107
to be of the war. For if he desired peace, he would not have come into the land of the Romans seeking it, but remaining in his own country he would have received the ambassadors. And having said these things, he sent the ambassador away. And he, having arrived before Chosroes, said that he had seen a general, Belisarius, who was exceedingly intelligent and brave, and soldiers such as he himself had never seen others, "whose good order I admired, though gathered from different nations;" and he advised Chosroes not to join in battle with them, lest, if he were defeated, the whole of the Persian kingdom fall, since he was in Roman land and had no place for flight. And for him to be victorious was no great thing, for he would conquer only a general of the Romans. And Chosroes, on his advice, immediately intended to return to his own lands. For he was afraid to make the crossing of the river, as the Romans were holding it. And after much deliberation, he sent to Belisarius, asking him to withdraw those who had crossed the river and to grant him unhindered passage. But Belisarius immediately sent ambassadors to him and praised him for his withdrawal and assured him that ambassadors would soon arrive from the emperor, so that they might arbitrate the peace. And Chosroes asked Belisarius to make the passage through the land of the Romans without danger. And Belisarius sent John of Edessa, a most distinguished man, as a hostage to Chosroes so that he might pass through the Roman country without danger. And the Romans held Belisarius in high esteem, for having been more successful in this deed, than when he brought Gelimer 222 captive by the spear and Wittigis, the two kings, to Byzantium. For it was truly worthy of account and praise, that when the Romans were afraid and all were hiding in their strongholds, and Chosroes with a great army was in the midst of the Roman dominion, one man, having come in a swift course from Byzantium, encamped opposite the king of the Persians, and that Chosroes, unexpectedly deceived by his wisdom, withdrew to his own country having accomplished nothing. In the same year, when Timothy, bishop of Alexandria, died, Severus the impious, the adulterous president of Antioch, and Julian of Halicarnassus, having fled to Alexandria, disputed about the corruptible and incorruptible and turned against each other, as they were strangers to the truth. And the one put forward Theodosius, and the other Gainas, as bishops of Alexandria; and Gainas held the episcopate for one year, and Theodosius for two. And Justinian sent for these men and brought them to Byzantium and ordered them to live separated from one another, and he put forward a certain Paul, who was thought to be orthodox, as bishop of Alexandria. This man, having made a memorial of the unholy Severus, was cast out of the episcopate by the wrath of the emperor and went and stayed in Jerusalem. 15. 17. 4. 5. 8. 2. 15. In this year, in the month of October, in the 5th indiction, the great plague occurred in Byzantium. And at the same time the meeting of the Lord began to be celebrated in Byzantium on the 2nd of the month of February. And in the month of August, on the 16th of the same 5th indiction, a great earthquake occurred in Constantinople, and churches and houses and the wall fell, especially that near the Golden Gate. And the spear also fell, which the statue standing in the forum of Saint Constantine was holding, and the right hand of the statue of the Xerolophos; and many died, and there was great fear. Zoilus, bishop of Alexandria, for 7 years. 16. 18. 5. 6. 9. 1. 16. In this year it happened that the king of the 223 Axumite Indians ..... Jews warred against each other for such a reason. The king of the Axumites is more inland than Egypt, [judaizing.] And the Roman traders enter through the Himyarite territory to the Axumite and the inner parts of the Indians and Ethiopians. And when the traders, as was customary, had entered within the borders of the
107
εἶναι τοῦ πολέμου. εἰ γὰρ εἰρήνης ἐφίετο, οὐκ ἂν εἰς τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων γῆν ἀφικόμενος ταύτην ἐζήτει, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν χώραν μένων τοὺς πρέσβεις ἐξεδέχετο. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν τὸν πρέσβιν ἀπεπέμψατο. ὁ δὲ πρὸς Χοσρόην ἀφικόμενος ἔφη στρατηγὸν ἑωρακέναι Βελισάριον συνετόν τε καὶ ἀνδρεῖον ὑπεράγαν, στρατιώτας δὲ οἵους αὐτὸς ἄλλους οὐ πώποτε εἶδεν, "ὧν τὴν εὐκοσμίαν ἐθαύμασα ἐκ διαφόρων ἐθνῶν συνειλεγμένους·" καὶ συνεβούλευσε Χοσρόῃ μὴ συμπλέκεσθαι εἰς μάχην μετ' αὐτῶν, ὅπως μὴ ἡττηθέντος αὐτοῦ τὸ πᾶν διαπέσῃ τῆς τῶν Περσῶν βασιλείας ἐν γῇ Ῥωμαίων ὑπάρχοντι καὶ φυγῆς τόπον μὴ ἔχοντι. καὶ τὸ νικᾷν αὐτὸν οὐ μέγα, στρατηγὸν γὰρ τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ μόνον νικήσειεν. ὁ δὲ Χοσρόης τῇ τούτου παραινέσει ἀναστρέφειν εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὰ ἴδια διενοεῖτο. ἐφοβεῖτο γὰρ τὴν διάβασιν τοῦ ποταμοῦ ποιήσασθαι, ὡς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ταύτην κατεχόντων. καὶ πολλὰ διαλογισάμενος ἀπέστειλε πρὸς Βελισάριον παρακαλῶν αὐτὸν τοῦ τὸν ποταμὸν διαβάντας ἀναστεῖλαι καὶ τούτῳ τὴν πάροδον ἀκωλύτως παρέχειν. Βελισάριος δὲ εὐθὺς πρὸς αὐτὸν πρέσβεις ἔπεμψε καὶ τοῦτον τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως ἐπῄνεσε καὶ πρέσβεις ἐκ τοῦ βασιλέως συντόμως ἥκειν διεβεβαιώσατο, ὅπως τὴν εἰρήνην βραβεύσωσιν. ἠξίου δὲ Χοσρόης τὸν Βελισάριον διὰ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων γῆς τὴν πάροδον ποιήσασθαι ἀκινδύνως. ὁ δὲ Βελισάριος Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἐδεσηνόν, ἄνδρα διαφανέστατον, ὅμηρον τῷ Χοσρόῃ ἀπέστειλε πρὸς τὸ ἀκινδύνως παρελθεῖν αὐτὸν τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων χώραν. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι τὸν Βελισάριον ἐν εὐφημίαις εἶχον, μᾶλλον [δὲ] ἐνευδοκιμήσαντα ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἔργῳ, ἢ ὅτε Γελίμερά τε 222 δορυάλωτον καὶ Οὐιττίγιν τοὺς δύο βασιλεῖς εἰς Βυζάντιον ἤγαγεν. ἦν γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς λόγου τε καὶ ἐπαίνου ἄξιον, πεφοβημένων τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὀχυρώμασι κρυπτομένων πάντων, Χοσρόου δὲ στρατῷ μεγάλῳ ἐν μέσῳ γεγονότος τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς, ἄνδρα ἕνα ἐν τῷ ὀξεῖ δρόμῳ ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἥκοντα ἀπεναντίας τοῦ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλέως στρατοπεδεύσασθαι, Χοσρόην δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου τῇ τούτου σοφίᾳ ἐξαπατηθέντα ἄπρακτον εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀναχωρῆσαι χώραν. Τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει Τιμοθέου, ἐπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας, τελευτήσαντος, Σευῆρος ὁ δυσσεβής, Ἀντιοχείας μοιχὸς πρόεδρος, καὶ Ἰουλιανὸς ὁ Ἁλικαρνασεὺς ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ φυγόντες, περὶ φθαρτοῦ καὶ ἀφθάρτου διενεχθέντες κατ' ἀλλήλων γεγόνασιν, ὡς ἀληθείας ὄντες ἀλλότριοι. καὶ ὁ μὲν Θεοδόσιον, ὁ δὲ Γαϊνᾶν προεβάλοντο εἰς ἐπισκόπους Ἀλεξανδρείας· καὶ Γαϊνᾶς μὲν ἐκράτησε τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἐνιαυτόν, ὁ δὲ Θεοδόσιος δύο. τούτους δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς πέμψας ἤγαγεν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ καὶ ἀλλήλων κεχωρισμένους διαιτᾶσθαι προσέταξεν, Παῦλον δέ τινα δοκούμενον εἶναι ὀρθόδοξον ἐπίσκοπον Ἀλεξανδρείας προεβάλετο. οὗτος τὴν μνήμην Σευήρου τοῦ ἀνιέρου ποιήσας ἐξεβλήθη τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ὀργῇ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐλθὼν διέτριβεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα. ιεʹ. ιζʹ. δʹ. εʹ. ηʹ. βʹ. ιεʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει μηνὶ Ὀκτωβρίῳ, ἰνδικτιῶνος εʹ, γέγονεν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ τὸ μέγα θανατικόν. καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ χρόνῳ ἡ ὑπαπαντὴ τοῦ κυρίου ἔλαβεν ἀρχὴν ἐπιτελεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ Βυζαντίῳ τῇ βʹ τοῦ Φεβρουαρίου μηνός. καὶ τῷ Αὐγούστῳ μηνὶ ιϛʹ τῆς αὐτῆς εʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος ἐγένετο σεισμὸς μέγας ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει, καὶ ἔπεσον ἐκκλησίαι καὶ οἶκοι καὶ τὸ τεῖχος, μάλιστα τὸ κατὰ τὴν Χρυσῆν πόρταν. ἔπεσε δὲ καὶ ἡ λόγχη, ἣν ἐκράτει ὁ ἀνδριὰς ὁ ἑστὼς εἰς τὸν φόρον τοῦ ἁγίου Κωνσταντίνου, καὶ ἡ δεξιὰ χεὶρ τοῦ ἀνδριάντος τοῦ Ξηρολόφου· καὶ ἀπέθανον πολλοί, καὶ ἐγένετο φόβος μέγας. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Ζώϊλος ἔτη ζʹ. ιϛʹ. ιηʹ. εʹ. ϛʹ. θʹ. αʹ. ιϛʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει συνέβη πολεμῆσαι ἀλλήλους τὸν βασιλέα τῶν 223 Αὐξουμιτῶν Ἰνδῶν ..... Ἰουδαίων ἐξ αἰτίας τοιαύτης. ὁ τῶν Αὐξουμιτῶν βασιλεὺς ἐνδότερός ἐστι τῆς Αἰγύπτου, [ἰουδαΐζων.] οἱ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων πραγματευταὶ διὰ τοῦ Ὁμηρίτου εἰσέρχονται ἐπὶ τὸν Αὐξουμίτην καὶ τὰ ἐνδότερα μέρη τῶν Ἰνδῶν καὶ Αἰθιόπων. τῶν δὲ πραγματευτῶν κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς εἰσελθόντων ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις τοῦ