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with ropes, being very savage and large. And Zambres, mocking Sylvester, said, "Now your words and the pretexts of your words will have an end. If, then, you have confidence in the name of your god, say it in the hearing of the bull, and you will be shown to worship the Almighty; but if not, I will say it, and all will run to my faith." When the Jews and the others urged Zambres to speak the name in the hearing of the bull, and he had spoken it, immediately the bull, bellowing loudly with its eyes popping out, expired. So while the Jews were leaping up and boasting against Sylvester, and the Christians were greatly grieved, Sylvester asked the emperor to command the people to be quiet. And when this was done and the blessed Sylvester stood in a high place, he said, "Hear me, rulers and potentates, and give ear, all you peoples, to my words. I proclaim the master and lord of all the world, Jesus Christ, who granted sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, who bestowed speech upon the mute, who healed withered hands, who gave healing to the lame, who cleansed lepers, who strengthened the paralyzed and raised the dead. Whence it is clearly demonstrated that this name which Zambres invoked to kill the bull, is of the devil. For if it cannot raise the dead, then he is an enemy of life and salvation, who was able to kill the living, but has not the strength to make the dead live." Then Zambres, tearing his 1.493 tunic, said, "Most gentle master, eternal king, no one has been able to conquer this Sylvester whom you speak of; I have conquered in the almighty God. It is right, therefore, that he should not be given authority to speak for long. For he never ceases inventing strange things and speaking against God, and with his nonsense he becomes a burden to your majesty." To whom the Augustus said, "The name of the almighty God and its invocation above all things provides for life and salvation. Likewise you too, if you are of God, raise the bull, and we will believe that you have the victory from God. But if you cannot do this, the sorcery of your hypocrisy is revealed to have been done through demons." To whom also the holy Sylvester said, "Hear, O Jew, the truth from your own scriptures. In Deuteronomy God himself says, 'See, see that I am, and there is no god besides me. I will kill and I will make to live, I will strike and I will heal.' Therefore, being invoked at the right time he kills, and at the right time again he gives life. Invoke him, therefore, in the other ear of the bull, and if you raise him, we will all believe, as you say." Then Zambres says, "Did I not tell you, most gentle king, that in words no one can conquer Sylvester? Command him, therefore, to show us something not with words but with deeds." The holy Sylvester said, "Do you wish then, O Jew, that I by the invocation of my master Jesus Christ raise the bull?" Zambres says, "You will not do this, even if you were to fly on wings." The emperor said, "I marvel at your shamelessness, Zambres. You 1.494 said, 'Let words cease and let the contest be with deeds.' And this man promises to do what you say is completely impossible. Therefore it is right for you to confess that this is the true God who is able to raise the dead, and that one a deceiver and devil who killed but is not able to give life." Then Zambres swore, saying, "If Sylvester raises the dead bull, all of us, abandoning the Jewish law, will desert to the faith of the Christians." And the blessed Sylvester, stretching out his hands for a long time toward heaven, and having made a prayer with tears, went to the bull and said with a loud voice, "I, my master Jesus Christ, invoke your all-holy name before all, so that this people may learn that the name of the devil murdered the bull, but by the invocation of your life-giving and most manifest name it has been brought to life." And approaching the bull

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σχοινίοις, ἀγριώ τατος καὶ μέγας ὑπάρχων. καὶ ὁ Ζαμβρῆς ἐπιτωθάζων τῷ Σιλ βέστρῳ ἔφη "νῦν τὰ ῥήματα καὶ αἱ ὑποθέσεις τῶν ῥημάτων σου τέλος ἕξουσιν. εἰ μὲν οὖν θαρρεῖς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ σου, εἰπὲ τοῦτο κατὰ τὴν ἀκοὴν τοῦ ταύρου, καὶ δειχθήσῃ παντοκρά τορι θρησκεύων· εἰ δ' οὖν, λέξω ἐγώ, καὶ πάντες τῇ ἐμῇ προσ δραμοῦσι πίστει." τῶν δὲ Ἰουδαίων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων παρορμη σάντων εἰπεῖν τὸν Ζαμβρῆν τὸ ὄνομα ὑπὸ τὴν ἀκοὴν τοῦ ταύρου, καὶ τούτου εἰπόντος, εὐθὺς ὁ ταῦρος μυκησάμενος μέγα τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ ἐξελθόντων ἐξέψυξεν. ἀνασκιρτώντων οὖν τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ μεγαλαυχούντων κατὰ Σιλβέστρου, καὶ τῶν Χρι στιανῶν λυπουμένων σφόδρα, κελεῦσαι τῷ λαῷ ἡσυχάσαι παρα καλεῖ ὁ Σίλβεστρος τὸν βασιλέα. καὶ τούτου γενομένου καὶ ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ τόπου στὰς ὁ μακάριος Σίλβεστρος ἔφη "ἀκούσατέ μου, ἄρχοντες καὶ δυνάσται, καὶ ἐνωτίσασθε λαοὶ ἅπαντες τὰ ῥήματά μου. ἐγὼ τὸν δεσπότην καὶ κύριον παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν κηρύττω, τὸν παρασχόντα τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν καὶ κω φοῖς ἀκούειν, ἀλάλοις χαρισάμενον λαλεῖν, χεῖρας ξηρὰς ἰασάμενον, κωλοῖς ἴασιν δωρησάμενον, λεπροὺς καθαρίσαντα, παραλύτους σφίγξαντα καὶ νεκροὺς ἐγείραντα. ὅθεν φανερῶς ἀποδείκνυται ὅτι τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα ὃ ἐπεκαλέσατο ὁ Ζαμβρῆς τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν ταῦρον, τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστίν. εἰ γὰρ θανόντα ἀναστῆσαι οὐ δύναται, ἔστιν ἄρα ζωῆς καὶ σωτηρίας ἐχθρὸς ὁ ζῶντα μὲν ἀποκτεῖναι δυνηθείς, νεκρὸν δὲ ζῳοποιῆσαι μὴ ἰσχύων." τότε ὁ Ζαμβρῆς διαρρήξας τὸν ἑαυτοῦ 1.493 χιτῶνα ἔφη "δέσποτα ἐπιεικέστατε, βασιλεῦ αἰώνιε, Σίλβεστρον ὃν λέγεις νικῆσαι οὐδεὶς ἠδυνήθη, ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ παντοκράτορι θεῷ ἐνίκησα. δίκαιον οὖν ἐστὶ μὴ ἐπὶ πολὺ δοθῆναι αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν τοῦ λαλεῖν. ξένα γὰρ ἐφευρίσκων ἀεὶ καὶ ἐναντία τοῦ θεοῦ λαλῶν οὐ παύεται, καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ φλυαρίᾳ ἐπιβαρὺς γίνεται τῇ ὑμῶν βασιλείᾳ." πρὸς ὃν ὁ Αὔγουστος ἔφη "τὸ τοῦ παντοκράτορος θεοῦ ὄνομα καὶ ἡ ἐπίκλησις πρώτιστα πάντων ζωῆς καὶ σωτηρίας πρόνοιαν παρέχεται. ὡσαύτως καὶ σὺ εἰ τοῦ θεοῦ εἶ, ἀνάστησον τὸν ταῦρον, καὶ πιστεύσομέν σε ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἔχειν τὴν νίκην. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο οὐ δύνῃ ποιῆσαι, φανερά σου τῆς ὑποκρίσεως γοητεία διὰ δαιμόνων πεπρᾶχθαι." πρὸς ὃν καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Σίλβεστρος ἔφη "ἄκουε, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, ἀπὸ τῶν σῶν γραφῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς λέγει «ἴδετε ἴδετε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι θεὸς πλὴν ἐμοῦ. ἐγὼ ἀποκτενῶ καὶ ζῆν ποιήσω, πατάξω κἀγὼ ἰάσομαι.» εὐκαίρως οὖν ἐπικληθεὶς ἀποκτείνει, καὶ εὐκαίρως πάλιν ζῳοποιεῖ. ἐπικάλεσαι οὖν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἀκοὴν τοῦ ταύρου, καὶ ἐὰν αὐτὸν ἐγείρῃς, πιστεύσομεν πάντες, καθὼς σὺ φῄς." τότε ὁ Ζαμβρῆς λέγει "οὐκ εἶπόν σοι, ἐπιει κέστατε βασιλεῦ, ὅτι ἐν λόγοις Σίλβεστρον οὐδεὶς δύναται νικῆ σαι; κέλευσον οὖν αὐτὸν μὴ ῥήμασιν ἀλλ' ἔργοις ἐπιδεῖξαί τι ἡμῖν." ὁ ἅγιος Σίλβεστρος ἔφη "θέλεις οὖν, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, ἐγὼ τῇ ἐπικλήσει τοῦ δεσπότου μου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγείρω τὸν ταῦ ρον;" Ζαμβρῆς λέγει "τοῦτο οὐ ποιεῖς, εἰ καὶ πτεροῖς πετασθῇς." ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπε "θαυμάζω τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν σου, Ζαμβρῆ. σὺ 1.494 εἶπας «σχολαζέτωσαν οἱ λόγοι καὶ ἔργοις ἀγωνιζέσθω.» οὗτος δὲ ὑπισχνεῖται ποιῆσαι ὅπερ σὺ λέγεις παντελῶς εἶναι ἀδύνατον. ὥστε δίκαιόν ἐστιν ὁμολογῆσαί σε τοῦτον εἶναι θεὸν ἀληθῆ τὸν νεκροὺς ἀναστῆσαι δυνάμενον, ἐκεῖνον δὲ πλάνον καὶ διάβολον τὸν ἀποκτείναντα καὶ ζῳοποιῆσαι μὴ δυνάμενον." τότε ὁ Ζαμ βρῆς ὤμοσε λέγων "ἐὰν Σίλβεστρος τὸν νεκρὸν ταῦρον ἀναστήσῃ, πάντες τὸν Ἰουδαϊκὸν καταλείψαντες νόμον πρὸς τὴν τῶν Χρι στιανῶν αὐτομολήσομεν πίστιν." ὁ δὲ μακάριος Σίλβεστρος ἐκ τείνας ἐπὶ πολὺ τὰς χεῖρας εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, καὶ μετὰ δακρύων εὐχὴν ποιήσας, πρὸς τὸν ταῦρον ἀπελθὼν εἶπε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ "ἐγώ, δέσποτά μου Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, τὸ πανάγιον ὄνομά σου ἐπι καλοῦμαι ἐπὶ πάντων, ἵνα μάθῃ ὁ λαὸς οὗτος ὅτι διαβόλου μὲν ὄνομα ἐφόνευσε τὸν ταῦρον, τοῦ δὲ ζῳοποιοῦ καὶ φανερωτάτου σου ὀνόματος ἐπικλήσει ἐζῳοποιήθη." καὶ πλησιάσας τῷ ταύρῳ