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fitting for kings. Then indeed, at that time, when Ioasaph received the authority of the kingdom, when he reached the city where the things of the kingdom had been prepared 510 for him, the sign of the Lord's passion, the revered cross of Christ, he placed on each tower of the city; and surrounding the idolatrous temples and altars, he besieged them, he shook them down, he dug up the ground, he uncovered the foundations, leaving no remnant of impiety behind. And in the middle of the city he erected a great and most beautiful temple to the Lord Christ. and he commands the multitude, gathering there continually, to offer reverence to God through the veneration of the cross, he himself coming forward into their midst before all and giving himself to most earnest prayer. And he admonished all those who came under his hand, he exhorted them, he did everything to snatch them from superstitious error and to appropriate them to Christ; and he pointed out the deceit of idolatry and announced the proclamation of the Gospel, he recounted the things concerning the condescension of the Word of God, he preached the wonders of His coming, he made known the passion of the cross through which we have been saved, the power of the resurrection and the ascension to heaven, after these things he announced the fearful day of His dreadful second coming, both the good things laid up for the faithful and the punishments awaiting sinners. All these things he recounted with a kind character and gentle words; for not so much from the weight of his authority and royal magnificence did he wish to be revered and feared, as from his humility and meekness; by which he also drew all the more to himself, being wonderful in his deeds, but gentle and 512 moderate in his spirit. Whence his authority, having taken moderation and gentleness as a great collaborator, made all yield to his words. Indeed, thus in a short time all the people subject to him, both city-dweller and countryman, were initiated by his divinely-inspired words, so as to renounce the polytheistic error and be broken off from the idolatrous libations and abominations, and to be added to the unerring faith, and having been transformed by his teachings, to be made Christ's own. And all those who had been shut up in mountains and caves because of the fear of his father, both priests and monks and a few of the bishops, coming out of their hiding-places, went rejoicing to him. And he, meeting them, honorably received those who for Christ's sake had fallen into such grievous circumstances and had suffered so much, and brought them into his own palace, washing their filthy feet, cleansing their soiled hair, and serving them in every way. Then he enthroned the church newly built for him, and a certain one of the bishops, who had suffered much for his faith in Christ and had lost his own episcopal throne, he established as high priest in it, a holy man and knowledgeable in the ecclesiastical canons, and whose soul was filled with divine zeal. And having immediately prepared a font, he commanded those who were turning to Christ to be baptized. And indeed, the rulers were baptized first and all who were in authority, and then those in the army and 514 the rest of the multitude. And those who were being baptized not only received health of soul, but indeed also as many as were afflicted with bodily diseases and infirmities, casting everything aside, pure in their souls and whole in their bodies, they came up from the divine font, having harvested a healing of both souls and bodies together. For this reason indeed the multitudes also flocked from all sides to King Ioasaph, seeking to be initiated into piety by him. And all the idolatrous objects of worship were being torn down, and all the wealth and the money laid up in the idol-shrines were being taken away; and sacred precincts were being built up to God in their place. And that wealth and the costly garments, King Ioasaph and the treasures

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πρέποντα βασιλεῦσιν. τότε δὴ τότε τὴν ἐξουσίαν παραλαβὼν ὁ Ἰωάσαφ τῆς βασιλείας, ἡνίκα τὴν πόλιν κατέλαβεν ἔνθα τὰ τῆς βασιλείας ηὐτρέπιστο 510 αὐτῷ, τὸ τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ μὲν πάθους σημεῖον, τὸν σεβάσμιον σταυρὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἑκάστῳ ἐφίστησι τῆς πόλεως πύργῳ· τοὺς δὲ εἰδωλικοὺς ναοὺς καὶ βωμοὺς περιστὰς ἐπολιόρκει, κατέσειεν ἀνώρυττε τὸ ἔδαφος, ἐξεκάλυπτε τοὺς θεμελίους, μηδὲν λείψανον τῆς ἀσεβείας καταλιπών. Κατὰ δὲ μέσης τῆς πόλεως ναὸν μέγαν τε καὶ περικαλλῆ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ ἀνεγείρει Χριστῷ. καὶ κελεύει τὸ πλῆθος ἐκεῖ συνεχὲς ἐπιχωριάζοντας προσάγειν τῷ Θεῷ τὸ σέβας διὰ τῆς τοῦ σταυροῦ προσκυνήσεως, εἰς μέσον πρὸ πάντων αὐτὸς παρελθὼν καὶ ἐκτενεστάτῃ διδοὺς ἑαυτὸν δεήσει. πάντας δὲ τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτοῦ χεῖρα γενομένους ἐνουθέτει, παρεκάλει, πάντα ἐποίει τοῦ ἀποσπάσαι τῆς δεισιδαίμονος πλάνης καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ οἰκειῶσαι· τὴν ἀπάτην δὲ ὑπεδείκνυ τῆς εἰδωλομανίας καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα κατήγγελλε τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, τὰ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου διεξῄει συγκαταβάσεως, τὰ θαυμάσια ἐκήρυττε τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας, τὸ πάθος ἐγνώριζε τοῦ σταυροῦ δι' οὗ σεσώσμεθα, τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως δύναμιν καὶ τὴν πρὸς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδον, τὴν φοβερὰν ἐπὶ τούτοις διήγγελλεν ἡμέραν τῆς φρικτῆς αὐτοῦ δευτέρας παρουσίας, τά τε ἀποκείμενα τοῖς πιστοῖς ἀγαθὰ καὶ τὰ ἐκδεχόμενα τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς κολαστήρια. ταῦτα πάντα ἤθει χρηστῷ καὶ μειλιχίοις διεξῄει ῥήμασιν· οὐ τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄγκου τῆς ἐξουσίας καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας ἤθελεν αἰδέσιμος εἶναι καὶ φοβερός, ὅσον ἀπὸ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης καὶ πραότητος· ᾧ καὶ μᾶλλον εἷλκε πάντας πρὸς ἑαυτόν, τῷ εἶναι τοῖς ἔργοις μὲν θαυμάσιος, ἐπιεικὴς δὲ καὶ 512 μέτριος τῷ φρονήματι. ὅθεν ἡ ἐξουσία, τὴν μετριοφροσύνην καὶ ἐπιείκειαν μέγαν συνεργὸν λαβοῦσα, πάντας εἴκειν αὐτοῦ τοῖς λόγοις πεποίηκεν. Ἀμέλει οὕτως ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ πᾶς ὁ ὑποτελὴς αὐτῷ λαὸς πολίτης τε καὶ ἐγχώριος τοῖς θεοφθόγγοις αὐτοῦ ἐμυσταγωγήθη λόγοις, ὡς ἐξαρνήσασθαι μὲν τὴν πολύθεον πλάνην καὶ ἀπορραγῆναι τῶν εἰδωλικῶν σπονδῶν τε καὶ βδελυγμάτων, τῇ ἀπλανεῖ δὲ προστεθῆναι πίστει, καὶ ταῖς αὐτοῦ μεταπλασθέντας διδασκαλίαις τῷ Χριστῷ οἰκειωθῆναι. πάντες δέ, οἱ ἐν ὄρεσι καὶ σπηλαίοις διὰ τὸν φόβον τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐγκεκλεισμένοι, ἱερεῖς τε καὶ μονάζοντες καὶ τῶν ἐπισκόπων ὀλίγοι, ἐξελθόντες τῶν καταδύσεων, πρὸς αὐτὸν χαίροντες ἐχώρουν. αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς διὰ Χριστὸν ἐν τοιούτοις περιπεσόντας ἀνιαροῖς καὶ οὕτω ταλαιπωρήσαντας προσυπαντῶν ἐντίμως ἐδέχετο, καὶ εἰς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ εἰσῆγε παλάτιον, πόδας ῥύπτων, κόμην ῥυπῶσαν ἀποπλύνων, καὶ παντοίως αὐτοὺς θεραπεύων. εἶτα τὴν νεουργηθεῖσαν αὐτῷ ἐνθρονίζει ἐκκλησίαν, καί τινα τῶν ἐπισκόπων, πολλὰ διὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν κακοπαθήσαντα καὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἀπολέσαντα τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς θρόνον, ἀρχιερέα ἐν ταύτῃ καθίστησιν, ἄνδρα ἅγιον καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν κανόνων ἐπιστήμονα, ζήλου τε θείου τὴν ψυχὴν πεπληρωμένον. κολυμβήθραν δὲ εὐθὺς σχεδιάσας, βαπτίζειν τοὺς πρὸς Χριστὸν ἐπιστρέφοντας κελεύει. καὶ δὴ βαπτίζονται οἱ ἄρχοντες πρῶτον καὶ ὅσοι ἐν τέλει, οἱ ἐν στρατείᾳ τε αὖθις καὶ 514 ὁ λοιπὸς ὄχλος. καὶ οἱ βαπτιζόμενοι οὐ μόνον τὴν ψυχικὴν ἀπελάμβανον ὑγίειαν, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ ὅσοι νόσοις ἦσαν σωματικαῖς καὶ πηρώσεσι πιεζόμενοι, πάντα ἀποθέμενοι, καθαροὶ τὰς ψυχάς, ἄρτιοι δὲ τὰ σώματα, τῆς θείας ἀνήρχοντο κολυμβήθρας, θεραπείαν τρυγήσαντες ψυχῶν τε ὁμοῦ καὶ σωμάτων. Ἔνθεν τοι καὶ συνέρρει πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Ἰωάσαφ πανταχόθεν τὰ πλήθη, μυηθῆναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ζητοῦντες. καὶ πάντα μὲν κατεσκάπτετο εἰδωλικὰ σεβάσματα, ἀφῄρητο δὲ πᾶς ὁ πλοῦτος καὶ τὰ ἀποκείμενα τοῖς εἰδωλείοις χρήματα· καὶ ἱερὰ τεμένη τῷ Θεῷ ἀντῳκοδομεῖτο. καὶ τὸν ἐκεῖνον πλοῦτον αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰς πολυτελεῖς ἐσθῆτας ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰωάσαφ καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς