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they could not bear, but having encouraged one another, they ran down upon the Christians. And having killed some, and wounded others, they seize the Serapeum. This was a temple, most conspicuous for beauty and 7.15.4 size, situated on a hill. From there, as from a kind of citadel, they suddenly came forth and seized many Christians, and torturing them, compelled them to sacrifice. But those who refused, they crucified some, of others 7.15.5 they broke the legs, and they killed others in other ways. And while the sedition prevailed for a long time, the magistrates came to them and reminded them of the laws, and exhorted them to cease from war and to abandon the Serapeum. Romanus at that time commanded the military legions in Egypt, and Evagrius was the prefect of Alexandria. But as they accomplished nothing, 7.15.6 they reported to the emperor what had happened. But the consciousness of what they had dared made those in the Serapeum more zealous, and then also a certain Olympius, in the guise of a philosopher, being with them and persuading them that they ought not to neglect their ancestral rites, but if need be, to die for them. Seeing them despondent at the destruction of the idols, he advised them not to abandon their religion, saying that the statues were corruptible matter and images, and for this reason endured destruction, but that certain powers had dwelt in them and had flown away to the heavens. And he, suggesting such things and having a multitude of Greeks around 7.15.7 him, remained in the Serapeum. But the emperor, when what had happened was reported, declared blessed the Christians who had been killed, as having obtained the rewards of martyrdom and having suffered for the faith, but ordered that their killers should receive pardon, so that they might more easily convert to Christianity, reverencing the benefit, and that the temples in Alexandria should be destroyed as 7.15.8 being the cause of the sedition among the people. And it is said that when the things written about this by the emperor were read in public, the Christians shouted loudly, because from the very beginning he placed the blame on the Hellenists. And from there, those guarding the Serapeum, falling into fear, turned to flight, 7.15. and the Christians having seized the place, possessed it from that time. But Olympius, as I learned, not long before, in the dead of night, after which, on the following day, these things happened, heard someone in the Serapeum chanting Alleluia. But since the doors were closed and there was silence, he saw no one, but heard only a voice singing the same psalm, he recognized the sign. And having escaped everyone's notice, he went out of the Serapeum, and having found a ship, 7.15.10 he set sail for Italy. And they say that when this temple was then being destroyed, some of the so-called hieroglyphic characters resembling the sign of the cross, engraved on the stones, appeared; and having been interpreted by those knowledgeable in such things, this writing signified life to come. And this became an occasion for Christianity for many of the Hellenists, inasmuch as other writings also indicated that this temple would have an end, when this character should appear. Thus indeed the Serapeum was captured and not long after was converted into a church, named after Arcadius the emperor. 7.15.11 Still in certain cities the Hellenists eagerly fought for the temples, among the Arabians, the people of Petra and Areopolis, among the Palestinians, the people of Raphia and Gaza, among the Phoenicians, those who inhabited Heliopolis, 7.15.12 and of the Syrians especially those of the district of Apamea, which is near the Axius river; whom I learned, for the protection of their temples, often used alliances of Galilean men and of the villages around Libanus, and finally advanced to such a degree of audacity, as even to kill Marcellus, the bishop there. 7.15.13 For having reasoned that it was not easy otherwise to make them change from their former religion, he destroyed the temples throughout the city and the villages. And having learned that there was a very great temple in Aulon (this is a region of the Apamean territory) some soldiers

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ἠνείχοντο, παρακελευσάμενοι δὲ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς κατέδραμον τοὺς Χριστιανούς. καὶ τοὺς μὲν κτείναντες, τοὺς δὲ τραυματίας ποιήσαντες καταλαμβάνουσι τὸ Σεραπεῖον· ναὸς δὲ ἦν οὗτος κάλλει καὶ 7.15.4 μεγέθει ἐμφανέστατος, ἐπὶ γεωλόφου κείμενος. ἐντεῦθεν ὡς ἀπ' ἄκρας τινὸς ἐξαπιναίως ἐλθόντες συνελάβοντο πολλοὺς Χριστιανῶν καὶ βασανίζοντες ἠνάγκαζον θύειν. παραιτουμένους δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἀνεσκολόπισαν, τῶν δὲ 7.15.5 τὰ σκέλη κατέαξαν, ἄλλους δὲ ἄλλως ἀνῄρουν. ἐπὶ πολλῷ δὲ χρόνῳ τῆς στάσεως κρατούσης παραγενόμενοι πρὸς αὐτοὺς οἱ ἄρχοντες νόμων ὑπεμίμνησκον καὶ παύεσθαι πολέμου παρεκελεύοντο καὶ τὸ Σεραπεῖον καταλιμπάνειν. ἦρχε δὲ τότε τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ στρατιωτικῶν ταγμάτων ῾Ρωμανός, Εὐάγριος δὲ ὕπαρχος τῆς ᾿Αλεξανδρείας ἡγεῖτο. ὡς δὲ οὐδὲν ἤνυον, 7.15.6 ἐμήνυσαν βασιλεῖ τὰ γενόμενα. προθυμοτέρους δὲ τοὺς ἐν τῷ Σεραπείῳ παρεσκεύαζεν εἶναι τὸ συνειδέναι σφίσιν ἃ τετολμήκασιν, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ᾿Ολύμπιός τις ἐν φιλοσόφου σχήματι συνὼν αὐτοῖς καὶ πείθων χρῆναι μὴ ἀμελεῖν τῶν πατρίων, ἀλλ' εἰ δέοι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν θνῄσκειν· καθαιρουμένων δὲ τῶν ξοάνων ἀθυμοῦντας ὁρῶν συνεβούλευε μὴ ἐξίστασθαι τῆς θρησκείας, ὕλην φθαρτὴν καὶ ἰνδάλματα λέγων εἶναι τὰ ἀγάλματα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀφανισμὸν ὑπομένειν, δυνάμεις δέ τινας ἐνοικῆσαι αὐτοῖς καὶ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀποπτῆναι. καὶ ὁ μὲν τοιαῦτα εἰσηγούμενος καὶ πληθὺν ῾Ελλήνων ἔχων περὶ 7.15.7 αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ Σεραπείῳ διέτριβεν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀγγελθέντων τῶν γενομένων τοὺς μὲν ἀναιρεθέντας Χριστιανοὺς ἐμακάριζεν ὡς μαρτυρίας γερῶν μετασχόντας καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ δόγματος προκινδυνεύσαντας, τοὺς δὲ ἀνελόντας συγγνώμης τυχεῖν προσέταξεν, ὡς ἂν ῥᾷστα εἰς Χριστιανισμὸν μεταβάλοιεν τὴν εὐεργεσίαν αἰδούμενοι, καθαιρεθῆναι δὲ τοὺς ἐν ᾿Αλεξανδρείᾳ ναοὺς ὡς 7.15.8 αἰτίους στάσεως τῷ δήμῳ. λέγεται δὲ τῶν περὶ τούτου γραφέντων παρὰ βασιλέως εἰς τὸ κοινὸν ἀναγνωσθέντων μέγα ἀναβοῆσαι τοὺς Χριστιανούς, καθότι εὐθὺς ἐκ προοιμίων ἐν αἰτίᾳ τοὺς ῾Ελληνιστὰς ἐποιεῖτο. ἐντεῦθεν δὲ εἰς δέος ἐμπεσόντας τοὺς τὸ Σεραπεῖον φυλάττοντας εἰς φυγὴν τραπῆναι, 7.15. καταλαβόντας δὲ τὸν τόπον τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς ἐξ ἐκείνου κατασχεῖν. ὁ δὲ ᾿Ολύμπιος, ὡς ἐπυθόμην, οὐ πολλῷ πρότερον ἀωρὶ τῆς νυκτός, μεθ' ἣν ταῦτα ἐπιγενομένης ἡμέρας συνέβη, ἐπήκουσέ τινος ἐν τῷ Σεραπείῳ ἀλληλούια ψάλλοντος. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων καὶ ἡσυχίας οὔσης οὐδένα καθεώρα, φωνῆς δὲ μόνης ἤκουε τὸν αὐτὸν ψαλμὸν μελῳδούσης, ἔγνω τὸ σύμβολον. καὶ λαθὼν πάντας ἔξεισι τοῦ Σεραπείου, καὶ πλοίου 7.15.10 τυχὼν εἰς ᾿Ιταλίαν ἀνήχθη. φασὶ δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ τούτου τότε καθαιρουμένου τινὰς τῶν καλουμένων ἱερογλυφικῶν χαρακτήρων σταυροῦ σημείῳ ἐμφερεῖς ἐγκεχαραγμένους τοῖς λίθοις ἀναφανῆναι· παρ' ἐπιστημόνων δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἑρμηνευθεῖσαν σημᾶναι ταύτην τὴν γραφὴν ζωὴν ἐπερχομένην· τοῦτο δὲ πρόφασιν Χριστιανισμοῦ πολλοῖς γενέσθαι τῶν ῾Ελληνιστῶν, καθότι καὶ γράμματα ἕτερα τοῦτο τὸ ἱερὸν τέλος ἕξειν ἐδήλου, ἡνίκα οὗτος ὁ χαρακτὴρ φανῇ. τὸ μὲν δὴ Σεραπεῖον ὧδε ἥλω καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν μετεσκευάσθη ᾿Αρκαδίου τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπώνυμον. 7.15.11 Εἰσέτι δὲ κατὰ πόλεις τινὰς προθύμως ὑπερεμάχοντο τῶν ναῶν οἱ ῾Ελληνισταί, παρὰ μὲν ᾿Αραβίοις Πετραῖοι καὶ ᾿Αρεοπολῖται, παρὰ δὲ Παλαιστίνοις ῾Ραφεῶται καὶ Γαζαῖοι, παρὰ δὲ Φοίνιξιν οἱ τὴν ῾Ηλιούπολιν 7.15.12 οἰκοῦντες, Σύρων δὲ μάλιστα οἱ τοῦ νομοῦ ᾿Απαμείας τῆς πρὸς τῷ ᾿Αξίῳ ποταμῷ· οὓς ἐπυθόμην ἐπὶ φυλακῇ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς ναῶν συμμαχίαις χρήσασθαι πολλάκις Γαλιλαίων ἀνδρῶν καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν Λίβανον κωμῶν, τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον προελθεῖν τόλμης, ὡς καὶ Μάρκελλον τὸν τῇδε 7.15.13 ἐπίσκοπον ἀνελεῖν. λογισάμενος γάρ, ὡς οὐκ ἄλλως αὐτοὺς ῥᾴδιον μεταθεῖναι τῆς προτέρας θρησκείας, τοὺς ἀνὰ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰς κώμας ναοὺς κατεστρέψατο. πυθόμενος δὲ μέγιστον εἶναι ναὸν ἐν τῷ Αὐλῶνι (κλίμα δὲ τοῦτο τῆς ᾿Απαμέων χώρας) στρατιώτας τινὰς