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labor that had been performed. For that divine man, having filled both the soldiers and the other inhabitants with power through prayer, built the wall and, setting up the engines, drove off the attackers; and he did these things not by approaching the wall, but within the divine temple, beseeching the Lord of all. But not only did the speed of the construction astonish Sapor, but another sight terrified him. For he saw someone standing on the wall, wearing the imperial habit and emitting the gleam of both the purple robe and the diadem. Supposing him to be the emperor of the Romans, he threatened death to those who had reported him not to be present. But when they insisted that what they had said was true and stated that Constantius was staying in Antioch, he understood the messages of the vision and said that the God of the Romans was fighting for them. And the wretched man, becoming angry, shot an arrow into the air, knowing indeed that he would not strike the bodiless one, but unable to bear the force of his madness. Then Ephraim the marvelous (he was the best writer among the Syrians) besought the divine James to go up on the wall, to see the barbarians, and to let fly the arrows of his curse against them. So, the divine man yielded and went up to a certain tower; and seeing the countless multitude, he did not utter any other curse, but asked for gnats and mosquitoes to be sent upon them, so that even through the small 170 creatures they might recognize the power of the one who was helping them. And clouds of gnats and mosquitoes followed the prayer, and filled the pipe-like trunks of the elephants, and the ears and nostrils of the horses and other beasts. And they, unable to bear the attack of the creatures, broke their reins and threw off their riders, and confounding their ranks, they abandoned the camp and fled in haste. Thus the thrice-wretched king, having learned through this small and merciful chastisement the might of the God who provides for the pious, departed from there, reaping shame, not victory, from the siege. At this time, Constantius was staying in Antioch. When the truce was made and the Persian war had ceased, he again assembled bishops, forcing them all to deny both the homoousion and the heteroousion. And when Eudoxius had seized that throne after Leontius, and was then driven out and after many synods had unlawfully taken possession of Constantinople, the church of the Antiochenes was deprived of a shepherd. Then indeed the bishops who had assembled (and many were gathered from all parts) said that a pastor must first be appointed for the flock, and then they should deliberate with him in common concerning the doctrines. At that time the divine Meletius was governing a certain city of Armenia, and then, displeased by the unruliness of his subjects, 171 he was living in retirement elsewhere. The party of Arius, suspecting him to be of the same mind and a sharer in their doctrines, requested Constantius to hand over to him the reins of the church of the Antiochenes. For they fearlessly transgressed every law, attempting to strengthen their impiety, and the transgression of the canons became a foundation for their blasphemy. And they innovated in many such ways in many parts of the world. But those who held to the apostolic doctrines, knowing both the soundness of the great Meletius in doctrine and also clearly understanding the splendor of his life and the wealth of his virtue, voted with them and arranged for the decree to be written and signed by all with the greatest possible zeal. And this, as a kind of common agreement, both parties gave to Eusebius, bishop of Samosata, a noble champion of the truth, to keep. And when the great Meletius, having received the imperial summons, arrived, all who partook of the high priesthood met him. And the other choirs of the church also met him, and the entire populace of the city; and Jews and Greeks were also present, to see the much-celebrated Meletius

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πόνον γεγενημένον. ὁ γὰρ θεῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνήρ, διὰ προσευχῆς καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας δυνάμεως ἐμπλήσας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους οἰκήτορας, τόν τε περίβολον ᾠκοδόμησε καὶ τὰ μηχανήματα ἐπιστήσας τοὺς προσιόντας ἐξήλασε· καὶ ταῦτα ἔδρα οὐ τῷ τείχει πελάζων, ἀλλ' ἔνδον ἐν τῷ θείῳ νεῷ τὸν κύριον τῶν ὅλων ἀντιβολῶν. τὸν δὲ Σαβώρην οὐ μόνον τῆς οἰκο δομίας τὸ τάχος κατέπληξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρα ὄψις ἐξεδειμάτωσεν. εἶδε γὰρ ἐφεστῶτα τῷ περιβόλῳ τινὰ τὸ βασιλικὸν περικείμενον σχῆμα καὶ τῆς τε ἁλουργίδος τοῦ τε διαδήματος αἴγλην ἐκπεμπομένην. τοπάσας δὲ εἶναι τῶν Ῥωμαίων τὸν βασιλέα, θάνατον ἠπείλησε τοῖς μὴ παρεῖναι τοῦτον ἀπηγγελκόσιν. ἰσχυριζομένων δὲ ἐκείνων ἀληθῆ εἶναι τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν εἰρημένα καὶ τὸν Κωνστάντιον ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διάγειν εἰρηκότων, ἐπέγνω τῆς ὄψεως τὰ μηνύματα καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἔφη τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὑπερμαχεῖν. καὶ δυσχεράνας ὁ δείλαιος βέλος ἀφῆκεν εἰς τὸν ἀέρα, εἰδὼς μὲν ὡς οὐ βαλεῖ τὸν ἀσώματον, τῆς δὲ μανίας τὴν ῥύμην οὐκ ἐνεγκών. Τότε Ἐφραὶμ ὁ θαυμάσιος (συγγραφεὺς δὲ οὗτος ἄριστος παρὰ Σύροις ἐγένετο) τὸν θεῖον Ἰάκωβον ἠντιβόλησεν ἐπιβῆναι τοῦ τείχους καὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἰδεῖν καὶ τῆς ἀρᾶς κατ' αὐτῶν ἀφιέναι τὰ βέλη. εἴξας δὴ οὖν ὁ θεσπέσιος ἄνθρωπος ἀνέβη μὲν εἴς τινα πύργον· τὸ δὲ μυρίον πλῆθος ἰδών, ἄλλην μὲν οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἀράν, σκνίπας δὲ αὐ τοῖς ἐξῄτησεν ἐπιπεμφθῆναι καὶ κώνωπας, ὥστε καὶ διὰ τῶν μικρῶν 170 ζωϋφίων τοῦ σφίσιν ἐπαρκοῦντος ἐπιγνῶναι τὴν δύναμιν. εἵπετο δὲ τῇ εὐχῇ τῶν σκνιπῶν καὶ τῶν κωνώπων τὰ νέφη, καὶ τῶν μὲν ἐλε φάντων τὰς προνομαίας αὐλοειδεῖς πεφυκυίας ἐπλήρου, τῶν δὲ ἵπ πων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κτηνῶν τά τε ὦτα καὶ τὰς ῥῖνας. οἱ δὲ φέρειν οὐ δυνάμενοι τῶν ζωϋφίων τὴν προσβολὴν τούς τε ῥυτῆρας ἀπέρ ρηξαν καὶ τοὺς ἐποχουμένους κατήνεγκαν, καὶ τήν τε τάξιν συνέχεαν τό τε στρατόπεδον καταλιπόντες ἔφυγον κατὰ κράτος. οὕτως ὁ τρισ άθλιος βασιλεύς, τῇ σμικρᾷ καὶ φιλανθρώπῳ παιδείᾳ τοῦ τῶν εὐσε βούντων προμηθουμένου θεοῦ μεμαθηκὼς τὴν ἰσχύν, ἀνέζευξεν ἐκεῖ θεν, αἰσχύνην οὐ νίκην ἐκ τῆς πολιορκίας δρεψάμενος. Κατὰ τοῦτον δὲ τὸν χρόνον ὁ Κωνστάντιος ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διέ τριβε. τῆς δὲ ἀνακωχῆς γενομένης καὶ τοῦ Περσικοῦ παυσαμένου πολέμου, πάλιν ἐπισκόπους συνήθροισεν, ἀρνηθῆναι πάντας καὶ τὸ ὁμοούσιον ἀναγκάζων καὶ τὸ ἑτεροούσιον. Εὐδοξίου δὲ μετὰ Λεόν τιον ἐκεῖνον τὸν θρόνον ἁρπάσαντος, εἶτα ἐξελαθέντος καὶ μετὰ πολλὰς συνόδους τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν παρανόμως κατεσχηκότος, ἡ Ἀντιοχέων ἐκκλησία ποιμένος ἐστέρητο. τότε δὴ οὖν οἱ συνεληλυθό τες ἐπίσκοποι (πολλοὶ δὲ ἦσαν πάντοθεν συνειλεγμένοι) χρῆναι ἔλεγον προβληθῆναι πρότερον τῇ ποίμνῃ νομέα, εἶθ' οὕτω κοινῇ σὺν ἐκείνῳ περὶ τῶν δογμάτων βουλεύσασθαι. Κατ' ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν Μελέτιος ὁ θεσπέσιος πόλιν τινὰ τῆς Ἀρμενίας ἰθύνων, εἶτα τῶν ἀρχομένων τὸ δυσήνιον δυσχεράνας, 171 ἡσυχίαν ἦγεν ἑτέρωθι διατρίβων. τοῦτον ὑποτοπήσαντες οἱ τῆς Ἀρείου συμμορίας ὁμόφρονα εἶναι καὶ κοινωνὸν τῶν δογμάτων, ἐξῄ τησαν τὸν Κωνστάντιον τούτῳ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων ἐκκλησίας παραδοῦναι τὰς ἡνίας. πάντα γὰρ νόμον παρέβαινον ἀδεῶς, κρατῦναι πειρώμενοι τὴν ἀσέβειαν, καὶ τῶν θεσμῶν ἡ παράβασις ὑποβάθρα τῆς βλασφη μίας ἐγίνετο. πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα πολλαχοῦ γῆς ἐνεόχμωσαν. οἱ δὲ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἀντεχόμενοι δογμάτων, τοῦ μεγάλου Μελετίου καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς δόγμασιν ὑγείαν εἰδότες καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ τὴν τοῦ βίου λαμπρότητα καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸν πλοῦτον σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενοι, συνεψηφίσαντο καὶ τὸ ψήφισμα γραφῆναι καὶ παρὰ πάντων ὑπογραφῆναι μετὰ πλείστης ὅτι μάλιστα σπουδῆς παρεσκεύασαν. τοῦτο δέ γε καὶ οὗτοι κἀκεῖνοι οἷόν τινα συνθήκην κοινὴν Εὐσεβίῳ τῷ Σαμοσάτων ἐπισκόπῳ φυ λάττειν ἔδοσαν, ἀνδρὶ γενναίῳ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀγωνιστῇ. ἐπειδὴ δὲ βασιλικὴν δεξάμενος κλῆσιν ἧκεν ὁ μέγας Μελέτιος, ὑπήντησαν μὲν ἅπαντες οἱ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης μετειληχότες. ὑπήντησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι τῆς ἐκκλησίας χοροὶ καὶ ἅπαν τὸ τῆς πόλεως πλῆθος· παρῆσαν δὲ καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες, τὸν πολυθρύλητον ἰδεῖν Μελέτιον