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by his prayers he would release him from the bonds of sin. And many became eyewitnesses of this miracle, having touched the part of the bird near its breast which was composed of bone and stone. 26.19 But I became not only an eyewitness of his miracles but also a hearer of his prophecy of things to come. For he foretold two years in advance the coming drought and the great barrenness of that year and the famine and pestilence that followed, saying that he had seen a rod brought against mankind, which foretold the scourges that would come through it. And at another time he foretold the attack of the so-called locusts, and that it would not cause great harm, since divine loving-kindness would follow the punishment. And when thirty days had passed, an infinite multitude flew in, so as to cut off the sun's ray and create a shadow, and this we all observed precisely. But it damaged only the fodder of the irrational animals, inflicting no harm on the food of humans. And to me also, when I was being assailed by someone, he announced fifteen days beforehand the downfall of my enemy, and by experience I learned the truth of the prophecy. And once two rods appeared to him, carried from heaven, but falling toward the eastern and western land; the divine man declared that this signified the revolt of the Persian and Scythian nations against the rule of the Romans; and he described the vision to those present and with many tears and unceasing prayers he stayed the threatened plagues against the inhabited world; for the Persian nation, already armed and prepared for an attack upon the Romans, was checked in its intended assault by the contrary influence of divine power and became occupied with its own internal troubles. 26.20 Knowing many other such things, I will pass them by, avoiding lengthiness in my account. But these things are sufficient to show the spiritual vision of his mind. Great was his fame even with the king of the Persians. For as the ambassadors who went to him recounted, he inquired carefully what the man's life was like and what his miracles were. And they say his wife asked for oil that had been deemed worthy of his blessing, and received it as a very great gift. And all those around the king, struck by his fame and receiving many slanders against him from the magi, both inquired accurately and, upon learning, called him a divine man. And the rest of the multitude, approaching the muleteers and servants and soldiers, both offered money and begged to partake of the blessing of the oil. 26.21 The queen of the Ishmaelites, being barren and desiring children, first sent some of her most worthy men and begged to become a mother. And when she obtained her request and gave birth as she desired, she took the newborn king and ran to the divine elder; and since it was not permissible for women to enter, she sent the infant to him and begged that it might receive a blessing from him; "For this sheaf," she said, "is yours; for I with tears brought the seed of prayer, but you have made the seed a sheaf, by drawing down the rain of divine grace through prayer." But how long shall I strive to measure the depth of the Atlantic sea? For just as that is immeasurable by men, so the things done by him each day surpass narration. 26.22 But before all these things I marvel at his endurance. For night and day he stands, seen by all; for having removed the doors and destroyed no small part of the enclosure, he is set before all as a new and

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εὐχαῖς τῶν δεσμῶν αὐτὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐκλύσειε. Καὶ πολλοὶ τοῦδε τοῦ θαύματος αὐτόπται γεγόνασι τὸ πρὸς τῷ στήθει μέρος τῆς ὄρνιθος ἐξ ὀστέου καὶ λίθου συγκείμενον ψηλαφήσαντες. 26.19 Οὐ μόνον δὲ τῶν θαυμάτων αὐτόπτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐσομένων προρρήσεως ἐγενόμην ἀκροατής. Καὶ γὰρ τὸν γενόμενον αὐχμὸν καὶ τὴν πολλὴν ἐκείνου τοῦ ἔτους ἀκαρπίαν καὶ τὸν ἀκολουθήσαντα λιμὸν ὁμοῦ καὶ λοιμὸν πρὸ δύο προεῖπεν ἐνιαυτῶν, ῥάβδον εἰρηκὼς τεθεᾶσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπιφερομένην καὶ τὰς δι' αὐτῆς προμη νύουσαν μάστιγας. Καὶ ἄλλοτε δὲ τῆς καλουμένης κάμπης τὴν προσβολὴν προεδήλωσε, καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν μέγα λυμανεῖται, τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας ἀκολουθούσης τῇ τιμωρίᾳ. Τριάκοντα δὲ διελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν ἐπέπτη μὲν πλῆθος ἄπειρον, ὡς καὶ διατεμεῖν τὴν ἀκτῖνα καὶ σχεδιάσαι σκίαν, καὶ τοῦτο ἀκριβῶς ἐθεασάμεθα πάντες. Μόνον δὲ τὸν τῶν ἀλόγων χιλὸν ἐλυμήνατο οὐδεμίαν λώβην τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων προσε νεγκοῦσα τροφῇ. Καὶ ἐμοὶ δὲ ὑπό τινος πολεμουμένῳ πρὸ πεντεκαίδεκα ἐμήνυσεν ἡμερῶν τὴν τοῦ πολεμίου κατάλυσιν, καὶ τῇ πείρᾳ τῆς προρρήσεως τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔμαθον. Ὤφθησαν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ δύο ῥάβδοι ποτὲ φερόμεναι μὲν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἑῴαν τε καὶ δυτικὴν ἐκπίπτουσαι γῆν· ἐθνῶν δὲ ἄρα περσικοῦ τε καὶ σκυθικοῦ κατὰ ἀρχῆς τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἐπανάστασιν ἐδήλου ταύτην ὁ θεῖος ἀνήρ· ἐξεῖπέν τε τοῖς παροῦσι τὴν ὀπτασίαν καὶ δάκρυσι πολλοῖς καὶ ἀπαύστοις λιταῖς τὰς ἀπειλουμένας ἔστησε κατὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης πληγάς· τό γε τῶν Περσῶν ἔθνος ἐξωπλισμένον ἤδη καὶ πρὸς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ὑπάρχον ἔφοδον εὐτρεπὲς θείας ἀντιπρα ξάσης ῥοπῆς ἀνεκόπτετό τε τῆς προκειμένης ὁρμῆς καὶ οἰκείοις ἔνδοθεν ἐναπησχολεῖτο δεινοῖς. 26.20 Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ τοιαῦτα πάμπολλα ἐπιστάμενος παρήσω, φεύγων τοῦ λόγου τὸ μῆκος. Ἀπόχρη δέ γε καὶ ταῦτα δεῖξαι τῆς διανοίας αὐτοῦ τὴν πνευματικὴν θεωρίαν. Τούτου πολὺ τὸ κλέος καὶ παρὰ τῷ Περσῶν βασιλεῖ. Ὡς γὰρ οἱ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀφικόμενοι διηγήσαντο πρέσβεις, ἐπιμελῶς ἐπυνθάνετο τίς τε εἴη τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὁ βίος καὶ ὁποῖα τὰ θαύματα. Τὴν δὲ ὁμόζυγα τὴν τούτου φασὶ καὶ ἔλαιον αἰτῆσαι τῆς τούτου εὐλογίας ἠξιωμένον καὶ ὡς μέγιστον δῶρον κομίσασθαι. Καὶ οἱ περὶ βασιλέα δὲ ἅπαντες ὑπὸ τῆς φήμης βαλλόμενοι καὶ πολλὰς παρὰ τῶν μάγων κατ' αὐτοῦ συκοφαντίας δεχόμενοι καὶ ἀκριβῶς ἐπυνθάνοντο καὶ διδασκόμενοι θεῖον ἄνδρα ὠνόμαζον. Ὁ δὲ λοιπὸς ὅμιλος τοῖς ὀρεωκόμοις προσιόντες καὶ οἰκέταις καὶ στρα τιώταις καὶ χρήματα προσέφερον καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἐλαίου εὐλογίας μεταλαχεῖν ἱκέτευον. 26.21 Ἡ δὲ τῶν Ἰσμαηλιτῶν βασιλὶς στερίφη οὖσα καὶ παίδων ἐφιεμένη πρῶτον μέν τινας τῶν ἀξιωτάτων ἀποστεί λασα γενέσθαι μήτηρ ἱκέτευσεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔτυχε τῆς αἰτήσεως καὶ ἔτεκεν ὡς ἐπόθησε, τὸν γεννηθέντα βασιλέα λαβοῦσα πρὸς τὸν θεῖον ἔδραμε πρεσβύτην· καὶ ἐπειδὴ γυναιξὶν οὐκ εἰσιτητὸν ἦν, πρὸς αὐτὸν πέμψασα τὸ βρέφος τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ τυχεῖν εὐλογίας ἱκέτευσε· "Σὸν γάρ, ἔφη, τόδε τὸ δράγμα· ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ μετὰ δακρύων τὸ τῆς εὐχῆς προσενήνοχα σπέρμα, σὺ δὲ τὸ σπέρμα πεποίηκας δράγμα, τῆς θείας χάριτος διὰ προσευχῆς ἑλκύσας τὸν ὑετόν". Ἀλλὰ μέχρι πότε φιλονεικῶ μετρῆσαι τοῦ ἀτλαντικοῦ πελάγους τὸ βάθος; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀμέτρητον, οὕτως ὑπερβαίνει διήγησιν τὰ καθ' ἡμέραν ὑπ' ἐκείνου γιγνόμενα. 26.22 Ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτοῦ πρὸ τούτων ἁπάντων τὴν καρτερίαν θαυμάζω. Νύκτωρ γὰρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ἕστηκεν ὑπὸ πάντων ὁρώμενος· τὰς θύρας γὰρ ἀφελὼν καὶ τοῦ περιβόλου μέρος οὐκ ἐλάχιστον καταλύσας, πρόκειται πᾶσι θέαμα καινὸν καὶ