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adorned with understanding and gentleness. He came from Bostra of Europe, where he also built a city, naming it Philippopolis. This man made peace treaties with Sapor, king of the Persians, who was marveled 1.452 at for the size of his body; for until that time so great a man had not been seen. He was killed along with his son while struggling for the Christians against Decius. Valerian, for one year; and he was slain by his own people. In his reign, God sending great wrath over the whole inhabited world, a pestilential disease destroyed the human race. For certain vapors rose from the land and the sea, and in addition to these, winds and breezes gave off exhalations from rivers and lakes, so that one might think the dews were the ichor of the dead. Therefore, continuous plagues gripped the land from this, and severe and incurable diseases, and the destruction of men became infinite and innumerable, so that the majority of the dead were left unburied. And after Valerian, Gallus and Volusianus reigned for 2 years and 8 months. And the plague prevailed in those days, having moved from Ethiopia as far as the west, so that no city remained without a share of it. And it often went through the city even twice. It prevailed for 15 years, beginning from autumn and ending at the rising of the dog star. This disease was transmitted both from clothing and from mere sight. For there was no house in which there was not a dead person. And some, for fear of catching the disease, left the dead unburied, but the more pious, by unguardedly treating the sick, drew the disease upon themselves, and with them or after them they departed this life. In his reign the Scythians, having crossed the Ister 1.453, ravaged and took all the west and Italy and the east and Asia, except for Ilium and Cyzicus alone. Volusianus was the son of Gallus. And Gallus was slain while sleeping by his own wife, but Volusianus by soldiers. Decius reigned for 2 years. This man punished many saints and delivered them to death. And Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina were martyred, and the seven youths in Ephesus, and a great multitude of saints. This man decreed in Rome that Christian women were not permitted to cover their heads, thinking to draw them to idolatry through this supposed shame. But they went forth uncovered all the more, considering the seeming dishonor for Christ's sake to be a glory among men; whence until now the faithful Christian women go about uncovered, but the Jewish and unbelieving women are covered. In his reign also Babylas of Antioch and Flavian of Rome and Alexander of Jerusalem and Dionysius of Alexandria were martyred. And Novatus, being a presbyter of the church, fell away, who would not receive those who had sacrificed in the persecution and were repenting. In his reign Elcesaius the heresiarch was becoming known. And Decius was killed by the Scythians through the designs of Gallus, having been drowned in a marsh with his own son, so that not even their bodies were found, they having found a death worthy of their bestiality. 1.454 Aemilianus reigned for one year, and was slain in the palace by the soldiers. Valerian and Gallienus, for 15 years. This Valerian, having made war with Sapor the Persian and having been made a captive in Caesarea, with 20,000 men, was flayed by Sapor and died. And his son Gallienus after him was the first to establish cavalry regiments; for the Roman soldiers were for the most part infantry. He too was slain by soldiers near Mediolanum. In his reign Gregory the wonder-worker flourished, and the heresiarchs Artemon and Synepon became known. Claudius reigned for two years. This man was the grandfather of Constantine the father of Constantine the holy and great. In his reign the Scythians, having crossed over and sacked the cities, and having also taken Athens, gathered together all the books, and wished to burn them, if not one of them

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συνέσει καὶ ἐπιεικείᾳ κε κοσμημένος. ὡρμᾶτο δὲ ἀπὸ Βόστρας τῆς Εὐρώπης, ἔνθα καὶ πόλιν ᾠκοδόμησεν, ὀνομάσας αὐτὴν Φιλιππούπολιν. οὗτος σπον δὰς εἰρηνικὰς ἐποίει μετὰ Σαπώρου βασιλέως Περσῶν, ὃς ἐθαυ 1.452 μάζετο ἐπὶ μεγέθει σώματος· μέχρι γὰρ ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου τηλι κοῦτος ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ὤφθη. ἀνῃρέθη δὲ ἅμα τῷ υἱῷ ὑπὲρ Χρι στιανῶν κατὰ ∆εκίου ἀγωνιζόμενος. Οὐαλεριανὸς ἔτος ἕν· καὶ ἐσφάγη ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. ἐφ' οὗ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην τοῦ θεοῦ ὀργὴν μεγάλην ἐκπέμψαν τος λοιμώδης νόσος τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος διέφθειρεν. ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς γῆς καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης ἀτμοί τινες ἀνῄεσαν, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἄνεμοι καὶ αὖραι τῶν ποταμῶν καὶ λιμνῶν ἀνιμήσεις ἀπέπνεον, ὡς νομίζειν νεκρῶν ἰχῶρας εἶναι τὰς δρόσους. συνεχεῖς οὖν ἐκ τού του λοιμοὶ τὴν γῆν συνεῖχον καὶ βαρέα καὶ ἀνίατα νοσήματα, καὶ ἄπειρον καὶ ἀναρίθμητον γενέσθαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸν ὄλεθρον, ὥστε τοὺς πλείονας τῶν τεθνεώτων ἀτάφους ὑπολιμπάνεσθαι. Μετὰ δὲ Οὐαλεριανὸν ἐβασίλευσε Γάλλος καὶ Βουλουσιανὸς ἔτη βʹ μῆνας ηʹ. καὶ ἐπεκράτει ὁ λοιμὸς ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, κινηθεὶς ἀπὸ Αἰθιοπίας μέχρι τῆς δύσεως, ὡς μηδεμίαν πόλιν μεῖναι τούτου ἄμοιρον. πολλάκις δὲ καὶ δὶς τῆς πόλεως ἐπήρχετο. ἐκράτει δὲ ἔτη ιεʹ, ἀρχόμενος ἀπὸ φθινοπώρου καὶ λήγων τῇ τοῦ κυνὸς ἐπιτολῇ. μετεδίδοτο δὲ ἡ νόσος αὕτη ἀπό τε εἱμάτων καὶ ψιλῆς θέας. οὐ γὰρ ἦν οἰκία ἐν ᾗ τεθνηκὼς οὐκ ἦν. καὶ οἱ μὲν φόβῳ τοῦ μὴ μεταλαβεῖν τῆς νόσου ἀτάφους εἴων τοὺς τεθνηκό τας, οἱ εὐσεβέστεροι δὲ ἀπαραφυλάκτως τοὺς νοσοῦντας θερα πεύοντες εἰς ἑαυτοὺς τὴν νόσον ἐπεσπῶντο, καὶ σὺν ἐκείνοις ἢ μετ' ἐκείνους τὸν βίον μετήλλαττον. ἐπὶ τούτου οἱ Σκύθαι τὸν Ἴστρον 1.453 περάσαντες πᾶσαν τὴν δύσιν καὶ Ἰταλίαν ἀνατολήν τε καὶ Ἀσίαν ἐπόρθησαν καὶ παρέλαβον, δίχα μόνης Ἰλίου καὶ Κυζίκου. ἦν δὲ Βουλουσιανὸς υἱὸς Γάλλου. καὶ ὁ μὲν Γάλλος ἐσφάγη καθεύδων ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας γυναικός, ὁ δὲ Βουλουσιανὸς ὑπὸ στρα τιωτῶν. ∆έκιος ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη βʹ. οὗτος πολλοὺς ἁγίους ἐτιμωρή σατο καὶ θανάτῳ παρέδωκε. καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Κυπριανὸς καὶ ἡ ἁγία Ἰουστῖνα ἐμαρτύρησαν, καὶ οἱ ἐν Ἐφέσῳ ἑπτὰ παῖδες, καὶ πλῆθος ἁγίων πολύ. οὗτος ἐθέσπισεν ἐν Ῥώμῃ τὰς Χριστιανὰς γυ ναῖκας μὴ ἐξεῖναι κατακαλύπτεσθαι τὴν κεφαλήν, οἰόμενος διὰ τῆς νομιζομένης αἰσχύνης ταύτης εἰς εἰδωλολατρείαν ἑλκύσαι. αἱ δὲ μᾶλλον ἀκατακάλυπτοι προῄεσαν, δόξαν ἡγούμεναι τὴν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ δοκοῦσαν ἀτιμίαν παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· ὅθεν ἄχρι τοῦ νῦν αἱ μὲν ἀκριβεῖς Χριστιανῶν γυναῖκες ἀκατακάλυπτοι προέρχον ται, αἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ ἄπιστοι κατακαλύπτονται. ἐφ' οὗ καὶ Βαβύλας Ἀντιοχείας καὶ Φλαβιανὸς Ῥώμης καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος Ἱεσολύμων καὶ ∆ιονύσιος Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐμαρτύρησαν. καὶ Νοβά τος πρεσβύτερος ὢν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀπέστη, ὃς τοὺς ἐπιθύσαντας ἐν διωγμῷ μετανοοῦντας οὐκ ἐδέχετο. ἐπὶ τούτου Ἐλκεσαῖος αἱ ρεσιάρχης ἐγνωρίζετο. ἀνῃρέθη δὲ ∆έκιος ὑπὸ Σκυθῶν ὑποθή καις Γάλλου ἐν τέλματι ἀποπνιγεὶς μετὰ τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ, ὡς μηδὲ τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν εὑρεθῆναι, ἄξιον τῆς θηριωδίας αὐτῶν τὸν θάνατον εὑράμενοι. 1.454 Αἰμιλιανὸς ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτος ἕν, καὶ ἐσφάγη ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν. Οὐαλεριανὸς καὶ Γαλλιῆνος ἔτη ιεʹ. οὗτος ὁ Οὐαλεριανὸς πόλεμον μετὰ Σαπώρου τοῦ Πέρσου ποιήσας καὶ δοριάλωτος γεγο νὼς ἐν Καισαρείᾳ, ἔχων μυριάδας βʹ, ὑπὸ Σαπώρου ἐκδαρεὶς ἐτελεύτησεν. ὁ δὲ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Γαλλιῆνος μετὰ τοῦτον πρῶτος ἱπ πικὰ τάγματα κατέστησε· πεζοὶ γὰρ κατὰ τὸ πολὺ οἱ στρατιῶται τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὑπῆρχον. ἐσφάγη δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὸ στρατιωτῶν πλησίον Μεδιολάνων. ἐπὶ τούτου ἤκμαζε Γρηγόριος ὁ θαυμα τουργὸς καὶ οἱ αἱρεσιάρχαι Ἀρτέμων καὶ Συνέπων ἐγνωρίζοντο. Κλαύδιος ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη δύο. οὗτος πάππος γέγονε Κων σταντίνου τοῦ πατρὸς Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ μεγάλου. ἐπὶ τούτου οἱ Σκύθαι περάσαντες καὶ τὰς πόλεις πορθήσαντες, παρα λαβόντες δὲ καὶ τὰς Ἀθήνας, συνήγαγον πάντα τὰ βιβλία, καὶ ἠβούλοντο καῦσαι, εἰ μή τις ἐξ αὐτῶν