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his life was despaired of. But when some monks arrived to visit him and asked how he was, he replied with a thin and weak voice that he was already fading away. They said, "If you would agree to approve the veneration of the icons and persuade the empress to this, you will not long lack both strength of body and salvation of soul." And he promised, and the illness weakened and Manuel recovered. And now having regained his health, he approached the empress and spoke about the venerable icons and urged their restoration, with her mother and her patrician relatives also advocating these things. She was a razor to a whetstone. And 383 first she released all those who had been sent into exile by Theophilos and those who had been imprisoned and those who were struggling with other afflictions. Then she also ordered an inquiry to be made concerning the heresy, and when it took place, the multitude of the orthodox prevailed. But before the inquiry, she deposed the falsely-named patriarch, the sorcerer John, from the patriarchal throne, who had unlawfully occupied it for six years, and in his place she installed the holy and divine Methodios. And with him presiding over the body of the orthodox, the inquiry took place and the public veneration and restoration of the holy images. At which time they say the empress most fervently besought the patriarch and the other bishops and monks to offer a common prayer to God so that the emperor, her husband, might obtain salvation; and indeed that they prayed most fervently to God, and that he did not disregard the petition of his servants, but deemed the emperor Theophilos worthy of forgiveness. These things are reported and by those who look to the loving-kindness of God and 384 are accepted and believed. For no one will disbelieve, except one who does not 384 think that the intercessions of the saints to God have great power, nor knows how to measure the goodness of God against human ignorances. Thus, then, did the restoration of the holy icons come about. But the deposed patriarch John, or Jannes, having been confined in a certain monastery and having found there an icon of the savior Christ and of her who bore him without seed, gouged out the eyes of the venerable images. When the empress learned this, she was filled with divine zeal and ordered the eyes of that impious man to be put out; but the command was not carried into effect, as some people soothed the just anger of the empress. But sending for him, she had him scourged with a rod, the scourging being extended up to two hundred lashes. But even in this state, the sorcerer and those who shared his opinions and had been subjected to the same deposition could not bear to remain quiet. But they contrived a plot against the holy Methodios, a malicious deed worthy of their folly, or rather, their malevolence. For 385 having corrupted a certain disgraceful woman with a large gift of gold, they persuaded her to accuse that renowned man of having had illicit relations with her. And the leading men of the senate were present as examiners of the accusation. And the woman was brought forward, saying whatever she had been instructed beforehand by those impious slanderers, and seemingly refuting the saint to his face. But he for a time kept silent; but when he saw the body of the church looking downcast, and before all others the magistros Manuel, he stood up, and in the sight of all lifted with his hands the hem of his garment and exposed his private parts; and they were completely withered and had suffered a wasting away from some incident, so that it was clear that they could not be active for sexual intercourse. This became a cause of joy and amazement for the right-minded, but for the slanderers, of shame and great despondency. And when the saint was asked whence the wasting of his private parts had happened to him, that truly venerable man said, "I was once sent on some business to Rome, and while I was staying there, the demon brought upon me a burning of the flesh, and the affliction was very strong and the 386 inflammation of desire did not cease, but burned more intensely day by day. Fearing, therefore, for my sound reason, lest it might be dragged down by the necessity of the flesh, I approached the

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ἀπέγνωστο αὐτῷ ἡ ζωή. μοναχῶν δέ τινων εἰς ἐπίσκεψιν ἀφικομένων αὐτοῦ καὶ ὅπως ἔχει πυνθανομένων, ἐκεῖνος λεπτῇ καὶ ἀδρανεῖ τῇ φωνῇ ὅσον ἤδη ἐκλείπειν ἀνταπεκρίνατο. οἱ δέ "εἰ σύνθοιο" ἔφησαν "τῇ τῶν εἰκόνων συνευδοκῆσαι τιμῇ καὶ τὴν βασίλισσαν εἰς τοῦτο παρακροτῆσαι, οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἔσται σοι καὶ ῥῶσις σώματος καὶ σωτηρία ψυχῆς." καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐπηγγείλατο, καὶ ἡ νόσος ἠσθένει καὶ ὁ Μανουὴλ ἀνερρώννυτο. ἤδη δὲ τὴν ὑγείαν ἀπολαβὼν πρόσεισι τῇ βασιλίσσῃ καὶ περὶ τῶν σεβαστῶν εἰκόνων ὡμίλει καὶ τὴν αὐτῶν κατήπειγεν ἀναστήλωσιν, ταῦτα καὶ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτῆς καὶ τῶν συγγόνων πρεσβευόντων τῶν πατρικίων. ἡ δὲ ξυρὸς ἦν εἰς ἀκόνην. καὶ 383 πρότερον μὲν τοὺς ἐν ὑπερορίαις παραπεμφθέντας παρὰ τοῦ Θεοφίλου καὶ τοὺς καθειργμένους καὶ τοὺς ἄλλαις κακώσεσι προσπαλαίοντας πάντας ἀνῆκεν. εἶτα καὶ ζήτησιν γενέσθαι προσέταξε περὶ τῆς αἱρέσεως, καὶ γενομένης ἡ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων ὑπερέσχε πληθύς. πρὸ τῆς ζητήσεως δὲ τὸν ψευδώνυμον πατριάρχην τὸν γόητα Ἰωάννην τοῦ ἀρχιερατικοῦ κατασπᾷ θρόνου, ἀθέσμως ἐπιβεβηκότα τούτου ἐπὶ ἐνιαυτοὺς ἕξ, ἀντεισάγει δὲ τὸν ἱερὸν καὶ θεῖον Μεθόδιον. καὶ αὐτοῦ προεστῶτος τοῦ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων πληρώματος ἡ ζήτησις γέγονε καὶ ἡ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκτυπωμάτων εἰς τοὐμφανὲς προσκύνησίς τε καὶ ἀναστήλωσις. ὅτε φασὶ τὴν βασίλισσαν θερμότατα δεηθῆναι τοῦ τε πατριάρχου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρχιερέων καὶ μοναχῶν κοινὴν προσενεγκεῖν δέησιν τῷ θεῷ ὥστε σωτηρίας τυχεῖν τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ξυνευνέτην αὐτῆς· καὶ μέντοι καὶ θερμότατα δεηθῆναι αὐτοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τὸν μὴ παριδεῖν τὴν αἴτησιν τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἀξιῶσαι συγγνώμης τὸν βασιλέα Θεόφιλον. ᾄδεται ταῦτα καὶ τοῖς ἀφορῶσι πρὸς τὸ φιλάνθρωπον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ 384 δέχεται καὶ πιστεύεται. ἀπιστήσει γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἢ ὅστις οὐ μέγα 384 οἴεται δύνασθαι τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ἐντεύξεις τὰς πρὸς θεόν, οὐδ' ἀντιμετρεῖν οἶδε τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγαθότητα πρὸς τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἀγνοήματα. ἡ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἁγίων εἰκόνων οὕτω γέγονεν ἀναστήλωσις. ὁ δὲ καθαιρεθεὶς πατριάρχης Ἰωάννης ἢ Ἰαννῆς ἐν μονῇ τινι περιορισθεὶς καὶ εὑρηκὼς ἐκεῖ εἰκόνα τοῦ σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ καὶ τῆς αὐτὸν ἀσπόρως τεκούσης, τὰ ὄμματα τῶν σεβασμίων ἐκτυπωμάτων ἐξώρυξεν. ὃ μαθοῦσα ἡ βασιλὶς καὶ ζῆλον θεῖον ζηλώσασα τοὺς τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς ἐκείνου ἐκκοπῆναι προσέταξεν ὀφθαλμούς· ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς ἔργον ἐξέβη τὸ πρόσταγμα, τῇ βασιλίδι τὴν δικαίαν ὀργὴν καταπραϋνάντων τινῶν. πέμψασα δὲ σκυτάλῃ τοῦτον ᾐκίσατο, τῶν αἰκισμῶν παραταθέντων μέχρις ἑκατοντάδος διπλῆς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως ἔχων ὁ γόης καὶ οἱ ὁμοδοξοῦντες αὐτῷ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ καθαιρέσει ὑποβληθέντες ἠρεμεῖν οὐκ ἠνείχοντο. συσκευάζουσι δὲ κατὰ τοῦ ἱεροῦ Μεθοδίου σκαιώρημα τῆς αὐτῶν ἀπονοίας ἢ κακονοίας μᾶλλον ἐπάξιον. γύναιον γάρ τι 385 αἰσχρὸν χρυσίου δόσει πολλοῦ ὑποφθείραντες κατηγορῆσαι πεπείκασι τοῦ ἀοιδίμου ἐκείνου ἀνδρὸς ὡς συμφθαρέντος αὐτῷ. καὶ τῆς κατηγορίας οἱ προὔχοντες τῆς συγκλήτου παρῆσαν ἐξετασταί. καὶ παρῆκτο τὸ γύναιον λέγον ὅσα παρὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἐκείνων συκοφαντῶν προκατήχητο καὶ εἰς πρόσωπον ἐλέγχον δῆθεν τὸν ἅγιον. ὁ δὲ τέως μὲν ἡσυχίαν ἦγεν· ὡς δὲ σκυθρωπάζον ἑώρα τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸ πλήρωμα, καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων τὸν μάγιστρον Μανουήλ, ἀνίσταται μέν, αἴρει δ' ἐπ' ὄψει πάντων ταῖς χερσὶ τὸ κράσπεδον τῆς περιβολῆς καὶ ἀπογυμνοῖ τὴν αἰδῶ· ἡ δὲ ἦν κατεψυγμένη πάντῃ καὶ μαρασμὸν ἀπό τινος συμβάματος ὑπομείνασα, ὡς δῆλον εἶναι μὴ δύνασθαι ταύτην πρὸς ἀφροδίσια ἐνεργεῖν. τοῦτο τοῖς μὲν ὀρθόφροσι χαρμονῆς καὶ θάμβους ἐγένετο αἴτιον, τοῖς δὲ συκοφάνταις αἰσχύνης καὶ ἀθυμίας πολλῆς. ὡς δ' ἠρωτᾶτο ὁ ἅγιος ὅθεν ὁ τῶν αἰδοίων αὐτῷ συμβέβηκε μαρασμός, ὁ αἰδοῖος ὄντως ἐκεῖνος "ἐστάλην" εἶπε "ποτὲ κατά τινα χρείαν εἰς Ῥώμην, κἀν ταύτῃ διάγοντι πύρωσίν μοι τῆς σαρκὸς ὁ δαίμων ἐπήνεγκε, καὶ ἦν τὸ πάθος σφοδρότερον καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἔρωτος οὐκ ἔληγε 386 φλεγμονή, ἀλλ' ὁσημέραι ἀκμαιότερον ἐξεκάετο. δείσας οὖν περὶ τῷ σώφρονι λογισμῷ, μήποτε τῇ σαρκὸς ἀνάγκῃ ὑποσυρῇ, πρόσειμι τῇ