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he provided an abundance of arguments and scriptural thoughts. And while some stretched their bows against the blasphemy of Arius, this man, as if from some armory, brought forth arrows from his mind; both at home and in public debate, he easily broke the nets of the heretics and showed their propositions to be spiderwebs. Fighting alongside these was that Aphraates, whose life we have described in the Philotheus Historia. For, preferring the salvation of the sheep to tranquility, he left his ascetic hut and bore the toils of a shepherd. Now, how much wealth of virtue this man collected, I think it superfluous to say now, having written these things in another work; but I will relate only one of his deeds, very pertinent to this history. On the north, the Orontes river flows past the palace, while on the south a very large two-storied portico is built upon the city's 265 wall, having high towers on either side. Between the palace and the river is a public road that receives those exiting the city from the gates on this side and sends them on to the suburban fields. Through this road the divine Aphraates was passing as he went to the field of battle, to render the proper care for the divine sheep. The emperor, leaning out from the royal portico above, saw him wrapped in a coarse cloak and walking briskly in his old age; and when someone said that this was Aphraates, on whom the city's populace depended, he said to him: "Where are you walking, tell me." And he, wisely and aptly, said: "To pray for your kingdom." "But you should have stayed at home," the emperor said, "and prayed indoors according to the monastic rule." But that divine man said: "You speak very well, O emperor; I should have done this. And I continued to do this until now, as long as the Savior's sheep enjoyed peace. But since they have endured a great disturbance and a great danger hangs over them that they may become prey to beasts, it is necessary to move every resource and save the flock. Tell me," he said, "O emperor, if I happened to be a maiden sitting inside in her chamber and attending to her spinning, and then I saw a flame fall and consume my father's house, what would it be proper for me to do, tell me? To sit inside 266 and watch the house being burned and wait for the flame's attack, or to bid farewell to the chamber, run up and down, carry water, and extinguish the flame? Clearly you will say the latter; for this is the part of a clever and sensible maiden. This I am doing now, O emperor. For since you have cast the flame into our father's house, we are running about trying to extinguish it." He said these things, and the other, falling silent, threatened him. And one of those of the imperial bedchamber, who had threatened the divine man more insolently, suffered something of this sort. Having been entrusted with the care of the bath, immediately after these words he went down to prepare it for the emperor; but upon entering, being struck in his senses, he went down into the hottest unmixed water and died. The emperor was sitting and waiting for him to announce his entry. When much time was spent, the emperor sent others to report the reason for the delay. They went inside and, having searched everywhere, found him dead in the unmixed hot water and dissolved by the heat. And when this became known to the emperor, they recognized the power of Aphraates' prayer, but they did not abandon their impious doctrines, but hardened their hearts like Pharaoh; and having learned of the miracle of the horse, the thunderstruck man remained, raging against piety. 267 And at this time that much-hymned Julian, whom I have also mentioned before, was compelled to leave the desert and to enter Antioch. For since those who were nourished on falsehood and who wove slanders very easily, I mean those who held the opinions of Arius, were insisting that that great man was of their faction, the luminaries of the truth sent,

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παρεῖχεν ἀφθονίαν ἐνθυμημάτων τε καὶ γραφικῶν νοημάτων. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἔτεινον κατὰ τῆς Ἀρείου βλασφημίας τὰ τόξα, οὗτος δὲ καθάπερ ἔκ τινος ὁπλοθήκης, ἐκ τῆς διανοίας τὰ βέλη προσέφερεν· οἴκοι μέντοι καὶ δημοσίᾳ διαλεγόμενος, τῶν αἱρετικῶν τὰς ἄρκυς ῥᾳδίως διέσπα καὶ ἀράχνια ἐδείκνυ τὰ ἐκείνων προβλήματα. Συνηγωνίζετο δὲ τούτοις καὶ Ἀφραάτης ἐκεῖνος, οὗ τὴν πολι τείαν ἐν τῇ Φιλοθέῳ συνεγράψαμεν Ἱστορίᾳ. τὴν γὰρ τῶν προβάτων σωτηρίαν προτιμήσας τῆς ἡσυχίας, τὴν ἀσκητικὴν καταλιμπάνων κα λύβην τῶν ποιμενικῶν ἱδρώτων ἠνείχετο. ὁπόσον μὲν οὖν οὗτος ἀρετῆς συνέλεξε πλοῦτον, περιττὸν ἡγοῦμαι νῦν λέγειν, ἐν ἑτέρᾳ πραγ ματείᾳ ταῦτα συγγεγραφώς· ἓν δὲ μόνον τῶν ἐκείνου διηγήσομαι μάλα προσῆκον τῇδε τῇ ἱστορίᾳ. Βορρᾶθεν μὲν Ὀρόντης ὁ ποταμὸς παραρρεῖ τὰ βασίλεια, ἐκ δὲ μεσημβρίας στοὰ μεγίστη διόροφος τῷ τῆς πόλεως ἐπῳκοδόμηται 265 περιβόλῳ, πύργους ὑψηλοὺς ἑκατέρωθεν ἔχουσα. μεταξὺ δὲ τῶν τε βασιλείων καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ λεωφόρος ἐστὶν ὑποδεχομένη τοὺς ἐκ τῶν τῇδε πυλῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἄστεως ἐξιόντας καὶ εἰς τοὺς προαστείους ἀγροὺς παραπέμπουσα. διὰ ταύτης Ἀφραάτης παριὼν ὁ θεσπέσιος εἰς τὸ πολεμικὸν ἀπῄει γυμνάσιον, τῶν θείων προβάτων τὴν προσή κουσαν ποιησόμενος θεραπείαν. τοῦτον ἄνωθεν ἐκ τῆς βασιλείου στοᾶς διακύπτων ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶδε σισύραν τε ἀναβεβλημένον καὶ ἐν γήρᾳ βαθεῖ συντόνως βαδίζοντα· καί τινος εἰρηκότος ὡς Ἀφραάτης οὗτος, οὗ τὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐξήρτηται πλῆθος, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· "ποῦ σὺ βαδίζεις, εἰπέ". ὁ δὲ σοφῶς ἅμα καὶ προσφόρως· "ὑπὲρ τῆς σῆς", ἔφη, "προσευξόμενος βασιλείας". "ἀλλ' οἴκοι σε μένειν ἐχρῆν", ὁ βα σιλεὺς ἔφη, "καὶ ἔνδον κατὰ τὸν μοναχικὸν προσεύχεσθαι νόμον". ὁ δὲ θεῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνήρ· "εὖ μάλα", ἔφη, "λέγεις, ὦ βασιλεῦ· τοῦτό με δρᾶν ἔδει. καὶ τοῦτο δρῶν μέχρι καὶ νῦν διετέλεσα, ἕως εἰρήνης ἀπήλαυε τοῦ σωτῆρος τὰ πρόβατα. ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολὺν ὑπομεμένηκε θόρυβον καὶ πολὺς ἐπικρέμαται κίνδυνος μὴ θηριάλωτα γένηται, πάντα κινεῖν πόρον ἀνάγκη καὶ διασώζειν τὰ θρέμματα. εἰπὲ γάρ μοι", ἔφη, "ὦ βασιλεῦ, εἰ κόρη τις ἐτύγχανον ἔνδον ἐν θαλάμῳ καθημένη καὶ ταλασίας ἐπιμελουμένη, εἶτα ἐθεασάμην ἐμπεσοῦσαν φλόγα καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν οἰκίαν νεμομένην, τί με δρᾶσαι προσῆκεν εἰπέ μοι; ἔν 266 δον καθῆσθαι καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐμπιπραμένην περιορᾶν καὶ τῆς φλογὸς προσμένειν τὴν ἐμβολήν, ἢ τῷ θαλάμῳ χαίρειν εἰποῦσαν διαθέειν ἄνω καὶ κάτω καὶ ὑδροφορεῖν καὶ σβεννύναι τὴν φλόγα; δῆλον ὅτι τοῦτο ἐρεῖς· τοῦτο γὰρ κόρης ἀγχίνου τε καὶ φρενήρους. τοῦτο δρῶ νῦν, ὦ βασιλεῦ. σοῦ γὰρ εἰς τὴν πατρῴαν ἡμῶν οἰκίαν ἐμβαλόντος τὴν φλόγα, περιθέομεν κατασβέσαι ταύτην πειρώμενοι". ταῦτα ὁ μὲν εἶπεν, ὁ δὲ σιγήσας ἠπείλησεν. εἷς δὲ τῶν περὶ τὸν βασιλικὸν κοι τῶνα, θρασύτερον ἀπειλήσας τῷ θείῳ ἀνδρί, τοιόνδε τι πέπονθε. Τοῦ βαλανείου πεπιστευμένος τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, εὐθὺς μετὰ τούσδε τοὺς λόγους κατῆλθε τοῦτο εὐτρεπίσων τῷ βασιλεῖ· εἴσω δὲ γενόμενος καὶ τὰς φρένας πληγεὶς εἰς τὸ θερμότατον ὕδωρ τὸ ἄκρατον κατελήλυθέ τε καὶ τετελεύτηκεν. καθῆστο δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς προσμένων ἐκεῖνον ὥστε οἱ μηνῦσαι τὴν εἴσοδον. ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολὺς ἀνηλώθη καιρός, ἀπέστει λεν ἑτέρους ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς μελλήσεως τὴν αἰτίαν μηνύσοντας. οἱ δὲ εἴσω γενόμενοι καὶ πάντα περισκοπήσαντες εὗρον ἐκεῖνον ἐν τῷ ἀκράτῳ τεθνεῶτα καὶ διαλυθέντα θερμῷ. καὶ τούτου δήλου γενο μένου τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἔγνωσαν μὲν τῆς Ἀφραάτου προσευχῆς τὴν ἰσχύν, τῶν δογμάτων δὲ τῶν δυσσεβῶν οὐκ ἐξέστησαν, ἀλλ' ἐσκλήρυναν κατὰ τὸν Φαραὼ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν· καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἵππου δὲ θαυμα τουργίαν μεμαθηκώς, ὁ ἐμβρόντητος μεμένηκε κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας λυττῶν. 267 Κατὰ τοῦτον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν καὶ Ἰουλιανὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ πολυύμνητος, οὗ καὶ πρόσθεν ἐμνήσθην, καταλιπεῖν μὲν τὴν ἔρημον, εἰς δὲ τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν εἰσελθεῖν ἠναγκάσθη. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ τῷ ψεύδει συντε θραμμένοι καὶ τὰς συκοφαντίας μάλα ῥᾳδίως ὑφαίνοντες, οἱ τὰ Ἀρείου λέγω φρονοῦντες, τὸν μέγαν ἄνδρα ἐκεῖνον ἰσχυρίζοντο τῆς σφετέρας εἶναι συμμορίας, ἀπέστειλαν οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας φωστῆρες,