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councilors all the people of the city, as being ready to grant to them that for the time being the festival of the Olympians be celebrated for them. And when the property-owners and all the people and the priests were persuaded, it was granted to them; and the same magistrates celebrated again according to the former custom the contest of stage-players and athletes, of thymelic and tragic performers and of horse-races, and for the remaining 30 days from the new moon of the month Hyperberetaios every five years until the time of the quinquennial arrived. And again the same magistrates, finding a reasonable pretext, since various wars had been stirred up in the east, and since the same city of Antioch had also been taken by enemies, and likewise since a divine scourge had occurred and various earthquakes and conflagrations, they postponed celebrating for them again the multiform spectacle of the contest every five years, but they celebrated the same aforementioned festival for six other different periods every 15 or even 20 years, as it seemed good to them after the city of the Antiochians was delivered from evils and lived in peace. 250 In the 13th year of the reign of the same Claudius Caesar the entire island of Crete suffered from a divine scourge; in which times there was found in the tomb of Dictys in a tin box the entire account of the Trojan war, written truthfully by him. And it lay at the head of the remains of Dictys; and thinking the same box to be a treasure, they brought it to the emperor Claudius; and after it was opened and he knew what it was, he ordered them to be transcribed and deposited in the public library. And Claudius died, having bestowed many things on Crete for its restoration. The same Claudius therefore died a natural death in the palace, having been sick for two days, being 65 years old. After the reign of Claudius Caesar, his son Nero became emperor in the consulship of Silvanus and Antoninus; who reigned for 13 years and two months. He was tall, thin, well-formed, with a good nose, a ruddy face, large-eyed, with straight hair, completely grey, with a thick beard, of good bearing. As soon as he became emperor, he inquired about Jesus; and being ignorant that he had been crucified, he sought to have him brought to Rome, as a great philosopher and one who performed miracles; for he had heard such things about him before he became emperor. And wishing to ask him certain things, he sought to bring him. For the same emperor Nero was of the sect of the so-called 251 Epicureans, that is of the automatists who say that all things are without providence. And when the same emperor Nero learned that a long time before the Jews had crucified him, being moved by envy and when he was blamed for nothing, he was vexed; and he gave the order, and both Annas and Caiaphas were brought to Rome through Maximus. And he brought Pilate, who was living in Palestine after the successions of his office, through Maximus. And Annas and Caiaphas, saying many evil things about Pilate, taught this also, that "We handed him over according to the laws." And Annas and Caiaphas, having given money to many, and having succeeded, were acquitted. In the times of the reign of the same Nero, Saint Paul went to Athens, the city of Greece; and he found there a philosopher named Dionysius the Areopagite, the famous Athenian, who abounded in the teachings of philosophy; who set forth concerning the sun that it is from the effluence of the light of God, and saying certain other things about the creation. Whom Saint Paul, having seen, addressed, and Dionysius asked Saint Paul, "What god do you proclaim, you babbler?" and having heard Saint Paul teaching him, the same Dionysius fell down before him, asking him to be enlightened and to become a Christian. And Saint Paul, having baptized him, made him a Christian. And Saint Paul, having seen 252 the zeal

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βουλευταὶ τοὺς τῆς πόλεως πάντας, ὡς ἂν ἕτοιμοι ὄντες ἐνδοῦναι αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ τέως τὴν τῶν Ὀλυμπίων ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελεῖσθαι αὐτοῖς. καὶ πεισθέντων τῶν κτητόρων καὶ τοῦ δήμου παντὸς καὶ τῶν ἱερέων, ἐνεδόθη αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἐπετέλεσαν οἱ αὐτοὶ πολιτευόμενοι κατὰ τὸ πρῴην ἔθος πάλιν τὸν τῶν σκηνικῶν καὶ ἀθλητῶν, θυμελικῶν καὶ τραγικῶν καὶ ἱππικῶν ἀγῶνα, καὶ λοιπὸν τὰς λʹ ἡμέρας ἀπὸ τῆς νεομηνίας τοῦ ὑπερβερεταίου μηνὸς κατὰ πέντε ἔτη ἕως τοῦ καιροῦ τοῦ πενταετοῦς φθάσαντος. Καὶ πάλιν εὑρίσκοντες ἀφορμὴν εὔλογον οἱ αὐτοὶ πολιτευόμενοι, διαφόρων πολέμων κινηθέντων ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως Ἀντιοχείας ληφθείσης ὑπὸ ἐναντίων, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ θεομηνίας γενομένης καὶ διαφόρων σεισμῶν καὶ ἐμπρησμῶν, ἀνεβάλοντο καὶ τὴν κατὰ πενταετῆ χρόνον πάλιν ἐπιτελεῖν αὐτοῖς πολύτροπον ἀγῶνος θέαν, ἀλλ' ἐπετέλεσαν ἄλλας διαφόρους περιόδους ἓξ τὴν αὐτὴν προειρημένην πανήγυριν δι' ἐνιαυτῶν ιεʹ ἢ καὶ κʹ, ὡς ἐὰν αὐτοῖς ἔδοξε μετὰ τὸ τὴν πόλιν τῶν Ἀντιοχέων τῶν κακῶν ἀπαλλαγῆναι καὶ ἐν εἰρήνῃ διάγειν. 250 Τῷ δὲ ιγʹ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ αὐτοῦ Κλαυδίου Καίσαρος ἔπαθεν ὑπὸ θεομηνίας ἡ Κρήτη νῆσος πᾶσα· ἐν οἷς χρόνοις ηὑρέθη ἐν τῷ μνήματι τοῦ ∆ίκτυος ἐν κασσιτερίνῳ κιβωτίῳ ἡ ἔκθεσις τοῦ Τρωικοῦ πολέμου μετὰ ἀληθείας παρ' αὐτοῦ συγγραφεῖσα πᾶσα. ἔκειτο δὲ προσκέφαλα τοῦ λειψάνου τοῦ ∆ίκτυος· καὶ νομίσαντες τὸ αὐτὸ κιβώτιον θησαυρὸν εἶναι προσήνεγκαν αὐτὸ τῷ βασιλεῖ Κλαυδίῳ· καὶ ἐκέλευσε μετὰ τὸ ἀνοῖξαι καὶ γνῶναι τί ἐστι μεταγραφῆναι αὐτὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ δημοσίᾳ βιβλιοθήκῃ ἀποτεθῆναι αὐτά. Καὶ ἐτελεύτα ὁ Κλαύδιος πολλὰ ἐν τῇ Κρήτῃ χαρισάμενος εἰς ἐπανόρθωσιν. ἐτελεύτησεν οὖν ὁ αὐτὸς Κλαύδιος ἰδίῳ θανάτῳ ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ, ἀῤῥωστήσας ἡμέρας δύο, ὢν ἐνιαυτῶν ξεʹ. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν Κλαυδίου Καίσαρος ἐβασίλευσε Νέρων ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς ὑπατείας Σιλουανοῦ καὶ Ἀντωνίνου· ὅστις ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη ιγʹ καὶ μῆνας δύο. ἦν δὲ μακρός, λεπτός, εὔμορφος, εὔρινος, ἀνθηροπρόσωπος, μεγαλόφθαλμος, ἁπλόθριξ, ὁλοπόλιος, δασυπώγων, εὔτακτος. ἢ μόνον δὲ ἐβασίλευσε ἐξεζήτησε τὰ περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ· καὶ ἀγνοήσας ὅτι ἐσταυρώθη ἐζήτησεν αὐτὸν ἀνενέγκαι ἐν Ῥώμῃ, ὡς φιλόσοφον μέγαν καὶ θαύματα ποιοῦντα· ἤκουσε γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι περὶ αὐτοῦ τοιαῦτα. θέλων δὲ ἐπερωτῆσαι αὐτόν τινα ἐζήτει ἀναγάγαι αὐτόν. ἦν γὰρ ὁ αὐτὸς Νέρων βασιλεὺς τοῦ δόγματος τῶν λεγομέ 251 νων Ἐπικουρείων, ὅ ἐστι τῶν αὐτοματιστῶν τῶν λεγόντων ἀπρονόητα εἶναι τὰ πάντα. καὶ μαθὼν ὁ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς Νέρων ὅτι πρὸ πολλοῦ χρόνου ἐσταύρωσαν αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ζήλῳ φερόμενοι καὶ μόνον ἐν μηδενὶ μεμφθέντα, ἠγανάκτησε· καὶ ἐκέλευσε, καὶ ἀνηνέχθησαν ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ διὰ Μαξίμου ὅ τε Ἄννας καὶ Καϊάφας. καὶ Πιλᾶτον δὲ οἰκοῦντα τὴν Παλαιστίνην μετὰ διαδοχὰς τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῦ ἀνήγαγε διὰ Μάξιμον. πολλὰ δὲ εἰπόντες περὶ τοῦ Πιλάτου κακὰ οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἄνναν καὶ Καϊάφαν ἐδίδασκον καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι Ἡμεῖς τοῖς νόμοις αὐτὸν παρεδώκαμεν. καὶ πολλοῖς παρασχόντες χρήματα οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἄνναν καὶ Καϊάφαν κατορθώσαντες ἀπελύθησαν. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς χρόνοις τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ αὐτοῦ Νέρωνος ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος ἀπῆλθεν ἐν Ἀθήναις τῇ πόλει τῆς Ἑλλάδος· καὶ ηὗρενἐκεῖ φιλόσοφον ὀνόματι ∆ιονύσιον τὸν Ἀρεοπαγίτην τὸν Ἀθηναῖον τὸν περιβόητον, βρύοντα φιλοσοφίας διδάγματα· ὃς ἐξέθετο περὶ τοῦ ἡλίου ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀποῤῥοίας τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστι, καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ εἰπὼν περὶ τοῦ δημιουργήματος. ὅντινα ἑωρακὼς ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος προσηγόρευσε, καὶ ἐπηρώτα τὸν ἅγιον Παῦλον ὁ ∆ιονύσιος, Τίνα κηρύσσεις θεόν, σπερμολόγε; καὶ ἀκούσας τοῦ ἁγίου Παύλου ὁ αὐτὸς ∆ιονύσιος διδάσκοντος αὐτὸν προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ, αἰτῶν αὐτὸν φωτισθῆναι καὶ γενέσθαι χριστιανόν. καὶ βαπτίσας αὐτὸν ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος ἐποίησε χριστιανόν. καὶ ἑωρα 252 κὼς ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος τὸ θερμὸν