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tos was almost for men. But after the passion of Christ and his ascension into heaven, the apostle Thaddeus, having reached Edessa, brought Abgar to the font, and baptized all his people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. and he came out of the water clean and healthy, the small remnant of the leprosy which had been left 1.311 on his forehead also having been wiped away. From then on the toparch in every way revered and honored the venerable image of the Lord's form, adding this also to his other good works. From ancient times, above the public gate of the city of Edessa, a certain statue of the Hellenic gods had been set up, which everyone wishing to enter the city was required to venerate and offer prayers, and thus to enter into the city. Therefore, having taken down this unclean and demonic statue and consigned it to complete destruction, in its place he set up this acheiropoieton icon of our Savior and God, after attaching and adorning it on a wooden board, having inscribed on it these words: "Christ God, he who hopes in you does not fail." And thereafter he decreed that everyone about to enter through that gate should render the proper reverence and honor to the much-wondered-at and wonder-working icon of Christ, and thus enter into the city. And such a pious decree of the man was preserved until his sojourn in this life and that of his son. But his grandson, having become the successor to his grandfather's rule, spurned piety and went over to the idols, and wished to set up a demonic column again, and to take down the icon of Christ. The bishop of Edessa, knowing this through a divine revelation, took the necessary precaution. For since the place was cylindrical, having lit a lamp before the divine icon and placed a tile over it, then from the outside having blocked up the space with plaster and bricks, he made the wall a smooth surface, and 1.312 since the envied form was not seen, the impious man desisted from his attempt. A long time therefore passed, and the hiding of this sacred icon faded from human memory. But the king of the Persians, Chosroes, while sacking and destroying the cities of Asia, also captured Edessa during his reign, and having set every engine in motion before the other parts of the city, such as the shooting of arrows, the shaking of walls, the breaking down of gates, he cast the citizens into fear and anguish. They, being in helplessness and despair, take refuge in God, and with anguish of heart and tears they sought him, and so they found him; for the Lord is near to all who call upon him in truth, according to the divine David. For there appears during the night to the bishop Eulalius a certain well-robed and modest woman, greater than human, suggesting to him and saying that above the gate of the city, in this place, in this manner, the precious icon of Christ is hidden, which after searching for and taking, you will do all things auspiciously. The bishop, filled with unspeakable joy, and reaching the place and breaking it open, O the wonder!, found the divine icon unharmed and distinctly impressed, and the lamp not extinguished in so much time, but also, on the tile placed before the lamp for protection, another likeness was impressed, exactly like the original. The bishop, taking this with immeasurable joy, and having made a procession and given thanks, reached 1.313 the place where the Persians were digging a tunnel. And when they came near each other in the trench, dripping oil from that lamp into the prepared fire, they destroyed them all utterly. But also the great fire kindled outside by the Persians against those inside, which limitless material was feeding, as the bishop came near it with the divine image, suddenly a violent wind arose against those who had kindled it

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τὸς ἦν σχεδὸν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Μετὰ δέ γε τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πάθος καὶ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς αὐτοῦ ἄνοδον καταλαβὼν ὁ ἀπόστολος Θαδδαῖος τὴν Ἔδεσσαν, προσήγαγε τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ τὸν Αὔγαρον, καὶ πάντας τοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐβάπτισεν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. καὶ ἐξῆλθε τοῦ ὕδατος καθαρὸς καὶ ὑγιής, ἀπαλει φθέντος καὶ τοῦ μικροῦ λειψάνου τῆς λέπρας τοῦ ὑπολειφθέντος 1.311 ἐν τῷ μετώπῳ αὐτοῦ. ἔκτοτε δὲ παντοίως ἐσέβετο καὶ ἐτίμα τὸ σεβάσμιον ἐκτύπωμα τῆς τοῦ κυρίου μορφῆς, προσθεὶς καὶ τοῦτο ὁ τοπάρχης τοῖς λοιποῖς αὐτοῦ καλοῖς. ἔκπαλαι τῶν καιρῶν πρὸ τῆς δημοσίας πύλης τῆς πόλεως Ἐδέσσης ἄγαλμά τι τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν θεῶν ὕπερθεν ἀνεστήλωτο, ὃ πάντα τὸν ἐντὸς τῆς πόλεως βουλόμενον εἰσιέναι ἀνάγκη ἦν προσκυνεῖν καὶ εὐχὰς ἀποδιδόναι, καὶ οὕτως εἰσέρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ πόλει. τοῦτο οὖν τὸ ἀκάθαρτον καὶ δαιμονιῶδες ἄγαλμα καθελὼν καὶ τελείῳ παραδοὺς ἀφανι σμῷ, εἰς τὸν ἐκείνου τόπον τὴν ἀχειροποίητον ταύτην εἰκόνα τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ θεοῦ ἐπὶ σανίδος κολλήσας καὶ καλλωπίσας ἀνέστησεν, ἐπιγράψας ἐν αὐτῇ ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα "Χριστὲ ὁ θεός, ὁ εἰς σὲ ἐλπίζων οὐκ ἀποτυγχάνει." καὶ λοιπὸν ἐθέσπισε πάντα τὸν διὰ τῆς πύλης ἐκείνης εἰσέρχεσθαι μέλλοντα τὸ προσῆκον σέβας καὶ τὴν τιμὴν ἀπονέμειν τῇ πολυθαυμάστῳ καὶ θαυμα τουργῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰκόνι, καὶ οὕτως εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσέρχεσθαι. καὶ διετηρήθη τὸ τοιοῦτον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εὐσεβὲς θέσπισμα μέχρι τῆς ἐν τῷ βίῳ αὐτοῦ παροικίας καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ τούτου ἔκγονος τῆς παππῴας ἀρχῆς διάδοχος γεγονὼς ἀπελάκτισε τὴν εὐσέβειαν καὶ πρὸς τὰ εἴδωλα ηὐτομόλησε, καὶ πάλιν ἠβουλήθη ἀναστηλῶσαι δαιμονικὴν στήλην, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰκόνα καθελεῖν. τοῦτο γνοὺς ὁ ἐπίσκοπος Ἐδέσσης διὰ θείας ἀποκα λύψεως τὴν ἐνδεχομένην ἔθετο πρόνοιαν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ τόπος ὑπῆρχε κυλινδροειδής, θρυαλλίδα πρὸ τῆς θείας εἰκόνος ἀνάψας καὶ κέραμον ἐπιθείς, εἶτα ἔξωθεν τιτάνῳ καὶ πλίνθοις ἀποφράξας τὸ ἐμβαδόν, εἰς ὁμαλὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τὸ τεῖχος ἀπηύθυνε, καὶ ἐν 1.312 τῷ μὴ ὁρᾶσθαι τὴν φθονουμένην μορφὴν ἀπέστη τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως ὁ δυσσεβής. ἔρρει τοίνυν διὰ μέσου χρόνος πολύς, καὶ τῆς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων μνήμης ἀπερρύη ἡ τῆς ἱερᾶς ταύτης εἰκόνος ἀπόκρυ ψις. ὁ δὲ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Χοσρόης τὰς τῆς Ἀσίας πόλεις πορθῶν καὶ καταστρεφόμενος κατέλαβε καὶ Ἔδεσσαν ἐπὶ τῆς βα σιλείας, καὶ πᾶσαν μηχανὴν κινήσας πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων τῆς πόλεως, οἷον βελῶν ἀφέσεις, κατασείσης τειχῶν, διαθραύσεις πυλῶν, εἰς φόβον καὶ ἀγωνίαν ἐνέβαλε τοὺς τῆς πόλεως. οἳ ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ καὶ ἀπογνώσει καταστάντες πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καταφεύγουσι, καὶ μετ' ὀδύνης καρδίας καὶ δακρύων ἐζήτουν αὐτόν, διὸ καὶ εὗρον· ἐγγὺς γὰρ κύριος πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ∆αβίδ. φαίνεται γὰρ εἶναι διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς Εὐλαλίῳ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ γυνή τις εὐσταλὴς καὶ κοσμία, κρείττων ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρω πον, ὑποτιθεμένη αὐτῷ καὶ λέγουσα ὅτι ἐπάνω τῆς πύλης τῆς πόλεως, ἐν τῷδε τῷ τόπῳ, διὰ τόνδε τὸν τρόπον, ἡ τιμία εἰκὼν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀποκέκρυπται, ἣν ἀναζητήσας καὶ λαβὼν πάντα αἰσίως πράξεις. ὁ δ' ἐπίσκοπος χαρᾶς ἀφάτου πλησθεὶς καὶ τὸν τόπον καταλαβὼν καὶ τοῦτον διαρρήξας, ὢ τοῦ θαύματος, εὗρε τὴν θείαν εἰκόνα ἀδιαλώβητον καὶ κεχαραγμένην καὶ τὴν θρυαλ λίδα ἐν τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ μὴ ἀποσβεσθεῖσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ πρὸς φυλακὴν ἐπιτεθέντι πρὸ τοῦ λύχνου κεραμῷ ἐκτυπωθὲν ἕτερον ὁμοίωμα ἀπαράλλακτον τοῦ πρωτοτύπου. τοῦτο λαβὼν ὁ ἐπίσκο πος μετὰ χαρᾶς ἀμέτρου, καὶ λιτανεύσας καὶ εὐχαριστήσας, κατ 1.313 έλαβε τὸν τόπον καθ' ὃν οἱ Πέρσαι διώρυττον. ὡς δὲ πλησίον ἀλλήλων ἐγένοντο ἐν τῷ ὀρύγματι, ἀπὸ τῆς λυχνίας ἐκείνης ἐλαίου ἐπιστάξαντες εἰς τὸ ηὐτρεπισμένον πῦρ πάντας ἀπώλεσαν ἄρδην. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἔξωθεν ἀναφθεῖσαν πυρὰν ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν κατὰ τῶν ἔνδον, ἣν ἄπειρος ὕλη ὑπέτρεφεν, ὡς πλησίον αὐτῆς ἐγένετο ὁ ἐπίσκοπος μετὰ τοῦ θείου ἐκτυπώματος, ἐξαίφνης βίαιος ἄνεμος ἐγερθεὶς κατὰ τῶν ἀναφλεγόντων ταύτην