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of the two states having been brought here by Chosroes, king of kings, son of Koades, our father, and having been found in our treasuries, we have sent to the house of the all-venerable Sergius." 5.13.7 The satrap, therefore, according to what had been commanded him, delivered the cross and the letters of the king. In the following year, the king of the Persians proclaims Seirem queen, of Roman lineage, (she was of the Christian religion), having been captivated by her in the bloom of her beauty for marriage and thereby transgressing the laws of the Babylonians. 5.14.1 In the third year, he also implored the most efficacious Sergius in Persia that a child be given to him by Seirem. Not long after this happened for him, he again fittingly honored the benefactor with gifts. And he sent out a letter using Greek phrasing. The letter read literally thus. 5.14.2 "To the great martyr Sergius, Chosroes, king of kings. I, Chosroes, king of kings, son of Chosroes, have sent the gifts with the disk not for the sight of men, nor so that from my words the greatness of your all-venerable name might be known, but so that the truth of the events might be known and the many favors and benefits which I have received from you; for it is a happiness for me, that my name 5.14.3 be inscribed on your sacred vessels. When I was in Beramais I asked of you, O holy one, to come to my aid and for Seirem to conceive in her womb. And since Seirem is a Christian and I a pagan, our law does not give us permission 5.14.4 to have a Christian wife. Therefore, on account of my gratitude to you, for this reason I disregarded the law, and her among women day after day in legitimacy I have had and have, and thus I have now resolved to ask of your good5.14.5 ness that she conceive in her womb. And I asked and vowed that, if Seirem conceives in her womb, I will send the cross worn by her to your all-venerable house. And for this reason both I and Seirem have this purpose, that in memory of your name, O holy one, this 5.14.6 cross we keep. And we decided instead of it its value, not amounting to more than four thousand three hundred military staters, to send five thousand staters. 5.14.7 And from when I had such a request within me and considered these things, until we reached Resonchosron, not more than ten days passed, and you, O holy one, not because I am worthy but because of your goodness, appeared to me in a vision of the night, and three times you told me that 5.14.8 Seirem has conceived in her womb. and I in the vision itself three times answered you saying, 'It is well, it is well.' And because of your holiness and mercy, and because of your all-venerable name, and because you are a giver of requests, from that day Seirem has not seen that which is customary for women. 5.14. And I did not doubt this, but believed your words, and that you are a holy and true giver of requests. After she did not undergo the things of women, from this I knew the power of the vision and the truth of the things spoken by you. 5.14.10 Therefore I immediately sent the same cross and its value to your all-venerable house, having ordered from its value that one disk and one chalice be made for the purpose of the divine mysteries, and moreover also a cross to be [made and] set up upon the holy table, and a censer, all of gold, and a Hunnic double-door decorated with gold. 5.14.11 And the remaining military coins are to be for your holy house, so that through your favor, O holy one, in all things, and especially in this request you may come to my aid and Seirem's. And what has happened for us through your intercession by the mercy of your goodness, and by my will and Seirem's may it come to completion, so that both I and Seirem and all who are in the world may hope in your power and may still believe in you." 5.14.12 Swiftly, therefore, the one sent arrives at the sanctuary, and the gifts of the

τῶν δύο πολιτειῶν ἐνεχθέντος ἐνταῦθα παρὰ Χοσρόου, βασιλέως βασιλέων, υἱοῦ Κοάδου, τοῦ ἡμετέρου πατρός, καὶ εὑρεθέντος ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις θησαυροῖς, ἐπέμψαμεν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ πανσέπτου Σεργίου." 5.13.7 ῾Ο μὲν οὖν σατράπης κατὰ τὸ διατεταγμένον αὐτῷ ἀπέδοτο τὸν σταυρὸν τά τε γράμματα τοῦ βασιλέως. τῷ δὲ ἐπιόντι ἐνιαυτῷ ὁ τοῦ Περσικοῦ βασιλεὺς ἀναγορεύει βασίλειαν Σειρέμ, γένους ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ, (ἦν δὲ θρησκείας Χριστιανῶν), εἰς ὥραν ἀνθοῦσαν γάμῳ ταύτῃ κατευνασθεὶς κἀντεῦθεν παραχαράττων τῶν Βαβυλωνίων τὰ νόμιμα. 5.14.1 τρίτῳ δὲ ἔτει καὶ ἠντιβόλει τὸν δραστικώτατον ἐν Περσίδι Σέργιον παῖδα ἐκ τῆς Σειρὲμ δοθῆναι αὐτῷ. μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ τούτου γεγονότος αὐτῷ, δώροις καὶ αὖθις γεραίρει τὸν εὐεργέτην εἰκότως. ἐπιστολὴν δὲ ἐξέπμεψεν ῾Ελληνικῇ συμφράσει χρησάμενος. εἶχε δὲ ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἐπὶ λέξεως οὕτως. 5.14.2 "Τῷ μεγαλομάρτυρι Σεργίῳ Χοσρόης, βασιλεὺς βασιλέων. ἐγὼ Χοσρόης, βασιλεὺς βασιλέων, υἱὸς Χοσρόου, τὰ δῶρα τὰ μετὰ τοῦ δίσκου ἐξέπεμψα οὐκ εἰς θέαν ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ ἵνα ἐκ τῶν λόγων μου τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ πανσέπτου σου ὀνόματος γνωσθῇ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ γνωσθῆναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῶν γενομένων καὶ τὰς πολλὰς χάριτας καὶ εὐεργεσίας ἃς ἔσχον παρὰ σοῦ· εὐτυχία γάρ μοί ἐστιν, ἵνα τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα 5.14.3 ἐμφέρηται τοῖς ἱεροῖς σου σκεύεσιν. ἐν τῷ εἶναί με ἐν τῷ Βεραμαῒς ᾐτησάμην παρὰ σοῦ, ἅγιε, ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ συλλαβεῖν Σειρέμ. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἡ Σειρὲμ Χριστιανή ἐστι κἀγὼ ῞Ελλην, ὁ ἡμέτερος νόμος ἄδειαν ἡμῖν 5.14.4 οὐ παρέχει Χριστιανὴν ἔχειν γαμετήν. διὰ οὖν τὴν ἐμὴν πρὸς σὲ εὐγνωμοσύνην διὰ τοῦτο τὸν νόμον παρεῖδον, καὶ ταύτην ἐν γυναιξὶν ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας ἐν γνησιότητι ἔσχον καὶ ἔχω, καὶ οὕτω συνεῖδον νῦν δεηθῆναι τῆς σῆς ἀγα5.14.5 θότητος ἐν γαστρὶ συλλαβεῖν αὐτήν. καὶ ᾐτησάμην καὶ συνεταξάμην ἵνα, ἐὰν ἐν γαστρὶ συλλάβῃ Σειρέμ, τὸν σταυρὸν τὸν φορούμενον παρ' αὐτῆς πέμψω τῷ πανσέπτῳ σου οἴκῳ. καὶ τούτου ἕνεκεν κἀγὼ καὶ ἡ Σειρὲμ τὸν σκοπὸν τοῦτον ἔχομεν, ἵνα εἰς μνημόσυνον τοῦ ὀνόματός σου, ἅγιε, τοῦτον 5.14.6 τὸν σταυρὸν κρατῶμεν. καὶ συνείδομεν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ τὴν τιμὴν αὐτοῦ, μὴ συντείνουσαν περαιτέρω τῶν τετρακισχιλίων τριακοσίων στατήρων μιλιαρισίων, πεντακισχιλίους στατῆρας 5.14.7 ἐκπέμψαι. καὶ ἐξ οὗ τὴν τοιαύτην ἐν ἐμαυτῷ ἔσχον αἴτησιν καὶ ταῦτα διελογισάμην, ἕως οὗ ἐφθάσαμεν εἰς τὸ ῾Ρησωνχοσρών, δέκα ἡμέραι πλέον οὐ διῆλθον, καὶ σύ, ἅγιε, οὐ διὰ τὸ εἶναί με ἄξιον ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν σὴν ἀγαθότητα, ἐφάνης μοι ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτός, καὶ τρίτον εἶπές μοι ὅτι ἡ 5.14.8 Σειρὲμ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχει. κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ὁράματι τρίτον ἀνταπεκρίθην σοι λέγων, καλῶς, καλῶς. καὶ διὰ τὴν σὴν ἁγιωσύνην καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ διὰ τὸ πάνσεπτόν σου ὄνομα, καὶ διὰ τὸ εἶναί σε δοτῆρα τῶν αἰτήσεων, ἐκ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἡ Σειρὲμ τὸ εἰθισμένον ταῖς γυναιξὶν οὐκ 5.14. εἶδεν. ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐδίστασα εἰς τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ τοῖς λόγοις σου ἐπίστευσα, καὶ ὅτι ἅγιος εἶ καὶ ἀληθινὸς δοτὴρ τῶν αἰτήσεων. μετὰ τὸ ταύτην τὰ γυναικεῖα μὴ ὑπομεῖναι, ἐκ τούτου ἔγνων τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ὁράματος καὶ τὴν τῶν παρὰ σοῦ ῥηθέντων 5.14.10 ἀλήθειαν. παραυτὰ οὖν ἔπεμψα τὸν αὐτὸν σταυρὸν καὶ τὴν τούτου τιμὴν ἐν τῷ πανσέπτῳ σου οἴκῳ, κελεύσας ἐκ τῆς τούτου τιμῆς δίσκον ἕνα καὶ ποτήριον ἓν γενέσθαι εἰς λόγον τῶν θείων μυστηρίων, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ σταυρὸν [γενέσθαι καὶ] πηχθῆναι ὀφείλοντα ἐπὶ τῆς τιμίας τραπέζης, καὶ θυμιατήριον, τὰ πάντα χρυσᾶ, καὶ ἀμφίθυρον Οὐννικὸν 5.14.11 κεκοσμημένον χρυσίῳ. τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ μιλιαρίσια εἶναι τοῦ ἁγίου σου οἴκου, ἵνα διὰ τῆς τύχης σου, ἅγιε, εἰς πάντα, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ εἰς τὴν αἴτησιν ταύτην εἰσέλθῃς εἰς βοήθειάν μου καὶ Σειρέμ. καὶ ὃ διὰ τῆς πρεσβείας σου γέγονεν ἡμῖν τῷ ἐλέει τῆς σῆς ἀγαθότητος, καὶ τῷ θελήματί μου καὶ Σειρὲμ εἰς τέλεον προέλθοι, ἵνα κἀγὼ καὶ ἡ Σειρὲμ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ εἰς τὴν σὴν δύναμιν ἐλπίζωμεν καὶ εἰς σὲ ἔτι πιστεύωμεν." 5.14.12 ᾿Ες τάχος τοιγαροῦν ὡς τὸ τέμενος ὁ ἀποσταλεὶς ἀφικνεῖται, τὰ δὲ δῶρα τὰ τοῦ