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wooden images and fitting their backs to the walls, they left certain unseen passages in the walls. Then going up through the inner sanctuary and getting inside the wooden images, they commanded through them whatever they wished; and those who heard, being deceived, did what was commanded. The most wise high priest, in destroying these things, showed them to the deceived peoples. 321 And going up to the temple of Sarapis (which some say is the largest and most beautiful of all on earth), he saw the immense wooden image, terrifying the spectators by its size. In addition to its size, a deceptive story was current, that if anyone should approach it, the earth would be shaken, and utter destruction would seize all. But thinking these stories to be the drivel of drunken old women, and despising its size as being inanimate, he ordered someone with an axe to strike Sarapis eagerly. When he had struck, they all cried out, fearing the rumored event; but Sarapis, having received the blow, neither felt pain (for it was made of wood), nor uttered a sound, being lifeless. And when its head was cut off, mice ran out in droves from within; for the god of the Egyptians was a dwelling-place for mice. And having broken it into small pieces, they gave some to the fire, and dragged the head through the whole city, while its worshippers looked on and mocked the weakness of the one worshipped by them. Thus indeed the precincts of the demons throughout all the land and sea were destroyed. In Antioch, Flavian succeeded the great Meletius in the presidency, he who with Diodorus had endured those many struggles for the salvation of the sheep. For Paulinus wished to take the leadership of the church, but the choir of priests objected, saying that it was not right for the one who had not accepted the counsels of Meletius to take his throne after his death; "but that it was fitting for the one who had been distinguished by many labors and had for a very long time faced danger for the sake of the sheep to become shepherd." This caused a very long-standing enmity for the Romans and Egyptians against the East; for the hostility was not ended with the death of Paulinus, 322 but even after him, when Evagrius had taken over his throne, they remained angry with the great Flavian, and this though Evagrius had been appointed contrary to ecclesiastical rule. For Paulinus alone had appointed him, breaking many canons at the same time. For they do not permit a dying bishop to ordain his own successor, and they command all the bishops of the province to be summoned, and again they forbid the ordination of a bishop to take place without three bishops. But nevertheless, wishing to know none of these things, they embraced communion with Evagrius, and stirred up the imperial ears against Flavian. For having been annoyed many times, he both brought him to Constantinople and ordered him to go to Rome; but Flavian, saying it was winter and promising to fulfill the command when the weather brightened, returned to his own country. But when the bishops of Rome (for not only the admirable Damasus, but also Siricius after him and Anastasius, the successor of Siricius) assailed the pious emperor more vehemently, saying that he was deposing his own tyrants, but allowing those who act insolently against the laws of Christ to remain in their tyranny, he sent for him again and compelled him to depart for Rome. Then the most wise Flavian, using praiseworthy boldness of speech, said: "If, O Emperor, some accuse my faith as not being orthodox, or say my life is unworthy of the priesthood, I will use my accusers themselves as judges and I will welcome the verdict passed by them; but if they are contending about a throne and presidency, I will neither judge nor will I fight against those who wish to take it, but I will step down and refrain from the presidency. Therefore, give the throne of the Antiochenes to whom you wish, O Emperor." The emperor, admiring both his courage and his wisdom, 323 to take charge of the one which bore him and the

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ξόανα καὶ τοῖς τοίχοις τὰ τούτων προσαρμόζοντες νῶτα, πόρους τινὰς ἀφανεῖς ἐν τοῖς τοίχοις ἠφίεσαν. εἶτα διὰ τῶν ἀδύτων ἀνιόντες καὶ εἴσω τῶν ξοάνων γιγνόμενοι, ἅπερ ἐβούλοντο διὰ τούτων ἐκέλευον· φενακι ζόμενοι δὲ οἱ ἐπαΐοντες ἔδρων τὸ κελευόμενον. ταῦτα ὁ σοφώτατος καταλύων ἀρχιερεὺς τοῖς ἐξαπατηθεῖσιν ὑπέδειξε δήμοις. 321 Εἰς δὲ τὸν τοῦ Σαράπιδος νεὼν ἀναβάς (τῶν δὲ πανταχοῦ γῆς καθὰ φασί τινες μέγιστός τε οὗτος καὶ κάλλιστος), εἶδε τὸ ξόανον παμμέγεθες καὶ τῷ μεγέθει τοὺς θεατὰς δεδιττόμενον. πρὸς δὲ τῷ μεγέθει καὶ λόγος κατεῖχεν ἀπατηλός, ὡς εἴ τις τούτῳ πελάσοι, κλονη θήσεται μὲν ἡ γῆ, πανωλεθρία δὲ ἅπαντας καταλήψεται. ἀλλὰ τούτους μὲν τοὺς λόγους γραϊδίων μεθυόντων νομίσας εἶναι ληρήματα, τοῦ δὲ μεγέθους ὡς ἀψύχου καταφρονήσας, ἐκέλευσέ τινι πέλεκυν ἔχοντι παῖσαι προθύμως τὸν Σάραπιν. ἐκείνου δὲ παίσαντος, ἐβόησαν μὲν ἅπαντες τὸ θρυλούμενον δείσαντες· ὁ δὲ Σάραπις δεξάμενος τὴν πληγὴν οὔτε ἤλγησε (ξύλινος γὰρ ἦν), οὔτε φωνὴν ἀφῆκεν, ἄψυχος ὤν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀφῃρέθη, μύες ἀγεληδὸν ἐξέδραμον ἔν δοθεν· μυῶν γὰρ οἰκητήριον ἦν ὁ Αἰγυπτίων θεός. εἰς μικρὰ δὲ αὐτὸν διελόντες τὰ μὲν παρέδοσαν τῷ πυρί, τὴν δὲ κεφαλὴν διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ἄστεως ἔσυρον, τῶν προσκυνούντων ὁρώντων καὶ τοῦ παρ' αὐτῶν προσκυνηθέντος τὴν ἀσθένειαν κωμῳδούντων. οὕτω δὴ τὰ πανταχοῦ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης τῶν δαιμόνων κατελύθη τεμένη. Ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ δὲ Μελετίου τοῦ μεγάλου τὴν προεδρίαν Φλα βιανὸς διεδέξατο, ὁ σὺν ∆ιοδώρῳ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐκείνους ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν προβάτων σωτηρίας ὑπομείνας ἀγῶνας. ἐβουλήθη μὲν γὰρ ὁ Παυλῖνος τὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἡγεμονίαν λαβεῖν, ὁ δὲ τῶν ἱερέων ἀντεῖπε χορός, οὐ χρῆναι λέγων τὸν Μελετίου τὰς συμβουλὰς μὴ δεξάμενον μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν τὸν ἐκείνου θρόνον λαβεῖν· "ἀλλὰ τὸν πολλοῖς λαμπρυνόμενον πόνοις καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων προκινδυνεύσαντα, προσήκει γενέσθαι ποιμένα". Τοῦτο καὶ Ῥωμαίοις καὶ Αἰγυπτίοις δυσμένειαν πρὸς τὴν Ἑῴαν μακροτάτην εἰργάσατο· οὐδὲ γὰρ τῷ Παυλίνου θανάτῳ συγκατελύθη 322 τὸ ἔχθος, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον Εὐαγρίου τὸν ἐκείνου παρειληφότος θρόνον διέμειναν τῷ μεγάλῳ Φλαβιανῷ χαλεπαίνοντες, καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ Εὐαγρίου παρὰ τὸν ἐκκλησιαστικὸν προβεβλημένου θεσμόν. μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ Παυλῖνος προὐβάλετο, πολλοὺς κανόνας κατὰ ταὐτὸν παραβάς. οὔτε γὰρ ἀνθ' ἑαυτοῦ τῷ τελευτῶντι χειροτονεῖν ἐπι τρέπουσι, καὶ πάντας συγκαλεῖσθαι τῆς ἐπαρχίας τοὺς ἐπισκόπους κελεύουσι, καὶ αὖ πάλιν δίχα τριῶν ἐπισκόπων ἐπισκόπου χειροτονίαν ἀπαγορεύουσι γίγνεσθαι. ἀλλ' ὅμως τούτων οὐδὲν εἰδέναι θελήσαντες τὴν Εὐαγρίου μὲν κοινωνίαν ἠσπάζοντο, κατὰ Φλαβιανοῦ δὲ τὰς βασιλικὰς ἐκίνησαν ἀκοάς. Ἐνοχληθεὶς γὰρ πολλάκις ἤγαγέ τε αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντι νούπολιν καὶ καταλαβεῖν τὴν Ῥώμην ἐκέλευσεν· ὁ δὲ Φλαβιανὸς χειμῶνά τε εἶναι φήσας καὶ ὑποσχόμενος τοῦ ἀέρος ὑπολάμποντος τὸ προστεταγμένον πληρώσειν ἐπανῆκεν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα. ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ τῆς Ῥώμης ἐπίσκοποι (οὐ γὰρ μόνον ὁ θαυμάσιος ∆άμασος ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ μετ' ἐκεῖνον Σιρίκιος καὶ Ἀναστάσιος ὁ Σιρικίου διάδοχος) σφοδρότερον τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς βασιλέως καθήψαντο, τοὺς μὲν οἰκείους αὐτὸν φήσαντες καταλύειν τυράννους, τοὺς δὲ κατὰ τῶν Χριστοῦ νόμων θρασυνομένους ἐπὶ τῆς τυραννίδος ἐᾶν, πάλιν αὐτὸν μετα πεμψάμενος ἀπαίρειν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἠνάγκαζε. τότε Φλαβιανὸς ὁ σοφώτατος τῇ ἀξιεπαίνῳ παρρησίᾳ χρησάμενος ἔφη· "εἰ μὲν τῆς πίστεως, ὦ βασιλεῦ, τῆς ἐμῆς ὡς οὐκ ὀρθῆς κατηγοροῦσί τινες ἢ τὸν βίον φασὶν ἱερωσύνης ἀνάξιον, καὶ αὐτοῖς χρήσομαι τοῖς κατηγόροις κριταῖς καὶ τὴν παρ' ἐκείνων ἐκφερομένην ἀγαπήσω ψῆφον· εἰ δὲ περὶ θρόνου καὶ προεδρίας ζυγομαχοῦσιν, οὔτε δικάσομαι οὔτε τοῖς λαβεῖν βουλομένοις ἀντιμαχέσομαι, ἀλλ' ἐκστήσομαι καὶ τῆς προεδρίας ἀφέξο μαι. τοιγάρτοι δὸς ᾧ βούλει τὸν Ἀντιοχέων θρόνον, ὦ βασιλεῦ". ταύ την αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν καὶ τὴν σοφίαν θαυμάσας ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν 323 ἐνεγκοῦσαν καταλαβεῖν καὶ τὴν