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succeeding, whom we have also mentioned before. But Alexander was shepherding the church of the Antiochians, having a life consistent with his high priesthood. For having spent the time before his episcopate in an ascetic wrestling school and having trained for a very long time, he was shown to be a noble combatant, both instructing by his word and confirming his word by his life. This man succeeded Porphyrius, who, after Flavian, having taken over that helm, left behind many memorials of philanthropy. That man, then, excelled in the denseness of his intellect, but the divine Alexander by his asceticism and philosophy and a life without possessions and by the flow of his tongue and by countless other advantages of grace. This man also, using persuasion and exhortation, joined to the rest of the body the party of Eustathius the Great, which long ago Paulinus had not allowed to be united, and after him Evagrius, and he improvised a festival the like of which no one had ever seen. For taking with him all those of the same faith, both the clergy and the many, he came to their assembly. and taking the chanters and 338 weaving one harmony of hymnody, from the gate turned towards the west up to the greatest church, he filled the whole marketplace with people and showed a rational river imitating the river flowing by. Seeing these things both the Jews and those who had received the plague of Arius and the very small remnant of the Greeks groaned and lamented, watching the other rivers flowing into the sea of the church. This man was the first to enroll the name of the celebrated John in the ecclesiastical diptychs. In time, however, later they also transported the very relics of the teacher to the ruling city. and again the faithful crowd, using the sea as mainland by means of ferries, concealed the mouth of the Bosporus towards the Propontis with torches. But the now reigning emperor brought this treasure to that city, he who had received his grandfather's name and preserved his piety undefiled. This man, placing both his eyes and his forehead upon the coffin, offered supplication on behalf of his parents, entreating forgiveness for those who had wronged them out of ignorance. For his parents had died long ago, leaving him quite young in orphanhood. but the God of his fathers and ancestors did not allow him to experience orphanhood; for he both prepared him to partake of pious nourishment and kept the empire free from 339 faction and bridled tyrannical intentions. remembering these benefactions he always honors the benefactor with hymns; and he has as companions in hymnody his sisters, who practice virginity throughout their lives and consider the study of the divine oracles the greatest delight and who deem the needs of the poor an inviolable treasure. However, many other things adorn the emperor, not least philanthropy and gentleness and a calmness of soul that admits no storm, and a faith both pure and tested; and of this I shall show clear proof. A certain man embracing the ascetic life, but using a rather bold manner, approached the emperor requesting something. And when, having done this many times, he did not succeed, he excluded him from ecclesiastical communion and, having imposed the bond, withdrew. But the most faithful emperor, having arrived at the palace, when the time called for a feast and his messmates were present, said that he would not partake of food before the bond was loosed for him; and for this very reason he sent one of his closest associates to the high priest, asking him to permit the one who had bound to loose the bond. But when the bishop said that one should not accept the bond from just anyone and declared that it was loosed, he did not accept the loosing until the one who had bound him, having been sought with much labor, restored communion; so much has he trusted in the divine laws. 340 For this very reason he also ordered the remaining parts of the idolatrous shrines to be torn up from their foundations, so that those who come after us may not see even a trace of the former deceit; for this thought to the

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διαδεξάμενος, οὗ καὶ πρόσθεν ἐμνήσθημεν. τὴν δὲ Ἀντιοχέων Ἀλέξανδρος ἐποίμαινε, συμβαίνουσαν ἔχων τῇ ἀρχιερωσύνῃ τὴν πολιτείαν. ἐν ἀσκητικῇ γὰρ παλαίστρᾳ τὸν πρὸ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς διατελέσας χρόνον καὶ γυμνασάμενος ἐπὶ πλεῖστον, ὤφθη γενναῖος ἀγωνιστὴς καὶ λόγῳ παιδεύων καὶ βεβαιῶν τῷ βίῳ τὸν λόγον. οὗτος Πορφύριον διεδέξατο, ὃς μετὰ Φλαβιανὸν τοὺς οἴακας ἐκείνους παραλαβὼν πολλὰ μνημεῖα φιλανθρωπίας κατέλιπεν. ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν τῇ πυκνότητι διέπρεπε τῶν φρενῶν, ὁ δὲ θεῖος Ἀλέξανδρος ἀσκήσει καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ καὶ ἀκτήμονι βίῳ καὶ τῷ ῥεύματι τῆς γλώττης καὶ μυρίοις ἑτέροις πλεονεκτήμασι χάριτος. Οὗτος καὶ τὴν Εὐσταθίου τοῦ μεγάλου συμμορίαν, ἣν πάλαι συναφθῆναι Παυλῖνος οὐκ εἴασε καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον Εὐάγριος, πειθοῖ καὶ παρακλήσει χρώμενος τῷ λοιπῷ συνήρμοσε σώματι, καὶ ἐσχεδίασεν ἑορτὴν ἧς παραπλησίαν οὐδεὶς ἐθεάσατο πώποτε. πάντας γὰρ τοὺς ὁμοπίστους παραλαβών, καὶ τοὺς ἱερωμένους καὶ τοὺς πολλούς, ἀφίκετο πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων ὁμήγυριν. καὶ παραλαβὼν ψάλλοντας καὶ 338 μίαν ὑμνῳδίας ἁρμονίαν ὑφήνας, ἀπὸ τῆς πρὸς ἑσπέραν τετραμμένης πυλίδος μέχρι τοῦ μεγίστου νεὼ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀγορὰν ἀνθρώπων ἐπλήρωσε καὶ ποταμὸν ἔδειξε λογικὸν τὸν παραρρέοντα μιμούμενον ποταμόν. ταῦτα δὲ ὁρῶντες καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ οἱ τὴν Ἀρείου λώβην εἰσδεδεγμένοι καὶ τὸ βραχύτατον τῶν Ἑλλήνων λείψανον ἔστενον καὶ ὠδύροντο, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους θεώμενοι ποταμοὺς εἰς τὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας εἰσβάλλοντας θάλασσαν. Οὗτος τὴν Ἰωάννου τοῦ πάνυ προσηγορίαν πρῶτος τοῖς ἐκκλη σιαστικοῖς διπτύχοις ἐνέταξε. Χρόνῳ μέντοι ὕστερον καὶ αὐτὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου τὰ λείψανα εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν μετεκόμισαν πόλιν. καὶ πάλιν ὁ πιστὸς ὅμιλος, ὡς ἠπείρῳ τῷ πελάγει διὰ τῶν πορθμείων χρησάμενος, τοῦ Βοσπόρου τὸ πρὸς τῇ Προποντίδι στόμα ταῖς λαμπάσι κατέκρυψε. Τοῦτον δὲ ἐκείνῃ τῇ πόλει τὸν θησαυρὸν ὁ νῦν βασιλεύων προσή νεγκεν, ὁ τοῦ πάππου καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν λαχὼν καὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν φυλάξας ἀκήρατον. οὗτος ἐπιθεὶς τῇ λάρνακι καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ τὸ μέτωπον ἱκετείαν ὑπὲρ τῶν γεγεννηκότων προσήνεγκε, συγ γνῶναι τοῖς ἐξ ἀγνοίας ἠδικηκόσιν ἀντιβολήσας. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ ἐτεθνήκεσαν οἱ τούτου γονεῖς, κομιδῇ νέον ἐν ὀρφανίᾳ καταλιπόντες. ἀλλὰ πεῖραν αὐτὸν λαβεῖν τῆς ὀρφανίας οὐκ εἴασεν ὁ τῶν πατέρων καὶ προγόνων θεός· τροφῆς τε γὰρ αὐτὸν μεταλαχεῖν εὐσεβοῦς παρεσκεύασε καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐφύλαξεν ἀστα 339 σίαστον καὶ τὰς τυραννικὰς ἐχαλίνωσε γνώμας. τῶνδε τῶν εὐεργε σιῶν μεμνημένος ἀεὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην γεραίρει τοῖς ὕμνοις· ἔχει δὲ κοινωνοὺς τῆς ὑμνῳδίας τὰς ἀδελφὰς διὰ βίου τὴν παρθενίαν ἀσκού σας καὶ τρυφὴν ἡγουμένας μεγίστην τὴν τῶν θείων λογίων μελέτην καὶ θησαυρὸν ἄσυλον νομιζούσας τῶν δεομένων τὰς χρείας. αὐτὸν μέντοι τὸν βασιλέα πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα κοσμεῖ, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ φιλαν θρωπία καὶ πραότης καὶ γαλήνη ψυχῆς ζάλην οὐ δεχομένη, καὶ πίστις ἀκραιφνής τε καὶ δόκιμος· καὶ ταύτης σαφὲς ἐπιδείξω τεκμήριον. Ἀνήρ τις ἀσκητικὸν μὲν ἀσπαζόμενος βίον, θρασυτέρᾳ δὲ χρώ μενος γνώμῃ, προσελήλυθε τῷ βασιλεῖ περί τινος δεόμενος. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο δράσας πολλάκις οὐκ ἔτυχε, τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς αὐτὸν κοινωνίας ἐκώλυσε καὶ τὸν δεσμὸν ἐπιθεὶς ὑπεχώρησεν. ὁ δὲ πιστό τατος βασιλεὺς παραγενόμενος εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, καὶ τοῦ καιροῦ κα λοῦντος εἰς εὐωχίαν καὶ τῶν συσσίτων παρόντων, οὐκ ἔφη πρὶν λυθῆναί οἱ τὸν δεσμὸν μετασχήσειν τροφῆς· καὶ τούτου δὴ εἵνεκα πρὸς τὸν ἀρχιερέα τινὰ τῶν οἰκειοτάτων ἔπεμψε, παρακαλῶν ἐπι τρέψαι τῷ δεδεκότι τὸν δεσμὸν διαλῦσαι. τοῦ δὲ ἐπισκόπου φήσαντος μὴ χρῆναι παρὰ παντὸς ὁτουοῦν δέχεσθαι τὸν δεσμὸν καὶ δεδηλω κότος ὡς λέλυται, οὐκ ἐδέξατο τὴν λύσιν ἕως ὁ δήσας σὺν πολλῷ πόνῳ ζητηθεὶς τὴν κοινωνίαν ἀπέδωκεν· οὕτω τοῖς θείοις πεπίστευκε νόμοις. 340 Τούτου δὴ εἵνεκα καὶ αὐτὰ τῶν εἰδωλικῶν σηκῶν τὰ λειπόμενα ἐκ βάθρων ἀνασπασθῆναι προσέταξεν, ὥστε τοὺς μεθ' ἡμᾶς ἐσομένους μηδὲ ἴχνος τῆς προτέρας ἐξαπάτης θεάσασθαι· τήνδε γὰρ τὴν διάνοιαν τῷ