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honored him with a response, one might learn by coming upon this very letter. Victor Constantinus, Maximus Augustus, to Eusebius. The undertaking is indeed very great and beyond all power of words, to speak worthily of the mysteries of Christ and to interpret in a fitting manner the dispute and origin, the beneficial and laborious celebration of the Pascha; for it is impossible for humans to describe the divine worthily, 4.35.2 even for those who are able to understand it. nevertheless, greatly admiring you for your love of learning and your ambition, I myself have read the book gladly, and have commanded that it be published for the majority, who genuinely devote themselves to the worship of the divine, 4.35.3 just as you wished. Seeing, therefore, with how much delight we receive such gifts from your sagacity, be eager to gladden us with more frequent discourses, in which you confess yourself to have been nurtured; (for we urge you on, as the saying goes, though you are already running, toward your customary studies), since indeed your great confidence shows that you have found someone not unworthy of your writings to translate your labors into the Roman tongue, even if it is especially impossible for such an interpretation to represent the beauties of the words worthily. May God preserve you, beloved brother. Such, then, was the letter concerning this matter, but the one concerning the preparation of the divine readings is as follows. 4.36.1 Victor Constantinus, Maximus Augustus, to Eusebius. In the city which is named after us, through the cooperating providence of the Savior God, a very great multitude of people has dedicated itself to the most holy church, so that, as all things there are receiving great increase, it seems highly fitting that more churches should also be built in it. 4.36.2 Therefore, receive most readily the decision of our purpose. For it seemed fitting to make this known to your wisdom, that you should order fifty copies, on prepared parchments, easily legible and convenient for use, to be written by skilled calligraphers who know their art well, that is, of the divine scriptures, the preparation and use of which you know to be especially 4.36.3 necessary for the instruction of the church. A letter has also been sent from our Clemency to the rationalis of the diocese, so that he may take care to provide all things necessary for their preparation; for, that the written copies may be prepared as quickly as possible, this will be the work of your diligence. 4.36.4 For it is also fitting that you receive from the authority of this our letter the power to use two public carriages for their transport. For thus the beautifully written copies will most easily be transported even to our sight, with one of the deacons from your church, of course, carrying this out, who, when he arrives before us, will experience our benevolence. May God preserve you, beloved brother. 4.37.1 These things, then, the emperor commanded. And the deed immediately followed the word, when we sent them in threefold and fourfold format in magnificently prepared volumes *** And this very thing another response from the emperor will show, through which, having learned that the city of Constantia in our region, which was formerly of exceedingly superstitious men, has by an impulse of piety changed from its former idolatrous error, he made known his joy and approval of the action *** Now therefore in the nation of the Palestinians, Constantia, having inscribed upon itself the saving piety, was deemed worthy of greater honor both from God himself and from the emperor, having been declared a city, which it was not before, and having changed its name for the better one called after the pious sister of the emperor. And many other regions did the same thing, such as the city in the nation of the Phoenicians named after the emperor himself, whose citizens, having given over to the fire innumerable 4.39.2 sanctuaries of idols, exchanged them for the saving law. And in other provinces as well, deserters approaching the saving knowledge in crowds throughout the country and the cities, their former places which had been considered sacred to them, being of the substance of all kinds of images, as if they were nothing

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τιμήσας ἀντιφωνήσει, μάθοι ἄν τις ἐντυχὼν αὐτῷ τῷδε τῷ γράμματι. Νικητὴς Κωνσταντῖνος Μέγιστος Σεβαστὸς Εὐσεβίῳ. Τὸ μὲν ἐγχείρημα μέγιστον καὶ πάσης λόγων δυνάμεως κρεῖττον Χριστοῦ μυστήρια κατ' ἀξίαν εἰπεῖν τήν τε τοῦ πάσχα ἀντιλογίαν τε καὶ γένεσιν, λυσιτελῆ τε καὶ ἐπίπονον τελεσιουργίαν, ἑρμηνεῦσαι τὸν προσήκοντα τρόπον· τὸ γὰρ θεῖον ἀνθρώποις ἀδύνατον κατ' ἀξίαν 4.35.2 φράσαι, καὶ τοῖς νοῆσαι δυνατοῖς. πλὴν ὅμως ὑπερθαυμάσας σε τῆς φιλομαθείας τε καὶ φιλοτιμίας, αὐτός τε τὸ βιβλίον ἀνέγνων ἀσμένως, καὶ τοῖς πλείοσιν, οἵ γε τῇ περὶ τὸ θεῖον λατρείᾳ γνησίως προσανέχουσι, 4.35.3 καθὰ ἐβουλήθης, ἐκδοθῆναι προσέταξα. συνορῶν τοίνυν μεθ' ὅσης θυμηδίας τὰ τοιαῦτα παρὰ τῆς σῆς ἀγχινοίας δῶρα λαμβάνομεν, συνεχεστέροις ἡμᾶς λόγοις εὐφραίνειν, οἷς ἐντεθράφθαι σαυτὸν ὁμολογεῖς, προθυμήθητι· (θέοντα γάρ σε, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, πρὸς τὰ συνήθη σπουδάσματα παρορμῶμεν), ὅπου γε καὶ τὸν εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων τοὺς σοὺς πόνους μεταρρυθμίζοντα γλῶτταν οὐκ ἀνάξιον ηὑρῆσθαί σοι τῶν συγγραμμάτων ἡ τοσαύτη πεποίθησις δείκνυσιν, εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα τὰ καλὰ τῶν λόγων ἡ τοιαύτη ἑρμηνεία ὑφίστασθαι κατ' ἀξίαν ἀδυνάτως ἔχει. Ὁ θεός σε διαφυλάξοι, ἀδελφὲ ἀγαπητέ. Τὸ μὲν οὖν περὶ τοῦδε γράμμα τοιόνδε ἦν, τὸ δὲ περὶ τῆς τῶν θείων ἀναγνωσμάτων ἐπισκευῆς ὧδέ πη περιέχει. 4.36.1 Νικητὴς Κωνσταντῖνος Μέγιστος Σεβαστὸς Εὐσεβίῳ. Κατὰ τὴν ἐπώνυμον ἡμῖν πόλιν τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος θεοῦ συναιρομένης προνοίας μέγιστον πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων τῇ ἁγιωτάτῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀνατέθεικεν ἑαυτό, ὡς πάντων ἐκεῖσε πολλὴν λαμβανόντων αὔξησιν σφόδρα ἄξιον καταφαίνεσθαι καὶ ἐκκλησίας ἐν αὐτῇ κατασκευασθῆναι πλείους. 4.36.2 τοιγάρτοι δέδεξο προθυμότατα τὸ δόξαν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ προαιρέσει. πρέπον γὰρ κατεφάνη τοῦτο δηλῶσαι τῇ σῇ συνέσει, ὅπως ἂν πεντήκοντα σωμάτια ἐν διφθέραις ἐγκατασκεύοις εὐανάγνωστά τε καὶ πρὸς τὴν χρῆσιν εὐμετακόμιστα ὑπὸ τεχνιτῶν καλλιγράφων καὶ ἀκριβῶς τὴν τέχνην ἐπισταμένων γραφῆναι κελεύσειας, τῶν θείων δηλαδὴ γραφῶν, ὧν μάλιστα τήν τ' ἐπισκευὴν καὶ τὴν χρῆσιν τῷ τῆς ἐκκλησίας λόγῳ ἀναγ4.36.3 καίαν εἶναι γινώσκεις. ἀπεστάλη δὲ γράμματα παρὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἡμερότητος πρὸς τὸν τῆς διοικήσεως καθολικόν, ὅπως ἅπαντα τὰ πρὸς ἐπισκευὴν αὐτῶν ἐπιτήδεια παρασχεῖν φροντίσειεν· ἵνα γὰρ ὡς τάχιστα τὰ γραφέντα σωμάτια κατασκευασθείη, τῆς σῆς ἐπιμελείας ἔργον τοῦτο 4.36.4 γενήσεται. καὶ γὰρ δύο δημοσίων ὀχημάτων ἐξουσίαν εἰς διακομιδὴν ἐκ τῆς αὐθεντίας τοῦ γράμματος ἡμῶν τούτου λαβεῖν σε προσήκει. οὕτω γὰρ ἂν μάλιστα τὰ καλῶς γραφέντα καὶ μέχρι τῶν ἡμετέρων ὄψεων ῥᾷστα διακομισθήσεται, ἑνὸς δηλαδὴ τοῦτο πληροῦντος τῶν ἐκ τῆς σῆς ἐκκλησίας διακόνων, ὃς ἐπειδὰν ἀφίκηται πρὸς ἡμᾶς, τῆς ἡμετέρας πειραθήσεται φιλανθρωπίας. Ὃ θεός σε διαφυλάξοι, ἀδελφὲ ἀγαπητέ. 4.37.1 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς διεκελεύετο. αὐτίκα δ' ἔργον ἐπηκολούθει τῷ λόγῳ, ἐν πολυτελῶς ἠσκημένοις τεύχεσι τρισσὰ καὶ τετρασσὰ διαπεμψάντων ἡμῶν *** Ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸ ἑτέρα βασιλέως ἀντιφώνησις παραστήσει, δι' ἧς, πυθόμενος ὡς ἡ παρ' ἡμῖν Κωνστάντια πόλις, ἀνδρῶν ἐκτόπως δεισιδαιμόνων οὖσα πρότερον, ὁρμῇ θεοσεβείας τῆς ἔμπροσθεν μεταβέβληκεν εἰδωλικῆς πλάνης, χαίρειν ἐδήλου καὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἀποδέχεσθαι *** Ἤδη μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ Παλαιστινῶν ἔθνους ἡ Κωνστάντια τὴν σωτήριον ἐπιγραψαμένη θεοσέβειαν καὶ παρ' αὐτῷ θεῷ καὶ παρὰ βασιλεῖ τιμῆς κρείττονος ἠξιοῦτο, πόλις μὲν ἀποφανθεῖσα ὃ μὴ πρότερον ἦν, ἀμείψασα δὲ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐπωνύμῳ κρείττονι θεοσεβοῦς ἀδελφῆς βασιλέως. Ταὐτὸν δὲ καὶ ἕτεραι πλείους διεπράττοντο χῶραι, ὡς ἡ ἐπὶ τοῦ Φοινίκων ἔθνους αὐτοῦ βασιλέως ἐπώνυμος, ἧς οἱ πολῖται δυσεξαρίθμητα ξοάνων ἱδρύ4.39.2 ματα πυρὶ παραδόντες τὸν σωτήριον ἀντικατηλλάξαντο νόμον. καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέρων δ' ἐπαρχιῶν αὐτόμολοι τῇ σωτηρίῳ προσιόντες γνώσει ἀθρόοι κατὰ χώρας καὶ κατὰ πόλεις τὰ μὲν πρότερα αὐτοῖς ἱερὰ νενομισμένα, ἐν ὕλῃ παντοίων ὄντα ξοάνων, ὡσανεὶ τὸ μηθὲν ὄντα