,

to the woman also another 5.12.7 brilliant flash of a better divine visitation; for an angel stood by her, brighter than a torch in both form and raiment, and again he showed her the vision of the things that had passed and foretold the imminent 5.12.8 death of her husband. So then the woman's husband ended his life according to the angel's prediction, and the woman, leaving Babylonia, came to Nisibis, and meeting with the priests of the Christians she confessed the 5.12. mighty works of the spirit. Indeed, she was initiated by them into these truly divine and secret doctrines of the Christians. But when this became clear to the magi, they began a search 5.12.10 for the woman. Indeed they came to Nisibis, and the older parts of their entreaty were prepared with flattery, as they tried from there to deceive the woman; but since they were overcome, and their speech was ineffective, they locked 5.12.11 the woman in a harsh prison for a long time. Since God 5.12.11 therefore surveys all things and at no time leaves himself without a witness, by the help of the presiding angel she departed from the prison and came to the 5.12.12 land of the Romans. So she, having gone as far as Jerusalem, proclaimed the manifest and ineffable majesty of God, and having offered prayers in the all-holy monument of our great God and savior Jesus Christ, and having reverenced the cross of the passions with an act of adoration, 5.12.13 she ran back to the Holy City. And having foretold many things concerning the future for Chosroes and having announced his coming over to the Romans before the beginning of the events, and having lived an angel-like life, and as is fitting for saints seeing to the things of the soul and the body, she departed from here to be crowned with the crown of perseverance with undefiled trophies. 5.13.1 But the emperor of the Romans sent bodyguards to Chosroes. Therefore the king of the Persians, having considered the support of assistance that had come to him from above, sent a gift to Sergius, most glorious among martyrs, a cross 5.13.2 made of gold, studded with precious stones, which indeed Chosroes son of Cabades, having taken the city by force, deposited as spoil in the palaces of the Persians, while the autocrator Justinian was still holding the Roman scepters. Indeed, on this cross Chosroes fashioned another cross of refined gold at its head, 5.13.3 having inscribed on it the reason for the votive offering. And he sent a letter in Greek characters along with the treasure to the place called Barbaricum. And a royal depiction was also subscribed to the letter. The contents of the letter were indeed as follows; for I will not change the wording of the original. 5.13.4 "This cross I, Chosroes, king of kings, son of Chosroes, when, through the diabolical energy and malice of the most unfortunate Varam, son of Vargousnas, and of the cavalry with him, we departed into Roman territory, and because the unfortunate Zadesprates was coming from the army to Nisibis for the purpose of subverting the cavalry of the Nisibis district to revolt and cause confusion, we also 5.13.5 sent cavalry with a commander to Charchas, and through the fortune of the holy Sergius, the all-revered and renowned, since we heard that he is a giver of requests, in the first year of our reign, on the seventh of the month of January, we requested that, if our cavalry should slay Zadesprates or capture him, we would send a golden, gem-studded cross to his house on account of his all-revered name. 5.13.6 And on the ninth of the month of February they brought the head of Zadesprates before us. Having therefore obtained our request, so that each thing might be beyond doubt, to his all-revered name the cross made by us, along with the cross sent by Justinian, emperor of the Romans, to his house, and at the time of the non-intercourse

τῷ γυναίῳ καὶ ἑτέρας 5.12.7 θείας κρείττονος ἐπιφοιτήσεως ἔλλαμψις· ἄγγελος γὰρ ἐφεστήκει αὐτῇ τήν τε μορφὴν καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα λαμπηδόνος φαιδρότερος, καὶ πάλιν αὐτῇ τὴν τῶν φθασάντων θέαν ἐδείκνυε προηγόρευέ τε καὶ τὸν ὅσον οὔπω τοῦ συνευνέτου 5.12.8 θάνατον. ὁ μὲν οὖν τοῦ γυναίου γαμέτης καταλύει τὸν βίον κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀγγέλου προαναγόρευσιν, τὸ δὲ γύναιον τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν καταλιπὸν πρὸς τὴν Νίσιβιν γίνεται, τοῖς τε τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἱερεῦσι περιτυχὸν ἀνθωμολογεῖτο τὰ 5.12. μεγαλεῖα τοῦ πνεύματος. μυεῖται γοῦν παρ' αὐτῶν ταῦτα δὴ τὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν θεῖα ὄντως καὶ ἀπόρρητα δόγματα. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῖς μάγοις τοῦτο κατάδηλον γέγονεν, ἐς ἀναζήτησιν 5.12.10 γίνονται τοῦ γυναίου. ἧκον γοῦν εἰς τὴν Νίσιβιν, καὶ τὰ μὲν πρεσβύτερα τῆς ἀξιώσεως ἐν κολακείαις αὐτοῖς παρεσκεύαστο ἐντεῦθεν ἀποβουκολῆσαι πειρωμένοις τὴν ἄνθρωπον· ἐπεὶ δὲ νικῶνται, καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῖς ἀδρανής, ἐν 5.12.11 εἱρκτῇ σκληρᾷ τὸ γύναιον χρόνῳ πολλῷ κατακλείουσιν. τοῦ 5.12.11 τοίνυν πάντα θεοῦ περισκοποῦντος καὶ ἀμάρτυρον ἑαυτὸν ἐν οὐδενὶ χρόνῳ καταλιμπάνοντος, ἐπικουρίᾳ τοῦ ἐπιστατοῦντος ἀγγέλου αὕτη τῆς φυλακῆς ἐξεχώρησε καὶ ἐς τὴν 5.12.12 ῾Ρωμαίων ἀφίκετο γῆν. ἡ μὲν οὖν ἄχρι τῶν ῾Ιεροσολύμων ἐπελθοῦσα διεκήρυττε τὴν ἐπιφανῆ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἀδιήγητον μεγαλειότητα, εὐχάς τε ἀποδομένη ἐν τῷ παναγεῖ μνημείῳ τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τόν τε σταυρὸν τῶν παθημάτων κατασεβασθεῖσα τῷ προσκυνή5.12.13 ματι ἐς τὴν ῾Ιερὰν ἐπανέδραμε πόλιν. πολλά τε περὶ τῶν ἐσομένων τῷ Χοσρόῃ προαναγορεύσασα τήν τε προσχώρησιν αὐτοῦ ῾Ρωμαίοις πρὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐνάρξεως καταμηνύσασα, βίον τε ἰσάγγελον πολιτευσαμένη, καὶ ὡς πρέπει ἁγίοις τὰ εἰς ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα ὁρῶντα, ἀπέστη τῶν τῇδε τὸν τῆς καρτερίας στέφανον ἀκηράτοις ἀναδησομένη τροπαίοις. 5.13.1 ῾Ο δὲ τοῦ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ βασιλεὺς σωματοφύλακας ἐς Χοσρόην ἐξέπεμπεν. ἐς νοῦν τοίνυν βαλόμενος ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς τὴν ἄνωθεν αὐτῷ τῆς ἐπικουρίας γεγονυῖαν ῥοπήν, τῷ ἐν μάρτυσιν ἐπιφανεστάτῳ Σεργίῳ σταυρὸν 5.13.2 ἐκ χρυσοῦ πεποιημένον λιθοκόλλητον δῶρον ἐξέπεμπεν, ὃν δῆτα Χοσρόης ὁ Καβάδου τὸ ἄστυ παραστησάμενος, λαφυραγωγήσας ἐν τοῖς τῶν Περσῶν ἀνακτόροις ἀπέθετο, ἔτι τῶν ῾Ρωμαϊκῶν σκήπτρων ᾿Ιουστινιανοῦ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐπι-βαίνοντος. ἐν τούτῳ γοῦν τῷ σταυρῷ ἕτερον Χοσρόης ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐξ ἀπέφθου χρυσοῦ σταυρὸν ἐτεκτήνατο τὴν 5.13.3 αἰτίαν ἐντυπώσας ἐν αὐτῷ τοῦ ἀναθήματος. ἐπιστολὴν δὲ δὴ ῾Ελληνικοῖς γράμμασιν ἅμα τῷ κειμηλίῳ ἐς τὸ λεγόμενον Βαρβαρικὸν παρεπέμπετο. ὑπεγέγραπτο δὲ τῇ ἐπιστολῇ καὶ βασιλικὴ ὑποτύπωσις. τὰ δὲ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἐν τούτοις δῆτα ἐτύγχανεν ὄντα· οὐκ ἀμείψω γὰρ τῆς λέξεως τὸ ἀρχέτυπον. 5.13.4 "Τοῦτον τὸν σταυρὸν ἐγὼ Χοσρόης βασιλεὺς βασιλέων, υἱὸς Χοσρόου, ὅτε ἐκ διαβολικῆς ἐνεργείας καὶ κακουργίας τοῦ δυστυχεστάτου Βαράμ, υἱοῦ Βαργουσνᾶς, καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ καβαλλαρίων εἰς ῾Ρωμανίαν ἀπήλθομεν, καὶ διὰ τὸ ἔρχεσθαι τὸν δυστυχῆ Ζαδεσπράτην ἐκ τοῦ στρατοῦ εἰς τὸ Νισίβιος ἐπὶ τῷ ὑποσῦραι τοὺς καβαλλαρίους τοῦ μέρους τοῦ Νισίβιος εἰς τὸ ἀντᾶραι καὶ συνταράξαι ἐπέμψαμεν καὶ 5.13.5 ἡμεῖς καβαλλαρίους μετὰ ἄρχοντος εἰς τὸ Χαρχάς, καὶ διὰ τῆς τύχης τοῦ ἁγίου Σεργίου τοῦ πανσέπτου καὶ ὀνομαστοῦ, ἐπειδὴ ἠκούσαμεν δοτῆρα εἶναι αὐτὸν τῶν αἰτήσεων, ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας ἡμῶν, μηνὶ ᾿Ιανουαρίῳ ἑβδόμῃ, ᾐτησάμεθα, ὡς, ἐὰν οἱ καβαλλάριοι ἡμῶν σφάξωσι τὸν Ζαδεσπράτην ἢ χειρώσωνται, σταυρὸν χρυσοῦν διάλιθον εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ πέμπομεν διὰ τὸ πάνσεπτον αὐτοῦ ὄνομα. 5.13.6 καὶ τῇ ἐνάτῃ τοῦ Φεβρουαρίου μηνὸς τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ Ζαδεσπράτου ἤνεγκαν ἐπὶ ἡμῶν. ἐπιτυχόντες οὖν τῆς αἰτήσεως ἡμῶν, διὰ τὸ ἕκαστον ἀναμφίβολον εἶναι, εἰς τὸ πάνσεπτον αὐτοῦ ὄνομα τὸν σταυρὸν τὸν παρ' ἡμῶν γενόμενον, μετὰ τοῦ πεμφθέντος σταυροῦ παρὰ ᾿Ιουστινιανοῦ βασιλέως ῾Ρωμαίων εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἀμιξίας