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sent by the emperor and an infantry from Phrygia of those called Lykokranitai; and he appointed Belisarius as stratelates of the East, succeeding Hypatius the patrician, son of Secundinus. And on the 12th of the month of May, Hermogenes the magister, the Scythian, a wise man, entered Antioch, having been sent as an ambassador by the emperor Justinian to the king of the Persians concerning peace. And in the month of June, Samaritans and Jews in Palestine crowned a certain Julianus as king and, taking up arms against the Christians, they committed robberies and murders and arsons against Christians. whom God delivered into the hands of Justinian, and he destroyed them all, and beheaded the tyrant Julianus. But Chosroes, the king of the Persians, having received Hermogenes the magister who was an ambassador with gifts concerning peace in the month of July of the same 7th indiction, took the gifts but did not accept to make 179 peace, having been persuaded by Samaritans who had fled to him and suggested to him to betray their country, all of Palestine, as they had as allies both Jews and Samaritans, 50,000 strong. Emboldened by these, Chosroes did not choose peace, wishing also to take Jerusalem through them, which had countless centenaria of gold and many precious stones. And he took as a pretext the matter of the gold mines in the mountains of Armenia, which formerly paid tribute of a talent each to both the Romans and the Persians, but now paid only to the Romans. And alleging certain other points, he wrote to the emperor. When the plot of the Samaritans became known, as they were returning from the Persians they were arrested at Ammadios. They were five Samaritans by name from among their wealthy men; and they were handed over to the stratelates Belisarius and, having been interrogated, confessed everything. At the same time, the dux of Palestine started a feud with the phylarch of the Saracens under Roman rule; and the phylarch, becoming afraid, entered the inner limes. And Alamoundaros, having learned of this, attacked, captured and killed him, and taking his wives and children, he returned. And when the duces of Phoenicia and Arabia and Mesopotamia and the phylarch learned this, they pursued after him; and Alamoundaros, hearing of it, fled to the Indian regions, into which no Roman had ever entered. And they captured their tents and took many Saracen captives, men and women and children, and as many Roman captives as they found, and camels and sheep and cattle and much silk and clothing. And they also burned four Persian forts and returned with a great victory. 180 Year of the world 6022. Year of the divine incarnation 522. Justinian, emperor of the Romans, for 38 years. 3rd. Chosroes, king of the Persians, for 48 years. 5th. Felix, bishop of Rome, for 4 years. 4th. Epiphanius, bishop of Constantinople, for 16 years. 10th. Elias, bishop of Jerusalem, for 23 years. 19th. Timothy, bishop of Alexandria, for 17 years. 10th. Ephraimius, bishop of Antioch, for 18 years. 3rd. In this year of the 8th indiction, the emperor Justinian made a great persecution against the Hellenes and every heresy, and he confiscated their property. And Macedonius, the former referendarius, was also accused, and Asclepiodotus, the former prefect, who, becoming afraid, drank poison and died; and Pegasius of Heliopolis along with his children were examined in a public procession; and Phocas, the patrician, son of Craterus, and the quaestor Thomas and others were arrested; and there was great fear. And the emperor decreed that the Hellenizers and the heretics should not hold public office, but only the orthodox Christians, giving them also a period of up to three months for conversion. And in the month of March of the same 8th indiction, in Antioch, Hermogenes, the magister, of consular rank, and Rufinus, the patrician, of stratelates rank, ambassadors departing for the Persian regions, and having arrived at Dara, they announced to the

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πεμφθεῖσα ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ πεζικὴ ἐκ Φρυγίας τῶν λεγομένων Λυκοκρανιτῶν· καὶ προεβάλετο στρατηλάτην ἀνατολῆς Βελισάριον διαδεξάμενος Ὑπάτιον πατρίκιον τὸν Σεκουνδίνου. καὶ τῇ ιβʹ τοῦ Μαΐου μηνὸς εἰσῆλθεν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ Ἑρμογένης ὁ μάγιστρος ὁ Σκύθης, ἀνὴρ σοφός, πρέσβις ἀπολυθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰουστινιανοῦ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Περσῶν περὶ εἰρήνης. τῷ δὲ Ἰουνίῳ μηνὶ Σαμαρεῖται καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ βασιλέα Ἰουλιανόν τινα ἔστεψαν καὶ κατὰ Χριστιανῶν ὅπλα κινήσαντες ἁρπαγὰς καὶ φόνους καὶ ἐμπυρισμοὺς κατὰ Χριστιανῶν εἰργάσαντο. οὓς ὁ θεὸς παρέδωκεν εἰς χεῖρας Ἰουστινιανοῦ, καὶ ἀνήλωσε πάντας, καὶ ἀπεκεφάλισε τὸν τύραννον Ἰουλιανόν. Χοσρόης δέ, ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεύς, δεξάμενος Ἑρμογένην τὸν μάγιστρον μετὰ δώρων πρεσβεύοντα περὶ εἰρήνης τῷ Ἰουλίῳ μηνὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ζʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος, λαβὼν τὰ δῶρα εἰρήνην οὐ κατεδέξατο 179 ποιῆσαι, ἀναπεισθεὶς ὑπὸ Σαμαρειτῶν προσφυγόντων αὐτῷ καὶ ὑποτιθεμένων αὐτῷ προδιδόναι τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν, πᾶσαν τὴν Παλαιστίνην, ὡς ἔχοντες καὶ συμμαχίαν Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Σαμαρείτας χιλιάδας νʹ. τούτοις θαρρήσας Χοσρόης οὐ προείλετο τὴν εἰρήνην βουλόμενος καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ δι' αὐτῶν παραλαβεῖν ἔχουσαν χρυσοῦ ἀναρίθμητα κεντηνάρια καὶ λιθέαν πολλήν. ἀφορμὴν δὲ ἔλαβε περὶ τῶν χρυσωρυχίων τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν Ἀρμενίας, ὡς πρώην ἀνὰ ταλάντου τελούντων Ῥωμαίοις τε καὶ Πέρσαις, νῦν δὲ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις μόνοις τελούντων. καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ κεφάλαια προφασιζόμενος ἔγραφε τῷ βασιλεῖ. γνωσθέντος δὲ τοῦ δράματος τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν, ἐν τῳ ὑποστρέφειν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν Περσῶν ἐκρατήθησαν εἰς τὸ Ἀμμάδιος. ἦσαν δὲ Σαμαρεῖται ὀνόματα πέντε ἐκ τῶν εὐπόρων αὐτῶν· καὶ παρεδόθησαν τῷ στρατηλάτῃ Βελισαρίῳ καὶ ἐξετασθέντες ὡμολόγησαν πάντα. Τῷ δ' αὐτῷ χρόνῳ ὁ δοὺξ Παλαιστίνης ἐποίησεν ἔχθραν μετὰ τοῦ φυλάρχου τῶν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους Σαρακηνῶν· καὶ φοβηθεὶς ὁ φύλαρχος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ ἐσώτερον λιμιτόν. καὶ μαθὼν ὁ Ἀλαμούνδαρος, ἐπιρρίψας παρέλαβεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐφόνευσεν, καὶ λαβὼν τὰς γυναῖκας αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑπέστρεψεν. καὶ μαθόντες οἱ δοῦκες τῆς Φοινίκης καὶ Ἀραβίας καὶ Μεσοποταμίας καὶ ὁ φύλαρχος ἐδίωξαν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἀλαμούνδαρος ἔφυγεν εἰς τὰ Ἰνδικὰ μέρη, εἰς ἃ οὐδεὶς τῶν Ῥωμαίων εἰσῆλθέ ποτε. παρέλαβον δὲ καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς αὐτῶν καὶ ἤνεγκαν αἰχμαλωσίαν πολλὴν Σαρακηνῶν, ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ παίδων, καὶ ὅσους εὗρον Ῥωμαίους αἰχμαλώτους καὶ καμήλους καὶ πρόβατα καὶ βόας καὶ πολλὴν μέταξιν καὶ ἱματισμόν. ἔκαυσαν δὲ καὶ Περσικὰ κάστρα τέσσαρα καὶ ὑπέστρεψαν μετὰ νίκης μεγάλης. 180 Κόσμου ἔτη ϛκβʹ. Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη φκβʹ. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς ἔτη ληʹ. γʹ. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Χοσρόης ἔτη μηʹ. εʹ. Ῥώμης ἐπίσκοπος Φίλιξ ἔτη δʹ. δʹ. Κωνσταντ. ἐπίσκοπος Ἐπιφάνιος ἔτη ιϛʹ. ιʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Ἡλίας ἔτη κγʹ. ιθʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Τιμόθεος ἔτη ιζʹ. ιʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος Ἐφραΐμιος ἔτη ιηʹ. γʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει τῆς ηʹ ἐπινεμήσεως ἐποίησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς διωγμὸν μέγαν κατὰ Ἑλλήνων καὶ πάσης αἱρέσεως καὶ τὰς τούτων οὐσίας ἐδήμευσεν. κατηγορήθη δὲ καὶ Μακεδόνιος, ὁ ἀπὸ ῥεφερενδαρίων, καὶ Ἀσκληπιόδοτος, ὁ ἀπὸ ἐπάρχων, ὅστις καὶ φοβηθεὶς ἐπίπισε καὶ ἀπέθανεν· καὶ Πηγάσιος ὁ Ἡλιουπολίτης σὺν τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτοῦ ἐν προόδῳ ἐξητάσθησαν· καὶ Φωκᾶς, ὁ πατρίκιος τοῦ Κρατεροῦ, καὶ ὁ κυαίστωρ Θωμᾶς καὶ ἄλλοι συνελήφθησαν· καὶ πολὺς φόβος ἐγένετο. καὶ ἐθέσπισεν ὁ βασιλεύς, ὥστε μὴ πολιτεύεσθαι τοὺς ἑλληνίζοντας μηδὲ τοὺς αἱρετικούς, εἰ μὴ μόνους τοὺς ὀρθοδόξους Χριστιανούς, δοὺς αὐτοῖς καὶ προθεσμίαν ἕως μηνῶν τριῶν πρὸς ἐπιστροφήν. τῷ δὲ Μαρτίῳ μηνὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ηʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ Ἑρμογένης, ὁ ἀπὸ ὑπάτων μάγιστρος, καὶ Ῥουφῖνος, ὁ ἀπὸ στρατηλατῶν πατρίκιος, ἐπὶ τὰ Περσικὰ μέρη ἀπερχόμενοι πρεσβευταί, καὶ φθάσαντες εἰς τὸ ∆αρᾶς ἐμήνυσαν τῷ