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and they lead him into the house of darkness, which he himself had fortified, having built it anew for the deposit of 327 treasures, and giving him meager bread and water, they starved him; for Siroes said, "Let him eat the gold which he gathered in vain, on account of which he starved many and desolated the world." And he sent the satraps to him to insult and spit on him, and leading forth Merdasas, his son, whom he had wished to crown, he slaughtered him before his eyes, and they killed all his other children before his eyes, and he sent every enemy of his to insult and strike and spit on him. And after they had done this for five days, Siroes ordered him to be killed with arrows, and so little by little in terrible sufferings he gave up his wicked soul. Then Siroes wrote to Heraclius, announcing to him the good news of the slaying of the abominable Chosroes; and having made a lasting peace with him, he returned to him all the Christians in garrisons and the captives in all of Persia, along with the patriarch Zacharias and the precious and life-giving wood that had been taken from Jerusalem by Sarbarazas, when he captured Jerusalem. Siroes, king of the Persians, year 1. ριθʹ. χιθʹ. ιηʹ. αʹ. ιθʹ. ιθʹ. θʹ. In this year, when peace was made between the Persians and the Romans, the emperor sent Theodore, his own brother, with letters and men of Siroes, the king of the Persians, so that they might peacefully return the Persians in Edessa and Palestine and Jerusalem and the other cities of the Romans to Persia, and that they might pass through the land of the Romans unharmed. And the emperor, having campaigned against Persia for six years, in the 7th year, having made peace, returned to Constantinople with great joy, fulfilling a certain mystical contemplation in this. For in six days God created all of creation and called the seventh a day of rest; so he too in 328 the six years having completed many labors, in the seventh year, having returned to the city with peace and joy, rested. And the people of the city, having learned of his arrival, with unrestrainable longing all went out to Hiereia to meet him, with the patriarch and Constantine, the emperor and his son, carrying olive branches and lamps, acclaiming him with joy and tears. And his son, coming forward, fell at his feet, and embracing him, they both wet the ground with their tears. Seeing this, the people all sent up hymns of thanksgiving to God; and so, taking the emperor, they entered the city leaping for joy. Adeser, king of the Persians, for 7 months. ρκʹ. χκʹ. ιθʹ. αʹ. κʹ. κʹ. ιʹ. In this year, the emperor, setting out at the beginning of spring from the imperial city, proceeded to Jerusalem, taking the precious and life-giving wood in order to give thanks to God. And when he came to Tiberias, the Christians accused a certain man named Benjamin of doing them harm. For he was exceedingly wealthy, and he had received the emperor and his army. And the emperor condemned him, saying, "For what reason do you harm the Christians?" And he said, "As enemies of my faith." For he was a Jew. Then the emperor, having admonished him and persuaded him, baptized him in the house of Eustathius of Neapolis, who was a Christian and had himself received the emperor. And the emperor, having entered Jerusalem and restored Zacharias the patriarch and the precious and life-giving wood to its own place and having given many thanks to God, drove the Hebrews from the holy city, ordering that they not have permission to approach within three miles of the holy city. And having reached Edessa, he returned the church to the ortho329 dox, which had been held by the Nestorians since the time of Chosroes. And coming to Hierapolis he heard that Siroes, the king of the Persians, had died, and that Adeser, his son, had taken over the kingdom of the Persians. And when he had held power for 7 months, Sarbarazas rose up against him,

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καὶ εἰσάγουσιν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ σκότους, ὃν αὐτὸς ὠχύρωσεν ἐκ νέας κτίσας εἰς ἀπόθεσιν 327 χρημάτων, καὶ ἄρτον πενιχρὸν τούτῳ διδόντες καὶ ὕδωρ ἐλιμαγχόνουν· ἔφη γὰρ ὁ Σιρόης, ὅτι "τὸν χρυσὸν φάγῃ, ὃν συνήγαγε μάτην, δι' ὃν πολλοὺς ἐλιμαγχόνησε καὶ τὸν κόσμον ἠρήμωσεν." ἀπέστειλε δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν τοὺς σατράπας ὑβρίζειν καὶ ἐμπτύειν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀγαγὼν Μερδασάν, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, ὃν ἐβούλετο στέψαι, ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἔσφαξεν, καὶ πάντα τὰ λοιπὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἀνεῖλον, καὶ ἀπέστειλε πάντα ἐχθρὸν αὐτοῦ ὑβρίζειν καὶ τύπτειν καὶ ἐμπτύειν αὐτόν. πέντε δὲ ἡμέρας τοῦτο ποιήσαντες, ἐκέλευσεν ὁ Σιρόης τόξοις τοῦτον ἀνελεῖν, καὶ οὕτως κατὰ μικρὸν ἐν δεινοῖς παρέδωκε τὴν πονηρὰν αὐτοῦ ψυχήν. τότε ὁ Σιρόης γράφει πρὸς Ἡράκλειον εὐαγγελιζόμενος αὐτῷ τὴν τοῦ μιαροῦ Χοσρόου ἀναίρεσιν· καὶ εἰρήνην ἀειπαγῆ πρὸς αὐτὸν ποιησάμενος πάντας τοὺς ἐν φρουραῖς Χριστιανοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἐν Περσίδι πάσῃ αἰχμαλώτους ἀπέδωκεν αὐτῷ σὺν τῷ πατριάρχῃ Ζαχαρίᾳ καὶ τοῖς τιμίοις καὶ ζωοποιοῖς ξύλοις τοῖς ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων ληφθεῖσιν ὑπὸ Σαρβαραζᾶ, ὅταν τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ παρέλαβεν. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Σιρόης ἔτος αʹ. ριθʹ. χιθʹ. ιηʹ. αʹ. ιθʹ. ιθʹ. θʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει εἰρήνης γενομένης μεταξὺ Περσῶν καὶ Ῥωμαίων, ἀπέστειλεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεόδωρον, τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφόν, μετὰ γραμμάτων καὶ ἀνθρώπων Σιρόου, τοῦ βασιλέως Περσῶν, ὅπως τοὺς ἐν Ἐδέσῃ καὶ Παλαιστίνῃ καὶ Ἱεροσολύμοις καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς πόλεσι τῶν Ῥωμαίων Πέρσας μετὰ εἰρήνης ἀποστρέψωσιν ἐν Περσίδι, καὶ ἀβλαβῶς παρέλθωσι τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων γῆν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐν ἓξ ἔτεσι καταπολεμήσας τὴν Περσίδα, τῷ ζʹ ἔτει εἰρηνεύσας μετὰ χαρᾶς μεγάλης ἐπὶ Κωνσταντινούπολιν ὑπέστρεψε μυστικήν τινα θεωρίαν ἐν τούτῳ πληρώσας. ἐν γὰρ ἓξ ἡμέραις πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν δημιουργήσας ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἑβδόμην ἀναπαύσεως ἡμέραν ἐκάλεσεν· οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν 328 τοῖς ἓξ χρόνοις πολλοὺς πόνους διανύσας τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει μετ' εἰρήνης καὶ χαρᾶς ἐν τῇ πόλει ὑποστρέψας ἀνεπαύσατο. ὁ δὲ λαὸς τῆς πόλεως τὴν ἔλευσιν αὐτοῦ μαθόντες ἀκατασχέτῳ πόθῳ πάντες εἰς τὴν Ἱερείαν ἐξῆλθον εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῦ, σὺν τῷ πατριάρχῃ καὶ Κωνσταντίνῳ, τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ, βαστάζοντες κλάδους ἐλαιῶν καὶ λαμπάδας, εὐφημοῦντες αὐτὸν μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ δακρύων. προσελθὼν δὲ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, καὶ περιπλακεὶς αὐτῷ ἔβρεξαν ἀμφότεροι τὴν γῆν τοῖς δάκρυσιν. τοῦτο θεασάμενος ὁ λαός, ἅπαντες εὐχαριστηρίους ὕμνους τῷ θεῷ ἀνέπεμπον· καὶ οὕτω λαβόντες τὸν βασιλέα σκιρτῶντες εἰσῆλθον ἐν τῇ πόλει. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Ἀδεσὴρ μῆνας ζʹ. ρκʹ. χκʹ. ιθʹ. αʹ. κʹ. κʹ. ιʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἀπάρας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἅμα ἔαρι ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλευούσης πόλεως ἐπὶ τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα ἐπορεύετο ἀπαγαγὼν τὰ τίμια καὶ ζωοποιὰ ξύλα τοῦ ἀποδοῦναι τῷ θεῷ τὴν εὐχαριστίαν. ἐλθόντι δὲ αὐτῷ ἐν Τιβεριάδι κατηγόρησαν οἱ Χριστιανοὶ Βενιαμίν τινα ὀνόματι ὡς κακοποιοῦντα αὐτούς. ἦν γὰρ ἐνούσιος σφόδρα, καὶ ὑπεδέξατο τὸν βασιλέα καὶ τὸν στρατὸν αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς κατέκρινεν αὐτὸν λέγων· "διὰ ποίαν αἰτίαν κακοποιεῖς τοὺς Χριστιανούς;" ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· "ὡς ἐχθροὺς τῆς πίστεώς μου." ἦν γὰρ Ἰουδαῖος. τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς νουθετήσας αὐτὸν καὶ πείσας ἐβάπτισεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον Εὐσταθίου τοῦ Νεαπολίτου, Χριστιανοῦ ὄντος καὶ αὐτοῦ ὑποδεξαμένου τὸν βασιλέα. εἰσελθὼν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις καὶ ἀποκαταστήσας Ζαχαρίαν τὸν πατριάρχην καὶ τὰ τίμια καὶ ζωοποιὰ ξύλα εἰς τὸν ἴδιον τόπον καὶ πολλὰ εὐχαριστήσας τῷ θεῷ ἀπήλασε τοὺς Ἑβραίους ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας πόλεως, κελεύσας μὴ ἔχειν αὐτοὺς ἐξουσίαν ἀπὸ τριῶν μιλίων τῆς ἁγίας πόλεως πλησιάζειν. καταλαβὼν δὲ τὴν Ἔδεσαν ἀπέδωκε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῖς ὀρθο329 δόξοις ὑπὸ Νεστοριανῶν κατεχομένην ἀπὸ Χοσρόου. καὶ ἐλθὼν εἰς Ἱεράπολιν ἤκουσεν, ὅτι Σιρόης τέθνηκεν, ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεύς, Ἀδεσὴρ δέ, ὁ τούτου υἱός, τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν Περσῶν παρέλαβεν. τούτου δὲ μῆνας ζʹ κρατήσαντος τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπανέστη αὐτῷ Σαρβαραζᾶς,