God with your husband and emperor." At this she became exceedingly sorrowful, and indeed tearful, and the empress said, "And this is your promise and your written confessions, that you not only have conceded but even bring and summon us to struggles?" "No," said the patriarch, rising on the spot, and the rest of the priests, "empress, no; but our affairs will surely hold, since their negligence is accounted as nothing." In this way then these things were silenced, and the customs of the church remained untroubled. 12 And another heresy, called that of the Zelikoi, having appeared, along with its leader named Zelis, who held the foremost rank of the asekretai, was healed and converted to the true faith during an imperial procession, those who adhered to it being deemed worthy only of the anointing of chrism 162 with new lights and garments, and were splendidly brought to perfection. 13 But the ruler of Bulgaria (this was Boris) was acting more boldly, having heard that a woman was holding the empire; wherefore he also sent some messengers to her, saying that he was breaking the treaties and would march against the land of the Romans. But she, thinking nothing womanish or unmanly, sent word to him: "And me you will find campaigning against you. And I hope to master you; but if it does not happen and you conquer me, even so I shall overcome you, having my victory very clear; for you will have a woman defeated by you, not a man." For this reason, then, he also remained at peace, not daring to act rashly, and renewed again the treaties of friendship. (14) And indeed Theodora made a certain request and much inquiry to the ruler of Bulgaria about a certain monk, so-called Theodore surnamed Koupharas, whether from some dreams and a vision or in some other way, who had been captured long before, and she requested him by letters to search for and ransom this man for her for whatever price he might wish. And he in turn, taking this as an opportunity, asked to negotiate for his own sister, who had once been captured by the Romans, and was now being held in the emperor's court. She, therefore, having been well converted to the faith, and having been educated in letters during the time of her captivity, 163 and in other respects admiring exceedingly, as is natural, the order of the Christians and their reverence and glory towards the divine, when she obtained her return to her brother, did not cease extolling and exhorting and sowing the seeds of the faith to him. But he (for he had been taught a few things by the aforementioned Koupharas and had been instructed in the mysteries) sent him away and received his own sister as a reward; nevertheless, he remained as he was, held fast by unbelief and honoring his own religion. But a certain plague, sent by God, fell upon him (it was a famine, by which the more dense and earthy people, as it seems, are rather re-educated and learn through evils) and it besieged and wore down his land. And he was compelled to call upon that God for defense against the terrible things, the one who was often admired and revered by Theodore and his sister, as was natural. Having thus obtained release from the terrible things, he was thus converted to piety, and was deemed worthy of the regeneration of the font, and was named Michael after the name of the emperor, by the prelate who was sent to him from the queen of cities. (15) And they say that something of this sort also happened, that ruler Boris, having a terrible love for hunting, wished to have these things depicted in a certain house of his, to which he continually came, so that he might have such things before his eyes by night and 164 by day

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εἰς ὑμᾶς. καὶ ὁ μακαρίτης Θεο- φάνης μηδὲν εὐλαβηθείς τε καὶ τῶν προησφαλισμένων διανοηθεὶς "ὑπὲρ ταύτης" εφησε "τῆς γραφῆς ευ μάλα τρανῶς ἐν τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀδεκάστῳ δικαστηρίῳ διαδικάσομαι σὺν τῷ ἀνδρί σου καὶ βασιλεῖ." τούτῳ περίλυπος γενομένη, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ σύνδακρυς, "καὶ ταῦτα" εφησεν ἡ βασίλεια "ἡ ὑπόσχεσις καὶ αἱ δι' ἐγγράφων ὁμολογίαι ὑμῶν, ὡς μὴ μόνον συγκεχωρηκέναι ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς ἀγῶ- νας ἐνάγειν καὶ καλεῖν;" "ου" φησιν ὁ πατριάρχης αὐθωρὸν ἀναστὰς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἱερέων, "βασίλεια, ου· ἀλλ' εξει βεβαίως τὰ ἡμέτερα, τῆς ὀλιγωρίας τούτων λογιζομένης οὐδέν." ουτω μὲν ουν ἐσιγάσθη ταῦτα, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας εθη ἀκύ- μαντα. 12 Καὶ ἑτέρα δέ τις αιρεσις ουτω τῶν Ζηλίκων λεγομένη ἀναφανεῖσα, σὺν τῷ ἑαυτῆς ἀρχηγῷ Ζῆλι ὀνομαζομένῳ, φέροντι δὲ τὴν τῶν ἀσηκρήτων ἐν πρώτοις τιμήν, ἐθεραπεύθη τε καὶ πρὸς θεοσέβειαν μετηνέχθη ἐν προόδῳ βασιλικῇ, τῆς τοῦ μύρου μόνου 162 μετὰ καινῶν ἐμφωτίων τε καὶ ἐσθημάτων καταξιωθέντων χρίσεως τῶν ἀντιποιουμένων αὐτῆς, καὶ τελειωθέντων λαμπρῶς. 13Ο γε μὴν αρχων Βουλγαρίας (Βώγωρις ουτος ην) θρασύτερον ἐξεφέρετο γυναῖκα τῆς βασιλείας κρατεῖν διακηκοώς· οθεν καί τινας ἀγγέλους ἀπέσταλκεν πρὸς αὐτήν, τὰς συνθήκας λέγων καταλύειν καὶ κατὰ τῆς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐκστρατεύειν γῆς. ἀλλ' αὐτὴ μηδὲν θῆλυ ἐννοοῦσα η  ανανδρον "καὶ ἐμὲ" αὐτῷ κατε- μήνυεν "κατ' αὐτοῦ εὑρήσεις ἀντιστρατεύουσαν. καὶ ἐλπίζω μὲν κυριεῦσαί σου· εἰ δὲ μὴ γένηται καὶ ἐκνικήσεις με, καὶ ουτω σου περιέσομαι, τὴν νίκην ἀρίδηλον εχουσα· γυναῖκα γὰρ ἀλλ' οὐκ ανδρα εξεις ἡττηθέντα σοι." διὰ τοῦτο μὲν ουν καὶ ἐφ' ἡσυχίας εμεινεν, μηδὲν τολμήσας νεανιεύεσθαι, καὶ τὰς τῆς ἀγάπης αυθις ἀνενέου σπονδάς. (14) καὶ δὴ ζήτησίν τινα καὶ πολλὴν ερευναν περί τινος μοναχοῦ, ουτω καλουμένου Θεοδώρου τοῦ ἐπίκλην Κου- φαρᾶ, ειτε εκ τινων ὀνειράτων καὶ οψεως ειτε αλλως πως, πρὸ πολλοῦ αἰχμαλωτισθέντος ἡ Θεοδώρα πρὸς τὸν αρχοντα Βουλγα- ρίας ἐποίει, καὶ αὐτὸν ἠξίου διὰ γραμμάτων ἀνερευνῆσαι καὶ τι- μῆς οσης καὶ βούλοιτο ἀπολυτρώσασθαι τοῦτον αὐτῇ. ἠξίου δὲ καὶ ουτος, ἀφορμὴν ἐκ τούτου λαβών, περὶ οἰκείας αὐτοῦ πρεσ- βεύειν ἀδελφῆς παρὰ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων μὲν αἰχμαλωτισθείσης ποτέ, κατεχομένης δὲ νῦν ἐν τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐλῇ. αυτη δὴ ουν πρὸς τὴν πίστιν καλῶς μετενεχθεῖσα, καὶ γράμματα κατὰ τὸν τῆς αἰχμα- 163 λωσίας παιδευθεῖσα καιρόν, καὶ αλλως τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν τάξιν τε καὶ περὶ τὸ θεῖον αἰδώ τε καὶ δόξαν, ὡς εστι, θαυμάζουσα διαφερόντως, ἐπεὶ τῆς ἐπανόδου τῆς πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν τετύχηκεν, οὐ διέλιπεν ἐκθειάζουσά τε καὶ παρακαλοῦσα καὶ σπέρματα κατα- βάλλουσα τῆς πίστεως πρὸς αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ (ην γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ εἰρη- μένου Κουφαρᾶ μικρά τινα παιδευθεὶς καὶ τῶν μυστηρίων κατηχη- θείς) τοῦτον μὲν ἀποστείλας τὴν οἰκείαν ἐλάμβανε μισθὸν ἀδελ- φήν· πλὴν εμενεν οπερ ην, ἀπιστίᾳ κατισχημένος καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ θρησκείαν τιμῶν. ἀλλά τις πληγὴ περιπεσοῦσα θεήλατος (λιμὸς δὲ ην, ουτω μᾶλλον τῶν παχυτέρων καὶ γαιωδεστέρων, ὡς εοικεν, μεταπαιδευομένων καὶ τὰ κακὰ μεταμανθανόντων) τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπο- λιόρκει καὶ κατέτρυχεν γῆν. καὶ ος θεὸν ἐκεῖνον ἠνάγκαζεν ἐπι- καλεῖσθαι πρὸς αμυναν τῶν δεινῶν, τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοδώρου μὲν πολλάκις καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀδελφῆς θαυμαζόμενόν τε καὶ σεβόμενον, ὡς εἰκός. τυχόντες ουν τῆς ἀπαλλαγῆς τῶν δεινῶν, ουτω δὴ πρὸς θεοσέβειαν μετατίθεται, καὶ τῆς τοῦ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας καταξιοῦται, καὶ Μιχαὴλ κατονομάζεται κατὰ τὸ ονομα τοῦ βα- σιλέως, παρὰ τοῦ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀποσταλέντος ἀρχιερέως ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλίδος τῶν πόλεων. (15) καί τι δὲ τοιοῦτον ἐπισυμβῆναι φασίν, ὡς ερωτα δεινὸν περὶ τὴν κυνηγεσίαν τὸν Βώγωριν αρχοντα κεκτημένον ταῦτα καὶ κατά τινα οικον τῶν ἑαυτοῦ, ἐν ῳ  συνεχῶς ἀφικνεῖτο, θελῆσαι ἐξιστορῆσαι, νύκτωρ ὡς αν εχοι καὶ μεθ' 164 ἡμέραν τὰ τοιαῦτα τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν