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Nature has shown many who, having prayed to be blessed with many children, were deprived of them by a weakness of nature; others have become childless not by declining the succession of children, but by aversion to union with women, which they preferred out of a most vehement love of philosophy; and women consecrated to the priesthood of God have pursued chastity and complete virginity, dedicating themselves 4.26.4 in a pure and all-holy life of soul and body. What then, ought this to be considered worthy of punishment or of admiration and acceptance? For the zeal is of great worth, but the achievement is superior to nature. Therefore, it is fitting that those deprived of the desire for children by a weakness of nature be pitied but not punished, and that the lover of the better part is worthy to be greatly admired but not chastised. Thus the emperor with right reasoning reformed the law. 4.26.5 Furthermore, concerning those departing this life, old laws likewise stipulated that wills being drawn up at the very last breath be precise in the wording of phrases, and they specified what sorts of manners and what kinds of words ought to be chosen, and from these things many villainies were wrought for the circumvention of the deceased's intent. 4.26.6 The emperor, perceiving these things, also altered this law, stating that the dying person should arrange their affairs according to their judgment with simple little words and with any chance phrases, and set forth their opinion in any chance piece of writing, and if they wished to do so without writing, only that they do this before credible witnesses, who are able to keep faith with truth. 4.27.1 But he also legislated that no Christian should serve Jews; for it was not right for those redeemed by the Savior to be subjected to the yoke of slavery by the slayers of prophets and the killers of the Lord. And if any such person were found, the one was to be set free, and the other punished with a monetary fine. 4.27.2 And he also sealed the decisions of the bishops declared in synods, so that it would not be lawful for the governors of the provinces to annul what had been decided; for the priests of God were more trustworthy than any judge. 4.27.3 Myriad things akin to these he established for his subjects, which would require leisure to hand down in a proper treatise for an accurate understanding of the imperial wisdom in these matters also. Why should I now recount how, having joined himself to the God over all, from dawn to evening he considered which men he might benefit, and how he was equal 4.28.1 and common to all in benefaction? But to the churches of God with exceptional preeminence he provided very many things, here bestowing fields, and elsewhere grain allowances for the support of poor men, orphaned children, and pitiable women. And indeed with great care he provided for the naked and unclothed with a great many garments. And he especially thought those who had dedicated their own life to the philosophy according to God worthy of greater honor. At any rate, he continued to all but venerate the chorus of God's all-holy perpetual virgins, persuaded that God Himself, to whom they had consecrated themselves, was an indweller in the souls of such persons. And indeed, increasing his own understanding with inspired words, he passed the hours of the night sleepless, and in his leisure, composing orations, he made frequent public appearances, considering it fitting for himself to rule his subjects by instructive speech and to establish the entire king4.29.2dom as rational. For this reason he himself would convene, and countless multitudes would hasten to the hearing, to listen to the philosophizing emperor. And if at some point the occasion arose for him to speak of theology, standing completely erect with a composed countenance and a subdued voice, he would seem to be initiating those present with all reverence into the inspired teaching, then, as the listeners shouted with acclaiming cries, he would gesture to look up to heaven and to only greatly admire and honor with rever4.29.3ent praises the King over all. And dividing his subjects, at one time he would bring forward refutations of the polytheistic error, demonstrating that the superstition of the nations was a deceit and a bulwark of atheism, and at another he would teach them to know the one sovereign Divinity, and he would go through in order the doctrine concerning providence, both of universals and of particulars. From there upon the

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πολλοὺς ἡ φύσις ἀνέδειξεν, εὐξαμένους μὲν πολυπαιδίας εὐτυχῆσαι, στερηθέντας δὲ φύσεως ἀσθενείᾳ· ἄλλοι δ' ἄπαιδες γεγόνασιν οὐ παραιτήσει παίδων διαδοχῆς, γυναικείας δ' ἀποστροφῇ μίξεως, ἣν σφοδροτάτῳ φιλοσοφίας ἔρωτι προείλοντο· ἁγνείαν δὲ καὶ παντελῆ παρθενίαν γυναῖκες ἱερωσύνῃ θεοῦ καθιερωμέναι μετῆλθον, ἁγνῷ καὶ παναγίῳ βίῳ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος σφᾶς 4.26.4 αὐτὰς καθιερώσασαι. τί οὖν, τιμωρίας ἄξιον τοῦτο ἢ θαύματος καὶ ἀποδοχῆς ἐχρῆν ἡγεῖσθαι; ἡ μὲν γὰρ προθυμία πολλοῦ ἀξία, τὸ δὲ κατόρθωμα κρεῖττον φύσεως. τοὺς μὲν οὖν ἀσθενείᾳ φύσεως παίδων ἐπιθυμίας στερουμένους ἐλεεῖσθαι ἀλλ' οὐ τιμωρεῖσθαι προσήκειν, τὸν δὲ τοῦ κρείττονος ἐραστὴν ἄξιον εἶναι ὑπερθαυμάζειν ἀλλ' οὐ κολάζειν. οὕτω τὸν νόμον βασιλεὺς σὺν ὀρθῷ λογισμῷ μετερρύθμιζε. 4.26.5 Κἄπειτα τῶν τὸν βίον μεταλλαττόντων ὁμοίως παλαιοὶ μὲν νόμοι ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἐσχάτης ἀναπνοῆς ἀκριβολογεῖσθαι ῥημάτων λέξεσι τὰς συνταττομένας διαθήκας τρόπους τε τίνας καὶ ποίας δεῖ φωνὰς ἐπιλέγεσθαι ὥριζον, καὶ πολλὰ ἐκ τούτων ἐκακουργεῖτο ἐπὶ περιγραφῇ τῆς τῶν κατοιχομένων προαιρέσεως. 4.26.6 ἃ δὴ συνιδὼν βασιλεὺς καὶ τοῦτον μετεποίει τὸν νόμον, ψιλοῖς ῥηματίοις καὶ ταῖς τυχούσαις φωναῖς τὸν τελευτῶντα δεῖν τὰ κατὰ γνώμην διατάττεσθαι φήσας κἀν τῷ τυχόντι γράμματι τὴν αὐτοῦ δόξαν ἐκτίθεσθαι, κἂν ἀγράφως ἐθέλῃ, μόνον ἐπὶ μαρτύρων τοῦτο πράττειν ἀξιοχρέων, τὴν πίστιν δυνατῶν σὺν ἀληθείᾳ φυλάττειν. 4.27.1 Ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰουδαίοις μηδένα Χριστιανὸν δουλεύειν ἐνομοθέτει· μηδὲ γὰρ θεμιτὸν εἶναι προφητοφόνταις καὶ κυριοκτόνοις τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος λελυτρωμένους ζυγῷ δουλείας ὑπάγεσθαι· εἰ δ' εὑρεθείη τις τοιοῦτος, τὸν μὲν ἀνεῖσθαι ἐλεύθερον, τὸν δὲ ζημίᾳ χρημάτων κολάζεσθαι. 4.27.2 Καὶ τοὺς τῶν ἐπισκόπων δὲ ὅρους τοὺς ἐν συνόδοις ἀποφανθέντας ἐπεσφραγίζετο, ὡς μὴ ἐξεῖναι τοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἄρχουσι τὰ δόξαντα παραλύειν· παντὸς γὰρ εἶναι δικαστοῦ τοὺς ἱερεῖς τοῦ θεοῦ δοκιμωτέρους. 4.27.3 Τούτοις ἀδελφὰ μυρία τοῖς ὑπὸ τὴν ἀρχὴν διετύπου, ἃ δὴ σχολῆς ἂν δέοιτο παραδοῦναι ὑποθέσει οἰκείᾳ εἰς ἀκριβῆ διάγνωσιν τῆς κἀν τούτοις βασιλικῆς φρονήσεως. Τί χρὴ νῦν διεξιέναι ὡς τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων συνάψας ἑαυτὸν θεῷ, ἐξ ἕω εἰς ἑσπέραν τίνας εὖ ποιήσειεν ἀνθρώπων περιενόει, καὶ ὡς πᾶσι μὲν ἴσος ἦν 4.28.1 καὶ κοινὸς πρὸς εὐποιίαν; ταῖς δ' ἐκκλησίαις τοῦ θεοῦ καθ' ὑπεροχὴν ἐξαίρετον πλεῖσθ' ὅσα παρεῖχεν, ὧδε μὲν ἀγρούς, ἀλλαχόθι δὲ σιτοδοσίας ἐπὶ χορηγίᾳ πενήτων ἀνδρῶν παίδων τ' ὀρφανῶν καὶ γυναικῶν οἰκτρῶν δωρούμενος. ἤδη δὲ σὺν πολλῇ φροντίδι καὶ περιβλημάτων πλείστων ὅσων γυμνοῖς καὶ ἀνείμοσι προὐνόει. διαφερόντως δ' ἠξιοῦτο τιμῆς πλείονος τοὺς τὸν σφῶν βίον τῇ κατὰ θεὸν ἀναθέντας φιλοσοφίᾳ. τὸν γοῦν τῶν παναγίων ἀειπαρθένων χορὸν τοῦ θεοῦ μονονουχὶ καὶ σέβων διετέλει, ταῖς τῶν τοιῶνδε ψυχαῖς ἔνοικον αὐτὸν ὑπάρχειν ᾧ καθιέρωσαν ἑαυτὰς θεὸν πειθόμενος. Καὶ μὴν τὴν αὐτὸς αὐτοῦ διάνοιαν τοῖς ἐνθέοις συναύξων λόγοις, ἐπαγρύπνους μὲν διῆγε τοὺς τῶν νυκτῶν καιρούς, σχολῇ δὲ λογογραφῶν συνεχεῖς ἐποιεῖτο τὰς παρόδους, προσήκειν ἡγούμενος ἑαυτῷ λόγῳ παιδευτικῷ τῶν ἀρχομένων κρατεῖν λογικήν τε τὴν σύμπασαν καταστήσασθαι βασι4.29.2 λείαν. διὸ δὴ συνεκάλει μὲν αὐτός, μυρία δ' ἔσπευδεν ἐπ' ἀκρόασιν πλήθη φιλοσοφοῦντος ἀκουσόμενα βασιλέως. εἰ δέ πη λέγοντι θεολογίας αὐτῷ παρήκοι καιρός, πάντως που ὄρθιος ἑστὼς συνεστραμμένῳ προσώπῳ κατεσταλμένῃ τε φωνῇ, μυεῖν ἔδοξεν ἂν τοὺς παρόντας σὺν εὐλαβείᾳ τῇ πάσῃ τὴν ἔνθεον διδασκαλίαν, εἶτ' ἐπιφωνούντων βοαῖς εὐφήμοις τῶν ἀκροωμένων, ἄνω βλέπειν εἰς οὐρανὸν διένευε καὶ μόνον ὑπερθαυμάζειν καὶ τιμᾶν σεβα4.29.3 σμίοις ἐπαίνοις τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων βασιλέα. ὑποδιαιρῶν δὲ τὰς ὑποθέσεις, τοτὲ μὲν τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης ἐλέγχους κατεβάλλετο, παριστὰς ἀπάτην εἶναι καὶ ἀθεότητος πρόβολον τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν δεισιδαιμονίαν, τοτὲ δὲ τὴν μόναρχον γνωρίζειν παρεδίδου θεότητα, διῄει δ' ἐφεξῆς τὸν περὶ προνοίας τῶν τε καθόλου καὶ τῶν περὶ μέρους λόγον. ἔνθεν δ' ἐπὶ τὴν