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removing from military rank, insulting others most dishonorably, and now even inflicting death on others, and finally the partners in the empire stirring up the persecution against all; of whom also it is not right to consign the end of their lives to silence. 8.αππ.2 Of the four, then, who had divided the rule over all, those who were senior in time and honor, not even having survived two whole years of the persecution, abdicated the empire, as has been previously shown by us, and indeed having spent the rest of their lives in a common and private manner, met such an end of their life, 8.αππ.3 the one who was deemed worthy of the first place in both honor and time was worn out by a long and most grievous bodily infirmity, while the one who held the second place after him ended his life by hanging, having suffered this according to some demonic foreshadowing on account of the many wicked deeds he had dared. 8.αππ.4 Of those after them, the last one, whom we indeed said was the originator of the whole persecution, suffered such things as we have already shown, but the one who preceded him, the most excellent and most gentle emperor Constantius, having passed the entire time of his rule in a manner worthy of his leadership, and in other respects showing himself most kind and beneficent to all, and moreover having stayed out of the war against us and having kept the pious under him unharmed and unmolested, and neither demolishing the houses of the churches nor devising anything else at all against us, received a truly happy and thrice-blessed end of his life, alone dying favorably and gloriously in his own empire with a legitimate son as successor to the empire, one most prudent and most pious in all things; 8.αππ.5 who immediately at the beginning, having been proclaimed most perfect emperor and Augustus by the armies, showed himself an emulator of his father's piety concerning our doctrine. Such was the outcome of the lives of the four aforementioned men, which took place at different times. 8.αππ.6 Of these, the only one still remaining, who was mentioned by us a little earlier, along with those who were afterwards admitted to the imperial power, made the aforementioned confession manifest to all through the published written account. 9.pin.t Θ The ninth book of the Ecclesiastical History also contains these things 9.pin.1 Α Concerning the feigned relaxation. Β Concerning the subsequent reversal. Γ Concerning the newly-erected idol in Antioch. ∆ Concerning the decrees against us. Ε Concerning the forged memoirs. Concerning those who bore witness during this time. Ζ Concerning the inscription set up on pillars against us. Η Concerning the events that happened afterwards in famine and pestilence and wars. Θ Concerning the end of the tyrants' lives, and what words they uttered before their death. Θφαφ Copy of a translation of the tyrant's letter. Ι Concerning the victory of the God-beloved emperors. ΙΑ Concerning the final destruction of the enemies of religion. 9.1.1 The contents of the recantation of the aforementioned imperial decree were spread everywhere and in all places throughout Asia and in the provinces around it; When these things had been accomplished in this manner, Maximinus, the tyrant in the East, most impious if ever anyone was, and having become most hostile to the worship of the God of all, being in no way pleased with what was written, instead of the aforementioned letter, by a verbal command ordered the governors under him to relax the war against us. For since it was not possible for him otherwise to oppose the decision of his superiors, having set aside the aforementioned law in secret and taking care that it should not be brought to public notice in the regions under him, by an unwritten command he commands the governors under him to relax the persecution against us; and they communicate the substance of the command to one another by letter. 9.1.2 Sabinus, then, who was honored among them with the rank of most eminent prefect, makes known the emperor's will to the provincial governors through a Latin letter. 9.1.3 “With most earnest and devoted
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στρατιωτικῆς ἀξίας ἀποκινοῦντα, τοὺς δὲ ἀτιμότατα καθυβρίζοντα, ἤδη δὲ καὶ θάνατον ἑτέροις ἐπαρτῶντα καὶ τοὔσχατόν γε τοὺς τῆς βασιλείας κοινωνοὺς ἐπὶ τὸν κατὰ πάντων ἀνακεκινηκότα διωγμόν· ὧν καὶ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἄξιον τὸ τοῦ βίου τέλος παραδοῦναι σιωπῇ. 8.αππ.2 τεττάρων οὖν τὴν κατὰ πάντων διειληχότων ἀρχήν, οἱ μὲν χρόνῳ καὶ τιμῇ προηγούμενοι οὐδ' ὅλοις δυεῖν ἔτεσιν ἐπιγενόμενοι τῷ διωγμῷ μεθίστανται τῆς βασιλείας, ᾗ καὶ πρόσθεν ἡμῖν δεδήλωται, καὶ δὴ τὸν ἐπίλοιπον τοῦ βίου χρόνον δημώδει καὶ ἰδιωτικῷ τρόπῳ διαγενόμενοι τέλος τοιόνδε τῆς ζωῆς εἰλήχασιν, 8.αππ.3 ὁ μὲν τιμῇ τε καὶ χρόνῳ τῶν πρωτείων ἠξιωμένος μακρᾷ καὶ ἐπιλυποτάτῃ τῇ τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενείᾳ διεργασθείς, ὁ δὲ τὰ δεύτερα αὐτοῦ φέρων ἀγχόνῃ τὴν ζωὴν ἀπορρήξας, κατά τινα δαιμονίαν προσημείωσιν τοῦτο παθὼν διὰ πλείστας αὐτῷ τετολμημένας ῥᾳδιουργίας. 8.αππ.4 τῶν δὲ μετὰ τούτους ὁ μὲν ὕστατος, ὃν δὴ καὶ ἀρχηγὸν τοῦ παντὸς ἔφαμεν γεγονέναι διωγμοῦ, τοιαῦτα οἷα καὶ προδεδηλώκαμεν πέπονθεν, ὁ δὲ τοῦτον προάγων χρηστότατος καὶ ἠπιώτατος βασιλεὺς Κωνστάντιος, ἐπαξίως τῆς ἡγεμονίας τὸν ἅπαντα τῆς ἀρχῆς διατελέσας χρόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τἄλλα τοῖς πᾶσι δεξιώτατον καὶ εὐεργετικώτατον παρασχὼν ἑαυτόν, ἀτὰρ καὶ τοῦ καθ' ἡμῶν πολέμου ἔξω γενόμενος καὶ τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν θεοσεβεῖς ἀβλαβεῖς καὶ ἀνεπηρεάστους διαφυλάξας καὶ μήτε τοὺς οἴκους τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν καθελὼν μήθ' ἕτερόν τι μηδ' ὅλως καθ' ἡμῶν ἐπικαινουργήσας, τέλος εὔδαιμον καὶ τρισμακάριον ὄντως ἀπείληφεν τοῦ βίου, μόνος ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας εὐμενῶς καὶ ἐπιδόξως ἐπὶ διαδόχῳ τῆς βασιλείας γνησίῳ παιδὶ τὰ πάντα σωφρονεστάτῳ καὶ εὐσεβεστάτῳ τελευτήσας· 8.αππ.5 ὃς εὐθὺς ἀρχόμενος βασιλεὺς τελεώτατος καὶ Σεβαστὸς πρὸς τῶν στρατοπέδων ἀναγορευθείς, ζηλωτὴν ἑαυτὸν τῆς πατρικῆς περὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον εὐσεβείας κατεστήσατο. τοιαύτη τῶν προαναγεγραμμένων τεττάρων ἡ τοῦ βίου ἔκβασις, κατὰ παρηλλαγμένους χρόνους γεγενημένη. 8.αππ.6 τούτων δὴ μόνος ἔτι λείπων ὁ μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἡμῖν εἰρημένος σὺν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰσποιηθεῖσι τὴν προδεδηλωμένην ἐξομολόγησιν διὰ τοῦ προεκτεθέντος ἐγγράφου λόγου τοῖς πᾶσι φανερὰν κατεστήσαντο. 9.pin.t Θ Τάδε καὶ ἡ ἐνάτη περιέχει βίβλος τῆς Ἐκκλησιαστικῆς ἱστορίας 9.pin.1 Α Περὶ τῆς ἐπιπλάστου ἀνέσεως. Β Περὶ τῆς μετέπειτα διαστροφῆς. Γ Περὶ τοῦ κατὰ Ἀντιόχειαν νεοπαγοῦς ξοάνου. ∆ Περὶ τῶν καθ' ἡμῶν ψηφισμάτων. Ε Περὶ τῶν ἐπιπλάστων ὑπομνημάτων. Περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷδε τῷ χρόνῳ μεμαρτυρηκότων. Ζ Περὶ τῆς καθ' ἡμῶν ἐν στήλαις ἀνατεθείσης γραφῆς. Η Περὶ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα συμβεβηκότων ἐν λιμῷ καὶ λοιμῷ καὶ πολέμοις. Θ Περὶ τῆς τῶν τυράννων καταστροφῆς τοῦ βίου, καὶ οἵαις ἐχρήσαντο πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς φωναῖς. Θφαφ Ἀντίγραφον ἑρμηνείας ἐπιστολῆς τοῦ τυράννου. Ι Περὶ τῆς τῶν θεοφιλῶν βασιλέων νίκης. ΙΑ Περὶ τῆς ὑστάτης ἀπωλείας τῶν τῆς θεοσεβείας ἐχθρῶν. 9.1.1 Τὰ μὲν δὴ τῆς παλινῳδίας τοῦ προτεθέντος βασιλικοῦ νεύματος ἥπλωτο τῆς Ἀσίας πάντῃ καὶ πανταχοῦ κατά τε τὰς ἀμφὶ ταύτην ἐπαρχίας· ὧν τοῦτον ἐπιτελεσθέντων τὸν τρόπον Μαξιμῖνος, ὁ ἐπ' ἀνατολῆς τύραννος, δυσσεβέστατος εἰ καί τις ἄλλος, καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν εὐσεβείας πολεμιώτατος γεγονώς, οὐδαμῶς τοῖς γραφεῖσιν ἀρεσθείς, ἀντὶ τοῦ προτεθέντος γράμματος λόγῳ προστάττει τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἄρχουσιν τὸν καθ' ἡμῶν ἀνεῖναι πόλεμον. ἐπεὶ γὰρ αὐτῷ μὴ ἐξῆν ἄλλως τῇ τῶν κρειττόνων ἀντιλέγειν κρίσει, τὸν προεκτεθέντα νόμον ἐν παραβύστῳ θεὶς καὶ ὅπως ἐν τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν μέρεσιν μὴ εἰς προῦπτον ἀχθείη, φροντίσας, ἀγράφῳ προστάγματι τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἄρχουσιν τὸν καθ' ἡμῶν διωγμὸν ἀνεῖναι προστάττει· οἳ δὲ τὰ τῆς παρακελεύσεως ἀλλήλοις διὰ γραφῆς ὑποσημαίνουσιν. 9.1.2 ὁ γοῦν παρ' αὐτοῖς τῷ τῶν ἐξοχωτάτων ἐπάρχων ἀξιώματι τετιμημένος Σαβῖνος πρὸς τοὺς κατ' ἔθνος ἡγουμένους τὴν βασιλέως ἐμφαίνει γνώμην διὰ Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἐπιστολῆς. 9.1.3 «Λιπαρωτάτῃ καὶ καθωσιωμένῃ