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he discoursed on the immortality of the soul, concerning both those who had completed the present life piously and the good things stored up by God himself for those who love God, and by long proofs he also made it clear what kind of end the company of the adversaries would meet, entrusting the destruction of the ungodly to scripture. And indeed, while solemnly testifying to this, he seemed to rebuke those around him, so that one of the would-be wise asked how what was being said seemed to him, and he bore witness to the truth of the words, very much so, although he was not 4.55.3 willing to praise the teachings against the polytheists. Having discoursed on such things to his acquaintances before his end, he seemed to be preparing for himself a smooth and level journey to better things. 4.56.1 And that is also worthy of mention, that around the time indicated, when a movement of the barbarians in the east was heard of, saying that this victory over them 4.56.2 still remained for him, he set out to march against the Persians. Having decided this, he set the military divisions in motion, and he communicated with the bishops around him about the journey, taking care that some of the necessary men should be with him in piety. 4.56.3 And they, very eagerly desiring to accompany him and not wishing to depart, said they would campaign with him and contend with him in supplications to God. And being very pleased with their promises, he laid out the journey for them; *** 4.58.1 *** And he himself, having raised a whole temple to an unspeakable height, made it glisten with varieties of all sorts of stones, paneling it from the foundation to the very roof, and having divided the ceiling with fine coffering, he covered the whole of it with gold. And above this, on the roof itself, bronze instead of tile provided the work with protection and security against rains. And much gold also shone around this, so as to send forth flashes to those looking from afar, reflected by the sun’s rays. And latticework reliefs, wrought in bronze and gold, encircled the roof all around. And thus the temple was deemed worthy of much zeal with great munificence from the emperor. And around this was a vast open-air courtyard, open to the pure air, and in this four-sided space porticoes ran, enclosing the atrium in the middle of the temple itself, and royal houses, baths, and robing-rooms extended alongside the porticoes, and many other lodgings conveniently constructed for the guardians of the place. The emperor dedicated all these things, perpetuating for all time the memory of the apostles of our savior. And he was building with something else in mind as well, which, though at first hidden, became clear to all at the end. 4.60.2 For he reserved this place for himself for the fitting time of his own death, providing with surpassing zeal of faith that his own body after death should be a partaker of the title of the apostles, so that even after death he might be deemed worthy of the prayers which would be offered there in honor of the apostles. Therefore he also urged that the people assemble there, 4.60.3 having set up an altar in the middle. And so he erected there twelve tombs, as if sacred pillars, in honor and memory of the choir of the apostles, and he placed his own sarcophagus in the middle, on either side of which were arranged six of the apostles. And this, as I said, he considered with sound reasoning, that his body, when he had ended 4.60.4 his life, might fittingly rest there. But he, prefiguring these things in his mind for a long time and from of old, dedicated the temple to the apostles, believing that the memory of these men would bring a beneficial advantage to his soul, and God did not deem him unworthy of the things he had expected according to his prayers. 4.60.5 For when he completed the first exercises of the festival of Easter and had passed the saving day, bright and joyful, making the festival radiant for himself and for all, as he was completing his life to the end in this and was engaged in these things, God, for whom he accomplished these things, deemed him worthy, at a most opportune time, of the divine transition to the better. 4.61.1 A first indisposition of body came upon him, or rather, a sickness happened upon this, and then from his own city to the baths

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ψυχῆς ἀθανασίας διεξῄει περί τε τῶν εὐσεβῶς τὴν παροῦσαν διηνυκότων ζωὴν τῶν τε τοῖς θεοφιλέσι παρ' αὐτῷ θεῷ τεταμιευμένων ἀγαθῶν, μακραῖς δ' ἀποδείξεσι καὶ τὸ τῶν ἐναντίων τάγμα ὁποίου τέλους τεύξεται φανερὸν ἐποίει, τῶν ἀθέων τὴν καταστροφὴν παραδιδοὺς τῇ γραφῇ· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐμβριθῶς μαρτυρόμενος καθάπτεσθαι τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ἐδόκει, ὡς καί τινα τῶν δοκησισόφων ἔρεσθαι ὅπως ἔχειν αὐτῷ φαίνοιτο τὰ λεγόμενα, τὸν δ' ἐπιμαρτυρῆσαι τοῖς λόγοις ἀλήθειαν, σφόδρα τε καίπερ οὐκ 4.55.3 ἐθέλοντα ἐπαινεῖν τὰς κατὰ τῶν πολυθέων διδασκαλίας. τοιαῦτα πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς τοῖς γνωρίμοις ὁμιλήσας, αὐτὸς αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω πορείαν λεῖαν καὶ ὁμαλὴν ἐῴκει παρασκευάζειν. 4.56.1 Κἀκεῖνο δὲ μνήμης ἄξιον, ὡς ἀμφὶ τὸν δηλούμενον χρόνον τῶν ἐπ' ἀνατολῆς βαρβάρων κινήσεως ἀκουσθείσης, ἔτι ταύτην αὐτῷ τὴν κατὰ τῶνδε 4.56.2 νίκην λείπεσθαι φήσας, ἐπὶ Πέρσας στρατεύειν ὡρμᾶτο. τοῦτό τε κρίνας ἐκίνει τὰ στρατιωτικὰ τάγματα, καὶ δὴ τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ἐπισκόποις περὶ τῆς πορείας ἐκοίνου, συνεῖναι αὐτῷ δεῖν τινας τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ 4.56.3 προμηθούμενος. οἱ δὲ καὶ μάλα προθύμως συνέπεσθαι βουλομένῳ μηδ' ἀναχωρεῖν ἐθέλειν συστρατεύειν δ' αὐτῷ καὶ συναγωνίζεσθαι ταῖς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἱκετηρίαις ἔλεγον. σφόδρα δ' ἐπὶ ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις ἡσθεὶς τὴν πορείαν αὐτοῖς διετύπου· *** 4.58.1 *** αὐτὸς δὲ νεὼν ἅπαντα εἰς ὕψος ἄφατον ἐπάρας, λίθων ποικιλίαις παντοίων ἐξαστράπτοντα ἐποίει, εἰς αὐτὸν ὄροφον ἐξ ἐδάφους πλακώσας, διαλαβὼν δὲ λεπτοῖς φατνώμασι τὴν στέγην χρυσῷ τὴν πᾶσαν ἐκάλυπτεν· ἄνω δὲ ὑπὲρ ταύτην πρὸς αὐτῷ δώματι χαλκὸς μὲν ἀντὶ κεράμου φυλακὴν τῷ ἔργῳ πρὸς ὑετῶν ἀσφάλειαν παρεῖχε· καὶ τοῦτον δὲ πολὺς περιέλαμπε χρυσός, ὡς μαρμαρυγὰς τοῖς πόρρωθεν ἀφορῶσι ταῖς ἡλίου αὐγαῖς ἀντανακλωμέναις ἐκπέμπειν. δικτυωτὰ δὲ πέριξ ἐκύκλου τὸ δωμάτιον ἀνάγλυφα χαλκῷ καὶ χρυσῷ κατειργασμένα. καὶ ὁ μὲν νεὼς ὧδε σὺν πολλῇ βασιλέως φιλοτιμίᾳ σπουδῆς ἠξιοῦτο. ἀμφὶ δὲ τοῦτον αἴθριος ἦν αὐλὴ παμμεγέθης εἰς ἀέρα καθαρὸν ἀναπεπταμένη, ἐν τετραπλεύρῳ δὲ ταύτῃ στοαὶ διέτρεχον, μέσον αὐτῷ νεῷ τὸ αἴθριον ἀπολαμβάνουσαι, οἶκοί τε βασίλειοι ταῖς στοαῖς λουτρά τε καὶ ἀναλαμπτήρια παρεξετείνετο, ἄλλα τε πλεῖστα καταγώγια τοῖς τοῦ τόπου φρουροῖς ἐπιτηδείως εἰργασμένα. Ταῦτα πάντα ἀφιέρου βασιλεὺς διαιωνίζων εἰς ἅπαντας τῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀποστόλων τὴν μνήμην. ᾠκοδόμει δ' ἄρα καὶ ἄλλο τι τῇ διανοίᾳ σκοπῶν, ὃ δὴ λανθάνον τὰ πρῶτα κατάφωρον πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐγίγνετο. 4.60.2 αὐτὸς γοῦν αὐτῷ εἰς δέοντα καιρὸν τῆς αὐτοῦ τελευτῆς τὸν ἐνταυθοῖ τόπον 4.60.2 ἐταμιεύσατο, τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων προσρήσεως κοινωνὸν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκῆνος μετὰ θάνατον προνοῶν ὑπερβαλλούσῃ πίστεως προθυμίᾳ γεγενῆσθαι, ὡς ἂν καὶ μετὰ τελευτὴν ἀξιῶτο τῶν ἐνταυθοῖ μελλουσῶν ἐπὶ τιμῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων συντελεῖσθαι εὐχῶν. διὸ καὶ ἐκκλησιάζειν ἐνταυθοῖ παρεκελεύετο, 4.60.3 μέσον θυσιαστήριον πηξάμενος. δώδεκα δ' οὖν αὐτόθι θήκας ὡσανεὶ στήλας ἱερὰς ἐπὶ τιμῇ καὶ μνήμῃ τοῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐγείρας χοροῦ, μέσην ἐτίθει τὴν αὐτὸς αὐτοῦ λάρνακα, ἧς ἑκατέρωθεν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀνὰ ἓξ διέκειντο. καὶ τοῦτο γοῦν, ὡς ἔφην, σώφρονι λογισμῷ, ἔνθα αὐτῷ τὸ σκῆνος τελευτή4.60.4 σαντι τὸν βίον εὐπρεπῶς μέλλοι διαναπαύεσθαι, ἐσκόπει. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἐκ μακροῦ καὶ πρόπαλαι τῷ λογισμῷ ταῦτα προτυπούμενος ἀφιέρου τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τὸν νεών, ὠφέλειαν ψυχῆς ὀνησιφόρον τὴν τῶνδε μνήμην ποιεῖσθαι αὐτῷ πιστεύων, θεὸς δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ τῶν κατ' εὐχὰς προσδοκηθέντων οὐκ ἀπηξίου. 4.60.5 Ὡς γὰρ τὰς πρώτας τῆς τοῦ πάσχα ἑορτῆς συνεπλήρου ἀσκήσεις τήν τε σωτήριον διήγαγεν ἡμέραν λαμπρὰν ἠδὲ εὐφρόσυνον, αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς πᾶσι τὴν ἑορτὴν καταφαιδρύνας, ἐν τούτῳ μέχρι τέλους τὴν ζωὴν διανύοντα καὶ ἐν τούτοις ὄντα θεός, ᾧ ταῦτα συνεξετέλει, κατὰ καιρὸν εὔκαιρον τῆς θείας ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον μεταβάσεως αὐτὸν ἠξίου. 4.61.1 Γίγνεται δ' αὐτῷ πρώτη τις ἀνωμαλία τοῦ σώματος, εἴτ' οὖν κάκωσις ἐπὶ ταύτην συμβαίνει, κἄπειτα τῆς αὐτοῦ πόλεως ἐπὶ λουτρὰ