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Being a Christian and especially honoring those who had martyred themselves for the dogma, he decided to cleanse this place of Hellenic superstition and the insolence 5.1.13 of licentious men. Supposing that he would easily succeed if he set up a house of prayer here in its place, he transferred to Daphne the coffin of Babylas the martyr, who had very brilliantly administered 5.1.14 the church of the Antiochenes and was martyred. From that time, the story goes that the demon did not give oracles as was its custom; at first it seemed to suffer this because it was deprived of sacrifices and the worship it had formerly been deemed worthy of, but what happened afterwards showed that the martyr, having become its neighbor, did not permit it to do this. 5.1.15 For when Julian alone ruled the Roman world, although partaking of libations and the savor of burnt offerings and an abundance of sacrifices, it was no less silent, and at last by giving an oracle it itself revealed the cause of its former silence. 5.1.16 For when the emperor had resolved, concerning matters that seemed important to him, to test the oracle here, he came to the temple and honored the demon lavishly with offerings and sacrifices, and begged it not to be neglectful concerning the matters he was zealous about. But it did not openly declare thus that it was unable to give oracles because of Babylas the martyr neighboring its coffin; but 'the place,' it said, 'is full of dead bodies, 5.1.17 and on this account the oracles are hindered from coming forth.' And although many other dead bodies also lay in Daphne, the emperor, concluding that the martyr alone was an obstacle to the oracles, ordered the coffin to be moved. The Christians, gathering together, dragged the coffin to the city, about forty stades, where the martyr now lies, having given his name 5.1.18 to the place. They say that then men and women, young men and maidens, old men and children, who were dragging the coffin, exhorted one another to continue singing psalms along the whole road, on the pretext of lightening their sweat with the song, but in truth moved by zeal and eagerness because the emperor did not hold the same opinion as them concerning the divine. 5.1.1 Those who knew the psalms accurately led the others, and the multitude joined in with one accord and sang this verse as a refrain: “Confounded be all they that serve graven images, and that boast themselves of idols.” 5..1 Moved to anger by this, the emperor, feeling insulted, planned to punish the Christians. But Sallustius, who was entrusted with the praetorian authority, although he was a Hellene, did not approve of this plan, 5..2 but being unable to oppose the emperor's command, he put it into effect. And on the next day he arrested many of the Christians and made them prisoners; and bringing forward one young man first (Theodore was his name) he fastened him to the instrument of torture. But though he was struck for a long time with the claws, he was not overcome by the tortures nor did he implore the prefect, but making himself appear painless, as a spectator of what was being done to him, he bore the blows with fortitude; and again, by singing the same psalm as on the previous day, he showed by his actions that he did not repent of the things for which he was being judged. 5..3 Astounded by the young man's constancy, the prefect went to the emperor and told him what had happened, and that if he did not cease from his attempt more quickly, they would make themselves ridiculous, and make the Christians more glorious. 5..4 This seeming to be better, those who had been arrested were released from their bonds. It is said that when some people afterwards asked if he had any sensation of those tortures, Theodore said that he was not entirely without pain, but that a young man stood by him and soothed his pains, wiping away his sweat with a very fine linen cloth and pouring very cold water on him, with which he stopped the inflammation and gave him relief from his labors. And it seems to me that it is not in the power of a man alone, even if he were very noble, unless also aided by divine influence, to have such contempt for the body. 5..5 The martyr Babylas, then, for the aforementioned reason was settled in

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Χριστιανὸς ὢν καὶ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα πρεσβεύων τοὺς ὑπὲρ τοῦ δόγματος μεμαρτυρηκότας, ἔγνωκεν ῾Ελληνικῆς δεισιδαιμονίας καὶ ὕβρεως 5.1.13 ἀκολάστων ἀνθρώπων τοῦτον ἐκκαθᾶραι τὸν χῶρον. ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ῥᾳδίως περιέσεσθαι, εἰ εὐκτήριον ἐνθάδε ἀντικαταστήσειεν οἶκον, μετέθηκεν εἰς ∆άφνην τὴν λάρνακα Βαβύλα τοῦ μάρτυρος, ὃς εὖ μάλα λαμπρῶς ἐπε5.1.14 τρόπευσε τὴν ᾿Αντιοχέων ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἐμαρτύρησεν. ἐξ ἐκείνου δὲ λόγος μὴ χρησμῳδῆσαι συνήθως τὸ δαιμόνιον· ἐδόκει δὲ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα τοῦτο παθεῖν ὡς θυσιῶν ἀμοιροῦν καὶ θεραπείας ἧς πρότερον ἠξίωτο, ἔδειξε δὲ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα, ὡς ἐκ γειτόνων γενόμενος ὁ μάρτυς οὐ ξυνεχώρει τοῦτο 5.1.15 ποιεῖν. καὶ γὰρ ᾿Ιουλιανοῦ μόνου κρατοῦντος τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων οἰκουμένης, σπονδῶν καὶ κνίσσης καὶ ἀφθονίας θυμάτων μετέχων οὐδὲν ἧττον ἠρέμει, καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον χρήσας ἤλεγξε καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς προτέρας σιωπῆς τὴν αἰτίαν. 5.1.16 ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐβεβούλευτο ὁ βασιλεύς, περὶ ὧν οἱ ἐδόκει, πειραθῆναι τοῦ ἐνθάδε μαντείου, παραγενόμενος εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν ἀναθήμασι καὶ θυσίαις φιλοτίμως ἐτίμα τὸ δαιμόνιον καὶ ἐδεῖτο περὶ ὧν ἐσπούδαζε μὴ ἀμελεῖν. ὁ δὲ περιφανῶς μὲν ὡδὶ οὐκ ἐδήλωσε μὴ δύνασθαι χρησμῳδεῖν διὰ Βαβύλαν τὸν μάρτυρα γειτνιῶντα τῇ θήκῃ· νεκρῶν δέ, ἔφη, ἀνάπλεών ἐστι τὸ χωρίον, 5.1.17 καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο κωλύεσθαι προϊέναι τοὺς χρησμούς. πολλῶν δὲ καὶ ἄλλων κειμένων ἐν ∆άφνῃ νεκρῶν συμβαλὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν μάρτυρα μόνον ἐμποδὼν γίνεσθαι τοῖς χρησμοῖς, προσέταξε μετακινηθῆναι τὴν θήκην. συνελθόντες οἱ Χριστιανοὶ εἵλκυσαν τὴν θήκην ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ὡσεὶ στάδια τεσσαράκοντα, οὗ νῦν ὁ μάρτυς κεῖται, δεδωκὼς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν προσηγορίαν 5.1.18 τῷ τόπῳ. φασὶ δὲ τότε ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ νέους καὶ παρθένους, γέροντάς τε καὶ παῖδας, οἳ τὴν σορὸν εἷλκον, παρακελευομένους ἀλλήλοις παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ὁδὸν διατελέσαι ψάλλοντας, πρόφασιν μὲν τῇ ᾠδῇ τοὺς ἱδρῶτας ἐπικουφίζοντας, τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς ὑπὸ ζήλου καὶ προθυμίας κεκινημένους τῷ μὴ τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην ἔχειν αὐτοῖς τὸν κρατοῦντα περὶ τὸ θεῖον. 5.1.1 ἐξῆρχον δὲ τῶν ψαλμῶν τοῖς ἄλλοις οἱ τούτους ἀκριβοῦντες, καὶ ξυνεπήχει τὸ πλῆθος ἐν συμφωνίᾳ καὶ ταύτην τὴν ῥῆσιν ἐπῇδεν· «ᾐσχύνθησαν πάντες οἱ προσκυνοῦντες τοῖς γλυπτοῖς καὶ οἱ πεποιθότες τοῖς εἰδώλοις.» 5..1 ᾿Εκ τούτου δὲ κινηθεὶς πρὸς ὀργὴν ὁ βασιλεὺς ὡς ὑβρισμένος τιμωρεῖσθαι τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς ἐβεβούλευτο. Σαλούστιος δὲ ὁ τὴν ὕπαρχον ἐξουσίαν ἐπιτετραμμένος, καίπερ ῞Ελλην ὑπάρχων, οὐκ ἐπῄνεσε τὴν βούλησιν, 5..2 ἀντιτείνειν δὲ μὴ ἔχων τὸ βασιλέως ἐπίταγμα εἰς ἔργον ἤγαγεν. καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ πολλοὺς συνελάμβανεν ἐκ τῶν Χριστιανῶν καὶ δεσμίους ἐποίησεν· ἕνα δέ τινα νεανίαν πρῶτον προαγαγών (Θεόδωρος δ' ὄνομα ἦν αὐτῷ) τῷ βασανιστηρίῳ ξύλῳ προσῆψεν. ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ πολὺ τοῖς ὄνυξι πληττόμενος οὐχ ἡττήθη τῶν βασάνων οὐδὲ τὸν ὕπαρχον ἐλιπάρησεν, ἀλλ' ἀνώδυνον ἑαυτὸν φαίνεσθαι παρασχόμενος ὡς θεατὴς τῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ γινομένων καρτερικῶς τὰς πληγὰς ἐδέχετο· αὖθίς τε τὸν αὐτὸν μελῳδῶν ψαλμὸν ὃν καὶ τῇ προτεραίᾳ, μὴ μεταμέλειν αὐτῷ τούτων, ἐφ' οἷς ἐκρίνετο, τοῖς ἔργοις ἐπέδειξε. 5..3 καταπλαγεὶς δὲ τὴν ἔνστασιν τοῦ νεανίου ὁ ὕπαρχος ἐλθὼν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα εἶπε τὰ γενόμενα, καὶ εἰ μὴ θᾶττον παύσαιτο τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως, σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καταγελάστους ἔσεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ Χριστιανοὺς ἐνδοξοτέρους ποιήσειν. ἄμει5..4 νον δὲ τοῦτο δόξαν, οἱ συλληφθέντες ἀφείθησαν τῶν δεσμῶν. λέγεται δὲ πυνθανομένων μετὰ ταῦτά τινων, εἴπερ αἴσθησιν τῶν βασάνων ἐκείνων εἶχεν, εἰπεῖν τὸν Θεόδωρον ὡς πάντῃ μὲν ἀνώδυνος οὐκ ἦν, παρεστὼς δέ τις αὐτῷ νεανίας κατέπαυε τὰς ἀλγηδόνας, ὑφάσματι λεπτοτάτῳ τοὺς ἱδρῶτας ἀπομάττων καὶ ὕδωρ ἐπιχέων ψυχρότατον, ᾧ τὰς φλεγμονὰς ἔπαυε καὶ τῶν πόνων ἀνέψυχε. δοκεῖ δέ μοι οὐκ ἀνθρώπου μόνου, εἰ καὶ μάλα γενναῖος ἦν, μὴ καὶ θείᾳ ῥοπῇ ἐπικουρουμένου, τοσοῦτον ὑπεριδεῖν τοῦ σώματος. 5..5 ῾Ο μὲν δὴ μάρτυς Βαβύλας ἐκ τῆς εἰρημένης αἰτίας κατῳκίσθη ἐν