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he commanded to shepherd the church entrusted to him. And when a long time had passed, the emperor, having arrived in the city of the Romans, again endured the same accusations from the bishops, that he was not putting an end to the tyranny of Flavian. But he commanded them to state the nature of the tyranny, saying that he himself was Flavian and had been appointed his advocate. But when they said that they could not contend at law with an emperor, he then advised them to unite the churches in harmony, to resolve the strife, and to quench the unprofitable contention: “For Paulinus died long ago, and Evagrius has not been lawfully appointed, and the churches of the East hold to the presidency of Flavian. And in addition to the East, he has all of the Asian and the Pontic, and indeed the Thracian dioceses in communion and united with him; and all of Illyricum knows him as the leader of the bishops throughout the East.” Yielding to these exhortations, the bishops of the West promised to end their hostility and to receive the envoys who would be sent. When the divine Flavian learned this, he sent to Rome some of the praiseworthy bishops and some of the presbyters and deacons of Antioch; the leader of them all was Acacius, who had been allotted to shepherd the church of the city of Beroea in Syria, and was celebrated everywhere on land and sea. He, arriving in Rome with the others, 324 put an end to the long hostility of seventeen years and secured peace for the churches. When the Egyptians learned this, they quenched their enmity and welcomed harmony. At that time, Innocent, who succeeded Anastasius, a man adorned with sagacity and understanding, was leading the church of the Romans; and Theophilus, of whom I have also spoken before, the church of the Alexandrians. In this manner, then, the most faithful emperor secured the peace of the churches. But before this peace had occurred, having learned of the death of Valentinian and the tyranny of Eugenius, he marched into Europe. At that time there was a certain John in Egypt who embraced the ascetic life. This man, having partaken of spiritual grace, foretold many future events to those who inquired. To this man the Christ-loving emperor sent, desiring to learn if he should make war on the tyrants. And concerning the first war, he foretold the bloodless victory that occurred, but concerning the second, he foretold that the emperor would be victorious after much slaughter. Marching with such a hope, the emperor, when drawn up for battle, struck down many of the enemy, but lost many of the barbarians who were his allies. And when the generals said that those arrayed with him were few and advised giving some truce to the war, so that at the beginning of spring they might gather an army and overcome the enemy by their numbers, the most faithful emperor did not accept the proposal. For he said it was not right to attribute so much weakness to the saving cross, and to attest so much power to the image of Hercules: “For the cross leads this army; but that image leads the army of our adversaries.” After these things were so faithfully spoken, 325 and since the remaining army was both small and very disheartened, finding a small oratory on the summit of the mountain where the camp was, he spent the whole night supplicating the Master of all. And about the time of the cock-crow, sleep indeed overcame his will. And lying on the bare ground, he seemed to see two men clad in white, riding on white horses, who commanded him to be of good courage and to cast out fear, and at dawn to arm and draw up the army for battle; for they said they had been sent as allies and champions. And the one said he was John the evangelist, and the other, Philip the apostle. Having seen this vision, the emperor did not cease his supplication, but offered it with greater eagerness. And a certain soldier, having seen this, reported it to the captain, and he brought this man to the tribune, and the tribune brought him up to the general, and he

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ἐγχειρισθεῖσαν ποιμαίνειν ἐκκλησίαν ἐκέλευσε. Χρόνου δὲ συχνοῦ διελθόντος εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀφικόμενος πόλιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς αὐτὰς πάλιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπισκόπων κατηγορίας ὑπέμεινεν, ὡς τὴν Φλαβιανοῦ τυραννίδα μὴ καταλύων. ὁ δὲ λέγειν αὐτοὺς ἐκέλευσε τῆς τυραννίδος τὸ εἶδος, αὐτὸς εἶναι Φλαβιανὸς λέγων καὶ ἐκείνου σύνδικος προβεβλῆσθαι. ἐκείνων δὲ λεγόντων ὡς οὐ δύνανται δικάζεσθαι βασιλεῖ, παρῄνεσε λοιπὸν ὁμονοίᾳ τὰς ἐκκλησίας συνάψαι καὶ διαλῦσαι τὴν ἔριν καὶ τὴν ἀνόνητον σβέσαι φιλονεικίαν· "Παυ λῖνός τε γὰρ ἐτελεύτησε πάλαι καὶ Εὐάγριος οὐκ ἐννόμως προβέβληται, καὶ τῆς Ἑῴας αἱ ἐκκλησίαι τῆς Φλαβιανοῦ προεδρίας ἀντέχονται. πρὸς δὲ τῇ Ἑῴᾳ καὶ τὴν Ἀσιανὴν ἅπασαν καὶ τὴν Ποντικὴν καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὴν Θρᾳκικὴν κοινωνούσας ἔχει καὶ συνημμένας· καὶ τὸ Ἰλλυρικὸν δὲ ἅπαν ἐκεῖνον οἶδε τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀνατολὴν ἐπισκόπων ἡγούμενον". ταύταις εἴξαντες ταῖς παραινέσεσιν οἱ τῆς Ἑσπέρας ἐπίσκοποι καταλύσειν ὑπέσχοντο τὴν δυσμένειαν καὶ τοὺς πεμφθησο μένους δέξασθαι πρεσβευτάς. Τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ θεῖος Φλαβιανὸς ἀπέστειλεν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην καὶ τῶν ἀξιεπαίνων ἐπισκόπων τινὰς καὶ τῶν Ἀντιοχείας πρεσβυτέρων καὶ διακόνων· ἡγεῖτο δὲ πάντων Ἀκάκιος, ὁ Βεροίας μὲν τῆς ἐν Συρίᾳ πόλεως τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ποιμαίνειν λαχών, πανταχοῦ δὲ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ᾀδόμενος. οὗτος σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀφικόμενος εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, 324 τὴν μακρὰν καταλύσας δυσμένειαν δι' ἑπτακαίδεκα ἐτῶν, ταῖς ἐκκλη σίαις ἐπρυτάνευσε τὴν εἰρήνην. τοῦτο δὲ γνόντες οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τὴν ἀπέχθειαν σβέσαντες ἠσπάσαντο τὴν ὁμόνοιαν. ἡγεῖτο δὲ τηνικαῦτα τῆς μὲν Ῥωμαίων ἐκκλησίας Ἰννοκέντιος, διαδεξάμενος Ἀναστάσιον,ἀνὴρ ἀγχινοίᾳ καὶ συνέσει κοσμούμενος· τῆς δὲ Ἀλεξανδρέων Θεόφιλος, οὗ καὶ πρόσθεν ἐμνήσθην. τὴν μὲν οὖν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν εἰρήνην τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ὁ πιστότατος ἐπρυτάνευσε βασιλεύς. Πρὸ δὲ τῆς γεγενημένης εἰρήνης, τήν τε Βαλεντινιανοῦ τελευ τὴν καὶ τὴν Εὐγενίου τυραννίδα μαθὼν εἰς τὴν Εὐρώπην ἐστρά τευσε. κατ' ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν χρόνον ἦν τις Ἰωάννης ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τὴν ἀσκητικὴν ἀσπαζόμενος πολιτείαν. οὗτος πνευματικῆς μεταλαχὼν χάριτος πολλὰ τοῖς πυνθανομένοις προὔλεγε τῶν ἐσομένων. πρὸς τοῦτον ὁ φιλόχριστος ἀπέστειλεν βασιλεύς, εἰ πολεμητέον τοῖς τυράν νοις μαθεῖν ἐφιέμενος. καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ προτέρου πολέμου τὴν ἀναι μωτὶ γενομένην προηγόρευσε νίκην, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ δευτέρου μετὰ πολὺν φόνον νικήσειν τὸν βασιλέα προείρηκε. Μετὰ τοιαύτης ἐλπίδος στρατεύσας ὁ βασιλεὺς πολλοὺς μὲν τῶν ἐναντίων παραταττόμενος κατηκόντισε, πολλοὺς δὲ τῶν ἐπικουρούν των αὐτῷ βαρβάρων ἀπέβαλε. τῶν δὲ στρατηγῶν ὀλίγους εἶναι τοὺς συμπαραταττομένους φησάντων καὶ ἀνακωχήν τινα δοῦναι τῷ πολέμῳ συμβουλευσάντων, ὥστε τοῦ ἦρος ἀρχομένου στρατιὰν συναγεῖραι καὶ τῷ πλήθει περιγενέσθαι τῶν δυσμενῶν, οὐκ ἐδέξατο τὴν εἰσήγησιν ὁ πιστότατος βασιλεύς. οὐ γὰρ ἔφη χρῆναι τοσαύτην μὲν ἀσθένειαν τοῦ σωτηρίου κατηγορῆσαι σταυροῦ, τοσαύτην δὲ προσμαρτυρῆσαι δύναμιν τῇ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους εἰκόνι· "ταύτης μὲν γὰρ ὁ σταυρὸς ἡγεῖται τῆς στρατιᾶς· τῆς δὲ τῶν ἀντιπάλων ἐκείνη". τούτων οὕτω πιστῶς 325 εἰρημένων καὶ τῆς ὑπολειφθείσης στρατιᾶς ὀλίγης τε οὔσης καὶ λίαν ἀθυμούσης, εὑρὼν οἰκίσκον εὐκτήριον ἐν τῇ τοῦ ὄρους ἀκρωνυχίᾳ ἐν ᾧ τὸ στρατόπεδον ἦν, πάννυχος διετέλεσε τὸν τῶν ὅλων δεσπότην ἀντιβολῶν. Περὶ δὲ ἀλεκτρυόνων ᾠδὰς ἐνίκησε μὲν ὁ ὕπνος τὴν γνώμην. ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ δαπέδου χοῦ κείμενος ὁρᾶν ἐδόκει δύο τινὰς λευχειμονοῦν τας ἄνδρας ἐφ' ἵππων ὀχουμένους λευκῶν, οἳ θαρρεῖν τε ἐκέλευον καὶ τὸ δέος ἐξελάσαι καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω καθοπλίσαι καὶ τάξαι τὴν στρατιὰν εἰς παράταξιν· ἐπίκουροι γὰρ ἔλεγον ἀπεστάλθαι καὶ πρό μαχοι. καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἰωάννην ἑαυτὸν ἔλεγεν εἶναι τὸν εὐαγγελιστήν, ὁ δὲ Φίλιππον τὸν ἀπόστολον. ταύτην ἰδὼν τὴν ὄψιν ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἔληξε τῆς ἱκετείας, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πλείονος ταύτην προθυμίας προσέφερε. τοῦτο καὶ στρατιώτης τις θεασάμενος δεδήλωκε τῷ λοχαγῷ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ τοῦτον πρὸς τὸν χιλίαρχον ἤγαγεν, ὁ δὲ χιλίαρχος ἀνήγαγεν τῷ στρατηγῷ, ὁ δὲ